"It is said that the word Hacklebarney has a Native American derivation. Depending on which source one reads, it may have come from the words haki, meaning “ground” and barney, a variation of bonihen, “to put wood on fire,” or hakiboni, “to put wood on a fire on the ground” or “bonfire.” Other explanations come by way of the area’s iron-mining history. The first concerns an iron mine foreman named Barney Tracey, who was lovingly but persistently heckled by his workmen – hence the name “Heckle” Barney. Another tradition says the name came from the Irish miners and their home village in Cork County. Finally, the land near the Hacklebarney forge may have been owned by a Barney Hackle.
Whatever the origin of its name, we do know that Hacklebarney Memorial State Forest Park Reservation, or Hacklebarney State Park, as it is now called, was established because of the generosity and vision of Adolphe and Sarah Borie. Their vision for Hacklebarney has endured long after their deaths and continues to guide the destiny of the park once described as “the most beautiful park in New Jersey.”
- Peter Osborne, author
Images of America: Hacklebarney and Voorhees State Parks
Whatever the origin of its name, we do know that Hacklebarney Memorial State Forest Park Reservation, or Hacklebarney State Park, as it is now called, was established because of the generosity and vision of Adolphe and Sarah Borie. Their vision for Hacklebarney has endured long after their deaths and continues to guide the destiny of the park once described as “the most beautiful park in New Jersey.”
- Peter Osborne, author
Images of America: Hacklebarney and Voorhees State Parks
Hacklebarney State Park
Hacklebarney State Park is another well known state park that was part of the Civilian Conservation Corps effort. The Park is located in Long Valley, New Jersey. In the nineteenth century, the park was actually a miner's camp or iron-ore. The mines closed down in 1896 and acres of the park was donated to the State of New Jersey. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps took down the houses of the miners and used the material from thoses houses to build the park's field house. They also built trails thoughout the park, that people can still walk through today.
Take a video tour of the park: Video Tour
Take a video tour of the park: Video Tour