NJ Pine Barrens Maritime-Culture-Landscape 1 1 2024

Shipbuilding in Atlantic County/ A Bit of Mays Landing History
Origins America's shipbuilding began at the mouths of rivers and bays. New Jersey's shore communities had all the pre-requisites for successful shipbuilding:
Coastal commerce was close-at-hand varied forest lands provided good timber; ready supply of skilled labor; local furnaces forged nails; fittings and implements
Colonial Sailing Vessels
Whale boats were being built by the early eighteenth century. Then fishing boats were produced. Sloop-rigged craft with two, three or four masts became popular. Gradually,
construction shifted from the sloop to the small schooner fitted for lumber and charcoal trade. American ships were now known for their modeling and durability.
The size of vessels was gradually increased from three hundred to eight hundred tons, costing from $3,000 to $7,000. Ships left Mays Landing filled with charcoal and cordwood
for calls in New York, Philadelphia, Virginia, the West Indies and South America.
The Ship Builders
South Jersey shipyards were plentiful and busy. A good portion of Atlantic County residents depended upon shipbuilding for their livelihood. By the first half of the 19th Century,
there were shipyards in Absecon, Bargaintown, Port Republic and Mays Landing. Shipyards were also in Bakersville (known today as Northfield), and Leedsville (now known as
Linwood). Absecon Creek was a major center with its small stream and deep channel. Over twenty-three ships were built at Absecon Creek and registered at Great Egg Harbor
between 1858 and 1879. Seven of them were 3-masted schooners over 100 feet long.
George Wheaton, also a shipbuilder, turned out two dozen schooners at his yard where the mouth of Babcock’s Creek empties into the Great Egg Harbor River. Israel Smith’s
shipyard in English Creek produced schooners and smaller craft. Shipyards dotted the landscape at Green Bank, Port Republic and Batsto. Sloops and schooners were turned
out at shipyards in Somers Point.
In the Census of 1840, Atlantic County shipyards produced more than all the coastal counties in New Jersey. The value of ships and vessels produced in Atlantic County that year
was $104,000 as compared to Cape May County ($39,000), Cumberland County ($44.000), and Burlington County ($15,000).
Mays Landing became the center of shipbuilding in Atlantic County. George May, the founder of Mays Landing, was a blacksmith and shipbuilder. In the mid-18th century, he had
opened a store supplying vessels putting into Great Egg Harbor. Other Mays Landing shipwrights were Samuel Gaskill, James and John Clark and Nicholas Lane.
It was then that Mays Landing reached the height of its shipbuilding. From 1830 to 1880, more than two hundred vessels were built along the Great Egg Harbor River with lumber
from native forests and iron from Weymouth foundries. Half of them were produced at Mays Landing.
Shipbuilding began to disappear due to the lack of suitable timber. Iron was then substituted for hull construction. By 1890, there were only twelve shipyards in South Jersey
employing about five hundred men, where once a great industry had flourished along its riverbanks. The era of the great sailing ships in American commerce had passed. The
schooner "License" was built for Capt. John Pennington and carried sugar up the Great Egg Harbor River where it was then stored near Babcock’s Creek at the foot of a hill. This
favored storage spot later became known as "Sugar Hill".
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