Chatsworth

Chatsworth, a small village in the New Jersey Pinelands, was known as Shamong until 1901. The community traces its beginning to the early 1700s, when settlers mined and forged bog iron to make cannonballs for the American Revolution, and farming was the primary source of income. In the mid-1800s, Chatsworth was a popular stopping point for stagecoach travelers to the Jersey Shore. The arrival of the railroad removed the remoteness of the village and captured the attention of people throughout the country. Prince Mario Ruspoli de Poggio-Suasa, an attach of the Italian embassy in Washington, D.C., built an elegant villa at the lake. Soon after, the exquisite Chatsworth Country Club was built and counted among its membership a sitting vice president of the United States. It was during this period that Chatsworth played a dominant role in the development of the cranberry industry and began attracting hunters and others seeking recreational opportunities in the Pinelands. The cultivated blueberry industry also had its beginnings in Chatsworth in the 1930s.

Ellen V. Fayer, Stan Fayer, and Walter A. Brower are members of the Woodland Township Historical Society. With assistance from historical society members, they have endeavored to provide readers with an extraordinary view of Chatsworth and its residents.