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Compiled by Ocean County Junior Historical Society: Under the direction and guidance of retired educator, Barbara Moreau, the Ocean County Junior Historical Society traveled throughout Ocean County to photograph and document over 157 monuments and memorials that they discovered within the County. This booklet will help you to learn about and remember the people and events that these monuments and memorials honored. -
By Congregation B’nai Israel of Toms River: The egg farming industry owes much of its development in Toms River to the Jewish community. Jewish families share the stories of their immigration from various locations in the United States and Europe to the town of Toms River. Their many contributions added to the growth of the area. -
Compiled by the Ocean Conty Principal’s Council: Written by school pupils over a nine-year period and published by the Ocean County Principal’s Council in 1940, the book has a wealth of information about many of the communities in Ocean County, Its style is simple, direct, and concise. One hundred pictures enhance the narrative descriptions of people, places, and events in Ocean County. The book contains an index that will help the reader to locate specific information. -
By The Thursday Group: Cranberry growing was a major industry in Ocean County. The history of cranberries begins with the Native Americans and progresses to the more recent growers and families of cranberry farmers. Learn about what a bog is and how to maintain a bog, the families and the locations of their farms as well as how World Wars and the Garden State Parkway effected the growth of the Cranberry industry in Ocean County. -
By Lloyd R. Applegate: During his varied political career, William Augustus Newell served as governor of both New Jersey (1857-1860) and the Territory of Washington (1880-1884). His interests and talents ranged from medicine and agriculture to several terms in Congress. He was a friend of the Lincolns, and was appointed as an Indian inspector in the northwest. Of greatest benefit to those of us along the Jersey coast was his persistence in bringing about legislation that established life-saving stations along our coast. -
By Brian Bovasso: Once a mosquito-infested marshland lying fifty-five feet west of the Lavallette mainland, West Point Island is now one of the most desirable locations on the Jersey Shore. Marketing the island is a realtor’s delight. You can own “your own piece of paradise”, in this “exclusive West Point Island Beach community”, enjoying “breathtaking views of Barnegat Bay”, in a “tranquil Bayfront setting”. The purpose of the book is to describe the people and events that made West Point Island’s history so different from that of its neighboring sedge islands. -
By Robert Camp: During the years from 1933 to 1968 Toms River High School had many winning sports teams and was known as a sport powerhouse. Learn the names of the stars of those winning teams and the challenges that they faced during their games. -
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By Karen L. Schnitzspahn: History is everywhere along the New Jersey Shore, from the lighthouses that dot the coast to the Victorian grandeur of Cape May. Less visible are the stories of the women who helped shape that past. Trailblazing young women in Belmar and Wildwood became lifeguards, proving that women were just as capable as men. Cindy Zipf has worked tirelessly for more than thirty years to stop ocean pollution and protect marine life. Theatrical stars, pioneering politicians, a Titanic survivor and a cosmetics entrepreneur all called the Jersey Shore home. Even several first ladies vacationed in towns along the coast. While countless women have contributed to the region's past, local author Karen L. Schnitzspahn chronicles some of the most intriguing stories of the remarkable women of the Jersey Shore. -
By Karen F. Riley: The Pine Barrens of New Jersey cover 22 percent of the most densely populated state in the country. The name came from early settlers who thought the area was a vast wasteland, but it is anything but barren. Underneath this incredible natural resource lies almost 17 trillion gallons of some of the purest water on earth. The charcoal industry began here, cranberry production, cultivated blueberries were developed in this area. You’ll uncover many forgotten ghost towns but the people who lived and worked there are the real story. -
Compiled by Harry Applegate & Thomas Benton: Six Flage Great Adventure boasts a rich history. In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, the authors explore the park’s past. Contains 15 Historic Postcards. -
By Robert Gilinsky: Ocean County was born on February 15, 1850 when she was chartered and officially annexed from Monmouth County taking well over half of that county’s land but only a fraction of its population. Ocean County is the second largest county in New Jersey. Over the past several decades, it has led the state in population growth. Long know for its beautiful beaches and pristine pine barrens, it has undergone major changes, some positive and other not so positive. -
By John Calu and Dave Hart: With time running out, three intrepid summer adventurers, Kelly Martin, Geoffrey Martin, and Danny Windsor find themselves drawn into the epicenter of controversy as Mayor Dillard C. Webb, coping with unpopular beach closings, riots and demonstrations, must do battle with power mongers and political mercenaries in order to solve this Riddle in the Sand. This is a work of fiction. -
By Ces Mowthorpe: The story of the sky sailors - the men who pioneered a mode of air transport that today is virtually forgotten. During the first two decades of aviation pioneering (c.1890-1910), airshipmen greatly outnumbered aeroplane pioneers. But the great innovations in heavier-than-air aircraft, the advent of two world wars, and the bad publicity brought about by a few horrific airship disasters, Hindenburg and Shenandoah to mention two, changed the picture completely. -
By John Bailey Lloyd: Travel back to Edwardian Beach Haven. You will discover the origins of Barnegat Light House and learn about the fortitude of the men of the U.S. Lifesaving Service. Hurricanes and nor’easters have created “new inlets” and caused the disappearance of Tucker’s Island. You’ll travel the first automobile highways to the Shore—or take the train to one of the grand old hotels and you will find out the origin of that enduring phrase, “Six Miles At Sea”. -
By Harry Applegate & Thomas Benton: In 1977, Great Adventure (in Jackson Township, NJ) became a member of the Six Flags family of theme parks and has grown since with bigger and better attractions. -
By Kenneth W. Able, PhD.: Station 119 is the story of the mission of the men and women who work at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station. It is also the story of the station itself. While the station now may play a role in saving the planet, it began with a mission of saving lives. This is the fascinating history of a remote former Coast Guard station near Little Egg Inlet on the Jersey Shore and its reincarnation as a marine research facility. The station is now staffed by scientists and students studying the environment in the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR), near Long Beach Island. -
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 Gretchen F. Coyle & Deborah C. Whitcraft: Once located between Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor, along the New Jersey coast, Tucker's Island disappeared into the Atlantic Ocean. Sand dunes and native foliage once covered its eight miles. For generations, the Rider family kept the light illuminated, and the US Life-Saving Service provided aid to ships in distress. Two hotels were constructed by island men with building materials salvaged from local shipwrecks. Visitors arrived by sail or steam, and the popularity of Tucker's Island inspired real estate agents to sell worthless lots to unsuspecting buyers eager for their own piece of the shore. Storms battered the vulnerable island; the lighthouse toppled in 1927, the life-saving station washed away, and in 1932, the island was removed from tax records. -
By Robert H. Camp: This book contains a listing of those service members who died during World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam and are honored posthumously. -
By Victoria O’Donnell & Christopher Ippolito: Jackson Township was named after the legendary "Old Hickory," Pres. Andrew Jackson. For many years, the township was largely recognized by its small villages. Each of these villages had similar features--a church, general store, tavern, mill, and iconic one-room schoolhouse--which nurtured the small community and formed the foundation of modern Jackson. Mills, small farms, and horse breeding in the 19th century transitioned to cranberry bogs and chicken farms in the first half of the 20th century. As transportation became more advanced after World War II, people began to travel outside of town for work, and the once-thriving villages of industry disappeared. Today, Jackson Township, covering 100.4 square miles, is the largest municipality in Ocean County and the third largest in the state of New Jersey. -
By Margaret Thomas Buchholz: During World War I, before women had the right to vote in America, a young Josephine Lehman Thomas answered the patriotic call from Washington, D.C. and became one of the pioneering ''government girls”. leaving her home in Michigan for adventure in the nation's capital. Through explored diaries and letters, her daughter, Margaret Thomas Buchholz, gives us an amazing chronicle of a trailblazing woman. Josephine worked for legendary journalist Lowell Thomas and traveled the world until the Great Depression dropped her and her new family, struggling to get by, on an island off the coast of New Jersey. This fascinating personal history reveals the optimism of the early 20th Century, the emerging professional woman, the thrill of travel and a sense of success, followed by the crash of the economy, losing everything, and ultimately happiness in a simple life by the sea. -
By Linda Barth: Many Americans are familiar with Thomas Edison's "invention factory" in Menlo Park, where he patented the phonograph, the light bulb and more than one thousand other items. New Jerseyans brought sound and music to movies and built the very first drive-in theater. In addition to the first cultivated blueberry, tasty treats like ice cream cones and M&Ms are also Jersey natives. Iconic aspects of American life, like the batting cage, catcher's mask and even professional baseball itself, started in New Jersey. Life would be a lot harder without the vacuum cleaner, plastic and Band-Aids, and many important advances in medicine and surgery were also developed here. Join author Linda Barth as she explores groundbreaking, useful, fun and even silly inventions and their New Jersey roots. -
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By Louise Ann Barton: Does the Jersey Devil really exist or did the legend spring up from tales told around campfires? Did the stories become more embellished with every generation? Read the book and decide for yourself. -
By Karen F. Rilley, Andrew Coulis, & Peter H. Stemmer: Our country's first national reserve, the Pine Barrens, harbors a wonderful secret unknown to most outsiders. This 1.1-million-acre treasure trove of pitch pine and sugar sand is home to many rare species and almost 17 trillion gallons of the purest water on earth. It was in this forest that men like Leland Champion logged trees and built sawmills. It was along these waterways that craftsmen like Gary Giberson made prized decoys. And it was in these woods that Stanley Switlik built a tower from which Amelia Earhart jumped, testing his parachute so it could be used in World War II. These woods yielded inventors whose products we enjoy today. They include cultivated blueberries, cranberry sauce, and Welch's grape juice. It was here that Bob Buchanan reached for the mooring lines as the Hindenburg ended its final, fatal voyage. It was here in Buzby's General Store that John McPhee penned his classic book. -
By Van R. Field & John J. Galluzzo: With its many inlets, points, and coves, the coast of New Jersey stood out as a haven for rumrunners brazenly thumbing their nose at the federal government during Prohibition. New Jersey was also recognized as the birthplace of the federal government's shore-based units of the United States Coast Guard, the organization charged at that time with stopping the flow of "demon rum" into America. With its vivid images, New Jersey Coast Guard Stations and Rumrunners revives the days when New Jersey's "coasties" stood toe-to-toe with the rumrunners of the 1920s and 1930s. -
By Anthony Puzzilla: The legendary Blue Comet train no longer streaks through the pines of New Jersey. However, its memory still lives on through timeless images and the sustained efforts of historical societies and preservation organizations. The Garden State's Blue Comet passenger train service operated from 1929 to 1941, on a route from the New York metropolitan area to Atlantic City. This book contains memorable images, many from private archival photograph collections, showing the remarkable history of this classic train and of the many hardworking, dedicated people who made it all possible. -
By Richard J. Garlipp, Jr.: In the 18th and 19th centuries, covered bridges dotted the landscape of New Jersey, providing safe passage to travelers. Forty-five covered bridges once crossed waterways in all corners of the state. Perhaps the most extraordinary examples of these wooden bridges were found along the western border, crossing the Delaware River into neighboring Pennsylvania. These bridges were feats of construction and engineering but were ultimately unable to prevent the inevitable fate of almost all the covered bridges of the state, namely ice, floods, and fire as well as the development of new materials and technology. Today, only one covered bridge survives in New Jersey. The Green Sergeant's covered bridge in Hunterdon County was constructed over the Wickecheoke Creek in 1872 and has stood the test of time. New Jersey's Covered Bridges showcases the rich transportation history of these structures and pictorially honors the lost ones. -
Edited by Margaret Thomas Buchholz: For half a century, one Island publication, The Beachcomber, featured literary stories, observations, and essays that captured the essence of this Jersey Shore sandbar. More than 60 of these stories, from the 1930s to the beginning of the 21st century have been selected for inclusion in this anthology. From sailing to fishing to surfing; storms and beachcombings; natural history and environment; childhoods at the beach; beach parties and summer jobs; and blown-up beached whale and shark attacks; you will enjoy all of the stories. -
By John Bailey Lloyd: The companion books by John Bailey Lloyd—Eighteen Miles of History, Six Miles At Sea, and Two Centuries of History—contain hundreds of photographs, illustrations and maps of the Island’s past. Here in large postcards are selections of 22 of the most compelling photographs from those books. Within these images you will find a unique shore resort that is wider, more innocent, less developed and perhaps more romantic—the perfect Long Beach Island of collective memory. -
By Ocean County Historical Society: This book is a reproduction of a book originally prepared for an Ocean County Historical Society Museum exhibition in 2003. The book is presented with color photographs, all of which are part of the Ocean County Historical Society collection. Editing was done to correct typographical errors, but phrasing is faithful to the original. Additional items from the Society’s collection have been added at the end of the publication. -
By The New Jersey Turnpike Authority: The Garden State Parkway has transformed the lives of New Jersey residents since opening in 1954. Spanning 173 miles from Cape May to the New York State line, it has fostered tourism to the Jersey Shore and given commuters an easier way to get to work. Gov. Alfred E. Driscoll had envisioned the impact a new highway could have on the state, and a large team of planners, engineers, and contractors made it happen. In 1952, the legislature created the New Jersey Highway Authority to ensure the funding and completion of the $330-million parkway and to self-sufficiently operate the roadway through toll revenue. Garden State Parkway shows how this iconic roadway gained its place in history and continues to combine safe transportation in a parklike setting with the scenic beauty of New Jersey. -
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By Lee Gant Thorn: This recipe book and almanac was written to give the reader an insight into the birth several centuries ago of what is now the village of Tuckerton and how it grew. It will introduce you to the forefathers, the history making events, and the struggles that shaped the town. It will tell you of today’s goings-on and the plans for the future. On the most part the gentle mood of nostalgia in this book is true. At times it is presented as witnessed, remembered and related by one John Ortley Tucker, who is a totally fictional character. However, as Mr. Tucker rambles on, the actual tales of Tuckerton and its people are revealed and relived. -
By Joseph G. Bilby, James M. Madden and Harry Ziegler: This book is a series of essays that deal with various little-known aspects of the state’s military experience, beginning with Henry Hudson’s first contact with New Jersey’s Native Americans in 1609 through the War for Independence up to and including the Cold War. There are tales of generals and privates, soldiers and civilians, heroism and blundering, on the war front and the home front, that capture how the state’s citizens coped with the struggles of war. -
By Captain Stephen J. Nagiewicz: An estimated three thousand shipwrecks lie off the coast of New Jersey - but these icy waters hold more mysteries than sunken hulls. Ancient arrowheads found on the shoreline of Sandy Hook reveal Native American settlement before the land was flooded by melting glaciers. In 1854, 240 passengers of the New Era clipper ship met their fate off Deal Beach. Nobody knows what happened to two hydrogen bombs the United States Air Force lost near Atlantic City in 1957. Lessons from such tragic wrecks and dangerous missteps urged the development of safer ships and the U.S. Coast Guard. Captain Stephen D. Nagiewicz uncovers curious tales of storms, heroism and oddities from New Jersey's maritime past. -
By Captain Robert Bennett, Susan Leigh Bennett, & Commander Timothy R. Dring: In 1854, two horrendous shipwrecks took place off the New Jersey coast. The Powhattan and the New Era were both American-flag sailing packet ships carrying hopeful European immigrants to new lives in America. The ships ran aground on the offshore sandbars along the shoreline between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Inlet, claiming the lives of many passengers and crew. The staggering casualties finally prompted calls from the public and politicians for reforms to the system for rescues that the federal government had in place. The tragedies ultimately resulted in changes that prevented countless similar deaths. This unique and gripping account offers minute-by-minute details of the deadly wrecks, their causes and their final outcomes. -
By Ellen V. Fayer, Stan Fayer, & Walter A. Brower: Chatsworth, a small village in the New Jersey Pinelands, was known as Shamong until 1901. The community traces its beginning to the early 1700s, when settlers mined and forged bog iron to make cannonballs for the American Revolution, and farming was the primary source of income. In the mid-1800s, Chatsworth was a popular stopping point for stagecoach travelers to the Jersey Shore. The arrival of the railroad removed the remoteness of the village and captured the attention of people throughout the country. Prince Mario Ruspoli de Poggio-Suasa, an attaché of the Italian embassy in Washington, D.C., built an elegant villa at the lake. Soon after, the exquisite Chatsworth Country Club was built and counted among its membership a sitting vice president of the United States. It was during this period that Chatsworth played a dominant role in the development of the cranberry industry and began attracting hunters and others seeking recreational opportunities in the Pinelands. The cultivated blueberry industry also had its beginnings in Chatsworth in the 1930s.
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