“The Reservation” in Long Branch
Note: Six of the Sheehan children who lived at “The Reservation” later lived in Monmouth Beach.
By Michael Sheehan
Visitors to Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in the City of Long Branch may notice a house standing alone near the north end of the grounds. But very few know the history behind it.
That “cottage,” as it was known when built, is nearly 120 years old and is one of nine stately homes built in 1900 by Nate Salsbury, the principal owner and business manager for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show (in one year alone the hit show staged 341 performances in 132 U.S. towns).
The Reservation layout, early 1900s.
Each house was given a number and name of an Indian tribe or chief — #1: Cheyenne, #2: Iroquois, #3: Navaho, #4: Araphoe, #5: Uncaspapa, #6: Okalhofee #7: Cherokee, #8: Okelsska, and #9: Miami. The name of the house still standing is Navahoe. The group of homes was known as “The Reservation.” And with huge profits from the wild west show, Salsbury claimed he was going to spend “every cent in Long Branch,” according to Entertaining a Nation.
The property in North Long Branch was just under 17 acres and had been the East End Hotel and before that the Atlantic Hotel. According to an 1878 Woolman & Rose Atlas, the property had once been owed by the Jay Gould.
The ultimate folk hero of the American west, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) was at the turn of century one of the most famous men in the world. He founded his own show, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” in 1883, “a circus-like extravaganza that toured widely for three decades in the United States and later in Europe.”
Grand Plans
A shrewd businessman and a tireless promoter, Salsbury marketed the luxury homes as having “a commanding position” on the Long Branch oceanfront, as well as a “superb view” from their upper floors of the highlands of the Navesink and the Shrewsbury River, which he claimed were unmatched by any other section of the Jersey shore. The cottages were just a 5-minute walk from the East Long Branch railroad station, according to Salsbury’s prospectus, and only a “brisk” 7-minute walk from the North Long Branch station, where frequent trains carried passengers to and from New York City.
“Buffalo Bill” and Nate Salsbury.
Each house came with gas and electric light fixtures, could be wired for telephone service if the resident asked for it, and was connected to city sewers — a big plus. In addition, each family had their own bath house and Salsbury emphasized the privacy of The Reservation’s 1,000-yard-long beach frontage, which was for the exclusive use of residents.
The houses were big even by today’s McMansion standards. In addition to a large living room, dining room, and “reception room” or “sea room” on the first floor, each had five bedrooms for residents on the second floor, with another five rooms on the third floor for the servants. Every floor had a “water closet” — a bathroom, to us moderns. In the basement of each house were the kitchen and the servants’ dining room, as well as the laundry room. The basement kitchen was connected to a butler’s pantry on the first floor by means of a dumbwaiter, which the cook would use to deliver food to the first-floor dining room. The houses were designed by Long Branch architect Leon Cubberley and Jacob Steinbach supplied the furnishings.
High Living
Originally, Salsbury leased the houses, promising renters that he would furnish the homes with “due regard for comfort and utility,” maintain the properties, and pay the water bills. Stables were available for an additional rent, since not all residents required them. An Illinois native, Salsbury died in 1902 at age 56 and his daughter, Rachael, sold the houses in 1919.
World Famous Show!
Built at the pinnacle of Long Branch’s Golden Era, when it was a favored destination for the rich and famous, The Reservation attracted many distinguished summer residents. In the early years, George B. McClellan, Jr., mayor of New York City and son of the infamous Civil War general and 1864 U.S. presidential candidate, rented a house there. In later years, G.F. Hoffman, founder of Hoffman Beverages of Newark, owned a house there, as did Clayton B. Jones, chairman of the Board of Managers of the New York Cotton Exchange.
“If there’s a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it.”
—Jimmy Buffet
Another well-known family that summered at “The Res” were the Forans. Known as “Colonel” from his World War I service, Arthur Foran (1882 -1961) was the owner of the Foran Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Flemington, NJ, a firm that at one time made virtually every lamppost and manhole cover in New Jersey. He also served as mayor of Flemington and was elected to the NJ State Senate, where he would serve as Majority Leader and President.
Foran’s oldest son, John Nicholas (1910-1979), known as Nick, went to Hollywood, where he changed his name to Dick Foran and gained fame as one of the original “Singing Cowboys.” At one time, Dick Foran was among the top 10 cowboy stars in the country, alongside names like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Tex Ritter. Another son, Walter, followed in his father’s footsteps, serving in the NJ State Assembly and the State Senate from 1969 until his death in 1986.
Dr. Sheehan’s house at “The Res” in the 1970s.
Summer Scenes
Over the years, The Reservation’s large homes made it a family-oriented summer paradise. In the late 1920s, two brothers-in-law, both prominent physicians from Brooklyn, NY, bought houses at “The Res,” as it had become known. Both had large families — George Sheehan, M.D., summered in the house named Okaliska with his wife and 14 children, while his brother-in-law, William Ennis, M.D., occupied Uncapapa with his seven children.
In 1939, the Hoffman house burned to the ground, which proved to be a somewhat fortunate accident. The rest of “The Res” homeowners formed a consortium to buy the empty lot, which was turned into a ball field. Every summer Sunday, it was the scene of a softball game that pitted a team from The Reservation against a team from nearby Allenhurst Beach Club, with spectators enjoying “front-row” seats on the cottages’ spacious porches. Beach parties and cook-outs were also favorite summer activities.
By today’s benchmarks, the costs were absurd — Salsbury built the entire nine-house complex in 1900 for a total of $200,000, the lot that the Hoffman house stood on sold for $3,000 in 1939, and Dr. Sheehan’s widow sold her house in 1953 for $10,000.
221 Ocean Avenue North, Long Branch, NJ 07740; 732-229-7025
The End
In time, the houses fell victim to neglect and eventually the area was taken over by the city of Long Branch, which razed them all except one. The land lay idle for several years, as the city wrangled with Monmouth County over how it should be used.
Lacking funds to develop the property, in 1977 the city signed over the title to the county but then objected to county plans for a beachfront park that included acquiring an additional 22 acres of land across Ocean Avenue for parking and ancillary services. Eventually, differences were ironed out and the present day 38-acre beach park was formally dedicated in May 1984. A skateplex was added in 2005.
The county park is named for the seven American presidents who visited Long Branch — Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James J. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Woodrow Wilson.
LOC The Reservation Photos and Drawing — MORE INFO
Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park — MORE INFO
Michael Sheehan, a longtime writer and marketing executive, and his wife Ellen have lived in Monmouth Beach for nearly 50 years.
My sister’s best friend in high school was Mary Ellen Cody … a direct descendant of Buffalo Bill Cody. Unfortunately, she passed away at the age of 18, shortly after graduating high school.
Great article Greg yet let us not forget the Kiernan Surfing Association that leased the surfing rights in front of those houses from 1965-1972 from Whitesands Beach Club owner George Savoth.
We have been awarded a monument from Seven Presidents Park commemorating our tenure and status as the first organized surfing club on the Jersey Shore!
And at our 50th Anniversary the city of Long Branch awarded us the key to their city as well as recognizing us and declaring so on their books as June 26th Kiernan Surfing Association Day!
Also, the Historical Society of Long Branch has honored us by having us in for a presentation of our history.
You may Google us to find a plethora of links of our tenure.
Sincerely,
Theo Brantly
Director
732.768.8482
theo.lee3@yahoo.com
https://www.surfksausa.com/membership
My grandparents, Louise and R. Sterling Mueller owned what I think was the “Navaho” in the early-mid 1930s. I believe it’s the last remaining house that was moved. Family photos indicate the houses were not originally painted or perhaps shingles were stained??
“Navahoe” was owned by the Muellers. My older siblings remembered when the Muellers spent summers there but I recall that it was rented every summer. One of the tenants was George Delacorte, founder of Dell Books, a leading publisher of paperbacks.
I was born and raised on this beach and played amongst the Res homes in winter months. My father Charles operated White Sands Beach Club there when he, my mother Inger, and I lived there in the 1960s. We moved out after a hurricane and my father’s brother Georgie moved in, bulldozing what was left of our modest home.
As a matter of fact, I just noticed how the article omitted all references to the time frame my grandfather Charles P. Savoth, I had purchased and owned the entire area of beach upon which he built White Sands Beach Club which my father operated and where we lived until the mid 1960s. It burnt down March 1978. While I believe author Mr. Sheehan’s understandable interest was in his family’s part in the history there, don’t forget us.
On a lighter note, I’d misunderstood for my lifetime until now that the beach actually had the Wild West Show set up and “summer” there, giving them an occasional show. This makes more sense. But as a young boy, it was me and my Danish mother Inger who would wander around those stately old homes, long abandoned but our interest was in the sea — 24/7, 346 days a year, I awoke to the waves and fell asleep the same. It was an idyllic childhood, albeit not festooned and adorned with the trappings of the former Res Jet Set, Hoi Poloi that predated our time there. The Red Barn up the street which I believe the Savoth family owned as well. was a speakeasy in the 1920s, later becoming Chi Chi’s.
My family owned the home at the entrance of Seven Presidents Park — 36 Joline. We were there over 60 years, til eminent domain took our family home!
We would visit the Cincotti’s in the Reservation and Mrs. Ginola who was in front of our house. Charlie and Conover Gaskin and their mom Nicki owned one of the fish stores, and the lemon ice stand. Romano’s and the Lido Hotel were around the corner. So many great memories. The LB Broadway was the best — we even had a dept store, Vogels.
Anyone who remember these things please contact me.