Beginning about 1873 Joseph Wharton, philanthropist and founder of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, began acquiring large tracts in an area known as Pine Barrens. Eventually the tract numbered some 100,000 acres. He bought crumbling old paper mills, lake sites, and ghost towns. It was his idea to dam the many Pine Barrens Rivers so as to provide a fresh water supply for the city of Philadelphia. The undertaking was blocked when the New Jersey Legislature discovered the intent by enacting a measure prohibiting the export of water from the state. The area has an unbelievable history much too long to describe here. It is difficult for the casual observer to believe that the “Wharton Estate” was an industrial region over a century ago; that it was a munitions center for Washington's armies in the Revolutionary War; that the whole area was dotted with sizeable communities built around ironworks, paper mills, sawmills, glass factories, and much more. Joseph Wharton died in 1909. Eventually, the entire site was purchased by the state and is today a scene of rare natural beauty. Submitted by: Henry Chenoweth