By Michael Sheehan

Visitors to the Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch may notice a large house standing alone on the grounds of the county park. But very few know the history behind it.

That “cottage” — as it was known when built — is nearly 125 years old. One of nine stately homes built in 1900 by Nathan “Nate” Salsbury, owner and business manager of the legendary Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show (in one year alone the hit show staged 341 performances in 132 US towns).

“The Reservation” property looking south, 1970s (Click image to enlarge). The private road in the middle was called “The Trail.”

William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) — once the ultimate folk hero of the American west — was the most famous men in the world at the turn of century. He founded his own show, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” in 1883, “a circus-like extravaganza that toured widely for three decades in the US and Europe.” As for Salisbury, he had shown early spunk — enlisting in the Union Army at age 15 and fighting in the Civil War. There he learned to be a crack shot and a campgrounds entertainer. Enterprising too, he’d won $20,000 playing cards before he left the service.

Local history on the 16-acre North Long Branch property goes back to 1862 when Aaron Christeller built the 250-room Atlantic Hotel. In 1871, seeking to profit on the Long Branch summer resort boom, Jay Gould and James Fisk acquired the hotel and 50 aces in the area. Renamed the East End Hotel — the developers also built a pier and nearby train depot. The hotel was a bust, Fisk died and Gould left Long Branch is disgust. John Hoey bought the land in 1875 and wrecked the hotel. A.G. Greenberg of New York acquired the property in a sheriff’s auction and Salisbury got it from him.

The group of homes was known as “The Reservation” and with huge profits from the wild west show, Salsbury pledged to spend “every cent in Long Branch,” according to Entertaining a Nation. Each house in the summer settlement was given a number and named in honor of a Native Indian tribe or chief — #1: Cheyenne, #2: Iroquois, #3: Navajo, #4: Arapahoe, #5: Uncapapa, #6: Okachobee #7: Cherokee, #8: Okaliska, and #9: Miami. The name of the last house still standing is Navajo.

The houses were designed by Long Branch architect Leon Cubberley and built by White & Coyne; Jacob Steinbach supplied the furnishings. Each cottage cost between $10,000 and $12,000 and occupancy began in May 1901.

“Buffalo Bill” and Nate Salsbury.

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 rivers, which he claimed were unmatched by any other section of the Jersey Shore. The cottages were only a “brisk” 7-minute walk from the North Long Branch railroad station, according to Salsbury’s prospectus, where frequent trains carried passengers to and from New York City.

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 bathhouse 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.

World Famous Show!

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 December 1902 at age 57 and his daughter, Rachael, sold the houses in 1919. Long Branch resident Joseph L. Woolley was the Res property superintendent from the beginning until his death in November 1939.

Built at the pinnacle of Long Branch’s Golden Era, when it was still 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 US presidential candidate, rented a house there. In later years, G.F. Hoffman, founder of Hoffman Beverages of Newark, owned a Res house, 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)  owned the Foran Foundry & 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 its 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 Foran 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 for a family-oriented summer paradise. In the late 1920s, two brothers-in-law, both prominent Brooklyn physicans, bought homes at “The Res,” as it had become known. Both had large families — George Sheehan, MD, summered in the house named Okaliska with his wife and 14 children, while his brother-in-law, William Ennis, MD, occupied Uncapapa with his seven children. The Sheehan cottage was badly damaged in a July 1935 fire and the Ennis house was hit a lightning bolt in June 1944.

In 1939, the Hoffman house burned to the ground, which proved to be a somewhat fortunate accident. The rest of the 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 Res against one from nearby Allenhurst Beach Club, with spectators enjoying “front-row” seats on the cottages’ spacious porches. Beach parties and cook-outs were other 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 held the Hoffman house 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
By the late 1960s most of the houses had fallen victim to neglect and weathering. By 1974, the city of Long Branch had acquired the property via condemnation paying $3.6 million and wrecking all the houses except one. The 33-acres of land — including nearby White Sands Beach Club — sat idle for several years as the city wrangled with Monmouth County over how it should be used.

Lacking the funds to properly develop the property, the city signed over the title to the county in 1977 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 beachfront park was formally dedicated in May 1984. A skate-plex center was added in 2005.

The very popular county park is named for the seven American presidents who visited Long Branch — Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, McKinley, and Wilson.

Michael Sheehan, the 14^th and final child of George and Loretto Sheehan, was a longtime writer and marketing executive. He lived in Monmouth Beach for over 50 years before his death in February 2023.

More Info:
• LOC The Reservation Photos and Drawing — HERE
• Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park — HERE
• Nate Salsbury Helped Buffalo Bill Become the World’s Top Showman — HERE

Images of the Res …

“The Reservation” painting.

“The Reservation” painting 2.

“Point Break Wave“ — View from an old Res house porch of the Kiernan Surfing Association beach with surfer in North End, Winter 1973 (Ted Brantly Photo).

East End Hotel in North End, 1883. Opened in June 1872, Built by Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, it was a spectacular failure  for the robber-baron duo. Also called Atlantic Hotel and Arlington Hotel, it hardly lasted a decade. Later it became “The Reservation” colony developed by Nate Salsbury.

The Reservation layout, 1900. Today, Seven Presidents Park holds the ground.

Last one standing — Navajo is the only Res house to survive, 1983.

Still shinning, Navajo — Seven Presidents Park headquarters, 2011.

The Res house of George B. McClellan, Jr. He was the mayor of New York City and son of the Civil War general and 1864 US presidential candidate.

“Navajo” Cottage at The Res.

“Navajo” Cottage at The Res, 1940s.

“Navaho” — Seven Presidents Park headquarters, 2013. The Monmouth County park opened in May 1977.

Property For Sale! — Long Branch Daily Record ad, October 1919.

My mother, Joan Sheehan Kelly (l) with her cousin Mimi Sheehan (l) at the Res in late 1930s.

“Cheyenne” — Res house, 1972. The Foran family lived there.

“Okaliska” — Res house, 1972. The Sheehan family lived there.

“Arapahoe” — Res house, 1972. The Langhorne family lived there.

“Okaliska” sketch plan, 1900.

25 Super Summers — Dr. Sheehan’s house at The Res, 1970s. The Brooklyn family owned the North End beach house from 1927 to 1953.

Dr. Sheehan’s house at The Res, 1940s.

Sheehan family escapes a bad summertime fire. Asbury Park Press, July 1935.

Michael Sheehan, the youngest of 14 Sheehan children — at the Res, 1930s. The large house to left was owned by the Foran family.

At the Reservation, Summer 1948.

The only remaining Reservation house “Navaho,” 1970s. Now Seven Presidents Park headquarters.

North Long Branch coast looking south, 1960s.

Summer at The Reservation, 1950.

Last house standing at “The Reservation.” December 1979.

Storm clouds at the “The Res” in North End, 1970s.

“The Res” cottages on postcard, 1920.

“The Reservation” property, early 1970s. It’s all now Seven Presidents Park.

“Reservation house” painting by Vick Stivala, 1974.

Just around the corner, Atlantic Avenue in North End looking east, 1923.