Allaire was the home of Howell Ironworks from the early to mid 1800’s. Once it was realized coal from Pennsylvania was more practical than bog iron, Allaire, along with other bog iron towns in central & southern NJ, eventually became a ghost town.
Most of the buildings still stand, and some are used for reenacting the townlife as it was in the 1800’s. There’s a blacksmith shop and a general store, among other things.
Rowhouses of the former workers are now a visitor’s center.
The bit of wall behind the sign is all that’s left of the former charcoal depot. Some of the structures have signs by them that showed how they looked back in the 1800’s.
Remains of the slaughterhouse
The blacksmith shop
The blast furnace, from the charcoal depot and up front
The church. This one’s unusual because the belltower is in the back instead of the front. The front of the building couldn’t support the weight.
I never noticed Allaire has a train station. We walked around there a bit and saw they had many defunct trains & parts scattered about. Some looked like they were being fixed up.
