“Where no one remembers your name …”

Resting on the banks of Manahasset Creek was the landmark Monmouth Beach Inn. This hospitable and sometimes raucous bar and boardinghouse was known as “the MBI” by locals. But it started out as one guy’s golden retreat.

MBI

The Prospects
The main “cottage” was the summer home of Major Henry Guy Catlin. The original house had burned in May 1900 and a 16-room house was rebuilt for that summer; Clarence Wilson, Long Branch’s most acclaimed architect of the early 20th Century, did the design. Riverside good times would last there for nearly 70 years.

A Vermont native and University of Vermont engineering student, Catlin served in the American Civil War and later became a very wealthy and respected mining engineer — striking gold literally and figuratively. Catin enjoyed Monmouth Beach and acquired several other borough properties and a NYC mansion. Talk about ambitious — in Winter 1902 Catlin traveled 8,000+ miles to examine gold mining operations in Nevada and on the Pacific Coast. All Catlin property was sold at auction in summer 1922 and he died in 1925.

Amidst Prohibition times in 1927, John F. Monahan, a Newark Democrat power-broker (a former city commissioner and Essex County sheriff), acquired the property. He formed an association and opened the “Shore Club” — where members enjoyed “weekend outings.” Made an “honorary” borough firemen in 1929, Monahan died in June 1950. Daniel Dondi was one of the first managers. Later he owned the Airport Inn in Tinton Falls (from 1937-1971). The longtime Red Bank resident died in Sept. 1976.

After several owners came and went in the late-1930s, it became “Lillian’s Tavern” in June 1941. Owner Lillian Bade and her husband, Ernest, had owned a Keyport bar prior to his death in March 1939. She moved on, too — buying the 50-room Hotel Royal in Asbury Park in 1943 and selling three years later “for about $30,000.”

The Monmouth Beach Inn was “formally opened” in October 1944 by Theodore Suszynski (operating 6 days a week, from 11:30 am to 1 am). Set on three acres of riverfront property, by then the inn had two bars, four dining rooms, a kitchen, and four fireplaces. It also had a pool table and shuffleboard. There were rooms for rent upstairs. The MBI prospered during the post-war years. It was a steady advertiser in the local newspaper and was consistently seeking more wait-staff. It gained a reputation for its fun-loving patrons (“loud-talking” and “boisterous-singing”) and party atmosphere (“door-slamming” and “horn-blowing in the parking lot”).

“I drink to make other people more interesting.”
—Ernest Hemingway

In 1948, Richard and Ethel Carter acquired the property The couple made “extensive alterations and improvements” to the “famous inn” and offered “television entertainment for patrons.” The restaurant specialized “in seafood, steaks and chops.” Richard, a WWII vet, had international experience in hotel management.

Howard and Anela Bauerband acquired the MBI in 1953 and ran it for about 15 years. Born in Elizabeth, Howard died in October 1973. Anela, a longtime Trade Winds Beach Club employee, died in 1981. By the early 1960s, Valentine Street-area residents — displeased with the inn-keepers — started to react with complaints, calling the place a “public nuisance” with too much noise, profanity, and late night organ and jukebox music. The final decline had begun.

Last Call
In May 1967 Daniel and Theresa Carmody became the MBI’s final owners. A Hoboken native (and the city’s Union Club owner) and former mounted police officer and business administrator in that city, he also was an attorney (graduating John Marshall Law School in Newark, today’s Seton Hall University School of Law).

The Carmodys also owned a large cottage (35 Ocean Avenue) and sought to make it a 100-seat “supper club and cocktail lounge” in July 1967 (spending $200,000 and calling it “On the Rocks”). The couple said a variance was reasonable “because the area had deteriorated and mortgages were hard to get.” The borough zoning board rejected the plan. Louis Tsakiris bought the house in 1970 for $65,000; and both families insist the “place is haunted.” Later, Dan was a Monmouth Park racetrack pari-mutuel teller for nearly 30 years prior to his June 2000 death.

The MBI was mostly destroyed in a January 1968 fire (50+ local firefighters fought the blaze during an ice storm). Afterward it stood for several years as an empty shell surrounded by overgrown weeds. Howag Corp, an investment group led by Walter Mihm and Oscar Williams, acquired the MBI’s inactive liquor license in September 1968. After sitting dormant for years (held by Judge Harry Lane, Jr.), the license was transferred and used at the Haul Out Restaurant on the river at the foot of West Street which opened in 1978. The spot later became the popular Sallee Tee’s Grille (from 1999-2012) and today it’s the Beach Tavern.

The land is now occupied by the Sands Point South condominiums. Opened for Fall 1974, the Valentine Street complex had 58 units (starting at $26,990) with tennis court and pool. Seven buildings decorated in a “contemporary colonial-style with warm earth-tone colors,” the project developers were the NJR Development Corp. and Driftwood Associates. The first two families to take occupancy were the young Kilgour and Birnbaum couples, according to the December 1974 Asbury Park Press.

Inn Notes:
• The “MBI” area grew busy when the nearby Conover Road Bridge opened in August 1908. The wooden Monmouth Beach-to-Long Branch overpass for Manahasset Creek was at the west end of the street. A day-long carnival was held to celebrate. Festivities included land and water sports, marine pageant, and reception at Manahasset Hotel on the Long Branch side. The Manahasset Park Association had begun development of the area in 1894.

• In 1917, the borough council changed two road names to create Valentine Street. The old roads, divided by Riverdale Avenue (once called Fresh Pond Road), had been Conover Road (eastside) and Manahasset Street (westside). The 380-foot-long bridge — at one time heavily trafficked and owned by the county — was removed in 1965.

More:
• Monmouth Beach “Yankees” — HERE
• Boyle’s Tavern: “Neighborhood Bar” — HERE

Pre-MBI — Henry Catlin summer home (r) seen from Manahasset Creek, 1909. The other buildings were swept away in rising-rivers storm in Winter 1914. Talk about ambitious — in Winter 1902 Catlin traveled 8,000+ miles to examine gold mining operations In Nevada and on the Pacific Coast.

MBI (r) near the Valentine Street Bridge, 1927.

Over Head — Valentine Street ends at Manahasset Creek and the Sands Point South condos, Winter 2024 (David Booth Photo). Over the water is North Long Branch and Manahasset Creek Park.

MBI on Valentine Street, 1950s. “A borough landmark.”

Rustic Charm — Monmouth Beach Inn on Valentine Street, 1960s.

MBI, 1950s. Howard Bauerband owned the MBI from 1953 to 1967. Born in Elizabeth, he died In October 1973.

MBI, 1955. “Famous for many years as the well-known restaurant and bars of the shore area.” — Long Branch Daily Record, 1948.

MBI, May 1948. Richard and Ethel Carter had just acquired the property The couple made “extensive alterations and improvements” to the “famous inn” and the restaurant specialized “in seafood, steaks and chops.” Richard, a WWII vet, had international experience in hotel management.

MBI (with “Shore Club” on front), 1940s.

MBI on the right of the Valentine Street Bridge, 1920s.

City Side — Manahasset Creek Bridge heading into Monmouth Beach, 1920s. The MBI is at right.

Valentine Street Bridge connected Monmouth Beach and North Long Branch, 1940s. The MBI is at right.

MBI charred remains, January 1968. The inn was closed since May 1967.

Manahasset Creek aerial image, 1933. The MBI is almost center. The body of water is a tributary of the Shrewsbury River.

Manahasset Creek aerial image, 2019 (Frank E. Snead Photo).

Double Cross — Manahasset Creek aerial view, 1951. Note the inclusion of both borough bridges: Patten (top) and Valentine (bottom).

Highest Bidder — Monmouth Beach property auction map, August 1919. An odd layout proposal for the barren land between Riverdale Avenue and Manahasset Creek more than a century ago. The package included 57 building lots — all owned by Life Insurance Company of Virginia. Joseph P. Day of NYC was the auctioneer. Note the circle and several paper roads (Charlotte, Relwof, and Winnar Places).

“Excellent Location” — The Catlin property on Valentine Street up for auction, Long Branch Daily Record, May 1922.

Another name for MBI — “Lillian’s Tavern.” Long Branch Daily Record, July 1941. She and her husband, Ernest, had owned a Keyport bar prior to his death in March 1939. She bought the 50-room Hotel Royal in Asbury Park in 1943 and sold three years later “for about $30,000.”

Formal Opening — Monmouth Beach Inn, Long Branch Daily Record, October 1944.

Record Reach — Amazing tale about the MBI, a borough solider and the local newspaper. Long Branch Daily Record, May 1945. He made it home safely and lived until March 1977.

MBI Sold! Long Branch Daily Record, May 1948.

The Shore Club ad, Long Branch Daily Record, June 1937.

MBI Shuffleboard League dinner, April 1956.

MBI Halloween Party, 1950s.

MBI ad, Long Branch Daily Record, April 1946.

MBI ad, Long Branch Daily Record, October 1947.

“Innmen Ace” — Jim McConville pitches a shutout win for the MBI softball team, Long Branch Daily Record, May 1950. He was also the father of a future borough mayor and cheif of police.

MBI softball team, 1953. Back row, from left: Eddie Wells, Billy Marino, Maurice O’Dwyer, Jack Kuhlthau, Les Wilcox, Bill “Dizzy” Goldman, Dick Cassidy and Marty Connolley. Front row, from left: Edgar “Headgear” Marsh, Jim Hendrickson, Jim Grayson, Manager Frank Cassidy, Jim McConville, Red McWIggins, and Tommy Barham. Seated in front: Bat Boy Burt Barham.

Friends gather at the MBI, 1950s.

Good Friends Gather — Bill & Terry Flaherty and Gloria & Dan Hennessey at an MBI party, 1950s.

Celebration at MBI, 1950s.

“Shuffleboard Dinner” at MBI, 1954.

World War I soldiers gather at MBI before shipping out, late 1910s.

Story on Whitey Ford playing for MBI, Asbury Park Press, June 1952. As a 21-year-old rookie pitcher for the New York Yankees in the 1950 MLB season — prior to his time with the MBI team — Whitey went 9-1 with a 2.81 ERA. The Yanks won the American League pennant and he was winning pitcher in World Series clincher. The Yankees swept the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 that year.

APP story on MBI fire, January 1968.

MBI matchbooks.

“The Shore Club” ad, Asbury Park Press, June 1938.

MBI ad. APP, November 1947.

Thanksgiving Dinner at MBI, 1945.

Sands Point South condo ad. APP, Sept. 1974.

Sands Point South condo billboard ad, 1975. The first two families to take occupancy were the Kilgour and Birnbaum couples, according to the December 1974 Asbury Park Press.

Sands Point South condo complex, 2020.

Valentine Street looking across Manhasset Creek to Long Branch, 2019.

Other Side:

Manahassett Hotel, 1905. The postcard reads Monmouth Beach but the hotel was in Long Branch. Across the creek from the MBI, that city hotel burned in Feb. 1929.