Pinelands Adventure #1 - Brooksbrae Brick Company

I am fortunate to live on the edge of the NJ Pinelands, which, depending on who you ask, is the largest expanse of open land between either Boston and Richmond, or northern Maine and the Everglades. It covers 22% of the state of NJ, which is welcome relief in the most densely populated state in the nation.

Last fall my wife and I went on a hike sponsored by the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Led by local archaeologist Scott Wieczorek, we explored the ruins of an early 20th century brick factory. Here is my favorite picture. In the upper right you can see a family picnicking on top of what used to be the drying tunnels.

To see more photos, check out this site. For a description of the site by Mr. Wieczorek himself, click here.

The NJ Pinelands had a pretty colorful history before it became a National Reserve. To learn more, check out Ghost Towns and Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens by Barbara Solem-Stull. It includes directions, maps and lots of info on many interesting sites in the Pinelands.