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Originally published in 1939
Some of this information may no longer be current and in that case is presented for historical interest only.
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
WOODSTOWN, 53.7 m. (30 alt., 1,832 pop.), has many old houses,
including fine examples of Colonial architecture. Even the more modern
buildings, such as the BOROUGH HALL (R) and some of the schools, show
the Colonial influence. In sharp contrast to the older structures are the
modern stores.
Woodstown has been a Quaker center since Jackanias Wood built the
first house early in the 1700's. During the Revolution, American and British troops marched through Woodstown and foraging parties made their
headquarters here. Close to the highway (R) is the QUAKER MEETING
HOUSE, erected 1784, a large red-brick structure of simple lines with small,
many-paned windows and a low sloping roof. The old carriage sheds still
stand at the rear. Directly across the street is the FRIENDS INFIRMARY,
still in use after more than a century of service. STONY HARRIS'S SALES
Co. OFFICE, 158 N. Main St., identified by a brightly painted sign bearing the head of a bull, is a modern brick residence. Back of the house,
spread over several acres, stand rows of stock and storage barns. Each
Tuesday morning throughout the year long caravans arrive with everything from ancient household utensils to livestock, all to be sold at Stony's
Auction. Everything is offered: fruit, battered furniture, the old cocked hat
of some Revolutionary hero, hand-made needle work, livestock on the
hoof, and modern refrigerators. The auctioneer wears a 5-gallon hat and
high boots into which his trousers are tucked. He snaps a 20-foot whip
over the heads of cattle to center the crowd's attention. Thousands attend
the auction in the course of each year.
Woodstown is at the junction with State 45 (see Tour 28).
At 56 m. US 40 crosses Salem Creek, used for navigation until the advent of the railroads. An occasional flat-bottomed boat still pushes its way
upstream. The concrete ends at 61.3 m. and the road is macadamized for
a short distance west.
Marshlands border the route. In the distance are the chimneys of river-front factories at Wilmington, across the Delaware; closer are the stacks
of industrial plants on the New Jersey shore. The shabby homes of factory workers appear in increasing numbers as the route nears the river.
The old SALEM CANAL, dug by hand in 1860, skirts the route at intervals. Formerly a drainage canal for Salem, it is now owned by the Du Pont
Co., which uses it as an inland water reserve for a nearby dye plant.
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