Batsto was a bog iron and glass making industrial center from 1770s-1860s. For more information, go to http://www.state.nj.us/pinelands/recguide.htm#batstovillage or http://www.batstovillage.com Submitted by: Nicki Repici

In its heyday Batsto had a furnace, two glass factories, a brick making establishment, two sawmills, and a gristmill. It was a center of agriculture, and vessels were launched there to sail out the nearby Mullica River to the sea. All that lies in the past. Today, shadowed by surrounding forests, Batsto is a quiet village which wears its historic vestments with dignity and grace. Cannon as well as shot were manufactured in Batsto during the Revolutionary War. Lumbering was always a major activity in Batsto and there usually were at least two sawmills operating most of the time. Shipping and shipbuilding were major factors in Batsto commerce. The schooner Frelinghuyse was built and launched at Batsto in 1844. The furnace, however, was the heart of Batsto and the major source of its prosperity for most of it lifetime. Under the auspices of the State of New Jersey, Batsto may well become a miniature Williamsburg in the Pine Barrens given restoration projects in the making. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.