GC2CG83 The Tinton Falls (Traditional Cache) in New Jersey, United States created by Ericles

This cache has been archived.

Ericles: I really liked the idea of a low terrain, no mud cache with a view here but local muggle traffic (and wear/tear on my hiding hole) preclude a redux. A new cache is in place and ready to replace this one. It will have weeds, mud and less of a view but that will serve to protect the cache from the idle hands that kept swiping the original. New hide, new container, new log, new location, new cache!

GC2CG83 ▼

A cache by Ericles Message this owner

Hidden : 7/29/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Welcome to Tinton Falls!

A small cache just a few feet from parking overlooking one of the most historical locations in Central Jersey.

A brief history of the surrounding land, the falls & the industry it supported.

Pre 1674	Lenni Lenapi (Original People) who live throughout the Navesink (Inhabited Coast) frequent the falls as a place of beauty and as a source of invigorating spring water.
1665	English colonists from New York secure a charter from King Charles II and move into the area. Local Indian tribes are feared but respected (and sometimes hired) for their hunting skills.
1674	James Grover buys the falls & all of the surrounding land from the "bogee meadow called by the Indains Hockoceung" (Hockhockson Swamp within Earle Naval Depot) eastward to the Navesink River. Rumor has it that the Lenape never relinquished control of their beloved spring.
1675	The "Indian Spring" is found to be Chalybeate - or iron rich. A grist mill and then a bog iron furnace (the first in New Jersey) is completed alongside the falls. The enterprise produced around 500 tons of iron in its first year.
1676	Colonel Lewis Morris buys the mill & furnace and 6000 acres from James Grover. He named the land Tintern Manor after his home land in England. The manor is worked by 60 slaves & 20 indentured servants. The slaves had their own cemetery which is now directly across the street from the falls next to the community garden.
1691	Col. Lewis Morris dies leaving the land to his nephew, also named Lewis Morris. Though he runs the estate as a "petty tyrant" he was also a skilled politician. He went on to become the Chief Justice of New York & New Jersey before being crowned Governor of New Jersey in 1738. Around this time a cider press & log mill were added to the grist mill & ironworks.
1746	Lewis Morris dies leaving the manor to his son - another Lewis Morris who would eventually go on to become a member of the Continental Congress & sign the Declaration of Independence. Around this time the iron works shut down as it was being out-produced by furnaces in South Jersey. The mill continues to be successful grinding grain.
1765	Lewis Morris Ashfield, a grandson of Governor Morris, while selling part of his property, writes "as the house is situated near the famous spaw spring, it would suit extremely well a person who would keep a boarding house for the numbers that come to that spring for their health…"
1779	Col. Daniel Hendrickson, now owner of the mill, stores flower, grains, guns, powder & ammunition to aid the American revolutionaries. British raiders successfully captured the mill by traveling up the Pine Brook at night. Col. Hendrickson, was captured along with several other high ranking American officers. British loyalist, and former slave, Colonel Tyewho would continue to harass Monmouth County patriots for the duration of the war, led the raid.
1838	A resort dubbed the "Mineral Springs Hotel" is built on the South East corner at the intersection of Sycamore & Tinton Ave. Tourists flocked to the area for the scenic falls and the medicinal properties of the chalybeate water. The hotel sold other less medicinal beverages and is credited as being the first tavern in Monmouth County. The iron works was also started back up around this time though it would continue operations for only a few years. Around this time, the Crawford House is built on the other side of Tinton Ave along with the town's first post office.
1866	The "Tinton Falls Mineral Spring Company" is incorporated - becoming the first bottled water company in the country. Though clear at first, as the iron oxidizes the water turns murky orange. The company was not a success.
1899	The landscape of the county is changed dramatically with the damming of the Swimming River. The industrial revolution and more modern modes of travel pressure small local mills like the one at Tinton Falls. By 1940 the mill is no longer operating and the hotel has been demolished.
1940-1960	During this time, the dam had been torn down & the falls were flowing freely for the first time in centuries. A new bridge is built to cross the creek. It is made of Limonite mined from the very banks it spans. The town is renamed "New Shrewsbury" in 1950 and the Old Mill is renovated and converted to an art center making ceramics and pottery. It also offers dinner theater and will eventually become known as the "Old Mill Theater".
1975-Present	The town is renamed "Tinton Falls". The old mill still sits upon the original foundation. The falls still flow, unphased by 350 tumultuous years. The Crawford House still stands and is part of the National Registry of Historical Places. Harkening back to the area's history as a plantation manor, the Tinton Falls Community Garden opened in 2010.

A brief description of this cache, it's hiding spot & the swag it supports...
Ample parking is available in a small lot off of Tinton Ave. You are looking for a small Lock-N-Lock fashioned with wooden camo to blend in with the observation deck WEST of the stream. You do not have to get into the weeds, trees, water, poison ivy or near the steep embankment. The container is large enough for small travelbugs. The trees and weeds nearly obscure the falls in the summer but in other seasons this spot yields a very nice view of the falls. The nearby trail crosses the chalybeate spring and then ventures a tenth of a mile to a frog filled pond. More trails are located across the street. For your fish-wrangling pleasure the stream is stocked in the early summer. Enjoy the area & the falls!

This cache is certified Central Jersey!