Opening Weekend — Donovan’s Reef beachfront, April 2025.

Businesses on East Ocean Avenue, 1900. Including a blacksmith shop.

Honor Detail — The American flag drapes over Ocean Avenue in memorial to the late James Forsman, a popular and active member of Sea Bright Fire Rescue squad, March 2025. Jimmy, a Long Branch native, was also a Sea Bright fire chief.

Nor’easter Near — Storm waters pound Ocean Avenue near The Quay restaurant, March 1984. “Sea Bright has a plausible claim to being the spot where Americans’ dangerous liaison with the beach started in earnest” —The Beach Builders by John Seabrook, 2013.

By the Sea — “The Fountains” on Ocean Avenue, 1973. Developer Mann Enterprises broke ground for the 64-unit luxury riverfront condo complex in Fall 1973. An Olympic-size swimming pool  and boat marina were pledged but never happened. Unit prices started at $31,500.

Shore Hospitality — Hotel Sea Bright on Ocean Avenue, 1940s. Today, the spot is Tommy’s Tavern + Tap. Named after its founder, Thomas Bonfiglio, the business opened in Summer 2015. An educated eatery entrepreneur, Bonfiglio started several quality area restaurants over the years, including the “Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza” chain. A Brooklyn native and Rumson resident, he died in July 2022 and his family runs the restaurant now — MORE INFO.

Drive Up — Sea Bright aerial image during “Endless Summer Car Show,” September 2024.

What Was — A map of old the Sea Bright coast.

Narrow Margin — Just south of the Highlands bridge — clearly showing Sea Bright’s ” barrier beach” positioning. Summer 2024 (John Schneider Photo). Thanks to 50+ years of jetty and seawall building work for Sea Bright, Jesse A. Howland was “the man who saved the town from being washed off the map,” according to his November 1945 Long Branch Daily Record obit.

Downtown SB — Ocean Avenue looking north, Summer 1996.

Clear Coast — Sea Bright south beach area, mid-1940s. The Sea Bright-Rumson bridge is at the top of the image.

Big Haul — Pound boat on the Sea Bright shore, 1920s.

In Ruins — Most of downtown Sea Bright was burned during a massive fire in June 1891 — here’s a riverfront scene of the damages still smoldering (Doug Forsman Photo).

Street Stack — Downtown Sea Bright at Ocean and Peninsula Avenues, old and new.

To the Beach — Looking south down Ocean Avenue-Route 36, Winter 2023.

Foodtown market on Ocean Avenue, between Surf and New Streets, is ablaze, Red Bank Daily Register, April 1963.

Chris Landing boat marina on Ocean Avenue, 1980s.

Hot Stuff — Sea Bright Yacht Club on fire, August 1954. Monmouth County detectives raided the “swank yacht club” in July 1946 on suspicion of gambling (dice, roulette, Chemin de fer). They arrested 75 people and seized $20,000. Owner John Osterstock escaped though the lady’s bathroom. The structure was condemned and wrecked in Summer 1962.

Buck Up — NJ white-tailed deer buck atop the North Beach seawall, 2020.

Weisman’s Variety Store — Bert and Berta Weisman at the sale of their Ocean Avenue store, Red Bank Daily Register, May 1979. A Romanian-born Jew, Morris Weisman started the borough business in 1927 — where hot coffee was available “at 5 am, 365 days a year.” He died in 1962. Part borough “social club,” the store that had an inventory of “1,900 different items” closed in 1984.

Open for Biz — Ocean Avenue at Peninsula Avenue looking south, 1913.

Downtown — Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright, April 2024 (Rich Romano Photo).

Sand Needed — Sea Bright coast before the sand replenishment project, late 1980s. The North Beach section has nearly no beach (Charlie Rooney Photo). From a scientific perspective have look at this 1950 report on beach replenishment, History of New Jersey Coastline by C. F. Wicker — HERE

Go Fish — John Parmly opened his Tackle Shop on Ocean Avenue in Spring 1947. It all burned in an August 1966 fire. A lifelong Rumson resident, he died in January 1987.

Outside of Parmly’s Tackle Shop on Ocean Avenue, 1951 (Jim Olsen Photo).

Wizard at the Beach — Thomas Edison visits Sea Bright. Long Branch Daily Record, July 1917.

Merry Christmas! — Sea Bright Municipal Complex on Ocean Avenue during the holiday season, December 2023 (Charlie Rooney Photo).

Sea Bright south beach looking north, late 1940s.

Barrier Beach — Sea Bright and Sandy Hook seen from Twin Lights, 2000s.

Battered — Aftermath of another Sea Bright storm, 1910s.

River Reach — Hartshorne Woods Park seen from Sea Bright, Autumn 2023. The “hilly, forested 797-acre site overlooking the Navesink River” has been in the Monmouth County Park System since 1974 — MORE INFO.

“Barging In” — The SS Christian Bergh, a massive freighter run aground at Sea Bright, March 1949. Built in 1944, the 7,100-ton liberty ship with crew of 37 got lost in a morning fog en-route from Greece to New York. The ship got within 15 yards of Ocean Avenue and was beached there for 11 hours before tide and tugboat moved her. Captain Hodle MacHarde, shouting to a growing number of spectators on the town’s beach, blamed bad tides and winds for the grounding. The ship’s mission was noble — carrying grain as part of the Marshall Plan. Scrapped in 1967, the ship was named after NYC’s finest ship carpenter, when he died in 1843.

Light the Way — Sea Bright Borough Council chambers, Red Bank Daily Register, February 1976. After 10 years of controversy and state DOT demands, it was decided at this meeting to place a traffic-light at Ocean Avenue and River Street.

Come On In — Welcome to Historic Sea Bright, NJ, Fall 2023. Population: 1,455.

Zobel’s Boat Works after a major fire, Sept. 1956. Harry Zobel started his master boat building and sales business on Ocean Avenue in 1931; he sold the Shrewsbury River boatyard in 1954.

Thomas Proctor Co. working on Ocean Avenue sidewalks, April 1939.

Big Catch — Pound boat fishing in Sea Bright, early 1900s.

SBFC 1967 American LaFrance pumper. (Scott Mattson Photo).

Stormy Sea Bright, December 1914. “Sea Bright was a harsh lesson in how not to develop a beach,” according to the Spectacular History of the New Jersey Shore — MORE INFO.

US Cabinet Secretary — Lindley M. Garrison was a US Secretary of War (1912-16) who pushed for better national security preparation prior to WW I and for racial integration in the military. He died at his Sea Bright summer home. Long Branch Daily Record, October 1932.

A Century Ago — Here’s the 1923 Sea Bright Municipal Budget ($26,760), Long Branch Daily Record, January 1923. For 2023 the borough budget has reached nearly $7.4 million.

Foodtown on Ocean Avenue, 1970s.

Cy & Arts — Sea Bright, NJ postcard, 1960s. The Cy & Art store (r) on Ocean Avenue was owned by Cy Friedman and Art Katims. The building dates to 1888; Cy & Art started business there in 1945. The partners acquired the building in 1949 and made several improvements over the years. In the 1970s, the shop became Arthur’s of Sea Bright.

Sea Bright Bathing Pavilion, March 2023 (Russ Meseroll Photo).

Ocean Avenue looking north, 1911.

Hot Side — The apartment over Bain’s Hardware store at the corner of Ocean Avenue and South Street on fire, March 2023. Borough firefighters — just across the road — checked the blaze in under 10 minutes.

Sea Bright’s “Great Fire” story, June 16, 1891. A majority of the downtown district was burned, including over 400 residences. The immense configuration was started by “a man named Kelly” in the livery stables of J.A. Buckalew on River Street.

“Great Sea Bright Fire” loses. Red Bank Register, June 17, 1891.

Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club (in Rumson) aerial image, 1920s. The club opened at this location in 1887 — it’s the oldest tennis club in America.

Court action at the Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club (in Rumson), 1920s. William Shippen won the first club title in 1879.

Low Moor along the Shrewsbury River — where Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach meet, 2000s. Starting in 1938, there was a plan to carve out an ocean inlet here and convert the islands into a state park.

Sea Bright State Park plan, Long Branch Daily Record, October 1938. Blueprints called for a 650-acre park built for $1.3 million. Growing pre-World War II concerns ended the idea.

Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright aerial image, 1920.

Looking west down Church Street from Ocean Avenue, Feb. 2023 (Russ Meseroll Photo).

Sea Bright Beach Pavilion and seawall, March 2023 (Russ Meseroll Photo). The $4 million borough facility opened in May 2019.

Borough fireman during a training drill near Donovan’s Reef on Ocean Avenue, January 2023.

Big Catch — Youngsters after a good fishing day in Sea Bright, 1960s postcard.

Sea Bright skiff, 1950s.

Sea Bright Dory boat builder ad, 1913.

Ocean Avenue and River Street, 1910s. Bedell’s Drug Store is at left.

Big Time — “Octagon Square, Sea Bright, NJ” Summer 1906. Completed by 1880, it was wrecked by a series of winter storms in 1914.

Bowser’s Esso Service station on East Ocean Avenue, 1960s. A black man born in the cradle of the Confederacy (Smithfield, Virginia), John Wesley Bowser moved to Sea Bright in 1893. He had been a world-record cyclist before opening his bicycle sales and repair shop on East Ocean Avenue. According to the Asbury Journal, he added auto repairs in April 1903. His wife Josephine ran the popular business. She died in February 1936 and John passed away in January 1941.

Bower’s Exxon on East Ocean Avenue, 1970s. Borough naive J. Harold Bowser took control of the family business in 1942 with his wife Estelle “Dixie” Bowser, a North Carolina native. He died in January 1961 and she passed in December 1988. Gasoline service and new bike sales ended in 1977 and by the 1980s business had closed.

Bower’s Exxon Service station, 1970s.

Bower’s Exxon (KC Boag Salek Photo).

View of Twin Lights and Highlands across the Navesink River from Sea Bright, 1875.

Sea Bright Beach Pavilion at sunset, January 2023.

Sea Bright — North Beach aerial image, 1960s.

Sea Bright and Rumson aerial image 1966.

Sea Bright aerial image — looking north to Sandy Hook, 1968.

“Here comes Santa” and the Sea Bright Fire Department, Christmas Day 2022.

Thin Line — View from Twin Lights in Highlands, 1901. In the background is the barrier beach town of Sea Bright.

North Beach after a major Nor’easter storm, December 1992 (Timothy Boulous Photo).

Nor’easter in full fury pounds the borough, December 1992 (Timothy Boulous Photo).

Sea Bright aerial image, 1955 (Dorn’s Photo).

First United Methodist Church at Ocean Avenue and Church Street, 1910s.

First United Methodist Church, 2014. The Sea Bright house of worship opened in 1892.

Ocean Avenue looking north, 1970s.

Trade Winds Motel & Marina on Ocean Avenue (formerly Sea Bright Motel), 1960s. The Trade Winds Beach Club was directly across the street. Irwin Levy, Jr. was a longtime owner of both.

The County of Monmouth, NJ has an official song. Freeholders made it so in July 1939. Captain Cyril Smack of Sea Bright wrote the lyrics and his sister, Gertrude Smack Seaman of Long Branch, did the music.

Sea Bright Bathing Pavilion, 1949. The new municipal beach facility opened that Summer replacing the old Surf Bathing Pavilion. The $45,000 project including 400 lockers was designed by Robert Edwards of Rumson. The new Ocean Avenue beach club grossed nearly $36,000 that summer.

Sea Bright coast — highlighted by the Peninsula House, 1955 postcard.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the Sea Bright seawall, August 1973.

Sea Bright town center — along Ocean Avenue — at night, June 2020 (Steve Gardella Photo).

SS Mary Patten seen from Sea Bright, 1920s. Along the river in Highlands are the Villa Ritchie Restaurant & Dance Hall and Twin Lights.

Nor’easter storm flooding at the 7-Eleven, December 1992. The borough planing board okayed the Ocean Avenue 24-hour convenience store in September 1983. It replaced the old Chevron gas station.

Nor’easter storm flooding on Ocean Avenue, December 1992.

Sea Bright Municipal Complex: Police – Fire – EMS on Ocean Avenue, November 2022.

Sideways in Sea Bright — major damage to a borough home after a series of storms, 1913-14.

Beach Boss — Bruce Springsteen sitting on the old Sea Bright seawall, August 1973.

Seabright Beach and Sandlass Bros. Bathing Pavilion (today it’s Chapel Beach Club) with trains tracks and Ocean Avenue in front, July 1916.

Sea Bright’s “Patriotism on the Rise” as World War II approaches, July 1941.

Sea Bright fishing beach, 1906.

Sea Bright Texaco Station, called Sam’s Garage (l) and the Peninsula House (r), 1930s. The gas station on Ocean Avenue and Surf Street burned in 1965.

Sea Bright seawall and fishing, 1950s postcard.

Ocean Avenue looking north, 1950s.

Gardella’s Market delivery trucks, 1930s. Augustino Gardella started the grocery and later liquor store in 1903. The business at Ocean Avenue and New Street would operate until 1984. Born in Italy and father to four sons, Augustino died in May 1940.

Storm damage in Sea Bright, April 1918.

Sea Bright, 1960s postcard.

Sea Bright at night, Sept. 2022 (Chris Jerry Photo).

US Post Office at Sea Bright, NJ 07760. The Ocean Avenue facility was wrecked by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

First United Methodist Church at Ocean Avenue and Church Street, 1910s. Built in 1892, it’s the only house of worship in Sea Bright.

First Tank — Guy J. Wilbanks at the Grand Opening of his Gulf Service Station on Ocean Avenue, August 1954. Mayor Tom Farrell (r) cuts the ribbon when gasoline was 25 cents per gallon. The building was recently wrecked to make way for a new $130 million Rumson-Sea Bight Bridge. Farrell was Sea Bright’s mayor from 1944 to 1963 (except for 1951-53). The Jersey City native died in December 1984.

Jay W. Ross Library on Ocean Avenue, 2000s. The building was donated by the late Monmouth Beach philanthropist in 1993 and received a large addition in 2008. Badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, it was later demolished. MORE INFO.

Mayor Charles Rooney, Jr. quote. He led the coastal town from 1989 to 1999.

Ocean Avenue, 1910s.

Ocean Avenue at Peninsula Avenue looking south, 1913.

Shore Cinema — Sea Bright Airdrome on Ocean Avenue, Red Bank Daily Register, 1919. The 900-seat open-air theater was started in June 1919 by William Hoag and F.R. Duryea.

Sea Bright Airdrome ad, Red Bank Daily Register, June 1920. Located at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Rumson Road (where Tommy’s parking lot is today), it operated until September 1929 when the land was sold to build an auto service station.

Storm damage from “monstrous waves” along coastal Sea Bright, 1933.

Benjamin Van Brunt builder ad, 1902. This “pioneer bulkhead builder of the North Jersey coast,” according to the Long Branch Daily Record, was born in Manasquan and died in Galilee, Monmouth Beach in April 1920. His son, B. Lester Van Brunt, was Monmouth Beach borough clerk from 1917 to 1927.

North Beach residents are evacuated along Ocean Avenue amidst a destructive nor’easter storm, December 1992. Note the Fairbanks Motel sign at upper left.

SS Mohawk run aground off Normandy Beach in Sea Bright, May 1928. On route from Brooklyn to Florida the 450-seat passenger ship collided in the fog with the steamer Jefferson.

Borough bus stop on Ocean Avenue at dusk, June 2022.

Gardella’s Market storefront on Ocean Avenue, 1937. Augustine Gardella started the business in 1903, according to the Long Branch Daily Record. His son John and Ernest operated the store from about 1920 to 1947. John died 1969 and Ernest in 1966; his son Jimmy ran the store until the 1980s. The building had been owned by Jack Brehm who ran it as the “Westchester House” hotel (a very popular spot prior to Prohibition, according to the Red Bank Register). The Gardella family acquired the property in 1937.

Flooding on Ocean Avenue in front of Gardella’s Market, 1960.

Bridge to the Ocean — Harbor Light Beach Club pedestrian overpass sketch proposal. Red Bank Daily Register, April 1968. The steel walking-bridge over Ocean Avenue opened for Summer 1966. Robert Osgoodby had opened the club in May 1953. He sold in 1974 — the location later became the Island View Townhouses with 68-units.

Pedestrian walkway over Ocean Avenue wrecked by wide-load truck. APP, February 1990. Condemned and removed that day, the Island View condo association owned the 23-year-old foot-bridge.

Sea Bright coast looking south, 1966.

Park Garage on Ocean Avenue, 1936. Owen Christensen — “expert auto mechanic” — was the owner going back to 1925.

Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club (in Rumson), 2016. Designed by Renwick Aspinall & Russell, it opened in 1886. The Tennis Court Lane grounds include more than 30 courts — grass and clay.

Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club tournament underway, 1936.

Sea Bright’s new cell-phone tower, 2022. The borough council approved its construction in April 2014. Verizon paid for the 160-foot tower.

Sea Bright Firemen’s Fair, May 2022 (Joe Matto Photo).

Water Way — the Atlantic Ocean and Shrewsbury River meet during a storm in Sea Bright, 1968.

“Jug taverns” …? Red Bank Daily Register, January 1893.

“Nauvoo Marina” on Ocean Avenue along the Shrewsbury River, 1970. Walter Mihm bought the marine business in September 1962 from Jesse Howland. Mihm sold in 1986. Now it’s Navesink Marina.

Harry Zobel’s Boat Works, 1940s. The Ocean Avenue boat sales and storage business opened in March 1931; the builder was Peter Perrine. When a September 1956 fire badly damaged the business, the onwer was Frank Sarpolis. Harry Zobel died in December 2002.

First United Methodist Church at Ocean Avenue and Church Street, 1908. Sea Bright’s only house of worship was built in 1892.

First United Methodist Church, 1910. Sometimes called the “Wide Awake Church on the Corner” — all souls are welcome.

Ocean Avenue at Low Moor, NJ postcard, early 1900s. Once famous for its massive seashore cottages and potent storms. In March 1960, US Army Corp Engineers were considering a plan to cut an inlet at Low Moor — connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Shrewsbury River. Area boating and fishing interests backed the plan but Mayor Tom Farrell opposed it and idea died. A similar inlet plan in 1938 with park included was also rejected.

Sea Bright aerial image, 1955 (Dorn Photo).

Sea Bright Yacht Club on Ocean Avenue, 1940s. It burned in August 1954.

Sea Bright Bus Depot on Ocean Avenue, 2022.

Sea Bright storm scenes. Saturday Evening Mail, January 1914.

Sea Bright storm scenes. Saturday Evening Mail, January 1914.

Sea Bright storm scenes. Saturday Evening Mail, January 1914.

Sea Bright storm scenes. Saturday Evening Mail, January 1914.

Clean Up! — Ocean Avenue looking south after the “Great Atlantic Hurricane of ’44.”

Timber! — Allied Building Products business under demolition, July 2013. Located on East Ocean Avenue beside old borough hall, it was abandoned and then demolished after Superstorm Sandy. Prior to 1987, it was the very busy Marine Lumber Company. Father and son, Milton and William Yesler, started the business in 1961 (adding a 5,000-square-foot showroom in 1967) They opened a second home supplies center in Wall Twp. in 1973.

Ocean Avenue — literally, October 2012. Looking north on Sea Bright’s main boulevard at the height of Superstorm Sandy (RedBankGreen Photo).

“Greetings from Sea Bright, NJ” mural painted by local artist, Jim Kovic, July 2014. Benjamin Moore Paints funded the retro-postcard project on a building at the corner of Ocean and Peninsula Avenues.

Nautilus Motel-Apartments on Ocean Avenue, 1960s. Built by Ernest Caprio, the 18-unit complex opened in June 1963. Owners of the riverfront dwelling were William Throckmorton and Joseph Scialfa. Today, the spot is the Nautilus Condominium.

Sea Bright trolley, 1905.

Sea Bright Beach Pavilion on Ocean Avenue, 2021. The $4 million municipal facility houses the Sea Bright Library & Cultural Arts Center, Borough Council meeting room, and town beach operations.

Grounded — The S.S. Mohawk off Sea Bright, May 1928. After a collision with the steamship Jefferson, 83 people were evacuated to shore near the Normandie Hotel. Clyde Mallory Line was the owner and J.W. McKenzie was captain. More local sea drama awaited the ship. In January 1935, only four months after the burning wreck of the Morrow Castle claimed 137 off Asbury Park, the Mohawk collided with another vessel (The Talisman) off nearby Sea Girt and was sunk losing 46 souls. The Morrow Castle and Mohwak were both Ward Liners by then.

Packer’s Real Estate Exchange office, 1905. Note the Rumson-SB Bridge in the foreground and the Sea Bright Railroad Station in background. Owner P. Hall Packer was the first mayor of Sea Bright under its current charter (in fact, he lived in Rumson on Packer Avenue).

Sea Bright’s 20th anniversary remembrance of 9/11 at borough municipal complex, Sept. 2021.

Giglio’s Bait & Tackle shop on East Ocean Avenue, 1960s. Founded by brothers Arthur, Armand, and Robert Giglio in 1962, the business still operates today run by Ernie and Tom Giglio, and Tom Grybowski.

Ocean Avenue looking north after a snow storm, 1960s.

Houseboats off the Sea Bright coast on the Shrewsbury River, 1920s. Twin Lights in the background.

Sea Bright Golf Club sketch. New York Sun, November 1896. In 1908, it became the Rumson Country Club.

“Greetings from Sea Bright, NJ” postcard, early 1900s.

Sea Bright Fire Department GMC ladder truck, 1950s.

Nauvoo Marina on Ocean Avenue, 1970s. Opened by Jesse Howland & Sons in Summer 1959, it became part of the Walter Mihm marine business empire in September 1962. According to a 1983 APP report, the Mihm Corp was worth $40 million. He sold all the businesses in 1986. Today the spot is the Navesink Marina.

The Sunrise at Sea Bright condominiums on Ocean Avenue, 2012. The 24-townhouse development was built along the Shrewsbury River by Centurion Systems, Inc. of Freehold. It opened in September 1984. The 6-acre site formerly held the Dominican Villa religious retreat house.

Sea Bright newspaper, May 1926.

Sea Bright First United Methodist Church on Ocean Avenue, built in 1889.

Ocean Avenue and River Street, looking north, 1912.

“Ocean Avenue at Mail Time, Sea Bright, NJ,” 1906.

Ocean Avenue looking south, 1911.

World War II Honor Roll for Veterans — Sea Bright residents.

Dawn rainbow in North Beach, August 2021.

Islands in the Stream — At the time there were 12 islands and 100 acres of land at normal high tide. Asbury Park Press, March 1955.

Grand Pointe in Sea Bright on Ocean Avenue, 2021. Built in 1988, the riverfront complex includes 16 luxury townhouse style condominiums and a 25-boat slip marina. Severino Homes was the developer.

Sea Bright damage after storms of January 1914.

Jay W. Ross Library & Arts Center on Ocean Avenue, 2013. The $100,000 facility was donated by the Monmouth Beach philanthropist and opened in October 1992. It was badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

All that remains of the Jay W. Ross Library after it was “hastily demolished” in January 2014.

List of Sea Bright businesses, 2005.

Eventide Grille at Navesink Marina — sunset libations along the Shrewsbury River, July 2021. MORE INFO.

Barker Brands ad, 1940s. John Barker opened a chewing gum factory on Ocean Avenue in 1948. The plant cost $250,000 to build; it closed in 1952.

Fire at Fountains Condominium Complex on Ocean Avenue, February 2007.

After fire at Fountains Condominium Complex, February 2007.

Sea Bright business district on Ocean Avenue looking south, 1911.

Satellite image of Sea Bright (outlined in yellow), 2015.

First United Methodist Church at Ocean Avenue and Church Street, 1980. Three different church have stood there. The one above was built in 1892 after the second church was destroyed in the Great Fire of Sea Bright in June 1891.

The steam-ship Thomas Patten leaving the docks at Sea Bright, early 1900s.

Sea Bright summer promo ad, 1970s.

Sea Bright Supermarket & Liquor store on Ocean Avenue, 2015.

Land Grab? Sea Bright seeks to annex Monmouth Beach and Highland Beach. Red Bank Register, December 1896.

Twin Lights seen from Sea Bright, 1930. (Erwin Reu Photo)

Sea Bright Golf Club, 1905.

Quite a toll — Asbury Park Press, December 1900.

New Jersey Governor Jim Florio (l) and Sea Bright Mayor Charles Rooney (r) inspect seawall damage in town, 1993.

Zobel’s Boat Works after fire, Sept. 1956. Frank Sarpolis was the owner at the time having bought the business from Harry Zobel in 1954. Harry started the boat sales and storage business in 1931.

Angle parking in Sea Bright business area, 1965.

Mayor Cecile Norton (r) greets US Senator Henry Jackson (D-WA), 1971. “Scoop” Jackson then seeking the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination — was an early and eager advocate for our environment.

Beach erosion in Sea Bright, 1972.

Super Swimmer — Gertrude Ederle swims in the Shore Hill Motel pool in town, 1965. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. A gold medal winner at the 1924 Summer Olympic games, Ederle died in 2003.

Map of Sea Bright area, 1702.

Roads and Indian trails around Sea Bright, 1800.

Map of Sea Bright area, 1770s.

Watson’s Guide Map of Sea Bright area, 1880.

Map of Sea Bright area (ie, Wardell’s Beach), 1860

Lawrence map of Sea Bright area, 1765.

Map of the North Jersey Shore, 1702.

Map of the North Jersey Shore, 1769.

Map of “Wardell’s Beach” (now Sea Bright), 1764.

Map of old shipwrecks near Sea Bright.

Who’s got the islands? Ocean Twp., 1973.

Hit Stuff — Asbury Park Press, 1994.

Fox’s Foodtown & Liquor Store, 1970s. Arthur Fox acquired the business in 1959. The 15,000 square-foot market suffered a major fire in April 1963 and was rebuilt in 1964.

Fox Foodtown & Liquor Store grand opening, Long Branch Daily Record, June 1959. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Fox with Mayor Tom Farrell (c).

Sea Bright coast after a major storm, 1903.

Sea Bright on a late winter evening, 2021.

Location of the Sea Bright Community Center before construction, 1930s. Note the bandstand below.

Sea Bright Fire Department, 1930s.

Sea Bright Methodist Church, early 1900s.

Colonial Deli, 1976. The business was run by Elsie Keenan.

“Tin Peddler at Sea Bright” by Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1889.

Sea Bright Observation Post, 1954. The unit was run by the Monmouth County Civil Defense Authority. Called “Operation Skywatch” during a time when airplane watching was considered “a vital protective link in the harbor defense of New York.” Borough Councilman Neils Jacobsen was the post commander. It was attached to the Sea Bright Bathing Pavilion, a municipal beach club opened in 1949.

Fire at the Fountains at Sea Bright, 2007.

Ocean Avenue after snow storm, 1967.

A very flooded Ocean Avenue, 1981.

Sea Bright Democrat allies: Cecile F. Norton and John S. Forsman, review election returns indicating victory. She as mayor; he as councilman. And for most of the next two decades: Norton was the mayor and Forsman was the council president. APP, November 1967.

Sea Bright Supermarket & Liquors on Ocean Avenue, 2020. At the time of this photo, the property was up for sale at $2.5 million. It had been Fox’s Foodtown beginning in 1958 and before that Del Food Market run by Max Charnack.

Packer’s Real Estate Exchange near Sea Bright Inn and Rumson-Sea Bright bridge, early 1900s.

Irwin & Nesbitt Plumbing on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.

John W. Eyles Carriage Maker on Ocean Avenue, 1904. Eyles was a borough mayor in 1916-17.

National Grocery on Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.

Columbia Bicycles on Ocean Avenue, 1905.

Original Sea Bright First United Methodist Church, 1889. “The Fishermen’s Church.”

Sea Bright First United Methodist Church, 2020. The original church — designed by William Bigelow and built by A.P. Cubberly — was burned down in the “Great Fire of Sea Bright” in June 1891. The existing church was rebuilt in 1892.

Ocean Avenue looking north, early 1900s.

Ocean Avenue looking north, early 1900s.

Getting a pound boat ashore, 1906.

Woolley’s Market on Ocean Avenue, 1920s. The store was run by Raymond Woolley who was also the Monmouth County Superintendent of Streets for 20 years. The spot later became Gardella’s Super Market.

Sea Bright ladder firetruck, 1950s.

Sailing by Sea Bright, 1915.

Sea Bright Fishermen’s Market on Church Street, 1930s.

M. Garland Plumber, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

Sea Bright Presbyterian Church 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

SS Elberon, a Patten line steamship docked in Sea Bright, 1895

Sea Bright Pharmacy, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

McCue & LeCompte Livery Stables, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

Sea Bright Methodist Church, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

Ocean Avenue looking south, early 1900s.

Twin Lights seen from Highland Beach, 1907.

Play at the Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club (in Rumson), 1910. The club, which opened in July 1886, is the oldest of its kind in the country.

Image from the Soprano’s HBO-TV show: “Whitecaps” episode, 2002.

Image from the Soprano’s HBO-TV show: “Whitecaps” episode, 2002.

NYC skyline beyond Sea Bright seawall, 2010s.

Major Spring storm damage, March 1962.

Fire damages the Charles Manor and Sea Bright Inn (parts of the old Pannaci Hotel) on Ocean Avenue, 1953.

Five Sea Bright hotels are visible in the image, 1906.

Sea Bright seawall work, 1961.

Central Jersey Bank & Trust Company on Ocean Avenue exterior and interior, 1960s. In December 1967, it merged with the Sea Bright National Bank. Eleanor Lindsay was branch manager in the 1970s.

“The Beach at Seabright” by Francis Augustus Silva, 1880.

Sea Bright Public Playground dedication, July 1918. Looking at the bandstand that stood at the foot of the children’s playground. The project was funded by J. Horace Harding of Rumson. The spot now is the Sea Bright Community Center.

Pound boat fishermen, early 1900s.

“The Boardwalk at Sea Bright, NJ” postcard, 1920s.

Sea Bright views from Peninsula House, 1901.

Storm damage to the Long Branch & Seashore Railroad tracks, 1914.

Sea Bright police officer “Sparky” Adams, 1939.

Irwin & Nesbitt Plumbing, Tinning and Hardware store on Ocean Avenue, 1900.

Storm impact on Sea Bright coast, 1914.

Sea Bright Methodist Church on Ocean Avenue. It burned in 1891.

Storm impact on Sea Bright coast, 1914.

Storm impact on Sea Bright coast, 1914.

Sea Bright area map, 2010s.

“Miss Olive Packer’s House,” 1903.

Ocean Avenue, early 1900s.

Sea Bright along the Shrewsbury River, early 1900s.

Cottages along Ocean Avenue, 1930s.

River view from Sea Bright, early 1900s.

Ocean Avenue, 1908.

Storm waves pound the borough coast, 1914.

Zobel’s Sea Skiff & Yacht Works ad, 1946.

Anjelica’s Restaurant outside dinning, 2010s. Chef Ray Lena opened the Ocean Avenue restaurant in 1996. The fine dining spot — folks come from all over NJ — is named for his daughter. Ray Lena died in 2024.

Ocean Avenue business/apartment fire, 2014.

Very high tide in Sea Bright, 1901.

Sea Bright south coast, 2019.

Sea Bright storm damage, early 1914.

Sea Bright Bus Stop shed on Ocean Avenue, 2019.

Sea Bright’s US Post Office on Ocean Avenue, 1920.

Sea Bright borough council members pay tribute to retiring Mayor Dina Long, 2019.

A barrier beach — view of Sea Bright from Twin Lights, late 1800s.

Asbury Park Press, August 1959.

Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club (in Rumson), 2016.

Downtown Sea Bright. Sanborn Map, 1886.

Sea Bright below Sandy Hook aerial image.

Sea Bright clammers at work, 2009.

Sea Bright-Rumson map, 1968.