Chelsea Avenue looking east to the ocean, 1908.

Creek Cross — Heading east into Long Branch from Oceanport via the Port au Peck Bridge, August 2025 (O’Brien Realty Photo).

Proving Ground — Long Branch Signal Lab on Joline Avenue, 1945. Prior to deactivation the spot was a US Army Signal Corps Crystal Lab for Fort Monmouth — high-end science R&D was done there. The city sent more than 12,300 men and women into the armed services for WW II, according to the August 1943 Long Branch Daily Record. No county municipality gave more.

Crime Scene — The Cadillac car of Anthony “Little Pussy” Russo sits in front of the Harbor Island Spa in West End, where the notorious local mobster was murdered in April 1979. The man “everyone feared” was shot four times in the head; no one was ever changed in his death. Born in July 1916, he grew to be considered by law enforcement as Monmouth County’s top organized crime boss. A new book about Russo is out, Little Pussy & Long Branch: Perfect Together — The Rich, Colorful, and Deadly History of the Jersey Shore Mob Town (2025) by Gregory Macolino (a LBHS history teacher). Russo also owned the Surf Lounge on Ocean Avenue, a high-end West End restaurant, from 1963-65. It burned in March 1982 and Max’s now operates there. Frances McKee, a Surf waitress from 1962 to 1976, authored Mobsters I Have Known and Loved (Wasteland Press, 2009) about her time in Long Branch; she dedicated the book to Russo. A US Marine, teacher, mother, and singing-waitress, she died in April 2017.

Ocean Park summer concert, 1909.

US Post Office at Long Branch on Third Avenue, 1930s.

Condo Corridor — Long Branch coastline south of Pier Village, May 2025 (O’Brien Realty Photo).

Big Bets — Professional gamblers and con men were drawn to Long Branch, early 1890s. Although Monmouth Park was closed in 1894 and book-making and gambling were outlawed in 1897 in NJ, by January 1901 Long Branch still had as many as 15 “of the greatest gambling houses in the country,” according to the Red Bank Daily Register. “Long Branch was known as “the Monte Carlo” of the nation then. Under Mayor Benjamin Morris: “gambling houses were allowed to operate; illegal liquor selling was openly done with no effort made to stop it; and disorderly houses were run openly.”

Big Picture — West End Airdrome at Long Branch, 1909. The open-air movie theater located at Ocean and Brighton Avenues opened in June 1911. It  could seat 2,000 and admission was 10 cents. It was part of a chain along the Jersey Shore.

James Barham Company plumbers logo, June 1907. Born in London, England in July 1824, father of 15 children, he died in Feb. 1905.

Water Works — James Barham, Co. on Second Avenue, April 1908. Called the “pioneer plumbing establishment in Long Branch,” by the Long Branch Daily Record, the business was started in 1868 by James Barham. He worked hard, expanded and upon retiring in 1904 sold the business to his son Joseph Barham and partners George Rowland, George Golden, and William Emmons. Seeking some independence and a bigger share of the profits,  the Thomas H. Barham Company was begun in 1956. The Brighton Avenue plumbing and heating contractor flourished becoming the state’s top mechanical contracting company. When sold to PSEG Energy Technologies in January 2000, the firm was doing $40 million in annual revenue. Founder “Tommy” Barham, was in the US Coast Guard during WWII, served on the borough school board (1954-1962) and was an inaugural commissioner for the Monmouth Beach sewerage authority in Sept. 1965. He died in April 1982.

City Crossroads — Dilger’s Market on Joline Avenue and Washington Street, 1950s. For 37 years, the building housed the popular market. Owner Conrad “Honey” Dilger was a lifelong city resident, fireman, and decorated WW II vet. He died in 2009 at age 94. The 1900 building stood empty for decades and was torn down in August 2021.

Colonial Times — Map of “Wardell’s Beach” (it’s now Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright), 1764.

Long Branch Water Company Works, 1888. In April 1953, the city commission passed an ordinance creating the Long Branch Sewerage Authority with a 5-member board of commissioners. The first appointees were: John Lawley (chairman), John Guire, Cornell Kahle, Michael DeLisa, and Samuel Waldman. The main Joline Avenue plant opened in 1973. The current LBSA Executive Director is Thomas Roguski.

Believe It —  Alfred J. Ripley oil painting of the Long Branch coast, 1906. Born in England, he kept an art studio on Broadway and died in 1938.

Clean Bill — Life magazine editors: Long Branch government not “mob-controlled,” Red Bank Daily Register, September 1967.

Beached Boat — “The Hanna” shipwrecked at North Long Branch, Feb. 1879. The 182-foot-long Norwegian vessel was on route from London to NYC. The US Life-Saving crew from Monmouth Beach aided the ship.

Helping Out — The Long Branch First Aid Squad was first organized in January 1929 — in conjunction with the Independent Fire Company. A total of 31 members received Red Cross certification. Frank Griffith was the squad’s first president and captain. The group was seeking to raise $2,500 for a new ambulance.

Started Here — Liberty Street School, 1950s. In August 1947, the city school board began its integration of the Long Branch school system here, when the superintendent switched two white teachers with two black teachers at this “all-colored” school.

Golden Years — Hobart Manor senior citizen housing project on Joline Avenue. Long Branch Daily Record, October 1960. A block away from the ocean, it opened in June 1962 and was named for the city’s native born US Vice President. Part of city’s housing authority, the project cost $820,000 and included 57 one- and two-bedroom units. Rents started at $35/month.

Horse Sense — Knickerbocker Stable Company on Second Avenue, Long Branch Record, June 1910. “We don’t have places like Long Branch was in that era (late 1880s), and it could never be the same again. There are no similar concentrations of exclusivity in the same place.” James Dunnell, Asbury Park Press, 1963

Max Schmidt’s Band White & Gold in Ocean Park at Broadway and Ocean Avenue, Summer 1909. Schmidt, a German born violinist, died in 1951.

Back Then — Old Ocean Avenue looking south from Monmouth Beach into North Long Branch, late-1970s. The New Ocean Blvd section (down to Joline Avenue) with four lanes opened in November 1983.

“Greetings from Long Branch, NJ” 1950s postcard. The Long Branch Bar Association was incorporated in June 1939 at the Garfield-Grant Hotel on Ocean Avenue. Early lawyer leaders were: Thomas P. McKenna (president), Alton Evans, Harry Truax, Leroy Throckmorton, Milton Bennett and Milton Stein.

Big Act — Edwin Thomas Booth summer cottage on Park Avenue, 1890. He was the older brother of infamous presidential assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Both were Maryland natives and accomplished stage actors. Edwin — who got married in Long Branch in 1869 — died in 1893. Considered “America’s Most Gifted Shakespearean Actor,” a 1955 movie was made about about him, “Prince of Players,” with Richard Burton playing Edwin.

Long Branch boat builder Henry E. Keller and a “Sea Bright Dory” ad, 1913.

Henry Keller with his “Sea Bright dory,” 1913. The pioneer boat builder died in 1951.

“Brothers at Bat” — Acerra Brothers baseball team, 1940s. A semi-pro baseball team of 12 city brothers coached by their father, Louis “Pop” Acerra (born in Italy and a longtime foremen for the NY & LB Railroad, he died in July 1966). They played from 1938 to 1952 and held the Long Branch City League Championship trophy for 10 years in a row. Winning 70% of their games were brothers: Joe, Paul, Louie, Alfred, Eddie, Jim, Freddie, Richie, Bobby, Charles, Billy and Anthony. In 2017, they were inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Author Audrey Vernick wrote a book about them, Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team (Clarion, 2012). In all there were 17 Acerra children raised on Laurel Avenue in Long Branch — none survive today.

“Mr. Shore Protection” — Anthony M. “Doc” Villane, Jr. campaign ad, Long Branch Daily Record, October 1975. A much accomplished and admired city politician, Doc was born December 1929 in Newark. A practicing dentist in Eatontown for over 50 years and resident of Lincoln Avenue in Elberon, he and wife Sarah raised 5 children in Long Branch. He also served in the US Air Force as a captain. A thoughtful and dynamic advocate for pro-environment awareness and action long before most others, Doc Villane was a respected Republican lawmaker in the NJ State Assembly from 1976 to 1988. A force in Trenton for nearly two decades, Gov. Tom Kean appointed Doc to his cabinet in 1988 as NJ Department of Community Affairs commissioner (the governor had called him “Mr. Shore Protection” in 1983). From 1990 to 1992, Doc was the NY/NJ regional administrator of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also a Long Branch school board member, Doc  died in June 2022.

City First — Wilbert C. Russell (l) is appointed a member of the Long Branch City Council sworn in by City Clerk Sanita Camassa (r) and City Council President Robert Cornell (c), Red Bank Daily Register, August 1968. Russell was the first African-American to serve on city council and the first elected later that November. He was also the first black city council president in October 1969. The city native  was a LBHS star athlete, served in the US Army and had Monmouth U undergrad and MBA degrees. In 1974 (when the city was about 16% black) he lost a race for Long Branch mayor. The father of four was Executive Director of the Monmouth County Action Program, president of the Long Branch NAACP, a Long Branch Housing Authority commissioner and city manager of Asbury Park. A resolute and effective advocate for affordable public housing in the city, when he died in November 2000 among his many mourners was a US Congressman, Frank Pallone, Jr.

Legend on Liberty Street — Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois inspired creation of the NAACP Long Branch Chapter, Long Branch Daily Record, February 1925. The city’s civil rights group was officially organized the following month with 86 charter members. Long Branch physician Julius C. McKelvie, M.D. was the first group president. Born in Augusta, Georgia, he graduated Howard University Medical School in Washington, DC in 1915. Dr. McKelvie was the “first Negro” to hold city public office when appointed to the Long Branch schools board of education in January 1953. After practicing medicine in the city for 40 years, upon his death in October 1961, Asbury Park Press publishers lauded his “reputation for professional competence and public service that made him one of Long Branch’s first citizens.” His wife, Anne McKelvie, was the first women appointed to the city’s housing authority in 1965. A North Carolina native, she died October in 1981. More complete African-American Long Branch history — HERE.

MLK Monument — Beth Duze Woolley at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park on Atlantic Avenue, 2010s. The riverfront park and 6-foot granite monument were dedicated in December 2000 by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Guild of Greater Long Branch (formed shortly after the icon civil rights leader’s murder in April 1968). Beth, a founding member of the Long Branch Historical Association, was considered the most knowledgeable of Long Branch historians. The city native and LBHS graduate died in April 2022. (Note: the African-American population in the city of Long Branch is about 14%, according to the 2020 US Census; declining from a peak of 20% in 1980).

Beauty & Business — Louis Libutti, president of the Greater Long Branch Chamber of Commerce, with “1968 Miss Long Branch” Cheryl Carter, Long Branch Daily Record, September 1969. Cheryl went on to be “Miss New Jersey” that year and then finish second runner-up in the 1970 Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City. The chamber would name its highest honor, the “Louis G. Libutti Community Service Award,” upon his January 1970 death. He was considered a man of high “integrity and energy” in helping to advance city business interests. Twice elected chamber president, Libutti was a much respected senior executive at Wheelock Signals, which operated a large plant in the city. Born in NYC, he joined the Branchport Avenue electrical relay component manufacturer in 1949 — where he rose to be VP/Treasurer and Director of Personnel. The origins of the city’s chamber of commerce, date back to the Long Branch Board of Trade formed in January 1891. By 1913, it had incorporated as the “Long Branch Chamber of Commerce” — MORE INFO.

Hi Neighbor … Fine Fare Supermarket on Third Avenue, 2020s. Anthony Perri, Sr. and Jr. acquired the business in January 1977 and opened their Long Branch grocery. The family continues to operate the popular “neighborhood” store. Fulfilling a five-decade pledge to offer customers “high-quality food, at super-low prices with service that can’t be beaten” — MORE INFO.

First in Food — Safeway Foods supermarket, 1955. The 20,000-squre-foot supermarket opened in June 1955. Turner Construction Company of New York built the new red-brick store for $250,000 on old NY & LB Railroad property acquired for $45,000. It became a Finast supermarket in 1971 and then a Foodland supermarket in 1975. The Third Avenue supermarket became Fine Fare in 1977.

Merrick’s Lunchroom on Morris Avenue, 1940s.

Thomas Beatty Carriage Factory on Westwood Avenue, 1914. One of the last “blacksmiths” in the area, he also served as a city fire chief and city commissioner.

Death of a President — Long Branch Post Office on Third Avenue on November 22, 1963 from Long Branch Daily Record. Flag is half-mast due to the assassination of JFK.

US Post Office, Long Branch on 3rd Avenue, 2019 (Ronald Claiborne Photo). “The richness of Long Branch history treasures awaiting discovery can’t be measured.” —Long Branch Daily Record.

Proving Ground — Long Branch Signal Lab on Joline Avenue, 1945. Prior to deactivation the spot was a US Army Signal Corps Crystal Lab for Fort Monmouth High-end science R&D was done there.

Oceanic Fire Engine Company #1, 1970s. Incorporated in March 1872, it’s the city’s first volunteer fire company.

Ocean Avenue — “Millionaire’s Row” in Long Branch, Summer 1912.

History on the Side — This classic “Drink Coca-Cola” sign was recently uncovered on a building on Third Avenue,. Since 1982, the building housed the busy Nordin cabinet shop, it’s now a cafe. Beginning from its founding in Atlanta in 1886 until 1959, a Coke cost a nickel (Mike Booth Photo, March 2023).

Second and Brighton Avenues in West End, 1920s.

Broadway, 1920s.

Third Avenue, 1920s.

Seashore Day Camp brochure, 1964.

Seshore Day Camp Founders, 1970s.

Woollen Stokes house, 1873.

Ocean Avenue, 1910s. “The old Long Branch died slowly,” —Entertaining A Nation, 1940.

Henry Keller of Long Branch boat builder ad for the “Sea Bright Dory,” 1913.

Henry Keller with one of his “Sea Bright Dory” boats, 1913. He built the 20-foot crafts at his Edwards Avenue shop.

Toasting — City firefighters battle smoke and fire at the old White Sand Beach Club in North End, May 1978.

“Greeting from Long Branch, NJ,” 1950s. Long Branch Daily Record from 1889: “remember that delays in protecting the Long Branch bluff are dangerous.”

Big Bet — West End Casino, 1910. “Last of the great gaming clubs built in Long Branch,” was at the corner of Ocean Avenue and West End Court; it cost $250,000 to build. Gambling flourished openly in Long Branch, according to city historian James Durnell, from 1893 to 1903 when “private clubs” became the betting parlors.

Long Branch Foot Ball Team, Champions 1896.

Coast Lanes, 1960s. The 16-lane city bowling alley opened in 1958 at 260 Third Avenue. The Carotenuto Brothers were the builders. It suffered a major fire that same year but reopened. George Banks and Emil Uhorchek of Rumson were owners. The business operated until about 1967.

Long Branch beach, 1901. The building sign says “Hennessey Fishery.”

Twilight fishing at Long Branch, 1972 postcard. In 1949, the Long Branch Commission appropriated $500 to create the city’s first planning board.

City of Long Branch public service vehicles displayed along the oceanfront promenade, Summer 2022.

Ocean Avenue cottages, 1909. “Long Branch is lavishing endowed by nature and these charms have been nicely preserved and considerably enhanced by the progressive spirit of its townspeople.” —Long Branch Daily Record, May 1908.

Early Sucess — Barham plumbing/heating ad. Long Branch Daily Record, April 1905.

The first-ever July 4th celebration in Long Branch took place in 1838, according to this Long Branch Daily Record retrospective from 1922.

Norwood Avenue, 1910. “The most agreeable place … is Long Branch.” –Charles Biddle, 1793.

Wenning & Sons Foods on Pearl Street, 2020. Louis B. Wenning started the wholesale meats and frozen products company in March 1922 and the family still runs the business today. A Cincinnati native and city resident since 1919, Louis died in August 1973. MORE INFO.

Kennedy Towers sketch, Long Branch Daily Record,  October 1966. The Rockwell Avenue senior citizen’s apartments were a Long Branch Housing Authority project built for $1.7 million. The 10-story, colonnade-style, 100-unit complex was designed by city architect James Mancuso. Arthur Padula Construction of Newark was the general contractor. The doors opened in October 1968.

Strike! — Monmouth Lanes bowling alley “Preview Opening” ad. Long Branch Daily Record, August 1961. Irving Borek was manager of the new $500,000 Brunswick Corp. bowling center at Joline and Myrtle Avenues. It was air-conditioned with 32 lanes, 14 pool tables, the “Jockey Bar,” luncheonette, nursery and locker rooms. The 28,000-square-foot bowling alley closed in 2005 and now houses a Siperstein’s painting center.

US Post Office at Long Branch on Third Avenue, 1920. In 2002, it was renamed the “Pat King Post Office Building” in honor of the LBPD detective sergeant killed in the line of duty in November 1997.

US Post Office at Long Branch on Third Avenue, 1940s.

Long Branch Post Office on 3rd, 1940s.

“SS Jesse Hoyt.” Built in 1862, the 240-foot steamboat was among the fastest on the Jersey Shore waters. It lasted until 1888.

Beachfront North off Ocean Blvd, 2022.

Kay Dunhill dress factory on Westwood Avenue, 1940. The company was started on Lower Broadway in September 1935 by Chester Hirsch, Phil Iselin, and Mack Kalison. When the Westwood Avenue building opened in 1938 it was the “most modern sewing factory” in NJ. At its peak, the company had 350 employees. In April 1951, Bendix Aviation acquired the building.

Seashore Day Camp prior to demolition, June 2022. John and Anthony Cittadino started the Second Avenue children’s physical fitness business in 1926. John Villapiano, a former NJ assemblyman and pro football player, and family acquired the camp in 1974.

Seashore Day Camp — kids and coaches, 1956. The popular city business ended operations in 2021 after 95 years.

Final Days — Wreckers finishing the job on the old Seashore Day Camp property, June 2002 (David Booth Photo). The Second Avenue camp-school which dates to 1926 has lasting memories for generations of shore kids. All thanks to the proprietorship of the Cittadino and Villapiano families.

The Surf Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge on Ocean Blvd, 1964. Max’s now rests here.

Monmouth County’s first “motorized” firetruck was obtained by the city’s Independent Fire Engine & Truck Company in 1910.

“The Presidential” beach tower on Ocean Blvd, 2022. This 24-unit high-rise directly across from the county’s Seven Presidents Park was built by Stavola Companies. Opened for Spring 1989; units were $410,000 to start.

US Senator William W. Barbour (R-NJ) at a ceremony for new Oceanic Hook & Ladder Company firehouse, 1939.

Fire at the H. Kaabe Glass Company warehouse on Washington Street, February 1971. Henry Kaabe opened his business on Broadway in 1920.

Long Branch map from Atlas of Monmouth County by F. W. Beers, 1873. Julius J. Golden was Long Branch City Attorney from 1950 to 1961 and again from 1966 until his death in December 1968. A former city magistrate and president of the Monmouth Bar Association, Jules was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Dickinson Law School at Penn State U.

Chester A. Arthur Apartments on Union Avenue, 2010s. The $1 million senor citizen high-rise was opened in September 1963. James Mancuso was the architect and Anthony Miller was the builder. The 60-unit complex was a project of the Long Branch Housing Authority which was establied in April 1938. John Schulz was a longtime LBHA Executive Director. The structure is named for Chet Arthur (1829–1886) — the 21st President of the United States — who a Long Branch home owner.

From Bath to Bright — Partial map of Long Branch coast, 1889.

Long Branch coast looking north, 2020.

McCue’s Dairy — delivery the old-fashioned way, 1930s. Martin McCue started the Willow Avenue business just before the turn of the century and sold to Shore Dairies in 1962.

Sea Verge apartments on Ocean Blvd and Bath Avenue, 2010s. The 7-story, 125-unit complex in West End opened in September 1964 (monthly rents started at $119.50). Renna Construction of West Orange built the $2 million luxury high-rise.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. at a US House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Established in 1795, it’s the oldest continuous standing committee in the US House of Representatives. MORE INFO. Born in the city in October 1951 and a 1969 LBHS graduate, the congressman has served as a member of US House since 1988.

Oceanic Engine & Truck Company, #1, 1960s. On Norwood Avenue, it’s the city’s oldest volunteer fire company (LBFD Photo). Thomas L. Worthley was the first fire chief in Long Branch, serving from 1874 to 1878.

Long Branch Elks Club on Garfield Avenue, 1908.

Neptune and Oceanic fire companies line-up at the Norwood Avenue station, 1870s.

Neptune Hose Company No. 1, February 1899.

Neptune Hose Company No. 1, 1911. Organized in 1877, part of the Long Branch Fire Department. At one point in 1977 (with 600 members and 9 fire companies), Long Branch had the nation’s largest active volunteer fire department, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Bendix Corp. building, 1954. The Westwood Avenue plant opened in July 1951 with 350 employees. Then a major supplier for the commercial aviation industry, Bendix later made diversification into an art form.

Nash Aluminum Window Company building in decline, 1969. Located near old Long Branch City Hall around Broadway and 7th Avenue (it was called the “Button Factory” and city owned). Harry Nash started Nash Manufacturing Company in Newark in 1927 and moved operations to South Broadway in 1944. Once in Long Branch his son, Joseph, made a fortune on factory-direct aluminum windows and doors — boom times too as the Jersey Shore was shifting to a year around locale. Nash died in June 1986.

Long Branch Ice Boat & Yacht Club original clubhouse. Built on Shallow Point in Port-au-peck in 1901, it was moved to North Long Branch by barge in 1909. It was located at the shoreline north of the Pleasure Bay Hotel until after 1940.

E. Thurston Blaisdell with his horse “Prince” on Ocean Avenue near the Long Branch pier, April 1899. The owner of the Independent Ice Company of Long Branch, he died in 1962 at age 90.

Woolley’s Service Station at Third and Morris Avenues, 1933. Owner Bob Woolley is kneeling.

West End buildings on fire, February 2012.

Brighton Avenue looking east, 1920s.

The LBFD participates in the city’s Columbus Day parade, 1994.

Bath Avenue looking west, 1911.

This Bath Avenue house — would become the Ronald McDonald House in 1987. Previously, the building was a nurse’s dorm for the nearby Monmouth Medical Center.

S.N. Janes cottage in Pleasure Bay, 1868 (G.W. Pach Photo).

Ghosts haunt a Long Branch mansion, 1868 (G.W. Pach Photo). No, just early poor photography.

Casino and Pennsylvania Club in West End, 1907.

Ocean Avenue cottages in West End, early 1900s.

Long Branch Water Company Works, 1888. In February 1953, the city commission introduced an ordinance to create a Long Branch Sewerage Authority with a 5-member board.

Island Inn at Atlantic and Rockwell Avenues, 1907.

Woolley-Boglioli Funeral Home on Morrell Street, 2010s. Started by the Sexton Brothers in 1880. Willis Woolley acquired the business in 1923 and ran it until his death in 1958. His son Bruce C. Woolley then ran the operations until his death in 1977. Family relation Bill Boglioli acquired the business in 2011.

Anchorage Apartment building sketch proposal, 1972. Construction cost for the 9-story, 91-unit facility was $2 million. The Syracuse Brothers of New Rochelle, NY were the developers. The Ocean Avenue condo opened in May 1973; with a penthouse priced at $52,000.

The Imperial House high-rise condo on Ocean Avenue, 1973. The 18-story, 221-unit facility was built by Frankel Enterprises, Inc. of Philadelphia for $6 million. When opened in May 1973, a one-bedroom unit cost $38,000. The Colony Beach Club had stood on these grounds in West End.

Summer evening concert in the park at West End amphitheater, August 2021.

Ocean Avenue cottages, early 1900s.

“Loyalty Day Parade” ad. Long Branch Daily Record, May 1967. Sponsored by local VFWs, the 5-hour event was conducted on Broadway.

Long Branch History Blanket (click on image to enlarge). From LB Historical Association, 1996.

Corner of Second Avenue and West End Court, 1909. Note Phil Daly’s Club House to the left.

Baldanza’s Bakery on Prospect Street, 1960s. Sicilian-born Joseph Baldanza opened the shop in 1919.

Long Branch Opera House ad, Long Branch Daily Record, November 1913. Opened in November 1881, the building was on the west side of Washington Street near Broadway. In 1915, it became Oakwood Hall.

A fall sunrise in Pier Village, 2017 (Dwayne Dentz Photo).

Takanassee Lake looking east, 1912. The St. Michael’s Church (l) is in the background. The West End Catholic house of worship was dedicated in August 1891.

Real Off-Broadway, 2021. A sad look at some Third Avenue relics — soon to be gone. The tall building once housed the NJ Bell Telephone Company. It was good work for area residents until direct dial changed it all in the late 1950s.

Shrewsbury River, 1960s. The body of water is a navigable estuary about 8 miles in length.

Long Branch Horse Show, August 1913.

Damiano Funeral Home at Franklin and Third Avenues, 2020. Newark natives Ralph and Marie Damiano opened the mortuary in July 1933. The business grew and their daughter, Vida, assumed control in 1968. Their grandson, R.J. “Buddy” Damiano, became the manager in January 2001. “Traditional values, diversity and innovation” continue as the firm’s hallmarks. MORE INFO. A much accomplished and respected city man, Ralph Damiano graduated from Cooper Union of NYC, was wounded in battle during World War I, served as president of the city chamber of commerce and director of the Monmouth County Red Cross. Born in Foggia, Italy, he died in March 1971.

Britton’s Liquor Store on Joline Avenue/Route 36. The family-run business dates to 1867, starting as a pharmacy on Broadway. John T. Britton, III opened the spirits business at the current location in Sept. 1962.

Millionaire’s Row on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.

West End Park amphitheater on Brighton Avenue, July 2021. The $43,291 band stand opened in 2013.

Takanassee Lake at night, 2015 (MAC Photography).

Long Branch USO Club on Garfield Avenue, 1944. Slogan: “A home away from home.” The building later became the LB Elks Club.

Beginnings of the John Guire Company on Brighton Avenue, early 1900s. The West End coal and feed grain business was started in 1898 by two brothers (John and James). The business prospered and was expanded with a new office and showroom in 1934. The family still runs things today. MORE INFO.

Johnson Club House, 1908. The gambling club was on the corner of Ocean and Brighton Avenue.

Johnson Club House, early 1900s.

Johnson Club House ballroom, 1905.

Long Branch High School marching band on Chelsea Avenue, 1958. At left is Truppa’s Ice Cream shop.

F.W. Beers Atlas of Monmouth County, 1851. Back then Long Branch was part of Ocean Twp.

Map of old shipwrecks around Long Branch, 1980s.

Map of shipwrecks off NJ coast, 1850s.

Jersey Shore map of LB area, 1776.

Long Branch trolley, early 1900s. The first “Asbury Park-Long Branch trolley” system dates to 1895. By 1927, the minimum fare was 10 cents.

Long Branch map, 1889.

The Pennsylvania Club, 1906. Opened in the late 1860s on the southwest corner of Brighton and Ocean avenues, Col. John Chamberlain and Phil Daly were the proprietors of this very popular gambling house.

Oceanic Fire Company #1 hook & ladder firetruck, 1951.

Phil Daly Hose Company firetruck, 1951.

“Long Branch Condo Coast” 2021.

“Long Branch Condo Coast” 2021. “The beachfront area is being overdeveloped. The choicest parts of the city are being sold off for this high-density type condo development.” –Rep. Frank J. Pallone, Jr. quoted in the Asbury Park Press, January 1989

Wet West End, Spring 2021.

Seaview Towers on Ocean Avenue prior to demolition, 2020. William Marlin originally built the senior citizen housing in 1955; it was all condemned back in the early 2000s.

“Life at Long Branch” by Olive Logan, Harper’s Magazine Sept. 1876. A busy Ocean Avenue.

Early map of Long Branch, NJ, 1869.

Parkway Appliance Center on Memorial Parkway, 1960s. The shop moved several times. Fred Carl started the business in June 1949 as a tire company and added GE appliances.

Evangeline-by-the-Sea on Ocean Avenue in North Long Branch, 1936. The small vacation cottage for women run by the Salvation Army burned in March 1962.

West End Shore Club on Ocean Avenue, 1910s.

Funland Amusement Park on Ocean Avenue, 1952. According to a September 1952 Long Branch Daily Record report, the park was run by Mark Enterprises, Inc. (Jacob Edelstein was president) at the site of the old Long Branch Stadium. It lasted just about a year there at an $6,000 annual lease.

McCue’s Dairy was on Willow Avenue. Founded by Martin A. McCue, Sr. in 1897, the business was sold to Shore Dairies in 1962 for $345,000. Martin died in 1946.

IAMA Proud — The Italian American Memorial Association (IAMA) of Long Branch building. Originally located at Bath and Westwood Avenues, it was moved in pieces to its current location at West End and Indiana Avenues in 1963. The house was donated by Nicholas “Nick” Delmore, a notorious NJ mobster. The IAMA was founded in 1946 to honor Italian American city military personnel who served in World War II. Brothers Joseph (founder) and Merrick (Director) Tomaine were the first leaders.

Ocean Avenue, 1950s.

Peddler Bike Shop on Ocean Blvd, 2012. Tony Schiavo opened his first bicycle store in 1970 on old Ocean Avenue.

Lake Takanassee aerial image, 2000s. The body of water is the city’s geographic boundary line separating West End from Elberon. It was once known as “Green’s Pond.”

Johnson Club in West End, 1905.

City women promoting a Suffrage event at LB Casino, 1915. The speaker, Anna Howard Shaw, was a leader in the women’s vote movement. Born in the UK, she was a physician and a Methodist minister.

Branchport Avenue looking south, early 1900s.

“Old Willows” on Second Avenue, early 1900s.

Jeremiah Curtis cottage on Ocean Avenue in West End, 1873. The property later was part of the San Alfonso Retreat House started in 1922.

Cedar Avenue, 1894.

Chelsea Avenue looking east postcard, early 1900s.

Baldanza’s Brothers Bakery on Prospect Street, 1930s. Italian-born brothers Joseph and Harry founded the city business in 1919.

Baldanza bakery plant on Poole Avenue, 1940s.

Baldanza bakery trucks, 1950s.

Oceanic Fire Engine Company, #1, 1912. Fire Chief Charles Brown is front center. The company was organized in January 1872.

Dr. Edwin Sternberger house on Ocean Avenue, early 1909.

Receipt from the Thomas B. Barham Company in West End, 1904.

“Long Branch by Moonlight” by W.J. Linton, in Harper’s Weekly 1869.

Storm damage along Ocean Avenue, Sept. 1944.

Seaside cottage of George W. Childs, 1868. He was the main Long Branch benefactor of President US Grant.

Branchport Hose Company ready for duty, 1907.

The Plaza — West End Auto Palace near the Takanassee Hotel, 1909.

News account of the wreck of the steamship St. Paul at Long Branch, January 1896.

Temple Beth Miriam, 1907. The oldest synagogue among Atlantic coast resorts, it was built on North Bath Avenue in 1888. Rabbi Benjamin Morris led this city synagogue from 1888 to 1912.

Patten’s Corner turnpike in Long Branch, 1916.

Dawn at “Monmouth University Bluffs” beach in West End, 2021.

S.S. Long Branch, early 1900s.

Guttenplan’s Bakery on Third Avenue, 1970s. The family run business started in 1908. The Third Avenue shop was opened by Irv and Hyman Guttenplan in December 1956 and shut in 1992.

Wellington Inn on Brighton Avenue, early 1900s. It was Phil Daly’s Pennsylvania Club, a very popular gambling house which closed in 1902 and was torn down in 1909. John Hoey was the builder back in the 1860s. Games of chance included roulette, faro, cards and dice. In 1897 gambling was outlawed by the state.

M. O’Connor Tire Repair in West End, 1908.

Long Branch Elks Lodge on Garfield Avenue, 1940s. Previously, the Garfield Hotel, the Elks took over in 1908.

Long Branch Elks Lodge #742, 2018.

Chabad of the Shore on Ocean Avenue, 2020. A brand new $20 million synagogue-shopping center combo in West End that “spreads Jewish awareness.”

Long Branch Trust Company sketch proposal for new drive-in bank in West End, 1955. Samuel Morris was president and the new branch was designed by Farmer and Cranmer of Asbury Park. Today, it’s a Chase Bank branch.

New San Alfonso Retreat House in West End, 1967. It has been run by the Redemptorist Fathers — a congregation of Catholic missionaries — since 1922.

Original San Alfonso Retreat House in West End, 1949. The oceanfront complex was the combination of several large summer homes.

Coast Lanes ad. APP, October 1958.

NFD’s Mack Auto Car & Hose Wagon, 1922.

The first LBFD chief’s car with Chief John W. Guire at West End firehouse, 1932.

Original Branchport Avenue firehouse, 1890.

Oceanic Fire Engine Co. No. 1, 1911. Incorporated in March 1872, it’s the city’s first volunteer fire company.

Oceanic Engine & Truck Co. No. 1, 1960s.

Original Norwood Avenue Fire Station, early 1870s.

Neptune Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 original firehouse sketch, 1866.

LB Fire Department chief’s vehicle, 1959 Chevy BelAir.

“Great West End Fire” in Long Branch, 2012.

“Great West End Fire” in Long Branch, 2012.

“Great West End Fire” in Long Branch, 1909.

“Great West End Fire” in Long Branch, 1909.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in front of Reed’s Bicycle Shop in West End, August 1973. The photo became the cover for the band’s second album: The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle.

Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.

Natural gas tanks on Long Branch Avenue, 1961.

St. Paul steamship wreck off LB, 1886.

Helmbold Cottage, 1875.

LB oceanfront cottage, 1880.

Pach Brothers Photo Studio, 1867.

Westwood and Third Avenues intersection, 1931.

Three NJ Governors: Foster Voorhees (1889-1902), John Fort (1908-11) and Edward Stokes (1905-08) vacationing at Long Branch, 1905.

Patten Point, Long Branch. and Monmouth Beach in background, 2019.

McCue’s Dairy. APP ad, 1942.

LB aerial image, 2019.

Independent Fire Engine & Truck Company #2 on Third Avenue, 1940s. Founded in 1910, it is the city’s youngest fire company.

Sketch of the house of Arthur H. Hearn, a replica of William Shakespeare’s birth home at Stratford-on-the-Avon, built at the corner of Second and South Bath Avenues in 1890. It burned in 1920.

Dudley Arms apartments on Broadway, 2018.

Asbury Park Press, November 1968.

Sea Verge Apartments on Ocean Blvd, 2018. The seven-story oceanfront high-rise opened in 1964. Construction cost was $2 million.

Long Branch map, 1873.

“The Gambling Evil at Long Branch,” according to Harper’s Magazine, 1889.

US Post Office of Long Branch on Third Avenue, 1920s. Opened in 1914, the building was named the “Pat King Postal Building” in 2002, in honor of the city police sergeant killed in the line of duty in 1997.

H. Victor Newcomb house on Ocean Avenue in Elberon, 1881. The architects were McKim, Mead & White. Cost to build: $33,000. Newcomb was a railroad tycoon and banker. Lyman Bloomingdale bought the house in 1901.

Siegel Cottage, 1914.

Dunbarton House, 1868.

Gustavus Pach Photograph Gallery, 1867.

Long Branch “rich map,” 1886.

Neptune Hose Company, No. 1, early 1900s.

Myron Oppenheim house, early 1900s. He also once owned Shadow Lawn later Monmouth University.

Chelsea Avenue, 1917.

Washington Street, 1917.

Phil Daly cottages, early 1900s.

Oceanfront cottage, 1875.

Oceanfront cottage, 1940s.

Johnny Brockriede, 1960s. “Long Branch’s finest supporter” died in April 2012 at age 67. One of the city’s most hard-working, successful and generous businessmen and entrepreneurs, John left a mark all over town.

Off-Broadway Cocktail Lounge Jazz & Blues Bar, 1990s. Found on 4th Avenue, previously it was the Happy Hour inn.

Old Phil Daly cottages on Second and Chelsea Avenues, 1930s. Torn down in 1909.

Patten Avenue bridge under construction, 2005.

Conte’s Car Wash aerial image, 1961.

Dr. William A. Conover house, 1868.

Diller house, 1905.

Club Spanky on old Ocean Avenue, 1980s. Band mates Rod Faccone, Jr. and Ron Rosenzweig opened the rock ‘n’ roll night club in August 1978.

Long Branch Carnival, 1907.

Long Branch Horse Show, 1913.

MIllionaire’s Row on Ocean Avenue, late 1800s.

Conte’s Car Wash, 1970s. Longtime owners Louis and Mary Conte of Oceanport started their very successful Joline Avenue business in 1961. Mary died in 2002; Lou in 2006.

Neptune Hose Company No. 1, 1905.

NJ Governor Franklin Murphy and staff in Long Branch, 1905.

Branchport Hose Company, No. 3 membership, early 1900s.

Branchport Hose Company firehouse, 1950s. The company was incorporated in August 1903.