First Dip — “Bathing Scene at Long Branch, NJ” Summer 1912.

Off the Boards — City beach access gate at Pavilion Avenue, Summer 2020. Long Branch public beach fees for Summer 2025 are set — an adult (18-61) beach pass is $70; students pay $30. For seniors, children, vets, and the disabled city beach badges are free. The daily weekend rate is $9 — MORE INFO.

Beach Day — Huge crowds enjoy city beaches, Summer 1932. Prior to the city hiring lifeguards in 1931, Long Branch beaches were protected by the US Volunteer Life-Saving Corps. Organized in 1905, the group guarded 150 spots in NJ and kept three city stations — at Cranmer’s and two in Elberon.

Cruel Sea — “Bathing at Long Branch, NJ,” New York Illustrated News, August 1863. Long Branch did over $2.2 million in city beach revenues for Summer 2024.

Marine Mammal — Workers removed a dead Humpback Whale that washed ashore in Long Branch, August 2023.

“Bathing at Long Branch, NJ,” 1907.

“Beach Coach” — Not until the early 1960s did the city foster a professional beach system. In fact, certified training for lifeguards was not mandated until Summer 1963 when new city beach supervisor, Amadeo “Army” Ippolito, led the effort. The city picked someone who knew how to excel — in education, sports, politics and at the beach. His early beach bio included: 25+ years as a city lifeguard (he was remembered as a “strong swimmer”) and as manager of the USO Beach Club in North End. Born in Montclair, Army was president of the Long Branch High School, Class of 1933. He’d been an All-State end at LBHS and was a star player at Temple U (where “Pop” Warner was his coach). After a 20-year career as LBHS head football coach where he led the Green Wave to five state championships, he was ousted in April 1964. At his departure, local newspapers considered him “Mr. Football in Long Branch.” He also taught in the city school system for over 30 years (introducing the Spanish language program in Long Branch in 1943) before retiring in 1975. He made a comeback of sorts — winning a Long Branch City Council seat in 1965 and serving to 1970. Upon his death in June 1980, admirers told the Red Bank Daily Register he was “always a direct, fair, and decent” man. His players told the Asbury Park Press: “he never let you forget that playing football for Long Branch was something special.”

Sand Queens — “The Bathers” by WInslow Homer,  Harper’s Weekly, August 1873. This wood-engraving image was done in Long Branch.

West End First — “Hollywood Baths” near Ocean and Cedar Avenues, 1905. Part of John Hoey’s Hollywood Hotel the baths — “the first of its kind ever constructed along the Jersey Coast” — opened on July 4, 1890. The 8-million-gallon saltwater pool was exclusively for hotel guests. The pavilion building burned in April 1915 and the pool operated until 1930.

Beach Day — Long Branch coast looking north, 2016. Brighton Baths, part of the Brighton Beach Hotel, burned in May 1919.

Sand Time — A busy beach off the Chelsea Avenue Pavilion, 1912. Note the absence of a pier.

County Pride — Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park aerial image, Summer 2022 (David Booth Photo). For Summer 2025, a season pass at the park is $75 and it’s $10 for a day pass — MORE INFO.

Winning Homer — “Long Branch, New Jersey” by Winslow Homer, 1869. Known popularly as “The Bluffs” — it’s the ultimate Long Branch “beach” image and yet city historians are uncertain of the exact location of this iconic Gilded Age oil painting. The best estimate is along Ocean Avenue between Morris and Pavilion Avenues. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston acquired the artwork in 1941 paying $2,800. Homer is regarded “as the greatest American painter of the 19th century” — MORE INFO.

Super Summers — “Pool Club Row,” 1950s. Located on the west side of Ocean Avenue were three public bathing facilities — Cranmer’s Baths, Chelsea Baths and Columbia Baths — MORE INFO.

To the Rescue — Long Branch lifeguards in action, 1960s. During the 1960s city public beaches were considered “the safest in New Jersey,” according to the Long Branch Daily Record. The city had started the first lifeguard training school in June 1962. That summer most lifeguards were paid 75 cents per hour.

50 Summers Ago — City of Long Branch lifeguard boat, 2021. Half a century ago, Summer 1974, the starting salary for city lifeguards was $85 per week (for 6 work days). Jim Simonelli led the 27-lifeguard contingent that season. The total city beach budget was under $150,000 that year. For summer ’24, the city will appropriate 10 times that amount to run Long Branch public beaches.

Beach Days — Avenel Blvd winds though coastal North Long Branch in this aerial image, Summer 1952. On top is the North End Beach Club; it became White Sands Beach Club in Summer 1961. The USO Beach Club is the coastal building at left center.

All in a Row — Long Branch city lifeguards, 1957. “Watchers of the lives of people; guardians of pleasurable weekends and vacations.” —Long Branch Daily Record, August 1941.

“Bathing Hour at Long Branch,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, September 1876. “Regard the bathing-master — he is thoroughly familiar with the tides, temperature and formation of bars, manner and effects of bathing and all that relates to it. You will be safe if you regard his directions.”—A Complete Descriptive Guide of Long Branch, NJ by J.H. Schenck, 1868. The “bathing-masters” were employed by the large oceanfront hotels that ruled Long Branch summers at the time.

“Watch the Water” — Another day dawns on city beaches, August 2023 (Robert Goodman Photo). The city’s first paid lifeguards were in Summer 1931.

On Guard — Another day dawns on city beaches, 2019. For Sumner 1980, a Long Branch season beach pass was $10; the daily weekend rate was $1.50. In Monmouth Beach it was $20 for the season. In Sea Bright it was $12.50 for the season; $1 on weekends.

Old Guard — One of the early city lifeguards near the Long Branch Pier, late 1930s. Conrad Soffel was named the first city superintendent of beaches in June 1933. A former city fire chief (1910) and longtime school board member, he died in June 1937.

“Beach at Long Branch, NJ,” 1915 postcard. “Safe Beach Day” at Long Branch, NJ — MORE INFO.

“Celebrated Watering Places” — Philadelphia residents wishing to go “Sea Bathing at Long Branch” in Summer 1945 got started by boarding a 5 am train (on the Camden & Amboy RR) to Hightstown, NJ (where they were served breakfast) Then via “pleasant stages” “gentle horses” and accommodating drivers” the travelers would arrive in Long Branch by “early afternoon.” The 85-mile trip cost $3. The stagecoaches returned to Hightstown every morning. Back then stages averaged less than 10 mph.

Long Branch’s Rembrandt — Winslow Homer, 1860s. Born in Boston in February 1836, he first came to paint in Long Branch in 1869 and naturally fell in love with the sea and a girl. While encouraged some by his mother, Homer was largely a self-taught artist. For all his prized work on Long Branch seascape tranquility and serenity, Homer also saw the Civil War from the front as artist-correspondent for Harper’s Magazine. He died in 1910. (NJ State Archives Photo).

“Surf’s Up” — Long Branch oceanfront postcard, 1960s. City beaches helped popularize surfing at the Jersey Shore. According to a long-term Beach Erosion Board study on wave height at Long Branch beaches ending in 1949, it was determined that 98% of waves were 6 foot or lower (a height that begins to attract the better surfers).

Beach day in Long Branch, 1960s. By Summer 1966, according to the Long Branch Daily Record, the city had 19 beach clubs along its 5-mile stretch of oceanfront — 9 public and 10 private.

Busy beach summer day at Pier Village, 2019. Most of city’s coastline is open to the public.

Long Branch’s humble beach beginnings, 1870.

Swimming contest at Long Branch, Summer 1874.

Family fun at the shore has been a constant, early 1900s.

Early bathing at Long Branch, early 1900s.

An early bathing beauty contest by the Bluffs, late 1800s.

Summer storm pounds the bluffs. Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, August 1873.

Busy summer day in Long Branch, 1923. FYI — Dixon’s Bathing Pavilion at the foot of Broadway opened in 1925; J.C. Dixon ran the 60-bathhouse operation.

Long Branch swimmers test the waters, 1900. Even as late as Summer 2019, the city paid beginner lifeguards just $9.50/hour. Today a starter guard gets about $17/hour.

“On the Beach at Long Branch, NJ” by Winslow Homer, 1867. His Long Branch artwork is much prized.

Bluffs, beach and bathers at Long Branch, 1875.

“The Beach at Long Branch” by Winslow Homer, 1869.

America’s #1 beach holiday, July 4, 2019 in Long Branch, NJ. “Long Branch, Metropolis of the Seashore”—Long Branch Daily Record, Summer 1922.

West End beach-goers are among the most dedicated sun, sea & sand patrons, 1981.

Shore Protection — City lifeguard stand on a cloudy summer day, 2020. By 1959, the average city lifeguard was earning $50 per week and $1,500 covered a whole summer of their salaries.

Good Guards — Summer of social distancing at a city beach, July 2020. It wasn’t until Summer 1963 when the city mandated certified training for all lifeguards. City beach supervisor “Army” Ippolito led the effort, according to Long Branch Daily Record. Ippolito, who coached LBHS to five state football championships and later served as a Long Branch city councilman, died in June 1980.

Bathing at Long Branch, 1907.

Summer Season #1 — Long Branch pier and beach, 1910.

Summer Season #2 — Long Branch pier and beach, 1936.

Summer Season #3 — Long Branch pier and beach, 1980 (Dan Hennessey Photo).

Off Season — More than 800 hearty souls participated in the annual Sons of Ireland Polar Plunge staged in Long Branch at the Ocean Place Resort, New Year’s Day 2023 (Dave Booth Photo).

Long Branch beach at Chelsea Pavilion, 1920s.

Long Branch beach at Chelsea Pavilion, 1930s.

Colony Surf Club, 1938. Arguably the city’s most stylish and swanky beach club, the massive West End facility operated for parts of four decades (1933-1966).

Colony Surf Club, 1946. By the early-1950s, the club had 84 cabanas and 280 bathhouses and a season full of activities.

Colony Surf Club, 1930s. Built at the height of the Great Depression, the private beach club would become a summertime paradise for generations of city families.

Colony Surf Club, 1944. Owner Harry J. Reicher opened the doors in June 1933 and ran it for a decade of summers.

Colony Surf Club on Ocean Avenue, 1935. Reicher also owned the Hollywood Hotel (with Harry Freedman) acquired in a 1925 foreclosure and they held it for 25 years.

Colony Surf Club, 1936. Ocean Avenue at the top — crowns a breathtaking view of the massive beach club grounds.

Colony Surf Club “Official Grand Opening.” Long Branch Daily Record, June 1933. Film star Robert Montgomery was on hand for the opening.

Colony Surf Club, 1940s. By Summer 1942 it claimed to have the Jersey Shore’s “largest and finest pool.”

Colony Surf Club, 1935.

Colony Surf Club, 1930s. Jerry Pressman and Benjamin Zuckerman bought the club from Harry Reicher in 1944 and sold it (along with the nearby West End Casino beach club) in 1945 for $500,000.

Colony Beach Club, 1930s. Membership declined in later years and the club was torn down in September 1967. The property was sold at sheriff’s auction in December 1968.

West End postcard, 1960s. The Colony club at upper right was acquired by Henry and Bernice Kempler in 1961.

Colony Surf Club postcard, 1940s. In its heyday, the club had its own 14-piece orchestra.

Colony Surf Club is ablaze, October 1948. All of the city’s fire companies, four from shore area towns and the US Coast Guard battled the “fiercely burning” fire. A new club was rebuilt for $221,000. Ross Enterprises, Inc. was the owner. After the fire, the Sand & Surf Hotel management took control of the property.

Colony Surf Club rebuilt, Long Branch Daily Record, Feb. 1961.

Sand & Surf Hotel undergoing construction on Ocean Avenue in West End, May 1950. It was the old Colony Surf Club grounds. It later become the Harbor Island Spa.

Ocean Beach Club in Elberon, 1940.

Ocean Beach Club, 2021.

Ocean Beach Club, 2013. First organized in 1906 and still operating today — it’s the oldest beach club in Long Branch.

Ocean Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1940s. William Rosenfeld was an original founder and the first OBC president which included 25 charter members.

OBC, 1966. Rosenfeld — also a city commissioner and successful diamond merchant — was born in Oregon in 1868. He donated $100,000 to Monmouth Memorial Hospital when he died in 1957.

Ocean Beach Club, 2020.

Ocean Beach Club, 2017.

Ocean Beach Club pool area, 2010s. The salt water pool was added in the early 1920s for $18,000.

Ocean Beach Club, today. Samuel Sestito spent a half-century of summers at the OBC, beginning as its superintendent in 1920 until his death in 1970.

Ocean Beach Club after Superstorm Sandy, 2013.

Ocean Beach Club, 2021.

Ocean Beach Club cabanas after a bad fire, September 1938.

Ocean Beach Club, 2017.

Ocean Beach Club in Elberon when it was a private home, 1880s. The house was owned by Temple Bowdoin and later Lewis Gawtry, who sold it to the club in 1921 for $31,500. The Gawtry family made a fortune in banking and natural gas.

Promenade Beach Club, July 4, 2024 (David Booth Photo).

This is Before — Vacant oceanfront propriety at Ocean and Cooper Avenues — where the NJ National Guard Armory was built. Long Branch Daily Record, May 1952.

Promenade Beach Club along the oceanfront, 2020s.

Promenade Beach Club on Cooper Avenue, 2019 — MORE INFO.

Promenade Beach Club pool area, 2019. Located in Beachfront North, it’s the city’s most modern beach club.

Promenade Beach Club, 2020s.

Promenade Beach Club in the off-season, 2021.

Promenade Beach Club aerial image, 2010s. Located on the old NJ National Guard armory property, the club opened in May 2000.

Promenade Beach Club pool area, 2010s.

Promenade Beach Club cabanas on the sand, 2019.

Summer montage at Promenade Beach Club, 2020.

Promenade Beach Club, 2019. In 1999, club developers-owners James McDuffie, John Chimento and Joseph Lagrotteria acquired the 3.1-acre site from the city for $494,000.

New Jersey National Guard Armory at Ocean and Cooper Avenues, 1980s. Dedicated in September 1959 and built at a $600,000 cost, the facility was used by the 250th Quartermaster Battalion. It had a 7,000-square-foot drill area, gun range, kitchen, classrooms and could accommodate 2,000 in its auditorium.

NJ National Guard Armory along the oceanfront, Long Branch Daily Record, August 1959.

Army Maneuvers — Mayor Daniel Maher (r) at the grand opening of the NJ National Guard Armory at Ocean and Cooper Avenues, Long Branch Daily Record, September 1959. At left is Colonel Frank N. Kaiser, the new station commander.

Breakwater Beach Club on Ocean Avenue in Elberon. The private club opened in June 1957 with partners: Abe Vogel, Leopold Hechter, Irving Kaye, Harry Glassberg, and Sol Tepper.

Breakwater Beach Club, 2017. Vogel, who also co-owned Vogel’s Department Store on Broadway and did some part-time acting, later became the sole club owner. He died in May 2007.

Breakwater Beach Club, 2010s. Designed by H. Irving Braun, the club was called a “palatial arrangement of pools, cabanas and myriad other facilities for summer recreation” upon its opening in 1957.

Breakwater Beach Club, 2018.

Breakwater Beach Club pool area, 2017.

Breakwater Beach Club, 2020. Still operating.

Breakwater Beach Club, Winter 2021.

Breakwater Beach Club, 2017.

Elberon Bathing Club on Ocean Avenue in Elberon, 2019 — MORE INFO.

Elberon Bathing Club, late 1960s. A “tidy and well kept beach club,” Asbury Park Press, June 1965.

Elberon Bathing Club. In 1934 on oceanfront land he owned, Gene Sperry (a wealthy New York lawyer and mayor of Deal) helped organize the club and build a facility in Long Branch. The wife of Sperry’s chauffeur ran the club snack bar. By 1943 the club was incorporated.

Elberon Bathing Club pool, 2000s. Beginning in Summer 1943, Coach Alfred Neuschaefer was the club’s swimming director. A member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, “Neusch” is the only high school swim coach to gain hall entry. His Trenton High School swim teams won 19 NJ state titles before he retired in 1960. The Newark native and Rutgers grad died in July 1977.

Elberon Bathing Club. Among the famous members were: Toots Shor, flamboyant NYC saloon keeper; Sonny Werblin, New York Jets owner; and Lester Markel, creator of the New York Times Book Review section.

EBC cabanas in a row, 2015. In a 1952 APP news story, Edwin Bry, then president, said that operations at the non-profit club began in 1921.

EBC decked out, 2019. During the 1920s and 1930s, it was a private beach club for Bloomingdale family members and friends — the department store magnates.

EBC in ruins after Superstorm Sandy, 2013 (Tom Berg Photo).

City firefighters battle a club fire, January 1975.

Bloomingdale Beach Club, 1936.

Bloomingdale house on Ocean Avenue in Elberon, 1881. The architects were McKim, Mead & White. Cost to build: $33,000. Back then H. Victor Newcomb, a railroad tycoon and banker, owned the property. Lyman Bloomingdale bought the house in 1901.

Bloomingdale house in Elberon, 1885.

Takanassee Beach Club during a banner day, 1970s. Summer fun lasted there until 2006.

Takanassee Beach Club abandoned, 2011. Starting a sad decline … even as great memories endure.

Takanassee Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, Fall 1968.

Takanassee Beach Club aerial image, 1960s. During peak seasons, club members enjoyed 600-feet of beachfront, spread over 5 acres of property, set among several historic buildings. Pretty choice stuff.

Takanassee Beach Club, 1965. The Peters family first acquired the property in 1924 and by June 1932 the beach club was operating. Rhoda “Ginny” Peters and her husband James ran things for decades.

Takanassee Beach Club property aerial image, 2007.

US Coast Guard Station at Takanassee Beach, 1920s.

US Life-Saving Service station #5 at Takanassee Beach, 1908. Called surfmen, this incredibly brave group operated here until 1915 under the oath: “You have to go out; you don’t have to come back.” Opened in 1880, the building later housed parts of the beach club.

Takanassee Beach Club remains in West End, 2009. In 1955, the Peters expanded their beach club operations paying about $25,000 to the US government for an acre of beachfront and a large building and smaller boathouse.

Takanassee Beach Club lifeguards, 1973. Dick Martin (c) — TBC’s captain of the guards from 1961 to 1982 — led one of the Jersey Shore’s finest group of guards. He was also president of the Shore Lifeguard’s Association.

Takanassee Beach Club lifeguards Dick Martin and Pete Dutoit with the canoe they used to win the 700-yard boat race at an Asbury Park lifeguard tourney, Long Branch Daily Record, August 1967. Captain Martin kept “well -drilled teams” who were perennial champs during 1970s shore area lifeguard tournaments.

End of Days — Takanassee Beach Club pool area on its last summer weekend, Sept. 2006.

Takanassee Beach Club building is moved to a new location in Elberon, May 2012. The “Port Huron” design section dates back to 1903 and the historic US Life-Saving Service.

Takanassee Beach Club aerial image, 2000. For nearly 80 years, the Peters family ran the beach club from beginning to end.

Takanassee Beach Club in the early days. Developer Isaac Chera acquired the club property in 2008, paying $17 million to Ginger, Scott and Kristen Peters.

Takanassee Beach Club property in its decline, 2010s.

Takanassee Beach Club gone to seed (or sand), 2008. The first pool opened for Summer 1959 and was built by Sylvan Pools for $10,600.

Takanassee Beach Club from above, 2006. The spot also held a US Coast Guard unit that was closed after WW II.

Owner Rhoda Virginia Peters at her Takanassee Beach Club, 1990s. (Beth Anne Duze Woolley Photo). She died in January 1999 and her husband James died in 1970.

US Life-Saving Station and out buildings, early 1900s. The first LB station was a tiny cabin built in 1855. A new 1875-type station was built in 1878 and a boathouse with a lookout tower were added in 1904.

First life-saving structure built at Takanassee Beach, 1855.

US Life-Saving Station, #5 at Takanassee Beach. Opened in 1879.

A short history of the Takanassee Beach Club. Long Branch Daily Record, June 1932.

Takanassee Beach Club program, 1960s.

Lost Long Branch Landmark — An abandoned Takanassee Beach Club on fire, August 2013. The structure once housed the venerable US Life-Saving Service and US Coast Guard — before becoming a beach cub in 1933.

Fly By — Takanassee Beach Club  and lake aerial image, 2000s.

Surfside Beach Club on Ocean Avenue, 1950s. The Long Branch native Cittadino brothers, city youth camp owners/counselors, started the pool and beach club in Summer 1947; it closed in 1973.

Surfside Beach Club pool area, 1960s. The West End spot was “a fine family club.”

All New — Surfside Beach Club ad,  Red Bank Daily Register, June 1947. The club had 650-feet of beachfront.

Before Beach — Huyler’s Candy Company store on Ocean Avenue, 1909. The West End spot would become Surfside Beach Club. Huyler’s was a popular NYC area candy, ice cream, and restaurant chain that operated from 1874 to 1964. Chocolate was their specialty.

Huyler’s store, 1901. Milton Hershey got his start in a Huyler’s store.

Surfside Pool & Cabana Club, 1960s. Owners John and Anthony “Boots” Cittadino started the club as part of their successful Seashore Day Camp which they launched in 1926.

Surfside Beach Club, 1960s. John, a WW II US Army vet and NYU grad, was a highly-regarded area swimming instructor and coach. He died in August 1980. Anthony died in July 2000.

Surfside Beach Club pool area, 1960s. The first pool was 85 x 40 feet.

Surfside Beach Club, 1970. Member-families recall many pleasant seasons in the sun here.

Surfside Beach Club, 1960s. In June 1950, it became the first “chlorinated saltwater pool” on the Jersey Shore.

Surfside Beach Club, late-1960s.

Surfside Beach Club wading pool, 1970s.

Surfside Beach Club, 1954.

Surfside Beach Club, 1950s. (Long Branch Public Library Photograph Collection).

Surfside beach, 1968.

New Surfside Beach Club ad, Long Branch Daily Record, June 1947.

Surfside Beach Club aerial image, 1950s.

Huyler’s Candy Company store, 1905. The Cittadinos acquired the West End property in 1945.

Surfside Beach Club to the left of Harbour Mansion in West End, 1970s.

Elberon Surf Club on Ocean Avenue, 1980s. By the Summer 1944, David O. Evans was operating the club which included about 60 members. In the mid-1950s, according to the LB Daily Record, the club obtained the nearby home of Carmine DeSapio for its use. DeSapio was the last Tammany Hall political machine boss to dominate municipal politics in NYC.

Elberon Surf Club sketch proposal. Long Branch Daily Record, 1957. That was the year the club incorporated as a non-profit. By December 1986, the club and property were sold for about $1.5 million. Beach club operations stopped shortly thereafter.

The house were the Elberon Surf Club used to stand. This 14,000-square-foot “Belle Mer” oceanfront estate is on the market for just under $38 million.

Beaches of North End, 1950. The Savoth family — including father and son, Charles and George — ran beach club operations in the area dating back to 1929.

Big Dive — Charles Savoth (l) at his White Sand Beach club in North End, June 1973. The summer before the club had nearly 2,000 members, according to the Long Branch Daily Record. Born in Long Branch, George was a WW II US Navy vet and a former city chamber of commerce president. He died in December 2005.

White Sands Beach Club in North Long Branch, 1969. During peak late 1960s summers club property covered 4 acres including 600-feet of prime oceanfront along with a 130 x 60-foot pool.

North Long Branch oceanfront, Summer 1952. In Summer 1937, Alma vom Steeg of Casino Beach club became the country’s first and only lifeguard captain, according to Long Branch Daily Record.

Casino Beach and Pool of North Long Branch, 1940s. Club expansion with 244 bathhouses was done in 1947.

Casino Beach and Pool of North Long Branch opening ad. Long Branch Daily Record, March 1936. The developers were Charles P. Savoth and William Argerakis.

White Sands Beach Club layout, early 1960s.

White Sands Beach Club swim team , Summer 1972.

City firefighters battle a blaze at the old White Sands, May 1978. The city had acquired the 4-acre property including 600-feet of oceanfront in December 1973 for $740,000.

North End Beach Club ad. Long Branch Daily Record, May 1958. It was renamed White Sands Beach Club in 1961.

White Sands pool diving, 1960s. The pool was 135-feet x 60-feet.

“Miss White Sands” — Chris Krueger, Summer ’65.

White Sands beachfront cabanas, 1960s.

White Sands pool, 1960s. The beach club that’s gone through several names over 30 years. Beginning in 1931, it was the Villa Beach Club, the Sunshine Beach & Pool Club, the Mir-a-Mar Beach Club, the Casino Beach and Pool Club, the North End Beach Club before finally it was the White Sands Beach Club in 1961.

White Sands Bathing Club ad, 1965. Members called it “a glorious place for kids and adults.”

White Sands Bathing Club gathering, 1968.

Kiernan’s surfing beach with White Sands in background, 1970. George Savoth was an advocate for North End surfers — providing them with a private beach and adding: “they keep the beach clean and there is no rowdyism among surfers” in 1966, when the Long Branch spot “ranked with the best of them from Ocean City to Sandy Hook.” A city native, Savoth died in December 2005.

White Sands after storm wreckage, March 1962. Monmouth County later took control of the property and Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park opened in May 1977.

Old White Sands goes up in flames for good and all. It was the “North End Beach Club” when destroyed by two separate fires over two days in May 1978.

New White Sands Beach Club ad, Long Branch Daily Record, March 1961.

Sunshine Beach Club, 1936. When the Ocean Avenue beach club opened in 1934 it had a 1,000 feet of beach and room for 1,000+ cars. Maurice O’Connell was its president.

Ad for Sunshine Beach & Pool Club. Long Branch Daily Record, July 1933. It later became the White Sands Beach Club.

Promotion flyer for a “private beach club” in North End. Built at a cost of $350,000, the Villa Beach Club at North Long Branch opened in July 1931. A.T. Cummins was the builder/manager and Newton White was the first club president. Family membership for the summer was $100. The “spacious club” lasted only one summer and was sold at sheriff’s auction for $37,000 in November 1931. The land had been known as the “McConville estate.” The spot later became the White Sands Beach Club.

Mir-a-Mar Beach Club in North Long Branch. APP ad, June 1932. It had been the Villa Beach Club. When the newly-named club opened that summer it had a new pool.

USO beach club pavilion in North End, 1940s. Opened in June 1943, wrecked in a 1952 storm, a new one was rebuilt in 1954. The Long Branch United Service Organization dates to 1941; its headquarters was on Broadway.

USO beach club in North End, 1940s. For the exclusive use of US military service personal, family and friends.

Local soldiers get the USO Beach Club in North End really for another summer. LB Daily Record, April 1961. The facility was destroyed in a major December 1966 fire.

Avenel Bathing Pavilion in North Long Branch postcard. The club dates to 1913. By the late 1920s, the city owned the club and was leasing it out for summer seasons. Claude Potter was a longtime club operator. The spot officially became the USO Beach Club in 1943. Mary Gill was the first supervisor.

USO beach with North Long Branch Motel in the background, 1970s.

USO beach club from above, 1950s.

The Beachcomber Club on Atlantic Avenue In North End, 1960s.

Lots of features, Long Branch Daily Record, May 1954.

The Beachcomber Club at the end of Atlantic Avenue In North End, 1950s. Stan and James Tsigonis acquired the property in June 1953 — it had been known as “Shipkins” beach club since the 1930s.

Leteendezvous Surf & Swim Club, 1967. Formerly the Beachcomber Club, the North End facility was changed into a swimming and surfing club — for teenagers only. J. Kelsey Burr was in charge.

The Beachcomber along the LB oceanfront, 1966. Anthony “Ducky” Schiavo ran the business for several years until 1970 when he opened the nearby Peddler Bicycle Shop. A former school teacher, he died in 2001 at age 57.

The Beachcomber after a major storm, March 1962.

Shipkin’s Bathing Beach in North End postcard, 1930s.

West End Casino beach club, 1940s

West End Casino beach club, 1940s (NJ State Archives Photo).

West End Casino beach club, 1940s (NJ State Archives Photo).

West End Casino, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 1928.

Swimming pools — West End Casino, 1930s.

West End Casino beach club, 1940s. “A continental rendezvous by the sea.”

West End Casino beach club on fire, 1920s.

West End Casino beach club, 1940s. The club was opened by Tillie Levy in the early 1930s.

West End Casino “twin crystal pools,” 1950s. After a major fire in 1965 the club closed.

West End Casino, early 1900s.

West End Casino pool area, early 1930s.

West End Casino, 1920s.

West End Casino, early 1900s postcard. At its beach club peak the facility offered 350+ bathhouses/cabanas for summer rental.

West End Casino, 1905.

West End Casino, early 1900s.

Robert Tisch was an owner of the New York Giants. APP, January 1951.