The following is a list of publications available from the Ocean County Historical Society. We’re proud that many of the titles available were created and published here. You can either order online, download our book order form and mail your order, or phone us at 732-341-1880. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. All prices are subject to a 6.625% NJ sales tax. Postage and handling on mail orders is $7 for the first item plus $3 for each additional item. Members, please place your order by phone to receive your 10% discount. You can choose books published by O.C.H.S., books published by other publishers, historical maps, and various other items available..
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By Captain Robert F. Bennett—U.S. Coast Guard, Retired: This book contains two works. The first is a reprint of Surfboats, Rockets, and Carronades. It was originally published by the United States Coast Guard in 1976 and was long out of print. The second part is a researched chronological presentation of official correspondence and documents relating to the funding and creation of the early life-saving stations. Information is included about the tools and equipment provided by the federal government as well as the early station-keepers. Also referenced are some of the notable shipwrecks of the period from 1848 to 1871. -
By Gary Jobson and Roy Wilkins: The mighty A Cats have sailed and raced on Barnegat Bay since the 1920s. These sturdy boats link the generations. Along with the tales of 40 sailors, over 200 photographs and illustrations showcase the past and the present. -
By Frank Finale: Join acclaimed author and poet, Frank Finale on a journey through the past and present as he once again captures life along the shore while exploring universal themes that touch us all. These graceful personal essays and poems elicit an emotional response and lingering memory. They are also perfect for reading aloud throughout the year. The essays and poems are organized from north to south taking places in all four seasons in many towns and regions along the coast. This second volume contains over 180 pages of text and 144 full-color paintings by more than forty area artists. -
By William F. Althoff: This is a comprehensive history of an important airship that recorded 300 flights and 4,000 hours of flying. Learn about the unique contributions and technical developments in lighter than air travel made by the USS Los Angeles. -
By Pauline S. Miller: The four centuries of Ocean County are divided into three distinct sections that help define the time periods of growth. Part I: 1614-1850 covers those years of the Native American occupation, activities of the whalers, smugglers, and privateers; the ventures of the early settlers building their sawmills and homes in the pines and along the streams; the beginning of the pinelands industries, and the War of 1812. Part II: 1850-1950 reveals, for the first time, the founding father of Ocean County, Joel Haywood. It records the development of the county government, the creation of townships and boroughs, the expansion of the barrier island, the impact of the railroad era, the Civil War, World War I, the Ku Klux Klan, the Great Depression, and World War II. Part III: 1950-2000 deals with the county’s renaissance, growth of county government, schools, churches, and higher education, chicken farms giving way to housing developments, the state’s first nuclear power plant, the impact of big industries located in the county, the population surge, medical care and the effect of local women on the county’s political scene. An extensive index is part of this book. -
By David Turton: The book covers the Ocean County barrier island towns of Seaside Heights, Ortley Beach, Lavallette, Normandy Beach, Mantoloking, Bay Head, and Point Pleasant Beach. The original, never before published photographs preserve not only the aftereffects of the Superstorm in this region but also describe David Turton’s personal journey through his beloved and now destroyed Jersey Shore. With more than 200 historic photographs, this important book records and preserves what happened to this region for future generations lest they forget the unfathomable power of the sea. -
Compiled by E. P. Groot: The material in this book contains the contents of thirty-nine reports from the U.S. Life-Saving Service from 1876 to 1914. Of particular interest are descriptions of the individual stations, their personnel, and their activities. There are narratives describing the services provided by crewmen. Another section is devoted entirely to accidents. Find out about rescues and/or salvage of a particular ship and/or its crew and passengers as well as the many miscellaneous services that were provided. -
By William H. Fischer, owner and publisher of the New Jersey Courier: This is a reprint of the original work which relates history as written by those who lived just 34 years after the Civil War and 116 years after the American Revolution. Included are more than sixty biographies of men (no women!) who were prominent in the county and descriptions of some communities. -
By John Bailey Lloyd: Rediscover Tucker’s Island and the lost resort of Sea Haven; ride the Tuckerton and Long Beach railroads to the new resort of Beach Haven and stroll along its elegant boardwalk. Experience the fear of the famous 1916 shark attacks, visit the early gunning and yacht clubs. Read about whalers, watch the pound fisherman haul in boats brimming with fish caught just off the beach. This is the book that resurrected Island history. -
Stafford Chronicles—A History of Manahawkin, N.J.: This pictorial history explores a shore town whose coastal traditions and roots go back to before the Revolutionary War. Readers will relive the days of the Tuckerton and Long Beach Railroads: visit with world-renowned decoy carver Hurley Conklin; and discover the 3 “Docs”—Cramer, Hillard, and Lane. The book contains a remarkable collection of essays, reminiscences, memories, and photographs. -
By Margaret Thomas Buchholz: Island Album depicts the island and its people from the late 1800s to the present. It includes many images that disappeared into attics generations ago have never been seen before by the public. Both an oral and pictorial history of the 18-mile sandbar at the center of the Jersey Shore, the book is an ode to a pioneering way of life that vanished long ago. -
By Brian Bovasso: Over a long period of time, Brian Bovasso developed an interest in the Ortley family and the Cranberry Inlet. While writing his first two local history books, he realized what a dramatic influence the Cranberry Inlet and the Ortley family had on the history of this section of the barrier island. This 148 page, illustrated book provides answers to many questions about this area of the barrier island of Ocean County.