Port Norris, NJ has a population of roughly 1,377 residents. Included in that total are the 50 or so who still populate Bivalve and ShellPile. They are two subdivisions of Port Norris that once were dedicated to the oyster business. William Dallas first purchased the land here, from the first English deed holders. He used cordwood to start a ferry business, and he also transported goods and the salt -hay he grew to Philadelphia.
Once called Dallas’s Landing, this port was made famous for a battle in 1781. Captain James Riggins’ newly formed New Jersey Militia battled the refugee Torries, who was the British political party. The fight was said to be the only revolutionary bloodshed in Cumberland County. Stories tell of the British bodies being buried on Port Norris’s beach. Since then, the dikes gave way and the salt marshes have taken over the shore.
In 1784 Dallas passed away and his land was sold to Joseph Jones, who was in the coffee business. He had a son named Norris, so he renamed the place Port Norris to honor him. He brought with him a flock of seven thousand sheep. He started trading lumber and opened a tavern. He built the tavern on the high ground called Peak of the Moon. The British soon caused trouble for Jones as well.
They pirated his boat with a full load of lumber going to Philadelphia and demanded one thousand dollars for its return. Jones was so shaken, he auctioned off the entire town. John Ogden bought it, and it started to develop into a mill town, full of industry. In 1811 the town was officially established. Farms and meadows surrounded the busy town and it started to attract writers and artists. One wrote about the abundance of greenhead flies and mosquitoes, which is still true.
By the twentieth century oysters became in demand, and this was the most abundant source of them. From 1900-1955 at its peak, oysters flowed from Port Norris, so much that bivalve and ShellPile got their names. Schooners lined the river, thousands of bushels were constantly being carried. Thousands of men were quartered in shacks stacked like apartments on stilts above the marshes.
Special railroad accommodations were built to ice the loads and house the oystermen. One hundred twenty-seven boxcars full left Bivalve each day. Piles of processed shells towered over Shell Pile and some are still there today.
It all abruptly ended in 1957 when MSX broke out. It was a parasitic disease that killed the entire population of oysters, over ninety percent. With them went the industry and the people. Today, the combined population of Bivalve and ShellPile is fifty. Luckily it is being revitalized by the Bayshore Project and Bayshore Center. It includes educational outings on the A.J. Meerwald, New Jersey’s official ship.
The Project includes the Delaware Bay Museum, and Oyster Cracker Cafe and new wetlands walk, for nature lovers. Hutchinson’s Plumbing & HVAC contractors love oysters, and we like coming to Port Norris to take care of the resident’s comfort. Our expertly better heating and air conditioning contractors are highly skilled for all of your HVAC needs.
Whatever type of home, brand new, or an older one on the National Registry, we know the best practices for getting the most efficient plumbing and HVAC services done. Our local contractors upgrade their education with additional heating and air conditioning training every year to keep our services exceptional. Our local services are professional, courteous and done right the first time.