“Pool Club Row” in Long Branch
Pool & Surf Swimming in the City … Times 3 The old Long Branch pier and boardwalk area — in all its guises —...
Author: Greg Kelly
Eliakim Wardell: Monmouth Beach Founder
Monmouth Beach residents have long known they live in near paradise — all beginning as “Wardell’s Beach” some 350+ years ago. The founder and...
Long Branch Hotels: Great Views
Grand oceanfront lodgings highlight city glory … The magnificent seashore hotels that once sprawled along the Long Branch coastline are endlessly fascinating to me....
Long Branch: Keys to the City
How old is Long Branch? It goes all the way back to 1668. According to local folklore, five associates from the original Monmouth Patent...
President Loved Monmouth Beach
Benjamin Harrison — the nation’s 23rd president — visited 130 years ago. A former President of the United States of America did visit Monmouth...
Long Branch and the Presidency
Although seven United States chief executives visited Long Branch — the 19th Century’s “Resort of Presidents” — but I only dug deeper on two:...
Lady Led Learning in Tough Times
Helen Kittell West, Principal of the Monmouth Beach School (1922-1946). A borough education leader during very trying times — all through the Great Depression...
Channel Club Tower: Shrewsbury’s Sentinel
I grew up literally in its shadow — watching a tower and massive steel and concrete auto garage fill the large riverfront acreage we...
Elmer Fudd in Monmouth Beach
While researching Monmouth Beach history, I’m sometimes amazed by the caliber of people who have called this small community home. One former borough resident...
Long Branch Pier Fire — 38 Years Ago
Lost city summers … Long Branch has a storied history as a beach resort destination, with its iconic pier playing a central role in...
West End Images …
The West End of Long Branch has always been its own kind of place — from wealthy to hippie. The area was once known...
MB Police Department Images …
The borough’s true blue … Monmouth Beach Police Department origins date to April 1906 with the appointment of a police committee by the new...
Highland Beach — Playground Past
“Sandy Hook’s historic resort paradise” The beginnings of Highland Beach as a seashore resort date back to the “Gilded Age.” This iconic shore location...
Pleasure Bay Images …
In an effort to expand beyond the declining oceanfront hotel scene as the 20th century dawned, Long Branch developers turned their attention to a...
MB Commissioner Concerns: Serving for 95 Years
The first borough commissioner I ever knew well was Sidney B. Johnson. No surprise there — he was a Monmouth Beach icon. Those familiar...
Fargo in Monmouth Beach History …
The Wells Fargo Bank branch on Beach Road will close its doors permanently this October, company officials have confirmed to Mayor Tim Somers. Ironically...
