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Barnegat in Barnegat Township in Ocean County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Historical Horticulture

Cedar Bridge Tavern

 
 
Historical Horticulture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 7, 2019
1. Historical Horticulture Marker
Inscription.
The Cranberry has a long and fascinating history within the Pine Barrens. Used extensively by the Lenape and early settlers, it was not until 1835 that the cranberry was cultivated in New Jersey. Here in Ocean County, John Webb was credited as the first cranberry cultivator as well as the individual who discovered that good cranberries bunce, giving rise to the invention of the cranberry separator.

      Webb’s success in cranberry sales prompted others to begin cultivating their own bogs, creating a 20 year period referred to as the “cranberry craze”. At its height during the Civil War period, there were almost 260 bogs in operation. Prices dropped after the war, putting some out of business. Many large producers held on until prices recovered in 1865. The Great Depression and World War II had a dramatic impact on the cranberry industry, causing many to dump crops, sell, or even abandon their bogs. Even after the war as prices increased, many smaller growers could not compete with the larger operations. This coupled with new roads and development led to a loss of cranberry bogs. Prices would continue to fluctuate in the following years, but the cranberry era was at its end.

Penn Producing Company

On May 15, 1926, Penn Producing Company purchased Cedar Bridge and the surrounding forests and cranberry
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bogs. Formed around 1912, Penn Producing engaged in Cranberry and Blueberry production and owned other sites such as Howardsville and Sims Place. While working for Penn Producing, Charles Peters sustained a workplace injury. He and his family were allowed to live at Cedar Bridge Tavern as part of the compensation for this injury. The site was in use until its purchase by Rudy Koenig from Penn Producing in 1959.
 
Erected 2018 by Ocean County.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture.
 
Location. 39° 46.976′ N, 74° 21.655′ W. Marker is in Barnegat Township, New Jersey, in Ocean County. It is in Barnegat. Marker is on Old Cedar Bridge Road, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located behind the tavern. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 210 Cedar Ln, Barnegat NJ 08005, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Last Stand of the Revolution (within shouting distance of this marker); One in a Mill-ion (within shouting distance of this marker); Land Between the Lines (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fire: Nature’s Double Agent (about 300 feet away); A Haven in the Heat (about 300 feet away); Welcome to West Jersey
Historical Horticulture Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 7, 2019
2. Historical Horticulture Marker
(approx. 0.7 miles away); Welcome to East Jersey (approx. 0.7 miles away); Affair at Cedar Bridge (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barnegat Township.
 
More about this marker. Several photographs appear on the marker. These have captions of: “The American Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is believed to have been derived from the term ‘Craneberry’. This name was given to the plant because of the flower’s resemblance to the head of a crane.”; “At its advent, cranberry picking was done by hand, a labor intensive and time consuming process. Later, large wooden cranberry scoops like the one seen above were invented, speeding up the process.”; “Today most cranberry bogs use the wet harvest method. Cranberries are knocked off the vine by a beater and float to the surface of the flooded bogs, where they are gathered and put onto trucks via conveyor belts.”; and “Pickers like the one seen above were used in dry harvest bogs. Cranberries were knocked off the vine and deposited in a burlap sack attached to the back. Bogs such as Cloverdale Farms were dry harvested until its closing in 2001.”.
 
Marker at Cedar Bridge Tavern image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 7, 2019
3. Marker at Cedar Bridge Tavern
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2019, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 169 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on September 9, 2019, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.

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Mar. 28, 2024