Author Archives: Wes Hughes

Before you know it, the children will be headed back to school and the summer will be behind us.

Whether you are a history buff, enjoy hiking, like to ride the bike, take the dog for a walk or just need a little time for yourself, Batsto is the place to spend some time.

Come visit us and enjoy this special place.

Tours are offered each Saturday in July at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Tickets are $5 per person and are available by phone at (609) 561-0024 or at the Visitor Center.

Space is limited, and guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance.

Especially at Batsto ....and so do adults!

These happy campers enjoyed their wagon ride at Batsto on a beautiful Sunday in June.

Horse drawn wagon rides will be back at Batsto on Sunday June 4th from 12 noon to 3PM.

Come take a relaxing ride through the village, learn a little history and meet "Moxie" ...a beautiful, strong and very pleasant Persian horse providing the power!

Join us on Earth Day to have some fun.

Like flying a kite!

(11AM - 3PM)

Here comes the sun.....and warm weather!

And wind?

Saturday April 22nd ..

Come join us for some

Earth Day fun!

(meet at the pavilion in the rear of the parking lot at the Visitor Center)

• 8:30-9:00 Meet for a Guided Bird Hike. Dress appropriately, bring binoculars and water.

• 12:45-1:00 Meet for a Guided Bird Hike. Dress appropriately, bring binoculars and water.

•  11:00  - 3:00 Family Activities

• • • Kite Flying: bring your own or purchase one for $2.

• • • Scavenger Hunt

• • • Story Book Hike

• • • Hike the Trails

• • • Children Crafts

Travel by horse drawn “coach” has been around since the 17^th Century. More a form of entertainment for the wealthy, it wasn’t until the later part of the 1600’s that travel by horse drawn coach became an affordable, convenient …and dry… form of getting to where you were going.

Although travel by coach was a step up from traveling totally exposed to the elements on horse back, it could still be very slow.

Long distance travel by coach in “stages” was necessary to allow for changing the horses and providing passengers an opportunity to refresh themselves. Stages were typically not more than ten miles as roads weren’t much more than rutted, muddied paths in the beginning.

The Batsto stagecoach began operating in the summer 1962 and is believed to have been built around 1850. It was “discovered” by two members of the Batsto Citizens Committee in Atlantic City ( NJ ).

Where and when it was built is unknown.

It is believed the Batsto Stagecoach operated on a run between Camden (Cooper’s Folly) and Leed’s Point near Smithville.

John Lapp of Intercourse, Pennsylvania; a specialist in the restoration of ancient vehicles, did extensive work on the Batsto Stage Coach in the spring of 1966. In that same year the State of New Jersey secured a new team of horses that were housed at Batsto.  Horses were shod at the Blacksmith Shop… still used today.

The State’s Maintenance shop at Green Bank  also did extensive work on the coach in early 1967 before it was transported to New York City. The coach  was displayed in the International Philatelic Exposition at the Hotel Americana.

Speaking of Green Bank, Morris Mick Green Bank was one of the early drivers of the Batsto Coach in the sixties. Back then the ride was thirty five cents for the thirty minute ride through the lower village.

About penny a minute. A good deal indeed!

Firebacks served the practical (and valuable) purpose of protecting the bricks lining a fireplace from heat damage. The firebacks at Mount Vernon, emblazoned with George Washington's crest and monogram, additionally served as a tangible reminder that he was master of this mansion and the profitable estate on which it stood. Washington custom ordered the "4 Chimney Backs & 8 side Plates or Jambs" in June and August of 1787 through Batsto Furnace's Philadelphia agent, Charles Pettit (1736-1806). The finished products arrived at Mount Vernon in late November. Two of the four sets still remain in place - in the West Parlor and the Washington Bedchamber.

Text and photos courtesy of "George Washington's Mount Vernon" and Janice Dispoto

The views from the Batsto mansion tower web cameras are especially interesting early in the morning and late afternoon.

These two are from about 5:30AM.

Check them out...just click on the camera icon on the home page.

Enjoy!

Planned dates for Wagon Rides being on site so far are:

     May 21st

     June 4th

     September 24th

     October 28th

     November 5th

     December 3rd

It's a fun time. Bring the little ones.

Rides operate from 11AM - 2PM.

Come join us!

They look happy!