Every Lake
Atsion Lake
Dammed to power an ironworks in 1766, its water still runs the color of steeped tea.
- 3 ft · first step
- 7 ft
- 10 ft
- 13 ft
- 17 ft
- 20 ft · bottom
About Atsion Lake
Atsion Lake sits on the Mullica River in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, formed when Charles Read dammed the river in 1766 to power an ironworks and later a cotton mill. The settlement that grew around it, Atsion Village, produced bog iron and textiles through the 19th century. Samuel Richards, of the ironmaking Richards family, took over the works in 1824 and built the brick mansion that still stands above the lake.
The mill closed and the ironworks faded, and the property eventually passed to the State of New Jersey as part of Wharton State Forest. The lake keeps the tea-brown color typical of Pine Barrens water, stained by tannins from the cedar swamps that feed it, and a sandy beach draws swimmers in summer. Canoeists put in here to run the Mullica and Batsto Rivers downstream, and the drive pulls day-trippers from Philadelphia and South Jersey.
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Atsion Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Atsion Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 3 ft, 7 ft, 10 ft, 13 ft, 17 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 20 ft. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Atsion Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Atsion Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Atsion Lake.
Atsion Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Atsion Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Atsion Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 20 ft
- 0.2 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
