New Jersey History and Sites

Built in the mid-nineteenth century, the White Horse Inn, and originally named the Shamong Hotel, is the oldest remaining landmark in Chatsworth, located in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The hotel, now a historical sight, is a monument to the travel and tourism within the region over a century ago.

In Chatworth’s heyday, the town was a social spot for many wealthy travelers. Since those travels need a place to stay, the White Horse Inn attracted many wealthy New Yorkers, who stayed at the Inn while away from home. In addition to travelers, local industry workers boarded at the Inn, including builders of the Chatsworth Club and Princess House.

Although, the White Horse Inn was more than a regular inn for traveling visitors or workers, it had other functions too. The Inn was known for holding church services, a place for making wreaths during holidays, and even was a local library.  

As the travel and local industrial industries changed, the need for the Inn dwindled. Eventually the Inn became a single-family residence. Alfred Stevenson, who was manager of the Cranberry Operation at Chatsworth Cranberry Association, and his family made his home at the White Horse Inn in 1910. Stevenson eventually bought the Inn from Beers Realty Company in 1944. The Stevenson’s family owed the house until 1978. Today, the White Horse Inn is owned by Woodland Township and used a community center.

Over the years, the building went through a significant deterioration of the sidings and windows. The White Horse Inn was restored through contributions made to the Festival Committee of Chatsworth. These funds come from the largest local festival of the year, the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival. The Chatsworth Cranberry Festival is a nod to the local cranberry industry, and it is an annual two-day festival in October, attracting more than 50,000 visitors to the small town. At the event, visitors find artists, live music, bus tours of a cranberry bog, cranberry goods for sale, and much more. The festival is a great fundraiser for the White Horse Inn’s continued maintenance, and it shows that even though times have changed, the town has evolved with its own unique purpose in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

Resources

Antener, Cathy. Discovering New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012.

Fayer, Ellen V, Stand Fayer, and Walter A. Brower. Images of America: Chatsworth Capital of the Pine Barrens. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

National Register of Historic Places Inventory- Nomination Form. United States Department of the Interior Hertiage Conservation and Recreation Service: National Park Service. Jul 24, 2979. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/21dd5411-c822-4a85-a4c9-821ee1ebfac5

Solem-Stull, Barbara. Ghost Towns and other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Medford, NJ: Plexus Publishing, Inc, 2018.