PENNS GROVE WAS A FISHING VILLAGE WITH 4 TRAINS DAILY
A view of Penns Grove in the early 19th century is given in Cushing & Sheppard's History published in l883, 11 years before the village was separated from Upper Penns Neck Twp. and incorporated into a boro.
The only village in UPN is Penns Grove which includes the old village, so called Helms Cove, or South Penns Grove.
Previous to the year l829, Penns Grove contained one house, and that is now part of the store house on Main St. occupied and ownd by S.R. Leap. (demoloshed in 1965)
There was a frame house on what was known as Pogue's fishery, on the Pogue farm,at the upper end of Penns Grove now owned by Joseph Guest, and also a small cabin was situated near where Layton's Slaughter-house now stands. There was a landing about where the present bridge or pier stands,whence cordwood and other produce was shipped. The river-front above and below the landing was grown up with briers & bushes at high-water mark.
There was also a public landing for the purpose of loading and shipping cordwood on Pogue's farm.
During the winter of 1828 and 29 a company was organized, called the Wilmington & New Jersey Steamboat Company, of which Joseph Baily, of Wilm.Del., was the president. This company, the member of which were citizens of Del. & N.J., purchased a piece of land from Andrew Dolbow and others, on which they erected a bridge, by driving posts and planking them over, to enable steamboats to land, and the same year they built a steamboat called the "New Jersey", a sidewheel boat, which ran from Wilm. to Penns Grove for a number of years. The first captain was Josiah Abbott, of Wilm., who built the bridge for the company.
The company erected the brick tavern-house now owned by C. Elkinton, and had it licensed as a hotel the same year, and Mr. Wolf, of Wilm. was the 1st landlord. About the same time a public road was laid out from the foot of the bridge to the Pedricktown and Cove Road.
The bridge was a frail structure and the ice carried the greater part of it away the 1st or 2nd winter after it was built. After rebuilding it, the company in a few years sold the bridge and house to Isaac Hurff and in 1848 Charles Elkinton purchased them both and improved the bridge by sinking piers and building a solid stone wall a part distance from the shore; but during the winter of 1854 the ice swept away all the structure except the piers and the stone wall.
Mr. Elkinton declining to rebuild the bridge, a stock company was formed, for the benefit of the community, known as the "Penns Grove Pier Company," which bought the bridge on Oct.6, 1855, and it is still in the possession of the same.
From the time of the foundation of the Wilm. and N.J. Co. the village began slowly to improve. The land where the principal part of the village now stands was owned by Isac Hurff & Joseph Guest, on the death of Hurff, his heirs sold all th property belonging to them in to building lots to diffrent individuals at a public vendue.
There has been for a long time one licensed hotel in the place, and for a short period there were two. French's Hotel is a well-kept and popular house, and is filled with boarders in the summer season. It is a noted place for excursions from Phila., Wilm., and other places during the summer, there being a fine grove in connection with it. Joseph G. French, the present proprietor, took possession in 1869. The travel by steamboat to and from the place is very great. One boat runs regularly from Wilm. and makes from 1 to 4 trips a day.
Two boats usually make daily trips from Salem to Phila.,stopping at Penns Grove each way, and frequently there are several boats at a time landing excursionists upon the pier, Four freight-boats are engaged in carrying truck and different kinds of marketing from P.G. to Phila. A railroad was built from Woodbury to P.G. in 1876, and there are 4 daily trains each way, carrying the mails twice . There has been a stage-line from Woodstown to meet the boats ever since the Salem boats have been stopping at P.G.
The fishing interest is a business of considerable importance, and brings a large amount of money into the place, and furnishes employment for quite a number of persons. The fishing is not confined to shad and herring, for quite a business is carried on sturgeon-catching, for which purpose a large house or factory has been erected where the sturgeon are prepared in a marketable form, frozen, and kept in a proper condition until shipped to Phila. and N.Y. markets. Most prominent among those identified with the fisheries are Brukens & Dikeeman, William A. Sack, Torton & Blohm, And Charles A. Dalbow.
This place contains several general stores, a hardware store, two carriage and wheel-wright shops, 2 blacksmith shops, 2 shoe shops, one bakery, two barber shops, one tobacco store, four saloons, two coal yards, one limeskin, two livery stables, one butcher & in fall & winter
2 meat stands , 2 pool rooms, a ship-yard & 2 millinery shops. |
