Smithville

H.B. Smith purchased the old village of Shreveville in 1865 and renamed it "Smithville." The map of Shreveville, which accompanied the notice of sale, depicts three rows of houses. Shortly after Smith purchased the property, he razed the houses on Park Avenue, replacing them with new dwellings in 1870. The designs for these homes included a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Smith retained existing houses along Maple Avenue that conformed with this style. This included the entire row along the north side of Maple Avenue.
He removed most houses on the south side, however perhaps due to their deteriorated condition. He did not replace these homes, which allowed the Park Avenue homes to feature considerable larger back lots. As a result of these changes, Smithville contained fewer workforce accommodations than Shreveville once possessed.
By 1883 Smith's model industrial village encompassed nearly 500 acres and the residents numbered about 300. The number of persons per house averaged just five. The company rented homes primarily to married men with families. Eight families in the village provided room and board for about 22 men. The company employed few women and no children under the age of 16.
(Inscription beside the image in the upper left)View of the mansion and village looking west from the top of the observation tower on the Smithville farm.

(Inscription under the images on the upper right) Left: Children sitting in front of a worker's home on Maple Avenue, date unknown. Right: The brick homes on Maple Avenue in 1900. These houses were built prior to 1865, for the Shreveville workers.
(Inscription beside the image on the lower right) Left: A row of worker's brick homes looking down Maple Avenue towards the Smith mansion. Right: Two women sitting outside one of the brick homes.

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Show me all markers in:  Eastampton Township, NJ  |  Burlington County  |  08060  |  New Jersey  |  United States of America

Smithville Historic District
Historic Smithville Park
Smithville Lower Village
The Train Station & Smith's Forest
Girard House
The Battle of Iron Works Hill
Battle of Ironworks Hill
Fire Company
History Millstone Park
John Woolman's Tailor Shop & 2nd Friends Meeting House

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