Eastampton in Burlington County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

An Industrial Village

Smithville

Photographed by Don Morfe, January 20, 2016

1. An Industrial Village Marker

Inscription. H.B. Smith purchased the old village of Shreveville in 1865 and renamed it “Smithville.” The map of Shreveville, which accompanied the notice of sale, depicts three rows of houses. Shortly after Smith purchased the property, he razed the houses on Park Avenue, replacing them with new dwellings in 1870. The designs for these homes included a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Smith retained existing houses along Maple Avenue that conformed with this style. This included the entire row along the north side of Maple Avenue.

He removed most houses on the south side, however perhaps due to their deteriorated condition. He did not replace these homes, which allowed the Park Avenue homes to feature considerable larger back lots. As a result of these changes, Smithville contained fewer workforce accommodations than Shreveville once possessed.

By 1883 Smith’s model industrial village encompassed nearly 500 acres and the residents numbered about 300. The number of persons per house averaged just five. The company rented homes primarily to married men with families. Eight families in the village provided room and board for about 22 men. The company employed few women and no children under the age of 16.

(Inscription beside the image in the upper left)
View of the mansion and village looking west from

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the top of the observation tower on the Smithville farm.

(Inscription under the images on the upper right)
Left: Children sitting in front of a worker’s home on Maple Avenue, date unknown. Right: The brick homes on Maple Avenue in 1900. These houses were built prior to 1865, for the Shreveville workers.

(Inscription beside the image on the lower right)
Left: A row of worker’s brick homes looking down Maple Avenue towards the Smith mansion. Right: Two women sitting outside one of the brick homes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 39° 59.212′ N, 74° 44.981′ W. Marker is in Eastampton, New Jersey, in Burlington County. It is on Maple Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mount Holly NJ 08060, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Jersey and in Greater Philadelphia. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Smithville Historic District (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Historic Smithville Park (about 400 feet away); Smithville Lower Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Train Station & Smith’s Forest (approx. half a mile away); The Battle of Iron Works Hill (approx. 1.8 miles away); Battle of Ironworks Hill

Photographed by Don Morfe, January 20, 2016

2. An Industrial Village Marker

(approx. 1.9 miles away); Fire Company (approx. 1.9 miles away); History of Millstone Park (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eastampton.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Girard House (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on February 3, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 543 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 3, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.