Start of Summer — Donovan’s Reef on Memorial Day weekend, May 2023 (Nancy Johansson-Maceda Photo).

Stormy Sea Bright, December 1914.

WW I Nears — Lindley M. Garrison was a former US Secretary of War (1912-16) who pushed for better defense and had a 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.

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.

Rum Runner Restaurant on Ocean Avenue, 1970s.

Sea Bright Bathing Pavilion, March 2023 (Russ Meseroll Photo). The borough collected over $1.2 million in beach fees last summer.

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. Thanks to all! (Matt Schulz Photo)

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. Pending World War II hostilities 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 seaswall, March 2023 (Russ Meseroll Photo). The $4 million 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.

Fine Dining — “Drifthouse by David Burke” at the Driftwood Cabana Club on Ocean Avenue, 2022 — MORE INFO. The public oceanfront restaurant was opened in April 2018 by the celebrity chef. The original beach club was built by Michael J. Stavola in 1958.

Sea Bright skiff, 1950s.

Sea Bright Dory boat builder ad, 1913.

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

Still Something — The Blue Water Inn on Ocean Avenue, Red Bank Register, November 1977. This building, which dates to 1929, has gone through many incantations: Ocean View Hotel, Blue Water Inn, Millie’s Bar, and Ichabod’s Bar to name some. Today it is Woody’s Ocean Grille — MORE INFO.

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 holding cyclist before opening his bicycle sales and repair shop on East Ocean Avenue. According to the Asbury Park Journal, he added a new auto station in April 1903. His wife Josephine also ran the popular bike shop and auto garage. She died in February 1936 and John passed 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.

Wide Angle — Sea Bright aerial image, 1955 (Dorn Photo).

Ocean Avenue and railroad tracks looking south, 1907.

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.

“Greetings from Sea Bright” sign on a Peninsula Avenue building, Winter 2022 (Connor Nicholas Photo).

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

Jim Sullivan’s Sea Bright Inn, 1950s ad. Famed writer-author Jim Bishop was a regular here in the 1950s and 1960s and wrote about the owner in his nationally-syndicated newspaper column (calling Sullivan the “Saloon Sage of Sea Bright”). The place also had talking mynah birds (Willy & Silky). Walter O’Brien acquired the Ocean Avenue business in May 1965.

First Sea Bright Inn on Ocean Avenue near the bridge, 1900. Built in about 1890, it was a 35-room boarding house when it burned to the ground in August 1918; the owner was Edward Pannaci.

Sea Bright Inn on Ocean Avenue, 1930s. Today, it’s Tommy’s Tap + Tavern.

Sea Bright Inn on Ocean Avenue, 1900.

“Sea Bright Bathing Grounds” 1906. All dressed up for the beach?

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 for that Summer. The $45,000 project included 400 lockers. The Ocean Avenue club grossed nearly $36,000 that summer. The architect was Robert Edwards of Rumson. It replaced the old Surf Bathing Pavilion.

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).

Ocean Avenue commerce, 2014 (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 around the 7-Eleven convenience store, December 1992.

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

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

Old Mad Hatter Pub & Pizzeria on East Ocean Avenue, 2000s.

Old Mad Hatter Pub & Pizzeria on East Ocean Avenue, 2011.

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.

“Sea Bright Beach” by Michel Jacobs, 1940 (Monmouth County Historical Association Photo).

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).

Tim McLoone’s Rum Runner restaurant seen from the Shrewsbury River, July 2022. The Ocean Avenue restaurant was originally opened by Nick Egidio in August 1968. By January 1987, Tim McLoone and partners had acquired the business for $1 million. Badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Tim reopened a brand new $7 million “Rum-Runner” in May 2016. MORE INFO.

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.

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 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 recieved a large addition in 2008. Badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, it was later demolished. MORE INFO.

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

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

Ocean Avenue, 1910s.

Ocean Avenue at River Street looking north, 1913. In 2021, parking meters earned nearly $642,000 for the borough.

Ocean Avenue at Peninsula Avenue looking south, 1913.

Sea Bright Airdrome ad, 1920 (Marc Leckstein Photo). William Hoag and F.R. Duryea opened the 800-seat theater in June 1919. 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.

Old Donovan’s Reef back deck before Superstorm Sandy turned it to ruins, early 2000s.

Old Donovan’s Reef front entrance, 1990s. The new place is 4,375 square feet and is elevated 18-foot high.

Old Donovan’s Reef front entrance, 1990s. Partners Robert Carducci, Robert Phillips and Ed Bowler (all Jersey City natives) acquired the business in August 1976.

Normandie Beach in Sea Bright, August 1928.

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

Gardella’s Market storefront on Ocean Avenue, 1937. Augustine Gardello started the business in the early 1900s, 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 (real popular 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.

Harbor Light Beach Club pedestrian overpass sketch. 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.

Oceanfront Bar on Ocean Avenue, 1960s. Edward and Bernadine Furman acquired the business in November 1955. Previous owners were: John G. Tobias and Caroline Szadowski. Later on Mike Love was an owner.

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.

Sea Bright Inn on Ocean Avenue, 1909.

“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.

Donovan’s Reef, 2018. First opened as Manning’s Jetty in 1971, members of the Phillips, Carducci, and Bowler families (all Jersey City natives) acquired the business in August 1976. It was a blast for many summer seasons, until leveled by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. It cost $1.2 million to rebuild and reopened fully for Summer 2017 — MORE INFO.

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.

Celebrity restaurateur-chef Guy Fieri outside the Sea Bright Municipal Complex on Ocean Avenue, April 2022. Guy was in the area filming an episode of his Food Network hit series, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” MORE INFO.

Walking the boards in Sea Bright, early 1900s postcard.

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.”

Allied Building Products building, 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 Sept. 1973.

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

Anchorage Apartments along the Shrewsbury River seen from the bridge, 2013. Developer Vincent J. Russo opened the complex in May 1973.

Anchorage Apartments by the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge, 2014.

“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.

Hurricane Donna damage to Sinclair snack-bar at Chris’s Landing, Long Branch Daily Record, Sept. 1960

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.

Harry’s Lobster House. The popular Ocean Avenue restaurant was established in 1921 by Harry Osmun (who died in September 1933). George Krauss, a borough mayor, then owned the business. The Jacoubs family took control in 1953. Anna Jacoubs retired in 1987 (her son Louis ran the business until 2016); she died in 2005. Today, the spot is Rory’s.

New Harry’s Lobster House under construction, March 1964. The eatery had been hit by a major fire in April 1963.

Fountains Condominiums sketch, May 1974. The 64-unit luxury condo complex on Ocean Avenue also offered an Olympic-size swimming pool. private beach and boat marina. Developer Mann Enterprises broke ground for the riverfront apartments in Fall 1973. Prices started at $31,500.

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.

“Big One” — The massive freighter SS Christian Bergh run aground at Sea Bright, March 1949. Built in 1944, the 7,100-ton liberty ship with 37 crew members 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 11 hours before a high tide and tug boat moved her. Captain Hodle MacHarde, shouting to a growing number of spectators on the 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 for Christian Bergh, NYC’s best and oldest ship carpenter, when he died in 1843.

S.S. Mohawk grounded off Sea Bright, May 1928. After a collision with the steamship Jefferson, 83 people were evacuated to shore near the Normandie Hotel. The Clyde Mallory Line was the owner then 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.

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.

Ichabod’s Restaurant on Ocean Avenue and East Church Street, 1990s. It’s Woody’s Ocean Grille today.

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.

Chris’ Landing on Ocean Avenue, 1963. Henry and Kay Christiansen started their marine business along the Shrewsbury River in 1941. The property included 112 boat slips, 100 rowboats, bait & tackle supplies, a snack bar and two family homes. By 1983, the property was being converted into 23 luxury townhouse condos (units started at $239,500).

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 Dunkin’ Donuts on Ocean Avenue, 2020. The store closed in December 2020 after 17 years there to make way for the new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge.

Old Sea Bright School on River Street, 2019. Opened in 1882, closed in 1978, and torn down in 2019.

Sea Bright damage after storms of January 1914.

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

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

Sea Bright Golf Club, 1905.

Quite a toll — Asbury Park Press, December 1900.

NJ Gov. Jim Florio (l) and Ses 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 the environment.

Beach erosion in Sea Bright, 1972.

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.

Sea Bright golf — Asbury Park Press, Summer 1902.

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.

Steve’s Breakfast & Lunch, early 2000s. Opened in 1976, the Ocean Avenue restaurant was decimated by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. It was renovated and reopened as Alice’s Kitchen in 2013, run by Irish-born, Sea Bright-resident Alice Gaffney.

Fox 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.

The Rum Runner, 1960s. Nick Egidio opened the river-front restaurant in August 1968. Tim McLoone acquired the business in January 1987.

Sea Bright coast after a major storm, 1903.

Olivo’s Restaurant on Ocean Avenue, 1982. Owners Joseph and Anthony Corbisiero.

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,” 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 Bahting Pavlion, a muncipal beach club opened in 1949.

Swedish Hop, 1938.

Swedish Hop bar, 1943. The tavern had several owners including Stanley “Big Stosh” Pokrywka, a native of Poland.

Swedish Hop on East Ocean Avenue, 1940s. The spot had been Mellaci’s Tavern.

Fire at the Fountains at Sea Bright, 2007.

Old Anchorage Apartment building on Ocean Avenue being torn down, 2015.

Anchorage Apartment building on Ocean Avenue, 2015. It was just north of the Rumson bridge.

Ocean Avenue after snow storm, 1967.

The Mad Hatter restaurant has sat uncompleted for several years, 2021. Badly damaged after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, owners Scott and Amy Kelly still hope to open the once popular eatery.

Blue Water Inn, 1970s. Mike Bivona opened the nightclub/restaurant in 1975. Previously, the spot was Millie’s and later Ichabod’s and today it is Woody’s Ocean Grille.

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.

New McLoone’s Rum Runner under construction, 2015.

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.

Harry’s Lobster House menu, 1940s.

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

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

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

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.

Steve Garelli at his Ocean Avenue breakfast and lunch shop, 2001. He opened the eatery in 1976 and retired after Superstorm Sandy wrecked the place in 2012.

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.

Ichabod’s Bar, 2000s.

M. Garland Plumber, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

Sea Bright Presbyterian Church 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

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

Fire at the Ocean View Hotel (later to be Millie’s Bar, Ichabod’s Bar, and today’s Woody’s Ocean Grille), August 1952. The building dates to 1929.

Sea Bright hotel on fire — then owned by Hattie and Morris Kaplan — included a bar and 22 guest rooms.

This summer afternoon fire of ’52 drew thousands of beach spectators and backed up traffic along Ocean Avenue for miles. Note the P House in the distance.

Ocean House hotel, 1857. The first hotel on the Jersey Shore — built in 1842.

Sea Bright Pharmacy, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

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

Sea Bright Methodist Church, 1895 (Ploughshare Press).

Oceanfront Bar sign, 1980s. Ed Furman and Mike Love were longtime owners.

Ocean Avenue looking south, early 1900s.

Twin Lights seen from Highland Beach, 1907.

Where things were in old Sea Bright.

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.

“Free Bathing” in Sea Bright. APP, July 1928.

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.

Old Donovan’s Reef, early 2000s.

Walking the boards in Sea Bright, early 1900s.

Sea Bright views from Peninsula House, 1901.

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

Sea Bright police officer “Sparky” Adams, 1939.

Charles Manor fire, October 1953. Dorothy and Joe Charles ran the 43-room hotel.

McLoone’s Rum Runner comes down, 2014.

Fire at The Cove restaurant-marina on Ocean Avenue, 1988 (Jack Flaherty Photo).

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.

Seabright Beach Club & Railroad Station, early 1900s.

“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, early 1900s.

Ocean Avenue, 1908.

Sea Bright in its glory days, 1906.

Storm waves pound the borough coast, 1914.

Harry’s Lobster House postcard, 1935.

Pound boat on Sea Bright shore, 1920s.

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

“Mrs. Sea Bright” — Frances Rooney selling hot dogs at Surf & Ocean Avenues, 2017. Her friendly pushcart operations began at that spot in 1977. She called it a career after Covid.

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.

Tim McLoone and his wife watch their Rum Runner restaurant torn down, 2014.

McLoone’s Rum Runner, 2014.

McLoone’s Rum Runner tear down, 2014.

Ocean Avenue business/apartment fire, 2014.

Very high tide in Sea Bright, 1901.

Sea Bright south coast, 2019.

Ocean Avenue flooding in Sea Bright, 1933 (Getty Images).

Sea Bright storm damage, early 1914.

Sea Bright Bus Stop shed on Ocean Avenue, 2019.

Regan’s Dock restaurant ad, 1947. George Regan ran the Ocean Avenue business for 20 years before retiring in 1987. He died in 1993.

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

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

Mad Hatter Pub & Pizzeria on Ocean Avenue, early 2010s.

On the beach in Sea Bright, 1908.

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

EvenTide Grille on Ocean Avenue, 2019.

Asbury Park Press, August 1959.

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

Downtown Sea Bright. Sanborn Map, 1886.

Sea Bright aerial image looking south, 2017.

Sea Bright below Sandy Hook aerial image.

Tim McLoone overseeing construction of his new “Rum Runner” Restaurant, 2016.

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap on Ocean Avenue, 2018. Named for owner Thomas J. Bonfiglio (who died in July 2022), the tavern opened in Summer 2015. During the borough’s heyday as a resort community in the early 1900s, the location was part of the elegant Pannaci Hotel (then a hotel and restaurant, it was called “Delmonico of Sea Bright”). The structure has survived a couple of big fires and at one time or another it was a US Post Office, the Oceanfront Bar, Chubby’s Pub, the Sea Bright Inn, and several apartments.

Grace Longo, Chef BaHa Toker and Leonard Longo at Longo’s Restaurant, 1973. The family opened the Italian restaurant on Ocean Avenue opened in 1945. In 1976, the business became Olivo’s run by the Corbisiero brothers.

Harry’s Lobster House owner Anna Jacoubs, 1969. The family took control of the Ocean Avenue restaurant in 1953. Anna retired in 1987 (her son Louis ran the business until 2008); she died in 2005. SB Mayor George H. Krauss owned the business before the Jacoubs.

Sea Bright clammers at work, 2009