Wheaton Glass

New Jersey has a rich industrial heritage dating all the way back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Most historians will rightly point out the iron and copper mining and manufacturing that occurred up north, South Jersey had a blossoming industry of its own; glass manufacturing. The cheap, durable material was being used in products all throughout the American Industrial Revolution. One South Jersey pharmacist capitalized on the high quality sand deposits of Millville for a side venture of his own. 

Source

Dr. T.C. Wheaton established his glassmaking venture in 1888. His primary intent was to make bottles for his own products, but the business was so sucessful he ended up significantly expanding the operation.

Wheaton opened a second plant along the Vineland Secondary railroad to increase production and diversify his product line to collectable bottles and art glass.

The company embraced automation in favor of traditional manpower which allowed them to thrive in the following decades, even through the great depression. By the 1950s the company made another smart move, embracing a newly developed technology, plastic. The company acquired the old Woods Cotton Mill in nearby Mays Landing and retrofitted the property to accommodate the new line od products. 

American manufacturing shifted heavily in the coming years as other nations industrialized and the US embraced global trade. By 2006 the brand underwent a major restructuring. Despite returning to their roots, the newly incorporated Wheaton Science Products closed the third street plant.

The loss of the plant was devastating for the local economy. After more than ten years languishing in the fallout, city leaders took action. In a drastic and unprecedented move, the entire city of Millville was declared an "area in need of redevelopment".

That same year a tentative agreement was reached with the DeSantis group to redevelop the Third Street site as a plastic recycling facility. This plan actually involved the renovation and reuse of several Wheaton buildings. Due to the scope of the project the city had a list of deadlines the developer had to meet to show he wasn't going to continue to let the property languish. The DeSantis group failed to meet those deadlines, so the city took the property back. DeSantis didn't appreciate the move, so by 2021 they were embroiled in a heated legal battle with the city. 

Eventually the two parties found an amicable path forward. Instead of a plastic recycling facility, the group would build a massive refrigerated warehouse on the site. Unfortunately, the plan involved the total demolition of all the historic Wheaton buildings. 

By 2025 the site was cleared and ready for the warehouse. While I'm grateful to see the site put back to productive use I hope some homage is paid to it's history. The lanscape of Millville, and potentially all of South Jersey would look a lot different without Dr. T.C. Carson and his glassware. 

127 Bath

The lovely home at 127 Bath dated back to either the late 1800s or early 1900s. 

The property originally extended all the way back to Lowden Court, and east to the old New York and Long Branch Railroad right of way. 

Throughout the 1950s and 60's the lot was chopped up and everything except the mansion was demolished. Garden apartments were constructed all around the main home.

Before the pandemic hit the mansion housed an adult daycare known as "Our House" they vacated rhe building around 2021 when the building and adjacent Ronald Mcdonald House were donated by Monmouth Medical Center to tbe city of Long Branch.

The city announced a bold plan in 2024 to build a new Health and Wellness retreat on the former estate. The residents of the Ronald Mcdonald house were blindsided by the news. The city claimed there weren't any families living there at the time, which was disputed by the families reporters found when they went to check. 

I didnt even know the mansion existed until I was driving by one summer morning. I drove down from Essex to visit a vacant building on the campus of Monmouth Medical Center. I got in and left with plenty of time to get myself to work, until the mansion caught by eye. After finding a place to park I ran through the building taking photos. It ended up being so much cooler than the medical building I had come for. 

Despite the bad press the city moved forward with their plans in 2025. The mansion and several apartments were demolished in order to make way for the new park and wellness center. 

The architect has pledged to pay tribute to "Gilded Age" long branch in the design, but whether that happens or not remains to be seen. 

All Souls Hospital

Source: TFPNJ Postcard Archive

The story of All Souls Hospital goes all the way back to 1891. Most infirmaries of the time were operating out of large houses as opposed to purpose built hospitals. All Souls used an old revolutionary era tavern that was moved from the center of town to the estate of Julia Keese Coles. The president of the All Souls Hospital association was a man named Paul Revere; great grandson of the legendary revolutionary. 

A nursing school began at the hospital in 1908. The old tavern building burned to the ground in 1918. The hospital decided to rebuild the facility across the street where they had more room to expand. 

Between the late 1950s and early 1960s a large new building was constructed in front of the existing hospital buildings.

Talks of closing the hospital circulated as far back as the 1960s. After ceasing operations as All Souls, the complex was reborn as the "Community Medical Center" in 1973. 

Several disused buildings at the back of the property were demolished at this time. Morristown Medical Center took ownership of the complex four years later. 

Morristown Medical operated the site as a physical rehab clinic. One of the most notable things left behind from this era was the large indoor pool.

In the Mid 1990's a disused building between the steam plant and hospital building was demolished. This would be the last major change the campus saw until it was eventually shuttered by Atlantic Health (formerly Morristown Medical) in 2019. 

The first time I really became aware of the hospital was in 2015. Protesting the demolition of the old Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital brought me out to Morristown frequently. One day after attending a freeholders meeting we drove past the Atlantic Health complex. It wasn't closed at the time, but I made a mental note to keep an eye on the hospital as it seemed to barely have a pulse at that time. 

As many readers of this blog remember, the world was inundated with the Covid 19 pandemic by the start of the following year. New Jersey was hit especially hard with the virus, and healthcare officials were scrambling to control it. 

The state of New Jersey toured several recently closed hospitals hoping to find one to reopen to care for patients. At the same time, Atlantic Health decided to bring All Souls back to life.  

All patient rooms had special vents built into the windows to circulate fresh air. 

One of the most stark additions to the hospital center was a large refrigerated shipping container which was brought in to use as as a morgue, since the original body cooler had been removed. 

By 2021 the hospital had become redundant as the pandemic wound down. It was once again closed down for patient care. A skeleton crew stayed on site for the next few years, keeping a close eye on the shuttered buildings. Every doorway around the perimeter of the building had an object placed in front of it so the crew could see if any had been opened. They accessed the building though an underground tunnel, so any changes at the entrances would be noticed. 

It took me several tries to eventually make my way inside. I almost immediately walked into the old security center, which had every closed circuit camera feed still up.

I quickly did a run through of the first few floors, blown away by what I had seen. There was so much medical equipment left behind.

The other thing that threw me was all the covid ephemera scattered around. There were get well cards for the patients and thank you cards for the staff, all sent in by local school kids. 

There were even covid memes printed out and hung on the walls. 

I made a few more trips to the hospital over the next few years, each time getting more and more comfortable with the complex. Unfortunately the fun couldnt last forever, and demoliton plans were announced in 2025. 

Before any work began I made a special trip back to get inside the steam plant. It was really exciting to finally be able to walk through the tunnel that I had to avoid every prior trip. 

It wasn't long before heavy machinery began ripping into the historic buildings, ending a 130 year legacy of care.

I'm really grateful I was able to see the complex before it came down. It goes on to join a long list of demolished New Jersey medical centers.