“Pemberton, a Good Stream” is the title of Malsbury and Olsen, 1976. Indeed the Rancocas is. Pemberton located Creek Mile 0.0 to Creek Mile 6.0 allows classic, pleasant Pine Barren’s paddling. Serpentine, winding, straights, incised marl banks, forests, heritage, wildlife, flora and fauna and much, much more.
Smithville, Burlington County Parks Restored Industrial Village is on the extreme left, Birmingham around the northward oxbow highlighted in yellow, Pemberton is about dead center, to the extreme right Brown’s Mill. Put in point for the Burlington County Parks Canoe Trail is found at the old campus of Burlington County College. Paddling above this point is robust to beat the band. Mirror Lake in Browns Mill allows “glass: type lake paddling.
Lewis Hines Photo-Kids Picking Blueberry Theodore Budd’s Bog, Turkeytown out near Pemberton, around 1910. Lewis Hines photos of exploited child labor lead to the establishment of child-labor laws. Children were mostly Italian immigrant’s from South Philadelphia.Marcus Canby Collection, 1910. Rancocas Creek, Pemberton. Free Library of Philadelphia. Eric Beck states that on either end of the social spectrum is a social class. Photo is from around 1910. Philadelphian’s Canby and his associates would take a early summer in the Canadian Rockies, take a train back to New Lisbon in mid summer and then the late summer and early Fall at the shore house. Meanwhile in the fields and bogs they passed exploited children were slaving away.
Pemberton is more then these huge differences in socio-economics. Pemberton, Pemberton Borough, Browns Mills, New Lisbon, Fort-Dix/Lakehurst/MacGuire AFB, Whitesbog heritage is traced here back to the 1600’s. The economy was anchored in farming and agriculture. By the 1700’s, the New Mills Company had a gristmill, sawmill, timber landing, dam, mill pond, two taverns and a “steady flow of visitors. (Marsbury and Olsen, 1976).
New Lisbon Paddling, before striking blowdowns. Burlington County Rancocas Creek Canoe Trail. Creek Mile 1-14. New Lisbon, Pemberton, Smithville, Eastampton, Mt. Holly, intersection w Mt. Holly Water Trail and connection to the Rancocas State Park Bluewater Trail and the Main Stem before striking the Delaware River at CM 29.
Today when paddling stop in Pemberton or Browns Mills. Clarks Canoe Rental is found the Pemberton Portage on Hanover Street. The old Mill remains standing firm besides the N Branch. Expect blowdowns on the creek between Pemberton and Mt. Holly.
New Lisbon to Smithville. Way Points. Marl Wars
Tip of the hat to Mike and Lettia and numerous others for helping put together the Pemberton segment.
Very nice Bed and Breakfast in Pemberton, 2 blocks up hill from the creek side landing. Support Local Business, an exemplary place to chill.
Clarks Canoe Rental, open on weekends and as posted the brick building on the left, looking downstream
DO NOT PADDLE IN THE JOINT BASE-DO NOT PADDLE IN THE JOINT BASE (Fort Dix-McGuire-Lakehurst)
