Images of Sea Bright …
Classic photos of a seaside borough …
(Page dedicated to the Sea Bright Historical Society)
Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright have a lot in common. So much in fact — for about 200 years — they were one. From roughly 1670 (when it was all “Wardell’s Beach”) up until 1870 (when then owner Dr. Arthur Conover sold off the SB portion), Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright were the same. Here are some photos of this unique and lively barrier beach town:
• Nauvoo: Start of Sea Bright — HERE
• Sea Bright Civics — HERE
• Seashore Palaces of Wood — HERE
• The Octagon: Sea Bright’s Grandest Hotel — HERE
• Sea Bright: Boro of Beach Clubs — HERE
• Highlands-Sea Bright Bridge — HERE
• Normandie-by-the-Sea Hotel: A Shore Palace — HERE
• Peninsula House: Sea Bright Splendor Past — HERE
• Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge — HERE
• Sea Bright Railroad — HERE
• Sea Bright … Shore Shots — HERE
• Sea Bright School: Learning in the Past — HERE
• Highland Beach: Playground of Past — HERE
More Sea Bright Images …
(Note: My thanks to Marc Leckstein, the SB Historical Society president and former SB councilman for tracking down many of these images.)

“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.

A different kind of pile -up — the state highway to Highlands and Sandy Hook is blocked with sand after Superstorm Sandy, October 2012.

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.

Boats and bathers share a busy Sea Bright beach, 1950s. For the ’22 Summer, a season adult beach badge is $100 (kids, seniors and students get discounts). A daily beach pass is $8.

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. The landmark bar has begun its ’22 season — 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.

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.

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. 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).

Locals called it “Mount Sandy,” November 2012. For weeks it was a stark reminder of Superstorm Sandy’s devastating impact on Sea Bright. It’s estimated that 100,000+ cubic yards of sand was dumped here while the borough recovered. Note the Seabright Beach Club in the background (RedBankGreen Photo).

NJ Gov. Chris Christie, Mayor Dina Long and Councilman C. Read Murphy review damage from Superstore Sandy in Sea Bright, November 2012 (RedBankGreen Photo).

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

“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.

Ocean Avenue flooding, 1940s. Fowler’s Hardware is today Bain’s Hardware. Family patriarch, William R. Fowler, Sr., served for 15 years as SB Mayor and 15 years as SB Councilman. He died in October 1941. His son, William, Jr., acquired the Ocean Avenue building and business in October 1944 and ran it until his January 1968 death.

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.

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.

“Surf ‘n’ See Club.” APP, July 1966 — “the first and only private beach club for surfers on the East Coast.” Built for $80,000, it was previously called “Ferndocks” — a popular surf spot for local teens. Club Owners were: John Stavola, Ernest Beattie, Bill Minder and Charlie Kuhns. By November 1967, it was the Ocean Side Surf Club.

“The Castiles” band with Bruce Springsteen (c) perform at the “Surf ‘n’ See Club” on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright, August 1966. The oceanfront club hosted many up-and-coming bands and musicians.

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.

“A 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).

“Great Sea Bright Fire” loses. Red Bank Register, June 17, 1891. The blaze destroyed the majority of the downtown district, including over 400 residences. The immense configuration was all started by “a man named Kelly” It all began in the livery stables of J.A. Buckalew on River Street.

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.

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

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.

Sea Bright Pharmacy demolition, 2013. Ken Kalada owned the Ocean Avenue drugstore for 25 years. A 1967 Rutgers College of Pharmacy graduate, he sold the business to CVS in 2004. Superstorm Sandy wrecked the building in 2012. Ray Annacone acquired the drugstore in 1962 and ran it until the late 1970s. He bought from Richard Stryker. Matthew Robinson ran the place in the 1930s and 40s.

Ray Annacone and staff assist a customer in his well-appointed Ocean Avenue pharmacy. Red Bank Register, October 1963. A Rutgers College of Pharmacy graduate and WW II Navy vet, he died in Feb. 2002.

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.

Fowler’s Hardware & Variety Store carpenter’s apron. William R. Fowler, Jr. acquired the Ocean Avenue building and business in 1944. The borough native was “an active civic leader,” according to his January 1968 obit — a three-term borough councilman, fire chief, school board president, and SB church trustee and bank director. His father, William R. Fowler, Sr., was the SB mayor for 15 years and a SB councilman for 15 years. The father of 14 children, he died in October 1941.

Sea Bright Hardware (the old Fowler’s), 1960s. Built just after the Great Sea Bright Fire of 1891 by E.H. Knapp and Edward West who opened a grocery there. In 1920, William H. Mahoney (a Rumson mayor and a Republican) and J. Elwood Harvey (a Little Silver mayor and a Democrat) bought the building, added more inventory and called it Sea Bright’s Big Store. Louis Tocci, Sr. acquired the building and business in 1969; he died in 1992 and the family still owns the building.

Bain’s Hardware Store (the old Fowler’s) on Ocean Avenue, 2013. Frank Bain acquired the business in 1994 with the slogan: “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.” He rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 and the store remains very popular today. Ely Herman had owned the store in 1982.

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).

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

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

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 Dec. 2020 after 17 years there to make way for the new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge.

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.

Yolk’s On You Kitchen on Ocean Avenue, 2020. Serving outstanding breakfast and lunch steps from the beach. MORE INFO.

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

Donovan’s Reef in ruins after Superstorm Sandy, October 2012 (StansPhotos.com).

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.

First lighthouse atop Navesink Highlands (later to be rebuilt as “Twin Lights”) with SB in background, 1828.

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.

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

Hartshorne Woods Park seen from Sea Bright, 2009. The “hilly, forested 794-acre site overlooking the Navesink River is among the highest elevations along the Atlantic Coast.”

Cecile Norton, 1985. The first woman mayor of Sea Bright from 1967 to 1987, she also served on the SB board of education and borough council before election as mayor. Born in New Orleans, she came to the borough in 1939. A former state Democratic committee member, she died in July 1988. Her brother Gus Levy was a former CEO/Chairman of Goldman Sachs.

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.

Mayor Cecile Norton (r) greets U.S. Senator Henry Jackson (D-WA), 1971. Senator Jackson was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination at the time.

Gertrude Ederle swims in the Shore Hill Motel pool in SB, 1965. She was the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. A gold medal winner at the 1924 Summer Olympics, Ederle died in 2003.

Cancellation notification by Central Jersey Railroad officially ending train stops in Sea Bright, December 1945.

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.

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

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

Donovan’s Reef after Hurricane Sandy, November 2012. The popular beach bar hangout reopened after repairs in June 2017. Opened in 1976, Thrillst Review called Donovan’s “a sprawling mecca of summer bliss.”

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.” SB Councilman Neils Jacobsen was the post commander.

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

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.

Sea Bright Democrat allies: Cecile F. Norton and John S. Forsman, review election results indicating victory. She as mayor; he as council member. 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.

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

SB 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Sea Bright Public Playground, 1918. Looking at the bandstand that stood at the foot of the children’s playground. The spot now is the Sea Bright Community Center.

Sea Bright fixture: Frances Rooney selling hot dogs at Surf & Ocean Avenues, 2017. She started selling from her pushcart at that spot in 1977. Word is she has called it a career since Covid.

Anjelica’s Restaurant outside dinning, 2010s. Chef Ray Lena opened the Ocean Avenue restaurant in 1996. The fine dining spot is named for his daughter.

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

Flooding on Ocean Avenue by Gardella’s Super Market, 1960s. Ernest Gardella ran the business from about 1920 to 1947. He died in 1966.

Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club (in Rumson), 1920s. Established in 1876; it’s the oldest tennis club in the nation. William Shippen won the first club title in 1879.

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap on Ocean Avenue, 2018. Named for owner Thomas J. Bonfiglio, 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 U.S. 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.

Harry’s Lobster House fire. APP, April 1963. The blaze started in the kitchen said SB Fire Chief Andy Keating.
Sea Bright History Notes …
• Some SB history notes, from a September 1951 Daily Register profile of local historian, Mrs. Charles V. Shropshire: Sea Bright’s first physician was Dr. J.J. Reed. His brother, Dr. Charles Reed, was Sea Bright’s first dentist. The borough’s first legal bar was actually a boat operated by Peter Poppinger in 1878, who would sail to South Street in Sea Bright and run a plank ashore to sell his booze – all with an official license. He later opened Poppinger’s Hotel on South Street.
• Martha Stevens of Castle Point, Hoboken, NJ gave Sea Bright its name. An early visitor to the area, she was an associate of the town’s first developers: Mifflin Paul, W.W. Shippen, and Samuel Dod. She was also the founder of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken in 1870. Paul had suggested “St.-Paul-on-the-Shrewsbury” as a town name.
• Sea Bright nicknames through the years: “Where every breeze is water-cooled” and “The playground of Monmouth County.”
• “I love Sea Bright … but we ought to let the water determine what land is occupied.”
—Dery Bennett, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society, 1979
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