Culture of the Village

"Historic Allaire Village stands in a beautifully preserved section of Southern Monmouth County as a reminder of the bog iron industry which prospered here in the early 19th century. Over one hundred and fifty years ago, the ring of the blacksmith's anvil and the roar of the blast furnace filled the air throughout this thriving industrial community." -from Allaire Village Pamphlet

Allaire village was a self-contained industrial community that was typical of the era. In addition to the structures that were directly related to the refining of bog iron into pig iron, individual shops and other buildings were set up according to the various physical and social needs of the workers and their families.

In the thriving community one would find a blacksmiths' shop, where tools and other necessities were made; a bakery which once served as a communal kitchen; a barn, where carriage horses and livestock were kept; a slaughterhouse, where animals were butchered; a grist mill, where flour was made using a paddle wheel powered by Allaire Creek; and a church, where worship services and social events were held and where the village children attended school.

As Allaire Village was a stop on a toll road heading west to Trenton, its general store not only served as a staple of the community, supplying provisions to the inhabitants of the village, but was frequently visited by travelers passing through. At the time it was built, the three-story building was one of the largest structures in New Jersey and had several innovative features in its design. Two of these features are one of the first freight elevators in the state, as well as a system of rods, connected to the front façade by iron star-shaped fixtures, that would tighten the walls and prevent collapse of the structure when tightened. Although the regular currency of the time was accepted by the general store, workers also had the option of paying in scrip, or credit was issued to the workers towards goods, that could not be used outside the village.

Although James P. Allaire lived in a mansion that was fairly isolated from the rest of the village, the workers lived together in close-knit quarters and were grouped according to marital status. Single men were housed in a large dormitory that was connected to the Supervisor's house, living on the second and third floors while the first served as a mess hall. Workers who were married and had families were housed in row-houses, which contained bedrooms, parlor, and living area but had no kitchens. Families who lived in these row houses used the bakery as a community kitchen. Additional workers who lived with their families were housed in actual houses that contained their own kitchens.

The inhabitants of Allaire village, numbering over 400 during the village's prime, held many different occupations. Charcoal workers had one of the most difficult and important jobs to fulfill; for this reason, it was the highest paying job at the furnace. Workers followed a step-by-step procedure to convert the wood to charcoal. A pile of wood five miles long was required to supply the furnace for one year. Large tracks of forest were cut for this purpose, but were not replanted. Charring of the wood was usually done from May through October to avoid high winds and bad weather. Ore-raisers were hired to haul bog iron out of the bogs from spring through fall, as the ice set in during the winter. Ware-cleaners and molders were employed to create products out of the finished pig iron and then to scrape off the excess iron on the product. The blacksmith was another skilled worker who used iron and charcoal to create tools and other necessities for the community. Carpenters, wheelwrights, millers, teamsters, colliers, stage drivers, and grooms also practiced their trades at Allaire. Women and children, not fully excluded from the working community, made wood and machine screws at the screw factory for use at Allaire Furnace and for sales.