Communuty Histories

Avon By The Sea

During the Victorian Era significant growth occurred on the New Jersey Shore, the land encompassing present day Avon-by-the-Sea was officially named New Branch around 1855, but according to what map you looked at or to whom you talked to, the land also was known as the Swanton Tract or the Lewis Greene Property.

In 1878 while the Jersey Shore was in her infancy. Long Branch, Asbury Park and Ocean Grove were very popular summer vacation spots for the wealthy visitors from New York and Philadelphia.

One of these summer visitors to Ocean Grove was Edward Batchelor, a very successful tobacco manufacturer from Philadelphia who had come to Ocean Grove to relax and fish. One day Batchelor decided to visit a local fishing spot called "Deep Hole" just south of New Branch at Shark River. During the trip to "Deep Hole" he passed through New Branch and was very impressed by the land. On the return trip Batchelor spied signs advertising the land for sale. The very next day Batchelor purchased 300 acres of land from T.W. Finn for $45,000.00.

During the 1880's, Robert C. Love, a surveyor and F.G. Harrison, an engineer were contracted by Mr. Batchelor to look after his newly acquired land and under the supervision of the two men the town gradually took form. Originally Batchelor planned to use the land as the new center for his tobacco firm. With this in mind he named the land "Key East" presumably after a type of tobacco or cigar. A short while later, however, on the advice of his engineers, Batchelor decided to develop Key East for its real estate potential.

Over the next decade, Batchelor provided the investment needed to construct the basic facilities essential to a growing resort community. The town was surveyed and divided into lots and sold for premiums unheard of on the Jersey Shore. Roads were cut through the dense woods, a sewer system was built, as was the Pavilion on Norwood and Ocean Avenue. Most important of all was the construction of the Avon Inn in 1883.

The town as "Avon-By-The-Sea" came into existence when it was incorporated under an act of legislature as a borough on March 23, 1900. Where the name Avon comes from is something that a good many people wonder about, but it is easily enough understood when one considers that even in the days of "Key East" that hotel at the foot of Sylvania Avenue was known as the "Avon" Inn.

There is little vacant or unused space in the community today, yet its growth is not, nor has it ever been unrestrained or chaotic. Although there are commercial establishments on Main Street and Ocean Avenue, they are surrounded by residential development so that the basic character of the town has not been altered. After the town became Avon-By-The Sea, vast improvements were made. A boardwalk was laid and fire companies were organized. The present public school was built in 1908 and the library was built in 1916 with a donation from Andrew Carnegie.

 

Today"s Avon-By-The-Sea maintains the original vision that Batchelor had in mind where it’s residents enjoy a tranquil community surrounded by the beauty of the waterways that form its borders.

Belmar

The Native Americans who originally inhabited the area around the Shark River were the Lenni Lenape who were of the Algonquin nation. The land that encompasses present day Belmar was sold by the Indian Chief Wanmassoa to a Galvin Drummond in 1687.

 

Three farms made up most of the area of present day Belmar according to a map dated 1881. In 1872 a group of investors purchased fifty-eight acres of land along the southern shore of the Shark River to develop a summertime community and called it the Ocean Beach Association. So Ocean Beach became the original name of the community of Belmar. Eventually the Ocean Beach Association purchased the farmland shown on the 1881 map and with only these homes to consider, the design of Belmar became a simple task. The Ocean Beach Association changed the communities name to Belmar (Beautiful Sea) in 1885.

 

The first hotel, The Ocean Beach House, was built in 1873. More than 17 hotels were in operation before 1890. But of all the hotels, The Columbia House became the most fashionable. It continued in operation until 1939 when it was destroyed by fire.

 

Today’s Belmar is undergoing a significant transformation. Almost all of the commercial property that once occupied Ocean Ave. is now occupied by single family homes. The downtown area is undergoing redevelopment. While the Inlet Terrace area of Belmar continues to be a prime area of classically styled homes. Belmar’s boardwalk and wide beaches continue to draw visitors from all over the tri-state area during the summer. And the Shark River Marina is a haven for all types of water sports.

 

Bradley Beach

 

 

The earliest accounts of Bradley Beach can be traced back to 1679 when it is said that Captain William Kidd anchored his vessel off Duck Creek, now known as Sylvan Lake. The area was rich with pine trees and sand dunes providing a natural haven for waterfowl. It was also reported that an Indian tribe existed in the approximate area of LaReine Avenue. Captain Kidd was said to have stayed in Bradley Beach for some time, burying his treasure between two large pine trees in the area of today's Brinley Avenue. Kidd never returned to claim his fortune, nor did history ever record the amount of treasure buried in Bradley Beach. Perhaps the sea itself claimed the gold pieces, or maybe the treasure never existed at all. The next piece of historical information occurs almost two centuries later, in 1871, when William B. Bradner purchased fifty-four acres of land south of Ocean Grove. James A. Bradley, a wealthy New York manufacturer, was also in the investment. The land was part of Ocean Township at the time and subsequently became part of Neptune Township under the name of Ocean Park. However, the post office informed Bradner that the community would have to change its name due to its similarity to Ocean Port. William Bradner did not want to suggest his own name, so one of the post office officials said, "You have a man down here by the name of Bradley. Why don't you call it Bradley Beach?" In 1886, the first school, a two-room structure, was opened and in 1880, a post office was established in a little store on Newark Avenue receiving mail from Asbury Park. When train service was continued through Bradley Beach, William J. Paynter, one of the early settlers, opened a post office in his general store on Main Street near the Bradley Beach Station, where the mail was then delivered. Local citizens appealed to the New Jersey State Legislature for a referendum to separate Bradley Beach from Neptune Township, and on March 28, 1893 Bradley Beach was incorporated. One month later, the newly formed Borough authorized the office of a Marshall and within the same year the Pioneer Fire Company, was established. By 1927, Bradley Beach had become a very popular resort town. Facilities at the beach front included several hundred dressing rooms, hot water baths, two large open-air swimming pools and a number of stores. Bradley Beach attracted thousands of tourists from New York, Pennsylvania and the City of Newark. Today, there is a year-round population of 5,000 that increases to approximately 30,000 during the summer months. Bradley Beach has experienced a renaissance in its residential and commercial areas. Many fine restaurants dot Bradley Beach’s Main Street.   Ocean Grove

 

On July 31, 1869, the Reverend William Osborn, a group of misters and friends camped a the area of Ocean Grove called Founder’s Park and after a candlelight service dedicated themselves to establishing a permanent Christian Camp Meeting community called Ocean Grove. On March 3, 1870, a State Charter was granted to 13 ministers and lay persons to hold personal estate to the land encompassing present day Ocean Grove. The Charter also granted the trustees the right to appoint peace officers.

 

Eventually streets and lots were laid out. The first lot was purchased by James Bradley who would later purchase and develop the land around the City of Asbury Park. The design of Ocean Grove utilized a new set-back planning device where beginning two blocks from the beach each house was successively set back from its neighbor, assuring a view of the Ocean from each home.

 

Many rules were established in deference to the Sabbath Day, most famously the banning of carriages and automobiles, and also a prohibition on Sunday Ocean bathing. One Sunday in 1875, President Grant journeyed from Elberon to visit his sister only to find the gates to the town chained. Grant simply tethered his carriage to the chain and walked to his sister’s home on Wesley Lake.

 

In 1975, Ocean Grove received the designation of a State and National Historic District as an example of 19th Century urban planning. Ocean Grove contains the largest aggregate of Victorian and early 20th Century structures in America.

 

Today’s Ocean Grove maintains much of what its original founder’s foresaw. Many bed and breakfast establishments dot the community. Main Avenue is a hub of activity populated by specialty stores and restaurants. It’s residents and visitors enjoy an unhurried and relaxing lifestyle.

 

Sea Girt

 

Centuries before Europeans came to America, the Lenni Lenape Indians visited the Wreck Pond Inlet yearly to bathe and enjoy the fruits of the sea with an annual clam feast. For years afterward, “Big Sea Day”, drew early settlers of New Jersey to come to the area in sheet covered wagons for get-togethers at the same beach on the second Saturday of August where the enjoyed bathing in the sea, singing and music, and feasting on the beach.

 

In 1853, Commodore Robert Stockton, purchased a farm tract from John Sherman and built a mansion overlooking the Ocean. This land joined with the Bell Farm to form present day Sea Girt.

 

In 1869 an act of the New Jersey Legislature created the Sea Girt Land Improvement Company. The corporation aided in bringing the Central Railroad of New Jersey to Sea Girt in 1875 and the development of Sea Grit began to blossom.

 

1884 saw the purchase 120 acres with the intent of establishing a rifle range and seacoast battery for the use of New Jersey National Guard. The camp was established as the summer capitol of New Jersey where governor’s spent the warmer months until World War II. In 1895, the U.S. Government obtained a plot of land on Beacon Blvd. to build a lighthouse. The brass work for the lamp stood 60 feet above the water. Today it is used for various community activities.

 

Sea Girt developed during the latter part of the 19th Century as a summer resort. Today the Borough of Sea Girt remains one of the premier resorts of the Jersey Shore. Wide tree-lined streets add to the beauty of the community that has seen a significant amount of renovation and rebuilding of its homes.

 

Sea Girt beaches draw visitors from many locations and residents and visitors alike enjoy its leisurely atmosphere.

 

Spring Lake

The community of Spring Lake was originally five different towns. Those five separate towns arose as the result of the development of several farms. By 1903 these five separate communities had formed into the present day Borough of Spring Lake.

 

Like many shore communities in this area, residents of Philadelphia were ultimately responsible for the development of Spring Lake as a resort community. In 1875, a Presbyterian minister, Reverend Alphonso Willits, persuaded a group of investors to form the Spring Lake Beach Improvement Company which laid out plans for the development of the former Osborn Farm.

 

In June of 1876, Spring Lake’s first hotel, The Monmouth House opened. Almost immediately upon the opening of the hotel, Spring Lake became a destination for affluent and famous summer visitors. The opening of the Hotel and the magnetism of the Atlantic Ocean led to construction of many fine homes, many of which still stand today. In 1900, the original Monmouth was destroyed by fire and rebuilt.

 

Today’s scenic community of Spring Lake maintains much of the charm of its early days. It offers its residents and vacationers the unhurried atmosphere of gracious Seashore living with grand Victorian homes; a charming and vibrant shopping district; pristine beaches; lovely hotels and bed and breakfast establishments; the State’s longest uninterrupted boardwalk and the community’s centerpiece, the body of water called Spring Lake.

 

Spring Lake is also the home of the Spring Lake Five, State’s largest 5 mile run.

 

Spring Lake is truly a unique Seashore community.