Contributed by: CBrining
Photo from the book Shell Loading at Amatol, N.J.
Construction and Operation of a Shell Loading Plant and the
Town of Amatol, N.J.
It took only four months to transform the 6,000-acre site between the White Horse Pike and Elwood-Pleasant Mills Road from a wooded wilderness into an industrial hub bomb making facility at the tail end of World War I.
But shortly after the armistice of Nov. 11, 1918, the plant's operations ceased, and the village - named Amatol after.....Continue Reading
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the type of TNT used in the munitions - was abandoned before many of the buildings could be completed.
Left for more than 90 years with only trees and wildlife as company, the buildings are crumbling into oblivion.
Photos by Chuck Brining
A few dilapidated structures covered with vegetation still stand. But otherwise, any proof of the existence of Amatol and the Atlantic Loading Company has been reduced to piles of rubble and dirt.
There are some, however, who are fighting to preserve the remnants of Amatol and get them the recognition they deserve.
"It is our claim to fame. And it is one of the most important things ever to happen here," said Louisa Mazetis, of Mullica Township. "Every other town preserves and celebrates their landmarks. We should be just as respectful of our own history."
Amatol, which was located two miles away from the plant itself in case of an accidental explosion, was designed to accommodate 10,000 to 25,000 residents - roughly four times the township's current population.
Amatol was an extensive and attractive "company town" to support the ordnance facility. That town of 10,000 disappeared very quickly. However, unlike so many New Jersey "ghost towns", this one was fully documented by the company that built it.
For anyone familiar with the site Amatol, and later, the wood board Atlantic City Speedway occupied, it is a shock to learn that there had been a large ammunition plant and a supporting town on land that is now covered by mature forest. The only remaining building on the site is the former barracks for the New Jersey State Police located on the White Horse Pike.
The people who developed the facility, the factories and storage plants and the town itself comes to life through beautiful photographs in the book and on post-cards capturing a forgotten time. Even though it was a well-produced book, the enthusiasm of readers who have discovered the book has taken their toll on the book.
The Elwood Fire Company obtained their first fire truck from the closing of the Amatol plant.
Elwood Fire Rescue
https://www.evfc160.com/main/article.php/20091126130120878