19th Century Company Town Thrives as Allaire Village

New Jersey is home not only to a thriving park system, but one in which each park has a quality all its own.

Allaire Village, a part of  in Wall Township, is a glimpse into the past. It's preserved largely as it was at its inception, back in the 19th Century.

“Allaire is a living history village,” said Hannah Tichansky, the lead historic interpreter and clerical assistant for Allaire Village. “We recreate what it was like during the time.”

The property began as the Howell Works Company under the ownership of James Peter Allaire in 1822, and initially wasn’t intended for him as a home. However, with cholera becoming rampant in his home area of New York’s lower east side, Allaire moved his family in, believing the air quality would be much better suited for the family. Allaire’s first wife, Francis Duncan, was presumed to be suffering from tuberculosis during this time.

What was initially strictly a company town grew into an estate for the Allaire family, including the family's personal mansion, the town chapel, the gardener's and foreman’s cottages, a bakery, and other constructions. 

Aside from several buildings and a functional chapel available for weddings that has existed on the site for nearly 200 years, the park has a working, miniature train that patrons can ride. There are bike trails, fields and playground setups that provide the standard amenities of a great park. 

Part park, part historical landmark, Allaire offers a completely different sort of experience for those who take advantage of its offerings. Add to that convenient connections from the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 195 and (until the camping season begins near Memorial Day) free entry, and you can see why we’ve chosen Allaire Village in for this installment of Day Tripper. Check back each week for other locations that are out of town, but in reach, and worth the trip. 

DAY TRIPPER DIGEST

Estimated Travel Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Why it’s Worth the Trip:  You can take a walk through Allaire Village and enjoy its beauty. Pull out kites, a football or your bicycle and enjoy the day out in nature. Depending on when you visit, you can take a ride on the Pine Creek Railway.

How to Get There from Here: Detailed driving directions.

You’ll Probably Get Hungry:  Bring a picnic lunch, a bag of charcoal for the park’s available grills, or grab a snack from the hot dog vendor located in the parking lot.

While you’re in the Area:  begins car racing on Saturdays, on April 16. Check out this staple of Monmouth County attractions. Also, if you’re in the mood for wheeling and dealing, visit Collingwood Auction, at Routes 33 and 34, every Saturday and Sunday, all year long. 

The Visitors Center and Museum are open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Wednesday through Sunday the rest of the year. Inside, exhibits involving the Howell Works and its primary function (the bog iron industry of the 19th Century) as well as information about the Allaire family can be found.

Tichansky said that, in order to bring a village from that era to life, it takes a lot of today’s manpower.

“We have 30 volunteers, and up to 60 volunteers on event days," she said. "Some will be re-enactors and there will be young children, blacksmiths and carpenters. Others will act as guides through the village.”

The property faces dual challenges. Not only does the natural landscape need to be maintained, but the buildings require the care of conservatorship. They are, after all, historical artifacts.

“A lot of the maintenance goes through the state, but we also have personal maintenance crews,” Tichansky said. She also said that there are a lot of little things that require daily attention. “Every day, we’re sweeping, making sure things are where they should be.”

Items within the village range from time-appropriate artifacts that are strictly for viewing purposes only, and careful reproductions that are used for reenactment purposes. Tichansky made note of butter churns and certain carpets that are reproductions appropriate to the period.

Farther into the park, the Manasquan River winds through, making the campsite facilities ideal for canoeing and fishing (however, because it is a fresh water waterway and is stocked with trout, all applicable NJ fish and wildlife laws apply). 

And of course, there’s the Pine Creek Railroad, a live-steam and diesel, narrow-gauge railway operated by the New Jersey Museum of Transportation. Founded in 1952, it is one of the oldest continually operating narrow gauge steam preservation railway exhibits in the country. The trains begin running on Saturday April 30 on a regular basis, but will have a special event in conjunction with Easter Sunday, April 24.

Exhibits and features of the park run on different schedules during the off-season, so check out the park’s website for details: Allairevillage.org.