Quaker Bridge

Quaker Bridge in Shamong was built in 1772. It was named after the Quakers who would cross the Batsto River on their way to monthly meetings at Tuckerton. Evidently, there was a drowning one year as they crossed the river and it was resolved to construct a bridge as the crossing was deemed too dangerous.

One stormy evening, a stagecoach was heading through torrential rains traveling to the Quaker Bridge Inn. The stagecoach driver saw a light in the distance and was relieved to see that he had finally arrived at the Inn. Suddenly, an enormous white stag appeared before the stagecoach. The driver left the stagecoach and approached the stag, hoping to scare it away. The stag mysteriously disappeared. Then the driver noticed that the bridge had collapsed. If it weren't for the white stag, the stagecoach would have plummeted into the river. Since then, the white stag has been considered a good luck symbol in the Pine Barrens.

Arthur Thompson is said to havebuilt Thompson's Tavern at Quaker Bridge, at an uncertain date. His first license application on file is for the year 1809. When he died in 1821, he was succeeded by his wife, Elizabeth, and she stayed until 1836. At that point James G. Sears took over. In 1849 William Richards is supposed to have been there. There is record of a tavern being destroyed by fire here about 1849, although I do not yet know if this is the same tavern.

The claim to fame of this town lies in the discovery there of the curly grass fern, or Schizaea pusilla, in 1805 or 1808. A label accompanying a specimen in the collection of the Torrey Botanical Society says:
" First discovered by Dr. C. W. Eddy, near Quaker Bridge in the pine barrens of New Jersey, about 30 miles from Philadelphia"

Dr. Eddy was in the company of J. LeConte, Pursh, and C. Whitlow, and though he and Mr. LeConte found all the specimens, Pursh has claimed the honor of the discovery himself. (quoted in Pierce 1957:56) The date was around 1808

A brief description of Quaker Bridge can be found in the diary of a Philadelphia traveler through the pines by name of Sarah Thomas, who wrote on 22 June 1809:

"Arrived safe through all our troubles at Quaker Bridge. Had a very good supper with clams in abundance, good coffee and very good beds. Landlady is kind. Charles complained of the rats, said they bit his ear. Could not discover any mark"

This is not the first complaint I have uncovered regarding rats in that part of Jersey; see the section on Bass River for more.

Another visitor to Quaker Bridge left record of his trip:John Torrey, in a letter to Zaccheus Collins, told of a trip he took with William Cooper in 1818.

I recently came across this obituary of a man who was supposedly born at Quaker Bridge, in the New Jersey Mirror of 30 Apr 1890:
At Tuckerton, February 28, 1890, John D. Thompson, Esq., in his 83d year. The deceased had been for many years closely identified with the interests of the sea-shore section of Burlington County, having lived the greater part of his life at Tuckerton. He was born at Quaker Bridge, in Washington township, in the year 1807, and at the time of his death was within a few weeks of completing his eighty-third year. He removed to Tuckerton while a young man and became proprietor of the stage line between that place and Philadelphia, and soon after married Sarah Bartlett, a daughter of Nathan Bartlett, of Tuckerton, who was a highly respected member of the Society of Friends. This union, which was a happy one, continued for upwards of fifty years, his wife still surviving him. They have four children--three daughters and a son. Few men, if any, in that part of Burlington County, have filled so many places of responsibility and trust as Mr. Thompson, and if the esteem in which men are held can be measured by the number of public positions which they occupy, he must have held a high place in the opinions of his fellow citizens. During his long and useful life, he was chosen to almost every one of the local offices of importance in the township in which he lived, holding some of them several years in succession. In 1858, he was elected Sheriff of Burlington County, which office he held for five years, fulfilling its duties with dignity and honor. Among the appointments he received from the U.S. Government may be noticed : Contractor for carrying the mails, Collector of Customs for Dist. of Little Egg Harbor, Postmaster at Tuckerton, Sutler of the 4th N.J. Regt, Deputy Marshal to assist in taking Ninth Census. Mr. Thompson became connected with the M.E. Church early in life, and maintained until its close, a faithful adherence to the service and duties which his profession required of him. In March 1843, he was licensed as an exhorter, and again in February 1874, and another license to exhort was issued to him not dated, but signed by J.B. Graw, Presiding Elder. For several years he was Superintendent of the Sunday School of the M.E. Church at Tuckerton and a class leader in the Church, and during his residence in Mount Holly, he was elected to the same position in the Sunday School at that place, as the following statement from a member of the church will show: "John D. Thompson removed to Mount Holly in the fall of 1858, bringing an exhorter's license with him, which license was renewed annually during his stay. He served as class leader from Spring of 1859. In September 1859, he was elected Superintendent of the Sunday School, and served until his removal in the fall of 1861. He served as teacher before his election as superintendent." As further evidence of his enterprise and energy the following statement is copied from the "History of the N.J. Coast" in the N.J. Coast Atlas 1878 : The first stage line between Tuckerton and Philadelphia was established by Isaac Jenkins about 1816. He made one trip a week, leaving on Monday and returning on Saturday. It took two days travel each way. In 1828, John D. Thompson bought the line and ran the stages through each way in a day , and carried the mails." This was a great improvement on the former service, giving the peole three trips a week to Philadelphia and return, and saving half the time on the journey. This was before any railroads were built in the County. This short and imperfect of the life and service of Mr. Thompson prove him to have been an active and useful citizen, as a business man, enterprising, as a church member, faithful in the discharge of the duties laid upon him. As a neighbor, he was kind, forbearing and obliging, as a husband and father, he was tender, affectionate and well-beloved.