Allaire State Park
Encyclopedia
Allaire State Park is a park located in Monmouth County
, New Jersey
, United States
, near the town of Farmingdale
, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
. The park is known for its restored 19th century ironworks
, Allaire Village
, on the park premises. It is named after James P. Allaire, founder of the Howell Works
at the same site. The park also hosts the Pine Creek Railroad, a tourist railroad.
The park, which is located in the coastal plain geographic region of New Jersey, is an example of podzolic soils. These soils are high in iron particle content and are fairly acidic.
Picnic facilities including charcoal
grills
, tables, playgrounds and sanitary facilities are available within the developed area of the park.
The Manasquan River
flows eastward through the park, seasonal canoe rentals are offered offsite by private vendors. The Manasquan River is classified as fresh water
with in the park and requires a fishing license. The park charges an entrance fee on weekends in the summer.
, originally named Howell Works
in the early 19th century. It was a prosperous industrial town producing pig iron
and cast iron
from the surrounding bog iron
deposits. The buildings which remain and have been restored today include a general store
, blacksmith
shop, carpenter
’s shop, manager’s house, foreman’s house and a church. One of the workers' row house buildings has been recreated and now houses a Visitor Center and Museum (free).
The historic village is run by a non-profit organization independent of the park and charges a nominal fee to enter the buildings
to Alliare state park in 1962 where it runs weekend trains on a ½ mile loop of track through the park.
The Pine Creek Railroad, like Alliare Village is an independent private organization operating within the park.
s, shower facilities, and a seasonally trailer sanitary dump station, the campground is open all year.
Prices range from $20 a night for a regular tent site, to $30 for a yurt, and $40 for a shelter
There are 45 tent and trailer sites with fire ring
s and picnic tables available for guests with their own camping equipment. In addition there are four yurt
s (circular tents built on a wood deck), and six cabin-like shelters available for rent. There is also a group campground located on the south side of the park, which has an area with six large sites.
An easy hiking trail which spans ½ a mile.
An easy hiking trail which spans 1.5 miles (2.4 km).
An easy hiking trail which spans 4.5 miles (7.2 km).
A moderate 16.5 miles (26.6 km) trail which is a multi-use trail.
While not an official park trail, the bikeway terminates within the developed section at the Pine Creek Railroad parking lot. The trail spans 5.4 miles (8.7 km) to Manasquan
. The Edgar Felix is a rail-trail, and would be considered as easy if rated by the NJ DEP.
All trail classifications and distances are made by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
, which oversees the State Parks.
Note: Bicycles are not permitted on trails within the developed part of the park. Allaire's mountain biking trails may be accessed by riding the Edgar Felix Bikeway
to Hospital road on the eastern edge of the park.
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near the town of Farmingdale
Farmingdale, New Jersey
Farmingdale is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,329....
, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is responsible for the management and operation of New Jersey's 42 parks, 11 forests and 3 recreation areas, as well as for the more than 50 historic sites and districts...
and is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route extends along New Jersey's Atlantic Ocean shore for nearly 300 miles, from Perth Amboy to Cape May and westward along the Delaware Bay to the Delaware Memorial Bridge...
. The park is known for its restored 19th century ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
, Allaire Village
Allaire Village
Allaire Village is a living history museum located within New Jersey's Allaire State Park in Wall Township, New Jersey. The village was originally established as a bog iron furnace known as the Howell Works, which the company's owner, philanthropist James P. Allaire, endeavoured to turn into a...
, on the park premises. It is named after James P. Allaire, founder of the Howell Works
Howell Works
Howell Works was a bog iron-based production facility for pig iron which was established in New Jersey in the early 19th century by American engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire...
at the same site. The park also hosts the Pine Creek Railroad, a tourist railroad.
The park, which is located in the coastal plain geographic region of New Jersey, is an example of podzolic soils. These soils are high in iron particle content and are fairly acidic.
Picnic facilities including charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
grills
Grill (cooking)
A barbecue grill is a device for cooking food by applying heat directly from below. There are several varieties of such grills, with most falling into one of two categories: gas-fueled and charcoal. There is a great debate over the merits of charcoal or gas for use as the cooking method between...
, tables, playgrounds and sanitary facilities are available within the developed area of the park.
The Manasquan River
Manasquan River
The Manasquan River is a waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from central Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold Township, to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the communities of Manasquan and Point Pleasant via the Manasquan Inlet. It widens greatly as it nears the ocean, making...
flows eastward through the park, seasonal canoe rentals are offered offsite by private vendors. The Manasquan River is classified as fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
with in the park and requires a fishing license. The park charges an entrance fee on weekends in the summer.
Allaire Village
The park’s signature feature is the Allaire VillageAllaire Village
Allaire Village is a living history museum located within New Jersey's Allaire State Park in Wall Township, New Jersey. The village was originally established as a bog iron furnace known as the Howell Works, which the company's owner, philanthropist James P. Allaire, endeavoured to turn into a...
, originally named Howell Works
Howell Works
Howell Works was a bog iron-based production facility for pig iron which was established in New Jersey in the early 19th century by American engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire...
in the early 19th century. It was a prosperous industrial town producing pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
and cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
from the surrounding bog iron
Bog iron
Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite...
deposits. The buildings which remain and have been restored today include a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop, carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
’s shop, manager’s house, foreman’s house and a church. One of the workers' row house buildings has been recreated and now houses a Visitor Center and Museum (free).
The historic village is run by a non-profit organization independent of the park and charges a nominal fee to enter the buildings
Pine Creek Railroad
The Pine Creek Railroad is an excursion rail line operated by railroad enthusiasts of the New Jersey Museum of Transportationhttp://www.njmt.org/. The museum, an independent not-for-profit organization, moved its locomotives and rolling stockRolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
to Alliare state park in 1962 where it runs weekend trains on a ½ mile loop of track through the park.
The Pine Creek Railroad, like Alliare Village is an independent private organization operating within the park.
Campground
The Allaire State Park family campground provides flush toiletFlush toilet
A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location. Flushing mechanisms are found more often on western toilets , but many squat toilets also are made for automated flushing...
s, shower facilities, and a seasonally trailer sanitary dump station, the campground is open all year.
Prices range from $20 a night for a regular tent site, to $30 for a yurt, and $40 for a shelter
There are 45 tent and trailer sites with fire ring
Fire ring
A fire ring is a device used to contain campfires and prevent them from spreading and turning into wildfires.A fire ring is designed to contain a fire that is built directly upon the ground, such as a campfire. Fire rings have no bottom, and are simply circles made of forged metal, stones,...
s and picnic tables available for guests with their own camping equipment. In addition there are four yurt
Yurt
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...
s (circular tents built on a wood deck), and six cabin-like shelters available for rent. There is also a group campground located on the south side of the park, which has an area with six large sites.
Trails
- The Yellow Trail
An easy hiking trail which spans ½ a mile.
- The Red Trail
An easy hiking trail which spans 1.5 miles (2.4 km).
- The Green Trail
An easy hiking trail which spans 4.5 miles (7.2 km).
- The Orange Trail
A moderate 16.5 miles (26.6 km) trail which is a multi-use trail.
- Edgar Felix BikewayEdgar Felix BikewayThe Edgar Felix Bikeway is a multi-use trail in New Jersey running from the beachtown of Manasquan to the visitors center of Allaire State Park, fora total length of ....
While not an official park trail, the bikeway terminates within the developed section at the Pine Creek Railroad parking lot. The trail spans 5.4 miles (8.7 km) to Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...
. The Edgar Felix is a rail-trail, and would be considered as easy if rated by the NJ DEP.
All trail classifications and distances are made by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution...
, which oversees the State Parks.
Note: Bicycles are not permitted on trails within the developed part of the park. Allaire's mountain biking trails may be accessed by riding the Edgar Felix Bikeway
Edgar Felix Bikeway
The Edgar Felix Bikeway is a multi-use trail in New Jersey running from the beachtown of Manasquan to the visitors center of Allaire State Park, fora total length of ....
to Hospital road on the eastern edge of the park.