The story of Batsto, an early iron town and glassworks at the heart of southern New Jersey's Pine Barrens, is unique in American history. From its modest beginnings as a sawmill in the 1760s, Batsto grew into a thriving industrial community through the Revolutionary War years and beyond, its fortunes rising and falling for two centuries as a succession of owners and speculators brought their visions and schemes to bear. Located along the Mullica and Batsto Rivers, Batsto's ironworks became a vital supplier of arms to Washington's army and nurtured a "nest of rebel pirates" that would confound British forces and help turn the tide for Independence.Today's Batsto Village is a loving recreation of a Pine Barrens ghost town—an open-air museum that brings history to life. Batsto visitors and history buffs are fortunate to have the restoration supported, at long last, by Barbara Solem's engaging and detailed account.