Historic Allaire Village

The Williamsburg Forge, which dates back to 1793, was the first iron-processing industrial operation at this location. In 1814, the Williamsburg Forge became known as the Monmouth Furnace. In 1822, the property was leased to Benjamin Howell who changed its name to the Howell Furnace. Later that year, James P. Allaire, a brass founder, visited Howell at his Furnace. By the end of that year, Allaire bought the Howell Furnace and renamed it Howell Works, not to be mistaken with Allaire Works, his property in New York. Throughout the next few years, Allaire embarked on a capital improvements program that included the construction of brick row houses and industrial structures that replaced older frame buildings. With this vast improvement of Howell Works, the once wooded grove became a rapidly developing, bustling community.

Soon the population swelled to over 400 people, this community not only consisted of workers, but their families as well. These workers covered a broad range of skills from molders, ware-cleaners, blacksmiths, carpenters, wheelwrights, millers, teamsters, ore-raisers, colliers, stage drivers, to grooms all were employed in the village. The village's main product was "hollow ware," such as cauldrons, pots, kettles, and covered bakeware. However, stoves, pipes, sadirons, sash weights, and window and door lintels were also manufactured at the foundry. The majority of the products made at the village were sent to Red Bank by wagon and then onto New York by steamship. When James P. Allaire died in 1858, he left the majority of his estate to his second wife, Calicia. Then in 1878, she handed down the village and her estate to their son, Hal Allaire.

After his death in 1901, the village was eventually sold to Arthur Brisbane, who was the editor for the New York Journal. By this time, bog furnaces were obsolete due to new inventions and discoveries. One improvement made to the newer furnaces was that they were built near rivers. Because the charcoal was difficult and slow to transport, rivers provided easier, faster and cheaper transportation. Another factor in making furnaces such as Allaire Village unproductive was the development of hot air furnaces. The Trenton Iron Company is an example of this better technology, which opened in the 1840s with eight hot air blast furnaces situated near the river and the canal.

Although the village was no longer operating as an iron works, it was not abandoned completely. With Brisbane as owner, the village served as a New York film studio, a French Cuisine restaurant, and a Boy Scout Camp. The property was finally turned over to the state for educational and recreational purposes. Now, Allaire State Park houses Allaire Village. But Allaire Village has not disappeared, it is living history of the past with programs, exhibits, lectures, slide presentations, interpretation of the historical buildings and special events.