1900 Map of Rancocas

About this map

Mount Laurel and the surrounding Pine Barrens appear here at the close of the nineteenth century, showing a landscape defined by milling and a dense network of early rail lines. Small agricultural and industrial centers like Vincentown, Medford, and Lumberton are connected by branches of the Pennsylvania R. R. and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The eastern portion of the map reveals the characteristic settlement patterns of the Pinelands, where isolated mills such as Jones Mill, Burrs Mill, and Ballingers Mill utilize the region's water resources. Notable geographic features include the elevation at Apple Pie Hill and the sprawling Great Swamp. This survey reflects an era when timber and bog iron industries were being succeeded by agriculture and cranberry cultivation, as seen at the West Jersey Cranberry Meadow near the Mullica River.