Images of Long Branch …
Dedicated to Tom Booth of Long Branch (1951-2019).
LB Photos …
Rich in historic imagery, as a place offering shore sun and fun Long Branch has few peers. Here is a photo collection on this amazing city. (I don’t own the images — I track them down and post them).
I’ll keep updating this section, so please return. And I’m always searching for more Long Branch photos. If you want to share anything please contact me HERE.
• Long Branch Stadium — HERE
• Legend of Long Branch — HERE
• Broadway: Long Branch’s Business Artery — HERE
• Long Branch: City by the Beach — HERE
• Long Branch and the Presidency — HERE
• Long Branch City Hall — HERE
• Long Branch Health: Monmouth Medical — HERE
• Long Branch: Grand Hotels of Past — HERE
• Long Branch Pier: Boardwalk Fun & Games — HERE
• Long Branch: From North End — HERE
• Long Branch Schools: City Learning — HERE
• Long Branch Railroad — HERE
• Long Branch: Pleasure Bay Days — HERE
More Long Branch images …
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.
“Happy 30th to Monmouth College” from The Windmill, 1960s.
San Alfonso Retreat House on Ocean Avenue in West End, 1980s.
Long Branch coast in West End, 1960s.
Howard H. “Chubby” Woolley, Jr. with New York Giants Hall-of-Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor during LT’s visit to city hall, 2012. Howard is a “Long Branch Giant” — serving as the Business Administrator for the City of Long Branch from 1994 to 2017. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of the Long Branch Sewerage Authority from 1991 to 1994. He was a longtime city Planning Board member and chairman. A Brown University graduate, he was the youngest person ever elected to the LB City Council in 1974 at age 26. He lost a close race for LB mayor in 1978. He was also part owner of the family clothing business, W.H. Woolley’s, a Broadway business landmark that first opened 1911; it closed in 1990.
The Bull Pen restaurant at Second and Montgomery Avenues, 1970. Stephen Giddio (l) opened the West End eatery in 1967. By 1977, the spot became an oriental restaurant owned by Richard and Minnie Aamot. Giddio died in February 1998 at age 85.
The Sea Loft along the ocean, 1980s. Stephen Giddio opened the $750,000 restaurant at Ocean and Cooper Avenues in 1981. Part of the development deal was a $250,000 DOE solar-energy grant — making it the first sun-powered eatery in NJ. The Sea Loft shut in 1988. Gayle and Jack Rooney opened the “Ocean Crab House” at the location in 1995. Darrell Wordelmann now owns the restaurant.
Paddock Lounge on Chelsea Avenue, 1963. Newark-native Attilio “Artie” Agnellino opened the restaurant and bar in 1946 and made big additions in 1949 and 1955. In 1971, Agnellino went to jail for receiving stolen property. In 1972, the spot became The Embassy; in 1975, it was Jack Page’s; and in 1977, the Tideaway Lounge.
Tideaway Lounge on Chelsea Avenue ad, 1980s.
Airdrome at Long Branch, 1909. The open-air movie theater located at Ocean and Brighton Avenues could seat 2,000. It was part of a chain along the Jersey Shore.
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.
Long Branch Senior Center on Second Avenue, 2021. Dedicated to city residents 60 years of age and older.
The SS Long Branch, early 1900s.
Pound boat coming ashore at Long Branch, late 1800s.
Summer evening concert in the park at West End amphitheater, August 2021.
Optician’s office of Milford S. Pinsky on Third Avenue, 1955. He was the father of former US Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky — both men graduated LBHS.
The Windmill on Ocean Avenue in West End, 1970s. Opened in 1965 as The Windmil Drive-In, “the Dutch windmill design” cost $12,000, according to the Long Branch Daily Record.
Ocean Avenue cottages, early 1900s.
The Beach at Long Branch: Wreck of the Dora Baker. Harper’s Weekly, August 1867.
“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.
Lake Takanassee looking west, early 1900s.
“The Victoria” at 88 Second Avenue, 1909. The 31-room guest house was run by E.L. Reynolds.
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.
Image for “The New Jersey Coast and Pines” by Gustav Kobbe, 1891,
Long Branch, from the Sea. 1876. In the background is the 180-foot spire of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church at the corner of Broadway and Washington Street. Designed by E.H. Finch, it opened in July 1869 and burned in January 1893. Today, the spot is St. Luke’s Church.
The Stella Maris Retreat house on Ocean Avenue, 1970s. The house was built in 1868; the retreat opened in 1941.
The Stella Maris retreat house, 1968. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace acquired the property from the estate of copper magnate Adolph Lewisohn for $14,000.
“The Upper Village” … Long Branch, NJ 1850.
US Life-Saving Station #4 at Long Branch, 1868.
West End cottages on Brighton Avenue, 1890
Dilger’s Market on Joline Avenue and Washington Street, 1950s. For 37 years, the building housed the market. Owner Conrad “Honey” Dilger was a lifelong LB resident, city 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.
Jimmy’s Jetty on the LB boardwalk, August 1975. In 1968 Jui Yung “Jimmy” Liu acquired a large section of the boardwalk — making Jimmy’s Jetty with The Cafe Bar, Jimmy’s Famous Hot Dogs and a Chinese-Seafood Restaurant. He also owned the Exxon station on Broadway and many city rental properties. According to a July 1977 Long Branch Daily Record profile, “hard work” and “wheeling and dealing,” were the keys to his success. Born in Shanghai, China in 1929, Jimmy launched nearly 40 US restaurants before his death in Sept. 2002.
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.
Star of the Sea Church Carnival, Long Branch Daily Record, July 1967. The parish summer fair was very popular in its day — held in the church parking lot at Chelsea and Second Avenues. The homey event ran mostly from 1936 to 1969. The Gothic house of worship — lording over all the fun — opened in June 1929.
The Scarboro Hotel on fire, September 1941. The last of the city’s “Grand Hotels.” The 200-room, Queen Anne-design stood at Ocean and South Bath Avenues. Opened in 1882 by Richard Dobbins, it went through several changes over the years. The family of famed author Norman Mailer owned the hotel. He was likely born there in 1923 and launched his writing career in that same hotel.
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.
Plenty of sun-worshipers during Oceanfest at Long Branch, July 4, 2017.
Shrewsbury River, 1960s. The body of water is a navigable estuary about 8 miles in length.
Congress Hall on Ocean Avenue, 1861. It was a section of the Continental Hotel.
Long Branch Horse Show, August 1913.
Fine Fare Supermarket on Third Avenue, 2010s. In January 1977, Anthony Perri, Sr. and Jr. acquired the business and opened Fine Fare. The family continues to ably operate the popular “neighborhood” store. First opened as Safeway Foods in 1955. it became a Finast supermarket in 1971 and a Foodland supermarket in 1975.
Safeway Foods, 1955 — the Third Avenue supermarket became Fine Fare in 1977. 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.
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. Several more generations of Barham men took control and energized the firm — ultimately making it the top mechanical contracting operation in the state.
U.S. Life-Saving Service, Takanassee Lake Station, 1908. Captain William Van Brunt was the Keeper at the time. Built in 1893, the station went “inactive” in 1938.
Damiano Funeral Home at Third and Franklin Avenues, 2020. Newark natives Ralph and Marie Damiano started the business in 1932. Things grew and their daughter, Vida, took control in 1968. In 2001, grandson, R.J. “Buddy” Damiano, became manager. “Traditional values, diversity and innovation” continue as the firm’s hallmarks. MORE INFO.
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.
City at sunrise — walking the boards in West End, 2021.
Takanassee Lake at night, 2015 (MAC Photography).
Long Branch coast swept clean for beach-goers, 2017 (Kraler Photography).
Ocean Place Hotel along the Long Branch coast looking north, 2019 (Will Bahamonde Photo).
The Elberon Casino at Lincoln and Elbeon Avenues. Built in 1883 and designed by Peabody & Stearns. Later a private home, it was torn down in 1959.
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.
Nunzio’s Pizzeria on Westwood Avenue, 2000s. Nunzio and Thelma Chiafullo opened their Italian restaurant in April 1953 and the family still runs the popular eatery today. “A Long Branch landmark, retaining nostalgic charm in an ever-changing world.” MORE INFO.
Long Branch Public Library on Broadway, 2021.
Elberon branch of the Long Branch Public Library, 1950s. The library got its start in the home of Charles and Viola Rudloff on Norwood Avenue in Ocean Twp in 1900.
Elberon library on Lincoln Avenue, 2000s. The land had been owned by L.B. Brown, the founder and developer of Elberon. When he died in June 1900, Charles and Sarah Cook bought the property. Carrere & Hastings of New York City designed the Elberon library which opened in May 1911 at a cost of $7,900.
Elberon library, 1910s. A children’s section was opened in October 1957.
“Bertha” — a Danish bark run aground off the Elberon Hotel, 1905.
Bathing at Long Branch — “Oh, ain’t it cold!” More Winslow Homer art work about LB from August 1871. It’s a wood engraving on paper held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC and is part of the Ray Austrian Collection.
The house where an American President died, 1885. Charles Franklyn, president of the Cunard Ship Lines, owned the Elberon cottage — where James Garfield died in September 1881.
City of Long Branch lifeguard boat, 2021.
Patten Point Yacht Club, June 2021.
Ocean Avenue looking north, 1901. The large structure at left is the Lenox Hotel at the corner of Broadway.
The Long Branch High School marching band on Chelsea Avenue, 1958. At left is Truppa’s Luncheonette.
Maher’s Restaurant on the LB boardwalk, 1930s.
F.W. Beers Atlas of Monmouth County, 1851. Back then Long Branch was part of Ocean Twp.
Map of “Wardell’s Beach” (now Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright, and Sandy Hook), 1764.
Map of Long Branch area, late 1800s.
Long Branch area, Watson’s Guide Map, 1880.
Map of old shipwrecks around Long Branch, 1980s.
Map of shipwrecks off NJ coast, 1850s.
Jersey Shore map of LB area, 1776.
Jersey Shore Fishing Chart, 1960s.
Ocean Avenue looking north, 1894. A dirt road and no seawall.
Mac’s Embers Restaurant at Ocean and Brighton Avenues, 1964. Blanche and George Edwards started the popular West End eatery in 1956. Known as “the meating place of the Shore,” It operated under different owners until the mid-1970s.
Long Branch High School on Westwood Avenue. APP, December 1933. This was around the time when the school was hosting the new Monmouth Junior College and its 300 students. The school moved to its present WLB campus in 1956.
New Long Branch Community Pool on Atlantic Avenue in Pleasure Bay Park, 2021. (David Booth Photo). Built by developer Green Field Builders, the $2.1 million complex offers adult and kid pools, a play area, snackbar, and seating.
Long Branch trolley, early 1900s. The first “Asbury Park-Long Branch trolley” system dates to 1895. By 1927, the minimum fare was 10 cents.
Ocean Avenue looking north, 1937.
Robert Pinsky (l) with his brother Richard (r) at a Long Branch beach, 1968. Robert served as Poet Laureate of the United States (1997-2000) and has authored 19 books. Born in the city in October 1940, he graduated LBHS and holds a PhD from Stanford.
LBHS Class of ’21 graduation set-up at Bresett Stadium (David Booth Photo).
Adonis shipwreck off Long Branch coast, March 1869. Battling gale winds and a raging sea, Charles H. Green was honored for his heroic rescue efforts that day.
Long Branch map, 1889.
“Storm at Long Branch” sketch, 1876.
Ocean Avenue in LB looking south, 1906. Note the horse-and-buggy and car mix.
“Finest” Ocean Blvd postcard looking south, 1924.
Ocean Avenue looking south, 1908.
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.
West End Hotel (r) and West End Cottages (l), 1906.
San Alfonse Retreat House in West End postcard, 1930s.
Hilton Hotel ground-breaking. APP, November 1988. The land had once been Garfield Park — the statue of the 20th American President seen there was moved the following year.
The Haunted Mansion at Long Branch on the boardwalk as it appeared on Opening Day, June 30, 1978 (Asbury Park Press Photo). “Dracula” was played by John H. Kinsey, Jr.
Oceanic Fire Company #1 hook & ladder firetruck, 1951.
Phil Daly Hose Company firetruck, 1951.
Ocean Place Hotel, 2021 (Chris Capone Photo).
Long Branch coast looking north, 2017.
Pier Village at Laird Street, 2014.
“Greetings from Long Branch, NJ” sign.
“Greetings from Long Branch, NJ” sign, 1940s.
Long Branch — “condo coast #1,” 2021.
Long Branch — “condo coast #2,” 2021.
Postcard perfect city beach, May 2021.
Wet West End, Spring 2021.
Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, corner of Broadway and Washington Street. Opened in 1869; burned in 1893. Today, the spot is St. Luke’s Church.
Elberon Casino, 1885.
LB boardwalk damage from the Great Atlantic hurricane, Sept. 1944.
New St. James Church at Broadway and Slocum Place. Long Branch Daily Record, April 1913. Rev. E. Briggs Nash led the congregation then. The original church was built in 1855. Harry Finch was the first rector. President James Garfield was a worshiper.
St. James Church, 1914. Brazer & Robb were the architects.
Very crowded LB boardwalk and beach, early 1900s.
Long Branch, NJ summer promo ad, 1947.
Yvonne’s “Rhapsody in Blue” Restaurant ad. Long Branch Daily Record, 1969.
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.
US Congressman James Howard (l) presents LB Mayor Henry Cioffi (r) with a print of the famous Winslow Homer painting of the Long Branch bluffs, 1973.
Samuel Sachs summer home in Elberon, early 1900s. A pioneering investment banker, he co-founded with his father-in-law Goldman Sachs in 1904. Known as “Ellencourt,” the house was designed by J.H. Freedlander in 1902; it all burned in the 1950s.
Pier Village at sunset, 2021. (Kraler Photography).
Brighton and Ocean Avenues, 1905. Seen here are the West End Cottages (l) and West End Hotel (r).
Ocean Avenue and Laird Street intersection looking south, 1930s. Note 25-cent parking off the boardwalk.
“Life at Long Branch” by Olive Logan, Harper’s Magazine Sept. 1876. A busy Ocean Avenue.
Early map of Long Branch, NJ, 1869.
West End of Long Branch, NJ postcard, 1960s.
Under the LB boardwalk, 2021.
The Windmill on Ocean Avenue in West End, 2021.
Long Branch, NJ postcard, 1960s.
St. Michael’s Church in West End, 2021 (R.C. Staab Photo).
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.
The Running Brook Inn Grand Opening ad. Long Branch Daily Record, October 1956. The “RBI” was on Myrtle Avenue at the LB-WLB boarder. Anthony Tomaino ran the place for over 30 years beginning in 1956. Born in Italy and a WW II vet, he died in 1988. Gary Schoelkopf bought the business in 1992 and made it into the Sitting Duck Restaurant.
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.
Alone at Long Branch: Pier Village on New Year’s Day morning 2017 (MD Zund Photo).
Branch Coach Diner on Third Avenue, 1974. This city eatery had many identities: it was the Station Diner and Golden Coach Diner. It fact, that very building had housed the old Rockwell Diner which was moved in 1943 by Dom Russomano and placed near the train station. The popular late-night eatery closed in December 1985.
“Go Fish” at West End, 2017 (MD Zund Photo).
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.
Casey Jones Restaurant at Third and Morris Avenue gets its rail car, 1978. The Moses brothers opened the business in Feb. 1973. Previously the spot was the Long Branch Inn (1935), Ten Eyck (1912), and P. McEilany Hotel (1889).
Long Branch High School Marching Band performs at half time of a New York Jet AFL game played at Shea Stadium in NYC, October 1968. The instructor for the 180-member band was Dominic Soriano.
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.
Strollo’s Lighthouse, 2021. Owner Jimmy Callano serves the best Italian Ice around — and has for awhile now.
The New Scenic Railroad in Ocean Park, 1911. Builder John A. Miller was called “the Thomas Edison of the Roller-coaster.” William Piper owned the $50,000 roller-coaster.
Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church at the corner of Broadway and Washington Street. Built for $30,000, the church spire was 180-feet high. First opened in 1869; it burned in January 1893. Today, the spot is St. Luke’s Church.
Sea-Side Chapel, 1885. Located on Chelsea Avenue, the church cornerstone was laid in 1884. The property was sold in 1891. Later it became the First Presbyterian Church.
First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Chelsea and Third Avenues, 1963. It was dedicated in March 1894.
Long Branch Community Club under construction, 1951. First organized in 1948, the LBCC complex was located at the end of Long Branch Avenue. John Schleig was the club president then. In November 2002, the city acquired the 2.5-acre property for $450,000. The area later became part of the 21-acre Manahassett Creek Park.
Leland’s Gun at the Ocean Hotel, 1875.
Old First Reformed Church of Long Branch, 2019.
Original St. James Episcopal Church on Broadway (on the site of the old Paramount Theatre), 1868.
Patten family house, 1905.
Star of the Sea Church amidst a glorious sunset, 2021 (Debbie Callano Parnell Photo).
Long Branch High School football game, 1946.
Ocean Avenue, 1950s.
Star of the Sea Academy on Chelsea Avenue, November 1968. Around the time the all-girls Catholic school was declining. The Sisters of Charity had opened Monmouth County’s first Catholic school in 1885. School officials claimed 95% of grads went on to college.
Brighton Bar ad. Long Branch Daily Record, May 1947. The bar closed for good in March 2021 — another victim of the pandemic.
LB miniature golf course on Ocean Avenue, 1960s. The first 18-hole putting course along Ocean Avenue was opened in July 1927. A second one was opened in 1960 by Long Branch Golf Land.
“Jungle Golf” on Ocean Avenue, 1980.
Sketch proposal for the new US Post Office building at Long Branch, 1913. The Third Avenue project cost $125,000. The first postmaster in LB was William Croxson, appointed in May 1834.
Model of the Haunted Mansion at Long Branch. The grand opening for the 32-room, 37-actor fright house was June 30, 1978. Admission was $2.50. It was all part of a $1 million renovation project on the city’s Amusement Pier. Staruch Associates was the architect. Owners were the Ric-Cic Corp. which had wide interests in the family amusement business working in Seaside Heights, Brigantine, and Seaside Park. It all went up in flames during the June 1987 LB pier fire.
San Remo By-the-Sea Restaurant in West End, 1940s. Gene Folci established the club in 1925 in the old Drexel-Biddle family mansion on Ocean Avenue and owned it until the late 1940s.
Long Branch: “The Friendly City” The motto came from a 1967 awareness campaign for the first city administrator. LB had been called “The Friendly Shopping City” as far back as 1950.
1990 Long Branch city mayor’s race debate: Candidates from left: Adam Schneider, Bill George and Reuben Williams. At right is the moderator, Michael Booth Atlanticville News publisher. APP, April 1990. Mayor Schneider won his first of seven four-year terms.
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.”
St Luke’s United Methodist Church on Broadway, 1920s. The original church was lost in a January 1893 fire. A new one costing $45,000 opened in 1894.
President James Garfield’s summer house in Elberon, 1910. He suffered and died here in July 1881.
Former summer home of President U.S. Grant in Elberon, 1963.
Johnson Club in West End, 1905.
West End, Long Branch postcard, 1960s.
Harbour Mansion in West End, 1970s. At left is the Surfside Beach Club, at right is the Harbor Island Spa.
Harbour Mansion aerial image, early 1980s. When first opened in 1968, the 10-story, 115-unit building was called Harbour Towers.
Second Baptist Church on Liberty Street, 2000s. Worship started there in 1887 and the first church was built in 1904. The much-admired Rev. C.P. Williams led the church from 1938 to 1995.
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.
St. Michael’s Church on Ocean Avenue, 1970s. The West End church was dedicated in August 1891. The Rev. Richard Cream was the first pastor from 1892 to 1928.
Nip-n-Tuck Bar & Grill on Norwood Avenue, 2019. Co-owners Bob Burtchaell and Jaime Healy run the place today. Julius “Ju-Ju” Tomaini, a LB city councilman and WW II US Army vet, was the popular owner there from 1964 to 1990. He died in 2006.
APP story on the death of mobster Anthony “Little Pussy” Russo in Long Branch, 1979.
US Life-Saving Station and out buildings, early 1900s. The first LB station #4 was built in 1855. A new 1875-type station was built in 1879 and a boathouse with a lookout tower was added in 1897. In 1904 a Port Huron-type station was added to the complex. In May 2012, the 1878 and 1904 structures were purchased privately and moved to a nearby location. The remaining 1897 boathouse, damaged by a October 2011 fire, was completely destroyed by Hurricane Sandy a year later. Source: WhalePond Brook Watershed Association.
Branchport Avenue looking south, early 1900s.
“Old Willows” on Second Avenue, early 1900s.
Jeremiah Curtis cottage on Ocean Avenue in Elberon, 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.
Patten family mansion, 1896. Later to become the Patten Point Yacht Club.
Patten Point Yacht Club, 2017. Thomas Patten, Sr. built the 22-room mansion on the banks of Shrewsbury River in 1892.
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.
Shadow Lawn S&L postcard, 1950s.
Inkwell Coffee House, 1973. When Joe Distasio opened the business in 1965, it was on the corner of Brighton & Second Avenues in West End.
Original Inkwell Coffee House, 1969.
Inkwell in West End, 2010s. The eatery moved a couple of blocks south in 1979. The Esposito family acquired the business in 2001.
Inkwell coffeehouse entrance, 1970s.
Elberon Branch of LB Library on Lincoln Avenue, 2000s.
Dr. Edwin Sternberger house on Ocean Avenue, early 1909.
Receipt from the Thomas B. Barham Company in West End, 1904.
Classic WIndmill on Ocean Avenue. The West End fast-food spot opened in 1963.
US President William McKinley (l) and Vice President Garret Hobart vacationing at Long Branch, Summer 1899. By that fall, VP Hobart would be dead.
The Phil Daly Houses — “Phil” & “Kathleen” — at the corner of Second and Chelsea Avenues, 1930s. (Note the new Star of the Sea Church at back left).
Another look at the Daly Houses, 1910s. (Note the old Star of the Sea Church at left).
San Alfonso Retreat House on Ocean Avenue, 1940.
Anniversary celebration at Sam Sirianni‘s Bar (later to be Sirianni‘s Friendly Cafe), 1949. Father and son owners Sam and Tut Sirianni are behind the bar.
Surf Lounge & Restaurant, 1970s. The Ocean Avenue spot was known for its fine dining and Mafia connections.
Surf Lounge on fire, March 1982. The business had been owed by local gangster, Anthony “Little Pussy” Russo who sold in 1965 and was murdered down the road in 1979.
Letter from US President Harry Truman congratulating the Long Branch Daily Record on its 50 years of publishing, 1951. The city’s last daily newspaper folded in 1975.
Original US Life-Saving Station at Long Branch #5, late 1800s.
West End aerial image, mid-1960s.
The back of Max’s on the boardwalk, 1970s.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, 1906. At the corner of Second and Chelsea Avenues — it’s the city’s oldest Catholic church.
Star of the Sea Church, 1910s. It was built in 1852 and burned in December 1926.
“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.
Some “Atlanticville” history from 1868.
News account of the wreck of the steamship St. Paul at Long Branch, January 1896.
Steamer Ship St. Paul beached at Long Branch, January 1896. Its cargo was gold.
Old Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
Brighton Bar on Brighton Avenue in West End, 2018. Known popularly as the “home of live original music,” current owner Greg Macolino says the establishment dates to 1915 when started by the Beatty family. The bar closed its doors in 2021.
Adventurer Motel on Ocean and North Bath Avenues opened in 1959. The 78-room complex included a pool, coffee shop, cocktail lounge, 200-seat restaurant and TV in every room. Frank Montemurro built and ran the $400,000 motel. It was torn down in 1974.
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.
US President James A. Garfield memorial statue on the Long Branch oceanfront promenade. He died in LB in July 1881.
Patten’s Corner turnpike in Long Branch, 1916.
Star of the Sea Church on Chelsea Avenue, 1930s. Built at a cost of $200,000, the Holmesburg granite house of worship was dedicated in June 1929.
Big Power: Long Branch’s Mayor & US Senator. He was the last mayor of Long Branch before the city incorporated in 1904.
West End Casino, 1920s.
Old US Life-Saving Station and Takanassee Beach Club remains, 2012.
St. Michael’s Church neighborhood, 1950s.
Venetian Inn on Laird Street, 1960s. Frank Leo was a former owner.
Club San Remo on Ocean Avenue in West End, 1950s.
Dawn at “Monmouth University Bluffs” beach in West End, 2021.
Lake Takanassee in West End, early 1900s. Originally called “Green’s Pond,” the Peter’s family gave it to the city in 1949.
S.S. Long Branch, early 1900s.
Guttenplan’s Bakery on Third Avenue, 1970s. The family run business started in 1908. The Third Avenue shop opened in 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.
George Gaskin’s Fish Market on old Ocean Avenue, 1970s.
The Gaskin family retail fish operation in North Long Branch dates to the early 1900s; started by Conover Gaskin, Sr. In 1939, Conover, Jr. and George C. Gaskin took over the business and competed against each other (with side-by-side stores above) until 1961.
M. O’Connor Tire Repair in West End, 1908.
Star of the Sea Church on Chelsea Avenue, 1950s.
Long Branch Elks Lodge on Garfield Avenue, 1940s. Previously, the Garfield Hotel, the Elks took over in 1908.
Long Branch Elks Lodge #742, 2018.
“Happy New Year” ad from W.H. Woolley, LB Daily Record, December, 31, 1913.
Long Branch Daily Record building, 1909. The paper left the 8,000-square-foot building in 1971 and moved to South Seventh Avenue. The longest serving editor was Houston Brown (1929-1942). In 1976, Michael Booth launched the Atlanticville, a weekly newspaper, a few doors from the old LB Record building.
Long Branch Daily Record building front door, 1930s. According to George H. Moss, Jr., the former Monmouth County Historian, Long Branch has had at least 25 newspapers in its history.
West End WindMill in Winter, 2010s. The Levine brothers took control of the restaurant in 1976.
Chabad of the Shore on Ocean Avenue, 2020. A brand new $20 million synagogue-shopping center combo in West End that “spreads Jewish awareness.”
“Aladdin’s Palace” Elberon mansion at the foot of Park Avenue. The “House of Many Gables” was built in 1881 for C.K. Garrison, an early transportation tycoon. In 1900, Solomon Guggenheim (the fabulous NYC museum namesake) acquired the property for his daughter who lived there until 1936.
Also called “The Towers.” The house was torn down in 1940.
Elberon Casino, 1885. Built in 1882 at Lincoln and Elberon Avenues. An exclusive private men’s club when opened, later it was owned for many years by Frederick Houseman, a LB mayor and Wall Street financial wiz. Designed by Peabody and Stearns, it was torn down in 1959.
West End movie theater, 1983. Opened as Grant’s Movies 1 & 2 in February 1974. First films: “Crazy Joe” and “Fantasia.” The founding proprietor was Edward Grant of Fair Haven. Music Makers Theatre Circuit bought out Grant in 1979 and Loews Theatre took over in 1988.
Lowes Theatres in West End, 1993. The double-decker twin theater held 340 rocking-chair seats each. The city movie house closed down in June 1995 and the building was torn down in August 2017.
The original St. James Episcopal Church in Long Branch, 1910. Located on Broadway, the wooden house of worship was dedicated in August 1855. Rev. Harry Finch was founding rector. It was replaced with a stone church in 1913.
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, 1960s. The 16-lane city bowling alley opened in September 1958 at 260 Third Avenue. The Carotenuto Brothers built the alley. It suffered a major fire that same year.
Coast Lanes ad. APP, October 1958.
US Life-Saving Station #5 in Long Branch remains, 2011. All of the land in the area was originally owned by Henry Green.
He was a United States Senator for NJ — in between two terms as Long Branch mayor, December 1903. A Democrat, he died in October 1910 at age 76.
Star of the Sea Academy on Chelsea Avenue, 1950s.
Star of the Sea Lyceum on Chelsea Avenue, 1963.
Elberon Library, 1957. The library was formed in Sept. 1900. The land had been owned by L..B. Brown, the founder/developer of the Elberon section of LB.
Elberon Library, 1920. The library had its grand opening in May 1911. The cost of construction was $8,000. The first president was Mrs. Katherine Kean, a wealthy summer resident and the wife of US Senator Hamilton Fish Kean (R-NJ).
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 Engine & Truck Co. No. 1, 1911. Formed in 1878, it is 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.
US Post Office on Third Avenue, 1918. Dedicated in June 1914, the building cost $100,000.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in front of Reed’s Bicycle Shop in West End, 1973. The photo became a cover for the band’s second album: The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle.
“On the Beach, Long Branch, NJ” by Winslow Homer, 1870s.
Long Branch coast, 2020.
LB Post Office on Third Avenue, 1940s.
Map of New York and its Vicinity by D.H. Burr, 1834.
Ocean Avenue, 1875.
Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.
St. Michael’s Church in West End, early 1900s. Dedicated in August 1891, the first pastor was the Rev. Richard Crean (from 1892 to 1928). The popular Monsignor Paul Bradley led this Catholic church from 1969-1989.
Simpson Methodist Church on Third Avenue, early 1900s. Opened in 1883. Today, it is the Long Branch Church of God.
Takanassee Lake looking west, 1908.
US Life-Saving Station at LB, 1919.
Huyler’s Candy Store on Ocean Avenue, 1909. Later to be the Surfside Beach Club.
West End movie theater, 2010s.
St. Michael’s Church in West End, early 1900s.
Pound boat comes ashore in LB, 1906.
Pound boat comes ashore in LB, early 1900s.
The Bluffs of Long Branch. Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, August 1872.
Auto race on Ocean Avenue, 1907.
“Bathing” in Long Branch, 1910.
St. Michael’s Church in West End, 1950s.
Natural gas tanks on Long Branch Avenue, 1961.
APP story on “Mr. Long Branch” — R. Barry Kamm, who died in November 1992.
Lighthouse night-time snack, 2020.
Long Branch day dawns, 2020.
Dorothy Parker birthplace marker in West End, 2005. The celebrated writer, citric, wit and founding member of the Algonquin Hotel Round Table, was born in Long Branch in August 1893. She died in NYC in July 1967.
Typical Central Jersey train that ran from Sandy Hook to Long Branch, 1930s.
Beached Finback whale in LB. APP, 1958.
Atlanticville logo. The weekly newspaper was launched in 1976 by Michael Booth.
Nice shore view from Elberon, 1883.
Adonis shipwreck off LB, March 1859.
US Life-Saving Station #5 at Long Branch, 1905. Built in the 1890s, it later became the Takanassee beach club.
The massive West End Cottages, 1910. Built in 1881 on the southeast corner of Ocean and Brighton Avenues.
St. Paul steamship wreck off LB, 1886.
Helmbold Cottage, 1875.
LB oceanfront cottage, 1880.
Episcopal Church, late 1800s.
Pach Brothers Photo Studio, 1867.
Westwood and Third Avenues intersection, 1931.
NJ Governors: Foster Voorhees (1889-1902), John Fort (1908-11) and Edward Stokes (1905-08) vacationing at LB, 1905.
Cats Meow ad, 1975. In 1985, the location became Casa Comida Mexican Restaurant on Branchport Avenue run by Paul and Kris Catlett. The building dates to the 1860s.
“Aladdin’s Castle” built in 1881 for C.K. Garrison. The Elberon house burned in the 1940s.
Bridge over Lake Takanassee, 1908. The body of water used to be called Green’s Pond.
Elberon Memorial Church on Park Avenue, 1949. Dedicated in 1886, construction was paid for by Catherine Taylor.
Italian villa on Ocean Avenue in Elberon, 1918.
Long Branch is in there somewhere.
Patten Point, Long Branch. and Monmouth Beach in background, 2019.
Pound boat comes ashore in LB, early 1900s.
McCue’s Dairy. APP ad, 1942.
Seaside Chapel on Chelsea Avenue, dedicated July 1867. The church was struct by lightning and burned down in 1886.
The Mirimar on Ocean Avenue, 1863.
Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church on Broadway. President Grant was at the dedication in 1880. It burned in 1894 and was rebuilt as St. Luke’s.
Long Branch map, 1879.
“The Drive” along Ocean Avenue, 1872.
Steamership Rusland beached off LB, 1877.
Steamership Amerique beached off LB, 1877.
Harbor Island Spa, 1957.
Myron H. Oppenheim home in Elberon, 1906.
Geraldo Rivera: “He prints puff!” — New York Daily News, July 1992.
LB aerial image, 2019.
LB police force, 1895.
Independent Fire Engine & Truck Company #2 on Third Avenue, 1940s. Founded in 1910, it is the city’s youngest fire company.
LB boardwalk storm damage, 1944.
LB boardwalk storm damage, 1944.
US Life-Saving Station at LB, 1878.
“Famous Bluffs of Long Branch,” 1868.
Patten Steamboat Line schedule, 1902.
Patten Steamboat Line schedule, 1902.
Patten Line Steamboat: SS Thomas Patten, early 1900s.
Stella Maris retreat on Ocean Avenue, 2017.
Old Oceanview Bakery on Morris Avenue, 2019.
Tuzzio’s Italian Cuisine on Westwood Avenue, 2019. The Tuzzio family bought the Silver Dollar Bar in 1965 and (now led by Joe Tuzzio) have been running the popular local eatery ever since. Tony and Angelina Grande owned the Silver Dollar for 25 years.
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.
NJ Gov. Jim Florio meets Atlanticville newspaper columnist Charlie Booth in West End, 1991.
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 Ice Boat & Yacht Club, 2018. Organized in 1901.
Patten Point section of LB, 2019.
Asbury Park Press, May 1960.
Long Branch map, 1873.
“The Gambling Evil at Long Branch,” according to Harper’s Magazine, 1889.
Shipwreck of the “Hannah” from Norway, 1879.
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.
Long Branch Poultry Farm on Branchport Avenue, 1960s. The city “chicken farm” was started by German immigrants Hermann and Anne Reimann in 1938. By 1951, the farrm was selling 30,000 chicken a year.
Courtroom in Garfield-Grant building, 1985.
Grand Opening of Freddie’s Restaurant & Pizzeria on Broadway, 1944. Closed in 2019.
LB Mayor Adam Schneider (r) endorses NJ Gov. Chris Christie for re-election, 2013. Christie won Monmouth County with 70% of the vote.
West End cottages, early 1900s.
Asbury Park Press, May 1948.
Henry R. Cioffi hugs his wife Jean upon being elected mayor of Long Branch, 1970. Known as “Skip,” he was elected to three mayoral terms serving until 1982. He was also a former city councilman, US Marine, and Ivy League finance graduate. He died in 2020.
Asbury Park Press, 1954.
Asbury Park Press, July 1958.
Asbury Park Press, January 1952.
Asbury Park Press, May 1959.
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.
Long Branch Inn at Third and Morris Avenues, 1963. It became Casey Jones Restaurant in 1973 with real Conrail boxcars and a caboose added in 1978.
Long Branch Inn, 1973. Previous owners were Daniel Mack, Fred Walton, Peter Sacco and Robert Hulit. Commerce at this location dates to 1939.
Casey Jones Restaurant, 1980s. Opened in 1973, brothers-owners Marvin and Ed Moses sold the once very successful business in 2003 and after a failed diner effort at the location the building was torn down in 2019.
Charlie (r) and Joe Ilvento (l) at their West End Manor, 1981. The family restaurant opened on Ocean Avenue in May 1950. The business was sold in 1987.
Ilvento’s West End Manor, 1987. The restaurant got a major upgrade in 1965.
Sirianni’s Friendly Café family, 1988. In January 1938, Sam Sirianni started the Northern Italian restaurant (then just Sam’s Bar) on Brighton Avenue. He son Anthony “Tut” Sirianni and his grandsons made upgrades and ran the West End business through the 1980s.
Siegel Cottage, 1914.
Pier Village, 2019.
Dunbarton House, 1868.
Gustavus Pach Photograph Gallery, 1867.
Original US Life-Saving Station at LB, late 1868. (Gustavas Pach Photo)
Long Branch “rich map,” 1886.
First Baptist Church on Bath Avenue, 1913.
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.
Acerra brothers baseball team, 1940s. A semi-pro baseball team of 12 Long Branch brothers coached by their father, Louis “Pop” Acerra. They played from 1938-52 and won the Long Branch City League Championship 10 years in a row.
Actor Oliver Byron. A Long Branch home owner seen here in 1842.
Edwin Booth cottage, late 1800s.
Windmill of West End, 1970s.
Phil Daly cottages, early 1900s.
Stella Maris Retreat House, 1980s.
Oceanfront cottage, 1875.
Map over LB area, 1770s.
NJ railroad system around LB, 1887.
Oceanfront cottage, 1940s.
Carvel in West End, 1950s.
Johnny Brockriede, 1960s. “Long Branch’s finest supporter” died in April 2012 at age 67. One of the city’s most successful and generous businessmen and entrepreneurs, John left a mark all over LB.
Off-Broadway Cocktail Lounge Jazz & Blues Bar, 1990s.
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.
Ocean Avenue opening, 1948.
Long Branch News building, 1868. The city’s first newspaper was launched in 1886 as a weekly. The publishers were James B. Yard and James B. Morris.
Dr. William A. Conover house, 1868.
Beth Miriam Synagogue, 1942.
Diller house, 1905.
Blue Dolphin Pub ad, 1980s. The spot became the “Twin Peaks” go-go bar in late 1991.
Tideaway Manor & Lounge bar on Chelsea Avenue, 1980s.
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.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, 2019.
Mayor Adam Schneider tosses a football while waiting for elections results (he won), 2002.
St. Michael’s Church on Ocean Avenue, 1986.
Long Branch-Monmouth Beach stage coach in West End, early 1900s.
LB Poultry Farm on Branchport Avenue, 1958. The business opened in 1938.
Map of Long Branch area, 1765.
Mary Patten steamship, early 1900s.
Long Branch Carnival, 1900.
Long Branch Horse Show, 1913.
Long Branch postcard, 1976.
MIllionaire’s Row on Ocean Avenue, late 1800s.
Stella Maris retreat house on Ocean Avenue, 2009.
St. Michael’s Church, 2009.
Windmill in West End, 2009.
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.
Takanassee Bridge, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue in West End, 1910.
Barron & Jarmon auto dealers on Broadway, 1940s.
Yvonne’s Rhapsody in Blue & Rendezvous Lounge, early 1970s. Opened in 1962, it was a popular dining and dancing night club in its day. Back then German-born hostess Yvonne Morel performed two shows a night, singing in English, French, and Spanish. The music stopped in 1987. The house was once the summer cottage of Anthony Drexel, the financier and Philadelphia college namesake.
Neptune Hose Company No. 1, 1905
Park & Tilford store on Brighton Avenue, 1905.
Brighton Avenue, early 1900s.
Bruce Springsteen in West End, 1970s.
City of Long Branch Mayor & Council, 2019.
NJ Governor Franklin Murphy and staff in LB, 1905.
View from Brighton and Ocean Avenues, early 1900s.
Ocean Avenue in Elberon, late 1800s.
St. Michael’s Church in West End, early 1900s.
