The country from Evesham down to Tuckerton has all the appearance of its original wildness—few houses or settlements appear. Pine and oak woods on both sides of the road perpetually ; and for at least 30 miles of the road, the bushes on either side fill up the whole road, which is scarcely the single path which one wagon fills. We met nothing almost on the road to turn us out. I could thus have a very good conception of how the country looked in the hands of the aborigines, some few of whom still linger about.

Was much interested to see the formidable ruins of Atsion iron works, (27½ miles). They looked as picturesque as the ruins of abbeys, &c., in pictures. There were dams, forges, furnaces, storehouses, a dozen houses and lots for the men, and the whole comprising a town ; a place once overwhelming the ear with the din of unceasing ponderous hammers, or alarming the sight with fire and smoke, and smutty and sweating Vulcans. Now, all is hushed; no wheels turn, no fires blaze, the houses are unroofed, and the frames &c., have fallen down, and not a foot of the busy workmen is seen.

Almost eighty years ago Henry Charlton Beck, Camden Courier Post reporter and later Methodist minster began chronicling the people and the history of the Pine Barrens for his weekly column. A short time later a number of his stories were collated into Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey.  This book was the first serious look at the culture of the Pine Barrens as told by the people who call it home – the Pineys. His book, and the follow-up volume More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey paved the way for generations of cultural historians, ghost town hunters, and Pine Barrens enthusiasts.

Karen Riley’s second book, Voices in the Pines: True Stories from the New Jersey Pine Barrens, is worthy as an heir to those epic titles. This book is a refreshing look at the culture of the Pine Barrens today in which the author takes the reader right to the heart of modern day pineylore. 

Contained in this book are stories that not only speak about the Pine Barrens, but also touch on the human condition. The wisdom shared here is applicable to anybody. These are universal truths as shown through the eyes of the native people of South Jersey. The stories here are just a fraction of those who have called this region home. For hundreds of years mankind has loved, triumphed, and lost in these woods Industries have been born, flourished, and died. 

This isn’t a book about ghost towns or strange ruins in the woods. This is a book about the dying breed of people who call the woods of Southern New Jersey home – the pineys.  Contained within its two hundred and one pages are the triumphs and tragedies of people both known and unknown to the Pine Barrens community. Typical of other Plexus titles, the printing quality and binding are top notch, and the book is an absolute bargain at $15.95.