Dallas Ferry and Coffee Jones
In
the 1600s, the area now known as Port Norris, Bivalve and Shellpile were
settled by the Lenni Lenape Indians. Later they were moved aside by English
settlers looking for fertile ground along the Delaware Bay and River. The
settlement was eventually taken over by William Dallas, a farmer who found that
he could float cordwood over the waterways to the cities north, including
Philadelphia. He established a ferry business and renamed his new venture
Dallas Ferry. He soon added hay farming and shipping. After Dallas' death in
1784 his son Jonathan sold the area to Philadelphia coffee merchant Joseph
Jones, who renamed it Port Norris after his son Norris.
Coffee
built a tavern near the ferry landing for John Ogden and Norton Harris. The
area was known as Peak of the Moon, as this is the highest ground in the area
so the first place to see the moon rise. Coffee had the largest sheep ranch on
the east coast, with almost 7,000 in his heard, though most were lost to
disease.
During
the War of 1812 with England, the British captured one Coffee's boats, the Plowboy, which was carrying lumber to Philadelphia. They held it the ransom
of $1,000 in gold, a small fortune in those days. These events discouraged Coffee and he auctioned off the town, most of which was won by John Ogden.
It
is not known what happened to Coffee and his family after the auction, though
it is presumed that they left the area.
Contact us at:
Port Norris Historical Society
PO Box 187
Port Norris, NJ 08349
pnhs@historicportnorris.org The Port Norris Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the history of our unique village, located in Commercial Township in Cumberland County, NJ.
We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm.
Join us! Fill out the membership form to become an active participant.
Living Legends Nomination Forms for 2012 Now Available
Extra Extra Read All About It!!!! $20 each volume.
37 black and white 2-sided pages for a total of 74 pages,
packed with images, stories, and newspaper clippings in a
scrapbook format, dating from 1856-1960.
To get your copy click here to order.
To get your copy click here to order.
The Port Norris Historical Society is looking for a home.
You can help us with our capital fund.
Check back for more information on how you can help.