Storm Damage

A big tree came down in the backyard. And the storm is only beginning.

Hurricane Sandy and Cliffwood Beach

Hurricane Sandy is heading our way. A tidal surge will bring water up into the usual places in Cliffwood Beach. During Hurricane Irene, the tidal surge destroyed the dunes at the beach, covered the roadways around the park and filled the lower part of Greenwood Avenue. I don't recall what happened to Beach Drive but I assume it saw some flooding too. They're calling for up to an 11 foot surge plus wave action. Strong winds could bring down trees and branches and take down power lines.

Check the Weather Channel and Channel 12 for the latest on this massive storm.  

Check Aberdeen Township's Hurricane Sandy Advisories page for the latest announcements from local government officials.

Check my article from last year when Hurricane Irene was on the way. It tells you how to look up flood zone maps for Cliffwood Beach at FEMA. Establish what zone you're in to determine whether your home is vulnerable to flooding from this storm.

Park Cleanup in River Gardens (Cliffwood)

River Gardens is a part of the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen Township. It was developed by Laurence Harbor Heights Company in the late 1940s. The neighborhood is situated between Matawan Avenue, Route 35, Matawan Creek and the Matawan border (just north of the Garden State Parkway). West Prospect Avenue is the major route through the neighborhood, running from Route 35 to the Matawan Avenue Middle School (MAMS).

River Gardens is home to a 25-acre undeveloped park located on Riverdale Drive along Matawan Creek. The land was acquired as public open space by Aberdeen Township in 2004. The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council and the NY/NJ Baykeeper organized a recent park cleanup, according to The Matawan-Aberdeen Patch and other sources.

The Township's Environmental Commission is looking into the history of the area's renowned brick companies, which established their works along Matawan Creek and the railroad to facilitate shipment of their goods to market. Remnants of at least one brickyard, most of which were uprooted by the building of the Garden State Parkway in the 1950s, have been found in Riverside Park.

History of the River Gardens Subdivision

According to the 22 Dec 1949 edition of The Matawan Journal, outgoing councilman William Regan complained to the Matawan Township Council that developers were receiving preferential access to the water supply from township officials, while local residents remained on a long waiting list. He asked in particular about deliveries of pipe "at the old Pennsylvania Railroad property in Cliffwood, now in the course of development as River Gardens by Laurence Harbor Heights Co." Regan pointed out that there hadn't been any Council discussion of the River Gardens development since January 1947. Township Chairman John Marz Jr said that the company had agreed to buy its own pipe and the Township would take possession of it after 20 years. One councilman suggested that the Council was working in the dark and should have a copy of the plans.

The 27 Sep 1951 edition of The Matawan Journal featured a complaint to the Township Council from a River Gardens residents group. The developer had installed septic tanks at $250 each, but the State came in and found the septic systems inadequate. The residents wanted Laurence Harbor Heights Co to fund their required deposits on a new sewer system, including a plant, piping and pumps. The estimated cost of the system was $75,000 to $85,000.

The 30 Jan 1958 edition of The Matawan Journal included coverage of a River Gardens residents group that petitioned the school board for a restoration of bus transportation for their high school students. The article identified River Gardens as a section of Cliffwood.

Laurence Harbor Heights Company

I found references to land transfers by Laurence Harbor Heights Company in The Matawan Journal as early as 1935, but no fundamentals about the company itself. I checked the web and found a Google Books record showing that the company advertised in an 18 Oct 1922 "Railway" magazine under Rivers and Harbors as a builder  of bulkheads, boardwalk and gradings. The ad appeared in The Collected Works of Sir Humphrey Daly, by Halbert Powers Gillette. A New Jersey court case titled Villa Corp vs S D Walker, et al (187 F.2d 493), heard in 1950 and decided the following year, said that Laurence Harbor Heights Company was owned as of 1947 by one S D Walker.

Treasure Lake - Fall 2012

Fall is in full swing at Treasure Lake in Cliffwood Beach.

Monmouth County Publishes Sample Ballots for 2012 General Elections

I received my Aberdeen sample ballot in the mail yesterday. (If you live in Monmouth County, you can find your sample ballot here. Here's a link to the Matawan sample ballot. And, by the way, you might want to bookmark the place where you can find results of elections.)

If you think the presidential election is Obama vs Romney, you'll want to check the ballot, which has ten candidates for President. Likewise, the US Senate race isn't simply Menendez vs Kyrillos; there are eleven candidates for the job, including a Libertarian candidate on the second line. Pallone and Little aren't alone either; they are joined by four others running for the House of Representatives post. No one petitioned to compete against the Republicans and Democrats for County Clerk and Board of Chosen Freeholders. I'll be voting for Obama, Menendez, Pallone, French, Shea and Lavan.

Matawan has openings for two members of the Borough Council.

The Matawan and Aberdeen ballots also include candidates for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District's school board, an election which used to be held in April. Macomber and Martinez are running against incumbents Hayward and Aitken  for a pair of full term Aberdeen positions on the board. One Matawan full term slot (Donahue isn't renewing) and one Aberdeen one-year unexpired term slot (Phillips resigned) have no registered candidates but a number of write-in candidates (Perri, Nappi, and Gentile and others are out there) are campaigning for one or the other of the two slots. The mood in the district is grim after a series of bad decisions by the board, so lots of people are running to kick the bums out. Everywhere I turn I seem to find someone mad as hell and unwilling to take it anymore. I agree with that sentiment and, while not running myself, I will be voting in Aberdeen for Macomber, Martinez, and write-in candidate Art Perri.

If you want to support one of the write-in candidates for the one-year unexpired term on the Aberdeen ballot, be sure to click WRITE IN next to the words NO NOMINATION MADE. The Matawan ballot offers little confusion for write-in voters. Just make sure you're supporting a write-in candidate in your municipality.

When school board elections were held in April, the winners would be sworn in that June. When do the November winners get installed? Also, we used to vote on the school budget in school board elections, but I don't see the budget on the list of public questions. What happened to that? Can someone tell me if we and when we vote on the school budget? Or have we lost that right?

Lastly, you'll want to review the public questions on the sample ballot before you go to the polls.

• Question 1 asks us to support a $750 million state bond initiative to provide matching grants to public and private colleges and universities in New Jersey to increase academic capacity in the state. The so-called "Building Our Future Bond Act" is well intentioned but directs public monies to private institutions over which the state has little if any control. Public institutions might support this initiative because they see dollar signs, but the taxpayers ought to think twice about sending money out to private schools. I'll be voting against.
• Question 2 asks us to allow the state to withhold for benefits out of judges' salaries. The State Constitution includes protections for judges to keep the government from reducing incumbent judges' salaries, presumably to prevent retaliation against judges. The issue for voters is to decide whether the state is in any way retaliating against or punishing its judges by making them contribute to pensions and health insurance benefits. Even if you think our judges should bear these costs, you need to consider whether state officials are using this action in response to some judicial action or you will be overturning their constitutional protections. I'm personally unsure of the situation and will likely vote against unless convinced otherwise.

I encourage you to vote on November 6th. I especially urge the African-American and Latino communities of Aberdeen and Matawan to turn out on Election Day. There are Republicans in other states who have tried, some successfully, to keep blacks and Latinos from the polls by passing legislation establishing identification rules or reducing polling hours. Official literature and websites have been published with incorrect information about voting rules. Many of these efforts have been reversed by the courts, but confusion reigns. Make sure you know when and where you can vote. And vote. Exercise your rights and make a statement.

History: Obadiah T Geran, Tinsmith (1845-1914)

An advertisement in the 16 Mar 1878 edition of The Matawan Journal, which appeared regularly in this newspaper starting about Augusts 1873, announced the following:

Obadiah T Geran has opened a stove and tin store in the large building recently occupied as a coffin wareroom by Mr William H Arrowsmith, a few doors above Washington Hall, Matawan, and invites a share of public patronage. He is prepared to do all kinds of work in tin, sheet iron, copper, etc. Tin roofing and gas fitting done with promptness and in the best manner. Tin and sheet iron ware on hand. General jobbing done. 

The 16 Dec 1893 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 3 col 5) had advertisements for the Arrowsmith Brothers, local undertakers.

Arrowsmith Brothers, undertakers and arterial embalmers, at the Old Stand, Matawan, NJ.  Whole outfit new and first class. Prices reasonable. Everything required for funerals, from the plainest to the most elaborate, constantly on hand. Have also a stock of new folding chairs for funeral and other purposes. Prompt attention day or night.

The obituary of Obadiah Thomas Geran appeared in the 26 Feb 1914 edition of The Matawan Journal. Geran moved from his native Robertsville to Matawan about 1870 and studied tinsmithing with Gordon D White. When Geran went into business for himself, he purchased and occupied the former Caleb T Bailey building at Midway Green.

 The 1900 Federal Census listed Henry Arrowsmith (born Feb 1845 in NJ) as an undertaker living on Main Street in Matawan Borough with wife Mary (born Jun 1854 NJ), daughters Eliza B (born Oct 1878 NJ) and Julia B (born Jan 1884 NJ), and servant Rose Popp (born Nov 1881 Hungary).

History: A-Attack Plan for Matawan Schools Formulated (1951)

The 18 Oct 1951 edition of The Matawan Journal included the Matawan school district's plan for sheltering and evacuating the children in case of nuclear attack. The plan would replace one where mothers would have created a 150-car convoy to retrieve the children from the school during an attack and bring them home.

A-Attack Plan For Schools Formulated
Children Will Remain Under Faculty Control; To Be Sent Home By Buses; Convoy Out

Russell A. G. Stetler. supervising principal of Matawan schools, notified the Matawan Defense Council Tuesday all arrangements had been made for caring for the school population in event of an A-bomb attack in accordance with directives on the protection of school children from the regional defense coordinator.

Mr. Stetler affirmed school authorities would exercise the same jurisdiction over the welfare of the children in an emergency as they do in regular school hours. In accordance with the directives, school authorities would decide, in consultation with the borough defense chairman, how long the children should be kept in the better security of the stone and brick school buildings before being released to return to their homes after an A-attack. Those going home by school bus in ordinary times would be returned by school bus in such an emergency.

This last stipulation appears to have nullified a prior plan to organize a convoy of 150 cars driven by mothers of the children to be routed to the schools by special roads after an A- attack to get the children and return them home. This prior plan was made in response to reported protest by mothers - they would insist on having their children returned home on either warning of, or directly after an A-attack. The state defense authority lately ruled against such moving about by civilians in an A-attack and formulated the rule on control by school authorities to give no excuse for it.

Mr. Stetler assured the council the school cafeterias would be kept well-stocked against the needs of such an emergency and the principals and teachers would be organized to perform special duties to safeguard the children's welfare in an A-attack.

Arrangements will be made with Mr. Stetler to release senior Boy Scouts from high school for air raid defense duty. Ray Gormley, head of the spotters division, warned there was a continuing shortage of personnel in this work. James Flynn, in charge of scouting, informed Mr. Gormley he was sure there would be at least 40 scouts willing to volunteer for this duty. Mr. Gormlcy said this was good as youths had a high perceptiveness and made good spotters, but added suitable number of adults also are needed to balance tho unit.

H. L. Cartan recommended the purchase of 20 unfinished suitcases at $3 each for use of the first aid squad. He said 10 station wagons are being lined up as emergency ambulances, and two suitcases would be placed in each station wagon. One would contain the medical supplies being received, and the second blankets and articles of care needed for persons strlcken in an A-emergency.

Harry J. Kahn, borough defense chairman, stated the defense council had a balance of $400 of the $500 appropriation given by the borough for this year. Mr. Kahn said the 2 kw. generator would be purchased in the near future and this would would use up most of the funds.

New Jersey's representatives in Congress were criticized for their part in the vote that resulted in the reduction of federal civil defense appropriations from $450,000,000 to $31,000,000. Mr. Kahn observed the senators and congressmen appeared to be ever anxious to vote "$100,000,000 for Tito's Yugoslavia or some other foreign country", yet were miserly in providing money for defense of the American people that the volunteer civil defense units become demoralized because they had no funds with which to buy essential supplies.

History: Dedication of Bayshore Community Hospital (1972)

The 4 May 1972 edition of The Matawan Journal reported on the dedication of the new Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel. The ceremony was held on Sunday 30 Apr 1972 and the hospital opened Monday 1 May 1972.

The hospital was located on a 17-acre site and included 158 beds, four operating rooms, an emergency suite, and X-ray, intensive care and coronary care units.

After several failed attempts to construct a hospital in the area, a group of local doctors and businessmen got together in 1961 and formed the committee that eventually got the support needed to build Bayshore Community.

The article provided the names and activities of the founders as well as the participants at the dedication ceremony.

History: Construction of Route 36 Between Keyport and Atlantic Highlands Underway (1932)

The 8 Jul 1932 edition of The Matawan Journal provided an update on the construction of New Jersey State Route 36 between Keyport and Atlantic Highlands.

Good Progress Being Made on New Highway
Section of Shore Boulevard from Keyport to Keansburg is Eighty Per Cent Completed

Rapid progress is now being made by the State Highway Commission in the paving of nine and three-tenths miles of Route 36, between Keyport and Atlantic Highlands. Rain during the early part of the season, however, delayed activity, and the new thoroughfare, which is known as the Shore Boulevard, will not be in readiness for traffic for about two months.

The four and one-tenth miles section between Keyport and Keansburg is eighty per cent complete and the stretch of five and two-tenths miles is fifty per cent finished. The Keyport-Keansburg link is scheduled for opening September 1 and that from Keansburg to Atlantic Highlands October 1, according to H. D. Robbins, Control Division Construction Engineer for the Highway Department.

The contract has already been given for the new bridge on Route 36 over the Shrewsbury River, between Highlands and Seabright, but the alignment for the three miles of roadway yet to be built between Atlantic Highlands and Highlands has not been decided. More than a year will be required for the building of the bridge over the river,and it is expected that during the interval the remaining section of the roadway will also be constructed.

In its campaign for safety the Highway Commission has built a bridge at the junction of Route 36 with Route 35 at Keyport, to avoid the crossing of traffic at grade. Route 35 extends from South Amboy through Asbury Park and Belmar to Lakewood and is one of the moat heavily traveled arteries during the summer. Under the plan that has been devised by the Highway Board the north-bound lane on Route 35 will be shunted under the bridge, which will carry Route 36 at Keyport.

CROP Walk 2012 Red Bank

CROP Walk beginning in Red Bank.

History: Hutchler's Crossing (1875)

"Around Matawan and Aberdeen," by Helen Henderson, pg 73, says that Cliffwood Train Station, which had a station agent on the New York and Long Branch Railroad line until it closed in 1932, was built in late1875 at a place called Hutchler's Crossing.

The 13 Nov 1875 edition of The Matawan Journal said, without further explanation, "A small depot has been built at Hutchler's Crossing." The same paper included the news that a freight track had been laid at Matawan station and the accompanying freight house was nearly completed.

There's not a lot of information about this topic in the Matawan Journal, I'm afraid. The poor condition of the tracks south of Cliffwood station was mentioned in the 3 Sep 1926 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 5 col 3. If anyone knows some background on Hutchler's Crossing, I'm interested in learning more.

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The only Hutchler I could find in the area was a Jacob Hutchler born about 1844 in New York, son of Jacob and Margaret Hutschler. The parents were Germans who lived in Manhattan in 1850 and then in Brooklyn in 1870 and 1880. Young Jacob served in the Civil War, lived for a time in Cliffwood, where he seems to have married and was soon widowed. He removed to Brooklyn, where he remarried and worked, first at an undertaker's and then as a clerk.

Jacob Hutschler, age 35, born in Germany, lived in Manhattan (Sixth Ward, New York County) in the 1850 Federal Census, along with his wife Margaret, age 32, born in Germany, and six children, all born in New York: Mary, age 11, Richard, age 10, Jacob, age 7, Margaret, age 5, Johanna, age 3, and Henry, age 1. Jacob was employed at a furnishing store. This census was taken as of 1 July 1850.

A Jacob Hutchler was the owner, agent or manager of a 20 acre farm worth $4,500 in Westchester, Westchester County, New York, according to the 1850 New York Agriculture Survey taken in November of that year. He had a horse, three milch cows, and four swine worth $200, and had raised 30 bushels of Indian corn, 30 bushels of oats, 3 bushels of peas and beans, and 150 bushels of Irish potatoes. He sold $30 worth of orchard produce. He produced 30 pounds of cheese, 240 tons of hay, and 15 bushels of other grass seeds. He slaughtered $46 worth of animals. It isn't clear whether this is Jacob is identical to the one enumerated in Manhattan.

A Jacob V Hutchler enlisted as a private in the US Civil War, serving as a musician in Company F, 102nd Regiment,  New York Infantry, according to Ancestry.com.

According to The Report of the Adjutant-General, pg 551, contained in Documents of the 126th Session of the New York Assembly, Vol VIII No 40 Serial 33, published in 1903 by Argus Company, Printers, of Albany, a Jacob Huschler mustered in at New York City, age 21, for three years service with Company F, 102nd Regiment, New York Infantry, as a musician in the US Civil War on 21 Oct 1861. He re-enlisted as a veteran on 30 Dec 1863. He mustered out as Jacob V Hutchler with his company at Alexandria, Virginia on 21 Jul 1865. (You can see the 102nd Regiment records pulled from this same record but without all the Google eBooks nonsense here.)

As a resident of Middletown Point in May 1865, a  Jacob V Hutchler was assessed a $6.00 Federal excise tax consisting of a dollar on his carriage, a dollar on a gold watch, two dollars on a second gold watch, and two dollars on his piano forte. It was Division 14, Collection District 2, State of New Jersey. This May 1865 tax assessment precedes the son's July 1865 muster from Civil War service, so perhaps this is the father? More likely the muster out date is incorrect.

The 1870 Federal Census showed a Jacob Hutchler, age 26, born in New York, and wife Emma, age 20, born in New Jersey, living in Keyport - Raritan Township in the household of a carpenter Garret S Ellison and family. It is possible that Emma was the carpenter's eldest daughter.

The 1880 Federal Census showed a Jacob Hutchler, age 36, born in New York to German parents, living at 366 Degraw Street in Brooklyn with his wife Julia, age 23, born in Connecticut to Connecticut parents, and a 1 year old daughter Florence. Jacob was employed as an undertaker.

The 1892 New York Census showed a Jacob Hutschler, age 49, and wife Julia, age 35, living in Brooklyn. He was occupied as a clerk.

Pumpkin Painting at Starbucks Monday

Starbucks of Matawan is holding a pumpkin painting fundraiser on Mon 22 Oct from 4pm to 8pm. Three dollars gets you a small pumpkin and painting supplies. Join Starbucks in the fight against breast cancer. Paint your pumpkin pink!

Matawan Presbyterians Renovate Their Church on Main Street (1892)

The 15 Oct 1892 edition of The Matawan Journal included this advertisement placed by the trustees of the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street in Matawan. The church was offering for sale about one hundred pews -- half of them 5-person pews, the other half 4-person pews -- "a small pipe organ, suitable for a society room;" and "the sash now in the church building, suitable for hot houses." Prospective buyers were instructed to see Charles H Wardell at F & M Bank, Matawan.

Earlier that year, the Reverend William C Alexander had delivered a sermon that inspired the Presbyterian congregation to fund a $6,000 capital campaign to renovate their sanctuary. The campaign would eventually result in new pews and windows, a new organ, and new lighting and flooring. The above ad is evidence that the work was well underway by mid-October.

History: What is the Ku Klux Klan? (The Matawan Journal, 1921)

The 22 Sep 1921 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 4) included an editorial titled "What is the Ku Klux Klan?"  The editor attributed a recent crime wave to the new Klan and claimed they were nothing like the Klan of the Reconstruction Era.

The writer spoke briefly but proudly of the short life of the old Klan.

"In the South there was a reign of terror, negroes were being armed, the supreme law of the land broken down and every barrier of race removed. Conditions warranted the organization of a law and order band and the Ku Klux Klan sprang up like magic in a night. It did its work and when the South had once become safe for the white race it went out of existence."

History: Klansmen Attend Red Bank Baptist Church (1923)

The 6 Jul 1923 edition of The Matawan Journal included this amazing article (below) describing the KKK showing up enmass at a Baptist church in Red Bank the previous Sunday evening. The Klan seems to have felt under pressure to demonstrate their legitimate role in society, complaining that their group was persecuted nationwide. Perhaps showing up in full regalia, including their well-known cloaks and masked hoods, wasn't a good start?

KLANSMEN ATTEND CHURCH
Forty-six Members of Order at Service in Red Bank

Forty-six members of the Ku Klux Klan attended services at the Red Bank Baptist Church last Sunday evening. Their visit had not been advertised as it was in Long Branch and other towns, but the news had spread that the Klan would attend church and a big crowd turned out. It is said there were fully 1,000 persons in the church and that nearly twice that number stood outside during the service. The Klansmen gathered in the basement of the church where they donned their regalia and after the opening hymn marched into the church, two abreast, with folded arms, and took seats at the front which had been reserved for them. They were welcomed by the pastor, Rev W E Braisted, D D, who at the close of his sermon on "Axioms of Democracy," said that he believed that Red Bankers would give any organization a square deal and that he was glad to give Red Bank an opportunity to see and hear members of the Klan, which was reputed to stand for high ideals. When the offering was taken, one of their number passed the plate to the Klansmen, each of whom placed a dollar bill upon it. 

At the conclusion of the pastor's sermon, he invited representatives of any patriotic organizations who were present to speak. One of the Klan responded. He went to the pulpit and unmasked. He was said to be the same officer who spoke in Long Branch a week before. In the course of his address he said that the Klan was the most persecuted organization in the country. He declared that there are at present over 4,000.000 citizens of the Invisible Empire and that despite the general belief they are not against any religious faith or any race, but that their principles, summed up, were for the upholding of the. Constitution. He said that the Klansmen were all 100 percent Americans.

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See also the 13 Apr 1923 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 2, which described a similar event at the Belmar Methodist Church, and the 27 Nov 1925 edition of The Matawan Journal, which told of a visit to the East Baptist Church in Elizabeth.

Aberdeen Town Council to Provide Property Tax Relief to Two Disabled Vets

At their Tuesday 16 Oct 2012 meeting, the Aberdeen Township Council will consider Resolutions 2012-101 and 2012-102, which will relieve the property tax burden on two local veterans who were seriously disabled, one in the Vietnam Conflict and the other during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Nicely done.

History: Pennsylvania Express Derails South of Matawan During Morning Rush (1923)

Overturned Engine of Pennsylvania Express Train (Matawan Journal, 31 Aug 1923)

The Pennsylvania Express shore train to New York derailed just south of Matawan station at 7:47 am on Tuesday 28 Aug 1923, according to the 31 Aug 1923 edition of The Matawan Journal.

"It is thought an iron rod broke and the end, falling down, caught in the railroad ties and tracks as the train sped along, for the ties were cut for some distance. As the wheels of the locomotive struck the cross rails just north of the signal tower, it jumped the tracks and continued to go wild, tearing up ties and twisting rails as it pushed forward, until the engine turned over, burying its nose in the earth."

"The coupling bars snapped and the rest of the train, swaying for a moment, righted itself with no harm to the passengers and with only a small amount of broken glass to the passenger coaches."

Nine trains with 15,000 passengers were soon stranded behind the wreckage. They had to be backed up, one a a time, to be diverted to the Freehold and Keyport line. Wrecking trains were dispatched from Elizabethport and the Pennsylvania yard to deal with the turned engine and coal car and 60 workers were sent to begin repairs to the track. A temporary switch was in place by 2:45 pm and the engine was removed from the track by 7 pm. Relief gangs worked all night and the next day restoring the track, ties, and signals.

A photo of the derailed engine appears in the newspaper article but the online image is of poor quality. A different image can be found on pg 72 of "Around Matawan and Aberdeen," by Helen Henderson.

History: Ku Klux Klan Meeting in Farmingdale; Several Keyport Men Initiated (1923)

KKK meeting, 1921-22 (Granger Collection)

The 31 Aug 1923 edition of The Matawan Journal had the following article discussing a KKK meeting held on Friday 24 Aug 1923 in Farmingdale and attended by men from Keyport, three of whom were inductees and the rest their sponsors. The article reads like any stereotypical Klan meeting, in a field with a cross burning, etc. 

KKK HAS BIG FIELD MEETING IN FARMINGDALE
LEADERS CLAIM THAT 1,700 WERE INITIATED
Several Keyport Men Were Among the Candidates and Many Klansmen of the Borough Attended

Several Keyport men were among the number who were initiated into the mysteries of the Ku Klux Klan at Farmingdale last Friday night, when Klansmen from all parts of Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex Counties assembled in a big field meeting. The ceremony was under the direction of A. H.Bell, Klan leader and organizer of this section. Leaders of the order claim that 1,700 applications for membership were acted upon. Many Keyport Klansmen accompanied the candidates.

The meeting was held in a ten-acre field in the western section of Farmingdale on the Freehold Turnpike and it was estimated that 1,200 cars were parked along the roadside, in driveways and on every available spot.

Guards were stationed around the field at intervals of fifteen feet and all who entered were compelled to pass a table where clerks examined the credentials presented by those seeking admission. The candidates brought passes vouched by Klansmen.

In the center of the field a speakers platform was erected. Two American flags were on the stage, a small cross and a box, upon which a Bible and a small flag laid. The meeting was opened by Leader Bell, who introduced the principal speaker as "Colonel Sherman" of Atlanta, Georgia. The Klansmen were grouped around the platform and few of them were robed or hooded. He spoke for nearly two hours and it was nearly midnight when the initiatory work was started. Two giant crosses were burned during the ceremony, one of which was eighty-one feet high. It was nearly 3 o'clock when the ceremony was concluded.

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President Lyndon Johnson ordered the Justice Department and the FBI to assist the Congress in its investigation of the Klan and its activities, according to the 31 Mar 1965 edition of The Red Bank Journal. The Committee on Un-American Activities was still reeling from the backlash against its efforts against Communism in America via the Internal Security Act of 1950, so the Committee would likely refer the matter to the Judiciary Committee.

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 The Monmouth County Historical Association Archives and Manuscripts Collection includes the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Collection, 1924 (Coll431).

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 Wikipedia has an article called History of Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey. The article identified Klan leader A H Bell as Arthur Hornbui Bell, Grand Dragon of the KKK.

Matawan Day 2012 - Saturday 13 October

Matawan Day and Food Festival is being held today, Saturday 13 October 2012, from 1 pm to 6 pm along Main Street in downtown Matawan, NJ. The Matawan-Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce says the event is hosted by the Moyers Insurance Agency in conjunction with the Matawan Recreation Department.

See Matawan-Aberdeen Patch for additional details. The Borough website, including its Recreation Department page, provides no promotional information about the event.

Voter Registration 2012 - Monmouth County, NJ

Voter registration deadline is Oct. 16

Residents can register at the county, by mail, or in their town

FREEHOLD, N.J. – The deadline is fast approaching for those wishing to vote in the Nov. 6 general election. Registration must be completed by Oct. 16.

Residents may register at the Monmouth County Voter Registration Office, 300 Halls Mills Rd., Freehold Township, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Tuesday, Oct. 16 the office will remain open until 9 p.m.

If you prefer to register in the town in which you reside, call your municipal clerk for the hours and the location to register. You can also register by mail or at a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Office.

To register by mail or save time when you register in person, download the New Jersey voter registration application. The form can be found on the County Clerk’s section of the Monmouth County Web site at www.visitmonmouth.com.
In either case, a driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number must be entered on the New Jersey Voter Registration form.

“I urge everyone to exercise their right to vote and register for the fall elections,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the County Clerk’s office. “Registration is easy and the right to vote is the cornerstone of our nation’s freedom and continued liberties.”

All U.S. citizens at least 18 years old by General Election Day, and not incarcerated, on probation or parole, are eligible to vote.

Voter registration must be completed no later than 21 days before an election.

Contact the Monmouth County Voter Registration Office at 732-431-7790, or log onto www.visitmonmouth.com for additional information.

Index to "Around Matawan and Aberdeen"

Here's an index to the photographs in "Around Matawan and Aberdeen," by Helen Henderson (Charleston: 1996, Arcadia Publishing).

The index is a work in progress. I started by focusing on Main Street addresses. I added numbered street addresses on Main Street, then went back and added the rest of the photos in the first half of the book. I've now indexed through page 92. Continue with Chapter 6.

ADDRESSES

Amboy Road

• Cliffwood First Aid Squad, 1954 (pg 74, caption, photo of squad ambulance); Matawan Township First Aid and Rescue Squad, 1950s (pg 75)

Angel Street

• Cliffwood Volunteer Fire Company No 1, c 1950 (pg 69, 2 photos)

Broad Street

• House at corner of Broad and Park Avenue, 1911 (pg 53)
• Veterinary surgeon's office at corner of Broad and Center Street, c 1909 (pg 49, caption only)

Church Street

• Street view, near Orchard Street, c 1900 (pg 49)
• Matawan Water Department, Church Street plant, 1943 (pg 76)

Cliffwood Avenue

• 255 Cliffwood Avenue, Cliffwood Hotel, 1911 (pg 82)
• Intersection of Clifwood Avenue and Keyport Road (Highway 35), Cliffwood, undated (pg 82)

• Cliffwood Community Church, 1907 (pg 56)
• Cliffwood Post Office, c 1890s (pg 70)
• Regan's Tavern, Cliffwood, 1940 (pg 83)

County Road

• County Line Road (sic) (pg 81, text only)

Freneau Avenue (also known as Route 79)

• 38 Freneau Avenue - Herbert Burlew home, 1909 (pg 38)
• 59 Freneau Avenue - Monmouth Poultry Farms, undated (pg 52)
• 189 Freneau Avenue - Van Pelt House, 1936 (pg 62)

• Freehold Plank Road Tollhouse,  c 1890s (pg 50)
• Freneau Independent Fire Company, 1936 (pg 70)
• Street view at Mill Road, 1901 (pg 59)

Highway 34, Highway 35 (see State Route 34, State Route 35)

Holmdel Road

• Bechstein farm, 1907 (pg 78)

Jackson Street

• 172 Jackson Street - Stillwell Garage, c 1955 (pg 60); Harry Petrosky took over Stillwell's Garage, 1953 (pg 60, caption); the parents of PFC Russell L Wells, a soldier in Korea, lived at this address, 1952-53 (14 Aug 1952 and 5 Mar 1953 editions of The Matawan Journal); Stillwell's Garage adds "modern auto laundry" (car wash), 1951 (3 May 1951 edition of The Matawan Journal); Stillwell's Garage, operated by Russell Stillwell, washes and stores cars, 1950 (15 Jun 1950 edition of The Matawan Journal); Ernest F Heller, life insurance agent, 1947 (14 Aug 1947 edition of The Matawan Journal contains an ad plus a short item announcing the he and his wife just moved into their new home at this address.); Stillwell's Garage, 1946 (2 May 1946 edition of The Matawan Journal); Jackson Street Garage, "Dodge and Plymouth sales and service," 1934-35 (21 Sep 1934 and 22 Feb 1935 editions of The Matawan Journal); Jackson Street Garage, parts and service, Nov-Dec 1933  (17 Nov 1933 and 15 Dec 1933 editions of The Matawan Journal); A B Stultz, 1933 (22 Sep 1933 edition of The Matawan Journal); I found no references to the property being used for a Buick dealership or by the Methodists (pg 60, caption only)

• Hook and Ladder Fire Company, c 1877 (pg 66); c 1900 (pg 66); 1956 (pg 67); before its demolition, it was also used temporarily for YMCA, First Presbyterian Church after its Christmas 1955 fire, and as the Jackson Street Recreation Building. (pg 67, caption only)

Keyport Road (see also State Route 35)

• Corner of Cliffwood Avenue and Keyport Road, undated (pg 82)

Little Street

• 48 Little Street,  c 1950 (pg 47)

• Iron Bridge, 1914 (pg 47, caption only; pg 57)
• Washington Engine Fire Company No 1, c 1900 (pg 64); hand brake engine, purchased from Guardian Engine Fire Company No 2 in New York City, standing in front of Washington Engine Fire Co No 1, c 1870 (pg 64)

Lower Main Street

• 75 Lower Main Street - Matawan Township Hose and Chemical Company No 1, new building, 1951 (pg 68) (see additional notes below)

• Aerial view, 1901 (pg 58)
• Street view, c 1915 (pg 36); 1922 (pg 44)
• Trolley line to Keyport, 1922 (pg 44)
• J L Rue pottery company, 1901 (pg 58)
• Matawan Tile Company (pg 58, caption only) 
• Matawan Township Hose and Chemical Company No 1, c 1926 (pg 68); established as Oak Shades Fire Company No 1 in June 1918; name changed in 1926; company moved into new building at 75 Lower Main Street in 1951 (above).. (Photo caption in this book, pg 68, erroneously suggests photo is Oak Shades Company and dated 1919 while the name on the building clearly says Matawan Twp Hose and Chem Co, which the book says wasn't established until 1926. Something is amiss.)
• M E Haley Hose Company, (pg 44, caption only; pg 65, caption only); formation, c 1903 establishment of house (pg 67)
• Mount Barrett Ford dealership, 1948 (pg 61)
• Oak Shades Fire Company No 1, 1919 (pg 68)
• W A Close Trading Co (pg 44, caption only; pg 67, partial of building)

Main Street

• 77 Main Street - Frank A Dell, butcher, c 1906 (pg 12, caption only)
• 80 Main Street - Magnolia Rest, c 1900 (pg 46)
• 90 Main Street - Cartan Coal and Feed Store, 1910 (pg 33)
• 92 Main Street - Cartan Department Store, 1910 (pg 32); interior of store, 1925 (pg 32)
• 94 Main Street - Burrowes Mansion, 1904 (pg 23) and c 1935 (pg 35)
• 106 Main Street - Dell's Market, 1929 (pg 12)
• 109 Main Street - D Farry homestead, c 1860s (pg 30); house remodeled extensively in 1870; owned once by Mrs Carrie Conover (pg 30, caption only)
• 110 Main Street - Thixton Chevrolet-Oldsmobile Dealership, 1936 (pg 43)
• 114 Main Street - Sandford's Pharmacy, c 1930 (pg 35)
• 116 Main Street - Asher Wooley's Hardware Store, c 1930 (pg 34)
• 120 Main Street - Bell Beef Co, 1936 (pg 33)
• 121 - 123 Main Street - Matawan House, c 1900 (pg 37); Central Building, early 1930s, included National Grocery Store (pg 13); barn behind Matawan House burned down in a fire, Dec 1916 (pg 64, caption only); Central Building, 1936, consisted of two ground floor stores, including National Grocery Store, plus upstairs offices, such as attorneys office of Burlew and Currie (pg 43) {Note: The 10 Jul 1931 edition of The Matawan Journal announced the grand opening of the National Grocery Store at 123 Main Street. The same edition listed the Buntenbach Agency (Room 208), Henry S Devlin (Rm 210), and Burlew & Currie at 121 Main.}
• 128 Main Street - Sandford's Pharmacy, moved from 114 Main (pg 30, caption only)
• Intersection with Ravine Drive, c 1900 (pg 78, caption only, carriages and buggies manufactured near the corner, leading to the nickname Carriage Factory Hill for Ravine Drive)
• 147 Main Street - Methodist Church fire, (pg 15); street scene, steeple visible, c 1904 (pg 13); stained glass window, undated (pg 17); Tom Thumb wedding, 1952 (pg 18); church choir, c 1931 (pg 19)
• 151 Main Street - John Terhune house, c 1890 (pg 40) (listed incorrectly as 147 Main, address of Methodist Church); John Terhune house, c 1930 (pg 40) (listed incorrectly as 147 Main); former Terhune house torn down in 1970 to make room for expansion of Matawan Post Office and addition of post office parking lot (pg 40, caption only)
• 155 Main Street - Matawan Post Office, 1938 (pg 71); view across the street from the back of the post office construction site, 1938 (pg 14); addition and parking lot added on the adjoining property that once belonged to Terhune, 1970s (pp 40, 71, captions only).
• 159 Main Street - Matawan Post Office, 1909 (pg 71); next door to Mrs Stoddard's Ice Cream and Confectionary Parlor, 1909 (pg 71, caption only); an extension, new facade, and stucco was added, 1919 (pg 71, caption only)
• 165 Main Street (Intersection with Park Avenue) - Matawan Free Public Library acquires Garret Conover house, built in 1830, in 1921 (pg 79)
• 181 Main Street - Lupton House and Monument Shop, early 1900s (pg 35)
• 190 Main Street - Hubbard and Dell Meat Market, c 1907 (pg 12)
• 199 Main Street - Dr S M Lazow, 1936 (pg 41)
• 209 Main Street - Dr Jackson's house, 1909 (pg 41) (1910 Federal Census shows an Andrew J Jackson on Main Street with occupation as physician. He was 62 yrs old, with wife Eleanor.)
• 211 Main Street - Cherry Hall, c 1890 (pg 38)
• 213 Main Street - Judge Henry S Terhune's residence, 1914 (pg 44)
• 222-224 Main Street - Residential area, 1911 (pg 53)
• 230 Main Street - Presbyterian manse, 1906 (pg 30)
• 263 Main Street - Weber homestead, c 1880s (pg 31); Weber Grocery Store, c 1890s (pg 31)
• 267 Main Street - Van's Real Estate/Insurance Agency, 1936 (pg 42); previously the home of Bedle family, birth place of Joseph Bedle, govenor of NJ (pg 42, caption only); Gov Bedle birthplace, undated, no address (pg 28)
• Intersection at Main Street and Middlesex Street (also known as Valley Drive, Amboy-Holmdel Road, and Route 34), 1936 (pg 42)

• Atlantic Gas, corner of Broad and Main Streets, 1920s (pg 60)
• Commercial Block - even side of Main Street, running south from Ravine Drive to Spring Street or farther. (informal response to my query by Matawan Historical Society at Matawan Day 2012) 
• Commercial Block - Street view, 1905 (pg 10); 1906 (pg 34); c 1940 (pg 59)
• Commercial Block - Geran Hall, Frank Hulsart, butcher, c 1910 (pg 12, caption only)
• Commercial Block - Old Matawan Borough Hall; Hook and Ladder Fire Company moved from its Jackson Street building into an addition in the back of the old borough hall on the Commercial Block (pg 67, caption only) 
• Commercial Block, view across the street from 155 Main Street during Matawan Post Office construction, 1938 (pg 14) (Note: Visible across the vacant construction lot are houses on the even-numbered side of Main Street {Commercial Block} that would later be torn down to make room for commercial buildings.)
• Farmers and Merchants National Bank, c 1890 (pg 37) (The cashier, Harvey Johnson, lived in half of the building, and the bank operated out of the other side.)
• James Butler, commercial building, c 1930 (pg 13)
• Kappy's Service Station - Kappy's Corner, 1936 (pg 42)
• Little-Terhune house, at corner of Ravine Drive, 1936 (pg 39) 
• Matawan First Aid Headquarters, Main Street, 1950 (pg 74)
• Matawan Train Station, c 1908 (pg 24) (This image, supposedly of President William H Taft whistle-stop campaigning in Matawan during the 1908 presidential campaign, may actually be from May 1912. I could find no indications that Taft campaigned by train in the region between his nomination in late June 1908 and the election. I did find evidence, however, that Taft was expected to speak at the Red Bank train station on 27 May 1912, according to the 22 May 1912 edition of The Red Bank Register. Unfortunately, the Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library's online archive of The Matawan Journal has no images of the 1912 editions of the newspaper, so I cannot check it to see if he stopped in Matawan, something that surely would have been included in the newspaper.); 1908 (pg 58) (The image included advertisements on or near station buildings, including one for the New York Hippodrome, which operated from 1905 to 1939, and another that only reads partially: (Line 1: ACKER, Line 2: GROCE, Line 3: blank, Line 4: BRANC, Line 5: AMCCH; 1923 (pg 72) train accident 500 yards south of the train station; c 1936 (pg 72) (Photo shows the train station and freight office from the perspective of separating tracks approaching Atlantic Avenue.)
• Memorial Park, 1936 (pg 24) 
• Parade of World War II returning soldiers on Main Street, c 1946 (pg 27)
• Rivoli Theater, c 1930 (pg 13)
• Street view, 1905 (pg 11); near the Baptist church, c 1920s (pg 39)

Matawan Avenue

• Cross Roads, Stillwell's Hills, intersection with Aberdeen Road, 1906 (pg 56) 

Middlesex Road

• Intersection of Middlesex Road and Ravine Drive, erroneously identified as Cliffwood, 1907 (pg 47) 
• Matawan Water Treatment Plant, 1955 (pg 77)

Middlesex Street (see also Valley Road, Route 34; aka Amboy-Holmdel Road)

• P V Hyer bridge, c 1909 (pg 49)
• P V Hyer farmhouse, c 1909 (pg 49)

Mill Road

• Hawkins House,  1936 (pg 52)

Park Avenue

• 165 Main Street is at intersection with Park Avenue

Ravine Drive

• The Old Hospital, undated (pg 62)
• Ravine Drive bridge, 1905 (pg 78)

South Concourse

• Matty's General Store, undated (pg 87)

State Route 34 (see also Middlesex Street, Valley Road)

• Corner of Route 34 and Franklin Street - United Presbyterian Church, after a Christmas 1955 fire, the church moved from Main Street to a 9-acre lot called the Koopman orchard (pg 14, caption only)
• Holmdel Road, 1907, is described as a pre-development version of Route 34 (pg 77)

 State Route 35 (see also Keyport Road)

• Route 35 in Cliffwood, mid-1950s (pg 61)

• Burlew's Bar and Grill, Cliffwood Beach, undated (pg 90, caption only)
• Pirate Ship Realty, Cliffwood, c 1929 (pg 92)
• Rippen's Seafood House, Cliffwood Beach, undated (pg 90)
• Ziegler's Restaurant, Cliffwood Beach, undated (pg 89)

State Route 79 (see Freneau Avenue)

Upper Main Street

• Street view, near Schanck Avenue, c 1908 (pg 36)

Valley Road (see also Middlesex Street, Route 34)

• Corner of Valley Road and Main Street - William D Bailey Hardware Store, c 1890 (pg 51)

Washington Street

• Midway Hose Company No 2, 1920s (pg 65); 1936 (pg 65)

PEOPLE

• Unidentified - two young boys with snapping turtles, 1906 (pg 54)
• Unidentified - women with a shotgun hunting for a shark in Matawan Creek, 1916 (pg 17)
• Unidentified - group of men (Borough Council?) dressed in women's clothing for Fourth of July picnic and baseball game, 1907. Matawan's mayor dressed as Uncle Sam. (pg 11)
• Bedle, Joseph, c 1888 (pg 28)
• Bedle, William G, c 1877 (pg 66)
• Bell, David A, c 1870s (pg 21) 
• Bell, George W (pg 71, caption only)
• Bowne, John, 1723 (pg 23, caption only)
• Brown, Benjamin Franklin Strong, aka Brown, Benjamin F S, aka Brown, B F S, 1912 (pg 21, caption only; pg 22; pg 23, caption only; pg 24, caption only; pg 71, caption only) 
• Brown, Jeanne Mabel, aka J Mabel Brown, 1960s (pg 21, caption only; pg 22) 
• Burlew, James, 1947 (pg 88, caption only)
• Burrowes, John, c 1780 (pg 23, caption only)
• Conover, Garret (pg 79, caption only)
• Cuomo, Al, c 1950s (pg 75)
• Dominick, May, nee May Bergen, c 1960s (pg 21)
• Fisher Stanley Watson, c 1916 (pg 16; pg 17, caption only)
• Forman, Jonathan (pg 71, caption only)
• Freneau, Philip, c 1790s (pg 20)
• Grossman, Paul, c 1950s (pg 75)
• Hamilton, George, 1952 (pg 18)
• Haspel, Ralph, c 1950s (pg 75)
• Hulsart, Andrew J, 1934 (pg 74, caption only)
• Kearney, Thomas E, 1918 (pg 68, caption only) 
• Kojac, George, 1929 (pg 81, text only)
• Koopman, Thomas O (pg 14, caption refers to Koopman orchard) 
• Kronowski, Joe, c 1950s (pg 75)
• Lamb, Frederick Stymetz (pg 17, caption only)
• Lefferts, Jacob R V (pg 77, caption only)
• Lind Brothers (pg 91)
• Little, William (pg 71, caption only) 
• Lockwood, Samuel (pg 92, caption only)
• Longstreet, Aaron, c 1888 (pg 46)
• Matteson, Homer, 1925 (pg 88, caption only)
• McElvaine, William (pg 27, caption only) 
• Menzel, Adolphe (pg 80, caption only)
• Perkins, Doris, c 1940s (pg 27)
• Pitman, Aaron, undated (pg 23, caption)
• Reynolds, William G, undated (pg 23, caption)
• Roosevelt, Theodore, 1912 (pg 24, caption only)
• Ryan, Tom, 1927 (pg 69, caption only)
• Schanck, Spafford (pg 27, caption only)
• Schilke, Charles, c 1877 (pg 66)
• Seidler, Richard (pg 27, caption only)
• Sickles, Jessee (sic) (pg 64, caption only); Jesse S & Elizabeth Sickles and 3 children, including eldest son Jesse S Jr and daughter Lizzie, lived in Matawan Township; father and son were printers; all but youngest (8 yrs old) were born in New York; 1880 (Federal Census)
• Sloat, Louella, wife of Matawan Police Chief Edwin Sloat, 1940s (pg 26)
• Smith, Albert B, Councilman, 1940s (pg 26); Councilman and "chairman of the local war price and ration board," and recently married (29 Jul 1943 edition of The Matawan Journal)
• Stillwagon, Henry, c 1890s (pg 70, caption only)
• Stillwell, Lester, 1916 (pg 16, caption only)
• Taft, William H, 1912? (pg 24)
• Terhune, John (pp 40, 71, captions only)
• Thorsen, Sharon, 1952 (pg 18)
• Van Brackle, Shirley J, c 1940s (pg 26)
• Wieland, Bill David, 1952 (pg 18)
• Winschuh, John H (pg 27, caption only)
• Winter, Christopher, Cliffwood Postmaster, seated outside post office, c 1890s (pg 70) 

Matawan Borough Police Department, c 1940 (pg 80)

• Colot, Bobby
• Diggin, Myron
• Griswold, Herb
• Herrity, Jim
• Magee, Lester
• Sloat, Edwin
• Wilson, Roy

Matawan Township Police Department, 1957 (pg 80)

•  Menzel, Adolfe
• Wilkinson, J Edgar
• Unnamed, four officers

Methodist Episcopal Church Choir, c 1931 (pg 19)

• Brown, Clara
• Cosgrove, Dorothy
• Cosgrove, Elsie
• Disbrow, Edythe
• Disbrow, Reba
• Duncan, Florence
• Errickson, Clarabell
• Flatley, Bud
• Hyer, Myrtle
• Jurman, Charles
• Krober, Harriet
• Lewis, Ruth
• Lisk, Estella
• Martin, Tillie
• Marvel, Irene
• McKeen, Richard
• Reed, Elijah F
• Schwartz, Harriett
• Thompson, Evelyn
• Thorsen, Mildred
• Thorsen, Miriam
• Thorson, Ruth
• Ziegler, Dorothy
• Ziegler, Ruth

PLACES

• Algonquin Rod and Gun Club, Cliffwood, 1940 (pg 83)
• Allaire State Park (pg 73, caption only)
• Burlew's Bar and Grill, Cliffwood, undated (pg 90, caption only)
• Buttonwood Manor (pg 49; pg 54, caption only)
• Carriage Factory Hill (pg 78, caption only)
• Cat'n Fiddle, Cliffwood Beach (pg 90)
• Cliffwood (pg 81, text only); brick manufacturing, 1927 (pg 69, caption only); train station, 1907 (pg 73); dock and steamboat service (pg 81, text only); drawbridge, 1913 (pg 86)
• Cliffwood Beach (pg 81, text only); beach, 1927 (pg 86); pool, undated (pg 91, caption only), 1929 (pg 81, text only), c 1940s (pg 86); boardwalk, undated (pg 81, text only), 1920s (pp 84, 85, 87), c 1926 (pg 89), 1926 (pg 90), 1940 (pg 84), 1950s (pg 84, caption only), destroyed by hurricanes, 1954 (pg 84, caption only); woodland, c 1915 (pg 83); beauty pageant, 1920s (pg 85); Middlesex County vs Monmouth County (pg 81, text only); rental, c 1920s (pg 87); casino, undated (pg 91, caption only), built in 1926 (pg 89), destroyed by fire in 1957 (pg 89, caption only)
• Cliffwood Beach Dance Orchestra, c 1930 (pg 91)
• Collegiate Institute of Middletown Point (pg 79, caption only) 
• Country Club Casino, Cliffwood Beach, c 1926 (pg 89)
• Craigen Brick Company, Cliffwood, 1927 (pg 69, caption only)
• Dinosaur era fossils (pg 92, caption only) (Lockwood found mastodon fossils in the 1880s but the Mosasaurus fossils were found circa 1869, both just north of Freehold. No evidence online for Cliffwood find. Further research required.) 
• Doughboy statue, Memorial Park, 1936 (pg 24)
• East New Jersey, 1685 (pg 81, text only)
• Farms, no further information, 1887 (pg 10) and c 1910 (pg 48)
• Freneau Monument, undated (pg 20)
• Freneau Train Station, c 1907 (pg 73) 
• Hanson Van Winkle Munning (pg 76, caption only)
• Hindenburg disaster, Lakehurst, 1937 (pg 65, caption only)
• Honor Roll, Matawan Borough, c 1950 (pg 25)
• Honor Roll, Matawan Township, c 1950 (pg 25)
• Hutchler's Crossing (pg 73, caption only)
• Koeune's Villa, Cliffwood, c 1912 (pg 92)
• Koopman Orchard, c 1955 (pg 14)
• Lake Lefferts, 1929 (pg 54, caption only; pg 55; pg 77, spillway)
• Lake Matawan, 1920s (pg 55; pg 77, caption only)
• M and T Chemicals (pg 76, caption only)
• Matawan Creek, boat house, 1906 (pg 16); bridge and trestle crossing the creek, 1907 (pg 54); (pg 77, caption only); (pg 81, text only)
• Matawan Lime Company, 1880 (pg 51)
• Matawan Free Public Library (pg 21, caption only); c 1903 (pg 79); c 1921 (pg 79)
• Matawan House, Main Street, 1912 (pg 102)
• Matawan Borough Police Headquarters, sometime between 1926 - 1930 located in Matawan House building, torn down in 1930 (pg 102, caption)
• Matawan Steel and Iron, 1936 (pg 76)
• Matawan Water Department, Church Street plant, 1936 and 1943 (pg 76)
• Matawan Water Treatment Plant, Middlesex Road, 1955 (pg 77)
• Matawan Train Station, 1908 (pg 58); c 1936 (pg 72; pg 72, caption only)
• Matty's General Store, Cliffwood Beach, undated (pg 88)
• Old Gristmill, Freneau, c 1880 (pg 50)
• Old Sports Fishing Club, Cliffwood, 1903 (pg 83)
• Phoenix Fire Company, 1877 (pg 66, caption only)
• Pine Creek Railroad (pg 73, caption only) 
• Pirate Ship Realty, Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach, undated (pg 87, caption only), c 1929 (pg 92)
• Raritan Bay (pp 81, text only, pg 87, caption only)
• Regan's Tavern, Cliffwood, 1940 (pg 83)
• Rippen's Seafood House, Cliffwood, undated (pg 90)
• Sportland, Cliffwood Beach, undated (pg 81, text only), 1927 (pp 86, 87), and c 1940 (pg 84)
• Spring Dale Farm ("Springdale Dairy" in book) delivery wagon, delivering Wooley's aerated milk, c 1900 (pg 48) 
• Steamboat Hotel, aka Burrowes Mansion, 1851 (pg 23, caption only)
• Treasure Lake (pg 54, caption only; pg 89, caption only; 1930s, pg 91)
• United Methodist Church, demolition, 1970 (pg 15)
• United Presbyterian Church, fire, 1955 (pg 14) 
• Whale Creek (pg 81, text only)
• Ziegler's Restaurant, Cliffwood Beach (pg 89)

History: Farmers and Merchants Bank to Become Matawan Borough Hall (1959)

The 8 Oct 1959 edition of The Matawan Journal said that Mayor Ralph R Dennis revealed that Matawan Borough was buying the Farmers and Merchants National Bank building on Main Street and would be renovating the space for use as a borough hall. The borough would be paying $30,000 for the bank building, which was located across the street from the US Post Office, plus another $20,000 to outfit the space for borough offices and install a jail cell block. To date the borough had been renting meeting space from the American Legion Post..

History: A & P Grocery Stores Open in Cliffwood, Port Monmouth (1959)

1959 was the centennial anniversary of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, otherwise known as A & P. With so many people moving to the New Jersey suburbs, lots of new grocery stores were being built. I found evidence of two new A & P stores opening in our area that year -- Port Monmouth and Cliffwood.

The 29 Jan 1959 edition of The Red Bank Register included a photo of the new A & P on Route 36 at Wilson Avenue in Port Monmouth. The store was one of the largest in the state at 20,300 sq ft. The new store's ribbon-cutting ceremony included Frank F Blaisdell, mayor of Middletown; Raymond Slater, A & P assistant general superintendent for the Newark region; Earl N Hoyer, Chief of Police for Middletown; Harold Welchler, store manager; Roy Klebacher, A & P area meat superintendent; Thomas McManus, A & P district supervisor.

The 8 Oct 1959 edition of The Matawan Journal featured a photo of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new A & P grocery store in Cliffwood two days earlier. The photo included (left to right): Robert Cronheim, representing the developers of the shopping center; Roy Klebacher, general meat superintendent; Harold B Cohen, field superintendent; R S Slater, general superintendent; John Marz, Jr, mayor of Matawan Township; Steven Sovinsky, store manager; and Walter Dangler, assistant manager.