August 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29: "August at Atsion" Evening Mansion Tours

Spend an evening exploring Atsion Mansion this August!   

Atsion Mansion will be open each Friday evening in August for guided tours. Led by one of Wharton State Forest’s historic interpreters, visitors are invited to experience the 1826 home as it stood nearly two centuries ago. Guests are encouraged to bring their own flashlights, and comfortable shoes for walking up and down narrow staircases are recommended.  

Tours are approximately 75-90 minutes and promptly begin outside the Atsion Mansion at 6:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased over the phone or at the Atsion Office and are $5 per person. Space is limited and visitors are encouraged to call ahead to reserve their spot.  

For more information about evening tours of Atsion Mansion, please call the Atsion Office at 609-268-0444.  

Atsion Mansion and Office are located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088. 

 

August 10: "How To Hike" the 1808 Trail

Have you hiked the 1808 Trail yet? The 1808 Trail is a wildly popular 1.7 mile long trail (one way) that travels through towering Atlantic White Cedar Swamp and follows the path of road dating back to the year 1808.

Join Wharton State Forest’s naturalist for a moderately paced hike out to the 1808 Trail. The naturalist will lead a group out onto the trail and then give participants the option to either continue on the 1808 trail themselves or return back to Batsto Village. We will provide trail maps at the stopping point and show participants various routes they can take to complete a hike on the 1808 Trail. We will hike at a moderate pace with minimal interpretive stops. Participants should be prepared to travel at least two miles but the other routes participants can chose to take can be up to 7 miles long. There is very little elevation change on this hike, but participants should be prepared to walk across multiple, wood bridges, step over shallow roots and some fallen trees.

The hike will begin in front of the Batsto Visitor Center at 10 AM. Please wear appropriate clothes and shoes and bring plenty of water and bug spray. This hike is not ADA accessible and will be canceled if there are thunderstorms or heavy rain in the area.

The hike is free and for all ages! Please note that we will be walking at a moderate pace and we do not recommend bringing strollers. Registration is required and will close once we reach capacity.

For more information, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.

Batsto Village Historic Site is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037

 

August 16: Public Star Watch & Batsto Village Evening Walking Tours 

You’re invited to a Free Public Star Watch at Batsto, organized by the West Jersey Astronomical Society (WAS). Members of the Society will have telescopes available for the public to view objects in the night sky. The event is weather permitting, and visitors are encouraged to check the WAS website (https://www.wasociety.us) after 1 PM. the day of the event to confirm it is still happening should there be cloudy skies. 

Photo Caption: The Dumbbell Nebula (M27). Photo Credit: John McDaniel

The Star Watch Begins at 8:00 PM. At 8:30 PM in the Batsto Visitor Center Auditorium there will be a Comet Demonstration and at 9:30 PM there will be a Laser-Guided Constellation Tour in the telescope observation field. 

For this month’s star watch, Mars is now moving towards twilight. Saturn returns reaching 17° altitude at 11 pm. The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) in Vulpecula is the first planetary nebula discovered. The nebula is what remains of a sun-like star’s expansion and collapse leaving behind a white dwarf star that gives off high energy radiation in turn exciting an expanding cloud of gas. The excited gas emits light that we see with binoculars and telescopes. The Globular Clusters in M10 and M12 found in Ophiuchus are well placed for viewing. 

 

Labor Day Weekend Events in Batsto Village

August 30, 31 & September 1: What's Living in Batsto Lake? 

Anytime from 10 AM – 12 PM throughout Labor Day weekend, stop by Batsto Lake, across from the Sawmill and dig through water samples to learn what’s living in Batsto Lake! Wharton State Forest nature interpretive staff will have sampling stations set up for visitors to search through water samples and try to identify what is living in Batsto Lake and what it means for water quality. 

This is a free tabling event that is open to all ages but recommended for ages 8 and up. 

Batsto Village Historic Site is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village. 

 

August 30, 31 & September 1: Free Walking Tours of Batsto Village and Batsto Mansion "Open House"

You’re invited to spend your Labor Day Weekend touring Batsto! Free walking tours of the village will be offered at 1 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Tours begin inside the Batsto Visitor Center and are approximately one hour. Stops include the Iron Furnace and Glass Factory sites, Workers’ Cottages, Gristmill, and General Store. Cool clothing and comfortable walking shoes are recommended!

While at Batsto, enjoy free “open house” access to Batsto Mansion all Labor Day Weekend! Wharton State Forest’s historic interpreters will be on-hand to answer questions as visitors explore the first and second floors of the nineteenth-century home. Batsto Mansion will be open from 10 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Reservations/tickets are not required for entry.

For more information, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024. 

 

Happening Throughout August

Batsto Post Office Open Wednesdays and Sundays in August

Did you know that the Batsto Post Office can still send mail? First opened by Jesse Richards in 1852, the Batsto Post Office is one of the four oldest post offices currently operating in the United States!

The Batsto Post Office will be open each Wednesday and Sunday afternoon (11 to 3 PM) in August. Bring your pre-stamped postcards and letters to the village to receive a unique Batsto postal cancellation. Stamped postcards are also available for purchase. While you are in the Post Office, be sure to spend some time in the attached Glass Museum! Containing examples of nineteenth and twentieth-century glass, as well as historic artifacts found throughout Batsto, the Glass Museum is the perfect complement to a mansion tour and stroll through the village.

For more information, please call the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.

 

Atsion Mansion Tours

Spend your summer exploring a luxurious summer home of the past! Guided tours of Atsion Mansion are available each weekend in August, with additional Friday tours now offered. Come see one of the most significant examples of Greek Revival architecture in South Jersey. Never “modernized” with plumbing or electricity, the house stands largely as it did when it was constructed in 1826. 

Tours of Atsion Mansion are offered on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning at 1 and 2 PM. Each tour is approximately 45-55 minutes long and begin outside, between the mansion and office. 

Tour tickets can be purchased at the Atsion Office and are $3 for visitors over the age of 12, $1 for visitors ages 5-11 and free for visitors under 5-years-old.  

Atsion Mansion is located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088.   

For more information or to confirm Atsion Mansion Tour availability, please call the Atsion Office at 609-268-0444. 

 

Batsto Mansion Tours

Enjoy the summer breeze this August on Batsto Mansion’s porch and then step inside for a guided tour! Originally built in the eighteenth century as a small ironmaster’s house, the mansion now stands as it appeared after Joseph Wharton renovated the home in 1878. Serving as a vacation home for his family, the Batsto Mansion is an excellent example of the Italianate and Eastlake styles, both popular with the Victorian upper-class.

Tours of Batsto Mansion are offered at the following times throughout August:

• Wednesday through Friday: 11 AM, 1 and 2 PM

• Saturday and Sunday: 10 and 11 AM; 1, 2 and 3 PM

Tours are approximately 45-55 minutes long and begin on the mansion porch. Scheduled events and public programming may impact Batsto Mansion’s tour schedule, so visitors are encouraged to call ahead on the day of their visit to confirm tour times and availability.

Tickets can be purchased at the Batsto Visitor Center and are $3 for visitors over the age of 12, $1 for visitors ages 5-11 and free for visitors under 5-years-old.

Batsto Mansion is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village.

Shopping at Wharton State Forest

The Batsto Museum Shop is featuring another artisan in the series of colonial craft demonstrations to lead up to the celebration of the quincentennial or the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Our first artisan was Lisa Dealy demonstrating basket weaving. This month, we are pleased to announce that Lynn Hannigan will bring the art of quilt making to the Batsto Museum Shop!

On Sunday, August 3 from 10 AM – 3 PM, stop by the Batsto Museum Shop for a fun an informative look at quilt through the ages. Lynn will talk about the brief history, the importance of quilts to colonial families and describe the different patterns of quilts and their meaning in colonial society. She will also discuss the Batsto quilt and other quilts in the mansion.

Lynn is the owner of a local quilt shop and a member of the Batsto Quilters and has over 40 years of quilting and sewing experience. Stop by and enjoy the art of quilt making.

 

 

A Team Effort: Exciting Things to Come in the Batsto Museum Shop

The Batsto Museum Shop staff are working with the history and nature interpretive staff and even the maintenance team to provide new merchandise and exhibits to visitors that truly represent Batsto Village and Wharton State Forest. Keep on the look out this month and the months leading up to the 250th anniversary as new items are added. There is always something interesting going on in the Batsto Visitors Center. This month, Wharton State Forest’s naturalist has set up a special treat. Don’t forget to stop by!

Batsto Museum Shop is located at 31 Batsto Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037 in Historic Batsto Village.

The Atsion General Store is located at 744 US 206, Shamong, NJ 08088.

For more information or to confirm inventory availability, please call the Atsion General Store at 609-268-0444 or the Batsto Museum Shop at 609-561-0024

Camping & Cabins

Camping in Wharton State Forest is available year-round!  

Camping is permitted in developed campgrounds with a permit at Atsion Family, Batona, Bodine Field, Buttonwood Hill, Godfreys Bridge, Goshen Pond, Hawkins Bridge, Lower Forge and Mullica River.  

Atsion Cabins are open! It’s time to plan a 2025 trip and reserve your cabin! Availability is limited.  

 

 

About Wharton State Forest

Located in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Wharton State Forest is New Jersey's largest state forest. It encompasses approximately 125,000 acres covering

parts of Atlantic, Burlington and Camden counties providing a variety of recreational activities including hiking, biking, swimming and horseback riding. It is home

to historic Batsto Village, Batsto and Atsion Mansions, and the Atsion Recreation Area. You can find more information about Wharton State Forest and other New

Jersey state parks on our website at https://dep.nj.gov/wharton.