According to the 21 Dec 1934 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 8), two persons were arrested at a home on South Concourse in Cliffwood Beach for operating a 2,500 gallon still. The device filled the house from cellar to attic, according to officials. One of those arrested had to be smoked out of an escape tunnel built from the basement to a place behind the garage.
The article said the site was a red brick house at the entrance to South Concourse. The original property owner, who lived in New York, built the house in his spare time over a two year period in the late 1920s. The building and loan foreclosed on him when hard times hit and the house fell into disuse. A renter took the property and made significant improvements about six months prior to the raid.
This event is mentioned on pg 108 of Matawan and Aberdeen: Of Town and Field, by Helen Henderson.
Showing posts with label Cliffwood Beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cliffwood Beach. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Saturday, December 20, 2014
History: Green Acres Project Planned for Cliffwood Beach (1976)
The 29 Sep 1976 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2) contains the following article that both laments the lost glory of Cliffwood Beach as a popular beach resort and boasts of plans for a Green Acres project to make a park with tennis and basketball courts and other amenities just off the beach.
I moved to Cliffwood Beach two years after this article was published. The park project was all that was described in the article and more, with basketball courts, fenced-in tennis courts, bocci ball frames, swings, slides and climbing toys for children, and a small recreation building for a recreation manager to provide equipment by the hour. There was a new sloping lawn, parking lot and paved pathways intersecting the property. Bird watching signs were placed along a paved shore path near Treasure Lake to encourage nature enthusiasts.
The beach area was rather isolated, though, so it became a place for people to hang out after hours. While much of the activity was innocent, being mostly out of sight led to graffiti, destruction of equipment and property, other crimes, and frequent visits from the police. The bird watching signs were defaced and torn off their posts. Eventually the recreation building had to be torn down, the tennis courts were converted into a street hockey court and then abandoned, and new swings and recreational equipment and a beach volleyball area were added. The seawall -- already in existence by 1976 -- was made into a promenade a few years ago, with formal access from the harbor end of Cliffwood Beach.
Sandy flooded the area, bringing with it a heavy coating of the dune sands pushed off the beach and onto the basketball courts. The ground in the park became spongy and alkali. The paved walks were submerged in muck and mostly unseen. The storm also changed the effect of the tides on the park -- tidal flooding began to fill the roadway and low lying parkland with frequent surges of seawater and even actual waves. The seawall promenade and the land behind it were pounded and some sections undercut, lifted and cracked by the raging Raritan Bay, but the walkway mostly survived.
The article below starts out with local residents' reminiscences and local impressions of life in Cliffwood Beach. They offer their personal theories of how the resort, built in the 1920s, had been left untended and for the most part disappeared fifty years later. The article ends with local officials discussing the planned creation of an adjoining park that rose and has mostly fallen during the ensuring 40 years.
Can Cliffwood Beach Recapture Glory of Past?
MATAWAN TOWNSHIP
You wouldn’t know to look at it, but Cliffwood Beach was once one of the garden spots of the Jersey shore.
Now all that remains of the boardwalk is a line of forlorn black pilings poking their heads above the waves. The dance hall has vanished without a trace. And the salt water swimming pool resembles a giant concrete planter for reeds and brush mysteriously deposited in the high ground above the shoreline.
The
swimming beach has been eroded away and most of the fossil-rich
cliffs have followed them , blasted by storm-driven waves on one side
and undermined by septic tank seepage on another.
Treasure Lake is still there, but the water is shallow, stagnant, and slick with algae.
Some
Cliffwood Beach residents remember the glory days, before
harsh weather and public and private neglect took their toll. Mrs.
Mardell “Mardy” Edwards, Woodmere Drive, rummaged through her keepsakes to dig out a sheaf of old Cliffwood Beach postcards.
“
I ’m not really an old-timer," Mrs. Edwards said. “I’ve only been
here 27 years. But it was beautiful, really something. Now
you can see what neglect can do.”
The postcards might have come from another world. Still fresh with the pastel colors of 40 years ago, they depict clean beaches, wide boardwalks, a bustling pool scene, rowboats on a tree-shaded lake, and an elegant dance hall.
“People who drive by this area on the highway have no idea of the resources that are available,” Mrs. Edwards said. “ The beaches around here, years ago, were poor man’s paradises.”
A neighbor, Mrs. Alex Mose, was a regular summer visitor to Cliffwood Beach before moving here 16 years ago.
“We had homes up on the cliffs, and you could see all the way to New York ,” she recalled .
“There was dancing in the casino, bungalows every here. But the people at the helm were asleep at their posts, and they let the beach go to pot. You can’t imagine what we had here at one time.”
“They
didn’t think too much of maintaining the area for the future as they
did of developing it for the present,” Mrs. Edwards said. “There
was always a lack of maintenance and then we had a big building
boom in the 1950s.”
The
building boom, she continued, brought unexpected problems. “We
have clay soil around here, and most of the houses built then
had septic tanks,” she said. “ Clay soil doesn’t go with septic tanks. The tanks seeped and the cliffs were washed out from underneath.”
Over the years, Mrs. Edwards said, hurricanes caused damage to the area that was never repaired.
“The
salt water pool was bulldozed over after storms cracked it ,”
she said, “ and the waves carried most of the beaches out to
sea. A lot of the bungalows were washed away and so was most of
Cliffwood Drive .”
Nature, however, has not been the only destroyer.
“The new sea wall is already decorated with broken beer bottles,” Mrs. Edwards said. “Nobody goes swimming barefoot anymore. We keep a garbage can down there by the water’s edge, but people throw the bottles anyway.
“Then there’s the eternal battle to try to save the horseshoe crabs,” she went on. “Some people think they’re doing us a favor by killing them, and we tell them, ‘Next time bring the crabs home and let ’em decay under your windows, and you’ll see how much of a favor it is.’"
Some people believe—and they’re wrong—that you can get stung by the crab’s tail, but nobody’s ever hurt. By broken glass, yes; but by the horseshoe crabs, no.”
Although the story of neglect in Cliffwood Beach is a sad one, Township Manager Donald Guiuzzy said Matawan is hopeful of doing much to restore the area.
A sea wall has already been built to protect the land against the waves, and an earthen slope has been raised behind the wall.
“We hope to finish our slope protection project by mid-October,” Guiuzzy said. “We’re planting grass, some flowers, and crown vetch to stop erosion.”
The next phase of the overall project, he said, will be to install recreation facilities, including four tennis courts, shuffleboard and basketball courts, chess and checkers tables, perhaps bocci and horseshoe pits, a parking area, walkways, and “tot lots” for small children. Guiuzzy said the phase should be finished by spring.
“The recreation phase is all funded by state and federal grants,” he said. “We went out and aggressively tried for grants, and we got them.”
Guiuzzy said projects for restoration of the beach itself “look good for approval” by the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We want to restore one mile of bathing beach,” he explained, “and we hope we can start doing it in the winter. So far, we’re four years ahead of schedule. We’ve shown some of our plans to the engineers and gotten some very favorable reactions. We think they’ll help us.”
Half of the cost of restoring the beach, Guiuzzy said, would at first be funded by the federal government and half by the township. Ultimately, he said, the township hopes to secure 10 percent of the cost from the county and 25 percent from the state.
“There’s a lot of potential," Guiuzzy said. “ For instance, we’d like to cooperate with Old Bridge Township to create a marina on Whale Creek, right on the county line , financed by the Corps of Engineers. I think that would be a great joint project for the two townships.”
Guiuzzy said he didn’t know if the area could be restored to all its former splendor as a resort site.
“It’s difficult to make a prediction like that,” he said, “But one thing I do know: we’re making it a lot better than it is now."
I moved to Cliffwood Beach two years after this article was published. The park project was all that was described in the article and more, with basketball courts, fenced-in tennis courts, bocci ball frames, swings, slides and climbing toys for children, and a small recreation building for a recreation manager to provide equipment by the hour. There was a new sloping lawn, parking lot and paved pathways intersecting the property. Bird watching signs were placed along a paved shore path near Treasure Lake to encourage nature enthusiasts.
The beach area was rather isolated, though, so it became a place for people to hang out after hours. While much of the activity was innocent, being mostly out of sight led to graffiti, destruction of equipment and property, other crimes, and frequent visits from the police. The bird watching signs were defaced and torn off their posts. Eventually the recreation building had to be torn down, the tennis courts were converted into a street hockey court and then abandoned, and new swings and recreational equipment and a beach volleyball area were added. The seawall -- already in existence by 1976 -- was made into a promenade a few years ago, with formal access from the harbor end of Cliffwood Beach.
Sandy flooded the area, bringing with it a heavy coating of the dune sands pushed off the beach and onto the basketball courts. The ground in the park became spongy and alkali. The paved walks were submerged in muck and mostly unseen. The storm also changed the effect of the tides on the park -- tidal flooding began to fill the roadway and low lying parkland with frequent surges of seawater and even actual waves. The seawall promenade and the land behind it were pounded and some sections undercut, lifted and cracked by the raging Raritan Bay, but the walkway mostly survived.
The article below starts out with local residents' reminiscences and local impressions of life in Cliffwood Beach. They offer their personal theories of how the resort, built in the 1920s, had been left untended and for the most part disappeared fifty years later. The article ends with local officials discussing the planned creation of an adjoining park that rose and has mostly fallen during the ensuring 40 years.
Can Cliffwood Beach Recapture Glory of Past?
MATAWAN TOWNSHIP
You wouldn’t know to look at it, but Cliffwood Beach was once one of the garden spots of the Jersey shore.
Now all that remains of the boardwalk is a line of forlorn black pilings poking their heads above the waves. The dance hall has vanished without a trace. And the salt water swimming pool resembles a giant concrete planter for reeds and brush mysteriously deposited in the high ground above the shoreline.
Treasure Lake is still there, but the water is shallow, stagnant, and slick with algae.
The postcards might have come from another world. Still fresh with the pastel colors of 40 years ago, they depict clean beaches, wide boardwalks, a bustling pool scene, rowboats on a tree-shaded lake, and an elegant dance hall.
“People who drive by this area on the highway have no idea of the resources that are available,” Mrs. Edwards said. “ The beaches around here, years ago, were poor man’s paradises.”
“There was dancing in the casino, bungalows every here. But the people at the helm were asleep at their posts, and they let the beach go to pot. You can’t imagine what we had here at one time.”
Nature, however, has not been the only destroyer.
“The new sea wall is already decorated with broken beer bottles,” Mrs. Edwards said. “Nobody goes swimming barefoot anymore. We keep a garbage can down there by the water’s edge, but people throw the bottles anyway.
“Then there’s the eternal battle to try to save the horseshoe crabs,” she went on. “Some people think they’re doing us a favor by killing them, and we tell them, ‘Next time bring the crabs home and let ’em decay under your windows, and you’ll see how much of a favor it is.’"
Some people believe—and they’re wrong—that you can get stung by the crab’s tail, but nobody’s ever hurt. By broken glass, yes; but by the horseshoe crabs, no.”
Although the story of neglect in Cliffwood Beach is a sad one, Township Manager Donald Guiuzzy said Matawan is hopeful of doing much to restore the area.
A sea wall has already been built to protect the land against the waves, and an earthen slope has been raised behind the wall.
“We hope to finish our slope protection project by mid-October,” Guiuzzy said. “We’re planting grass, some flowers, and crown vetch to stop erosion.”
The next phase of the overall project, he said, will be to install recreation facilities, including four tennis courts, shuffleboard and basketball courts, chess and checkers tables, perhaps bocci and horseshoe pits, a parking area, walkways, and “tot lots” for small children. Guiuzzy said the phase should be finished by spring.
“The recreation phase is all funded by state and federal grants,” he said. “We went out and aggressively tried for grants, and we got them.”
Guiuzzy said projects for restoration of the beach itself “look good for approval” by the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We want to restore one mile of bathing beach,” he explained, “and we hope we can start doing it in the winter. So far, we’re four years ahead of schedule. We’ve shown some of our plans to the engineers and gotten some very favorable reactions. We think they’ll help us.”
Half of the cost of restoring the beach, Guiuzzy said, would at first be funded by the federal government and half by the township. Ultimately, he said, the township hopes to secure 10 percent of the cost from the county and 25 percent from the state.
“There’s a lot of potential," Guiuzzy said. “ For instance, we’d like to cooperate with Old Bridge Township to create a marina on Whale Creek, right on the county line , financed by the Corps of Engineers. I think that would be a great joint project for the two townships.”
Guiuzzy said he didn’t know if the area could be restored to all its former splendor as a resort site.
“It’s difficult to make a prediction like that,” he said, “But one thing I do know: we’re making it a lot better than it is now."
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Route 35 Construction at Cliffwood - Update
NJ DOT funded road construction at the Route 35/Cliffwood Avenue intersection seems to be winding down. Cliffwood Avenue now has three lanes (left, straight and right) coming out of Cliffwood Beach. The final paving job is not done, but new sidewalks and curbs have been added, new traffic lights installed, and some landscaping has been done. The old Burlew's Pizzeria lot seems free of construction equipment and supplies. Amboy Avenue no longer connects with Cliffwood Avenue. Bagelicious should be pleased to have traffic coming and going normally again.
I noticed Monday morning that the land movers had moved to the Route 35/Amboy Avenue intersection and there was digging going on along the McDonald's property. Construction at Amboy Avenue can be expected to last well into 2015. Those of you who switched to Amboy Avenue to avoid the Cliffwood Avenue intersection will now have to rethink that strategy.
Final paving and line painting will likely finish up the project sometime next year.
I noticed Monday morning that the land movers had moved to the Route 35/Amboy Avenue intersection and there was digging going on along the McDonald's property. Construction at Amboy Avenue can be expected to last well into 2015. Those of you who switched to Amboy Avenue to avoid the Cliffwood Avenue intersection will now have to rethink that strategy.
Final paving and line painting will likely finish up the project sometime next year.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Cliffwood Beach Park
After last week's annual extralegal fireworks extravaganza at the beach, I'm surprised the osprey have stuck around.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
History: Cliffwood Beach Club Adds 200 Bungalows at Treasure Lake (1926)
The 19 Mar 1926 edition of The Matawan Journal included this front page article about the addition of 200 small bungalows near Treasure Lake for Cliffwood Beach Club owners to use. The developer -- Morrisey & Walker -- borrowed this trendy vacation idea from the West Coast. These small "bungalets," which were built only 100 feet from the bay, were all destroyed in Hurricane Donna in 1960.
Work will be completed this week on a unique bungalow's colony being constructed for thc Cliffwood Beach Club near Treasure Lake, Cllffwood Beach. The development consists of 150 one-room bungalets and 50 two-room structures adapted from the "divided hotel” plan in successful operation on the Catalina Islands and other Pacific Coast resorts.
Charles W. Morrisey, president of Morrisey & Walkcr, Inc., developers of Cliffwood Beach, and an organizer of the Cliffwood Beach Club, in announcing the approaching completion of the building operations, declared that the demand for large houses has shown a steady diminution during the last few years along the shore.
The Cliffwood Beach Club, he continued, has endeavored to keep abreast of the vacation trend by the erection of "bungalets," as they are known on the coast, which will be managed on the lines of a hotel from a central administration building.
Occupancy of the bungalets will be limited to members of the club, which will have a maximum roster of 200 families, who will be required to furnish adequate business and social references. Registrations for the single rooms wlll be limited to four and for the two-room structures to six persons.
The houses are of frame 10x20 feet, and are located 100 feet from the shore. Particular attention has been paid to sanitary provisions and there will be daily garbage collections.Water and electricity for lighting and cooking will be provided. Each bungalet is sufficiently distant from its neighbor to insure a maximum of privacy.
Members of the Club, in addition to occupylng rooms in the "divided hotel," will also have access to playgrounds, tennis courts, boating facilities on Treasure Lake, a private beach and band concerts.
If the Innovation proves as successful in the East as it has on the Pacific Coast, Mr. Morrisey said it is probable it will be extended to other parts of the north Jersey shore.
Morrisey & Walker, Inc, the developers of this bungalow colony, is the largest seashore realty organization in New Jersey. The firm has successful developments at Cliffwood Beach, Shark River Hills, Asbury Park, West End, Belmar, Keansburg and Laurence Harbor. This firm has offices at 951 Broad Street, Newark, N. J„ three offices in Asbury Park, one on Cookman Avenue and two on the boardwalk, the famous Pirate ship at Cliffwood Beach known all over thc country, and at Keansburg and Laurence Harbor.
NEW INNOVATION AT CLIFFWOOD BEACH
"DIVIDED HOTEL” IDEA OF THE WEST COAST INTRODUCED.
One Hundred Fifty One-Room Bungalets and Fifty Two-Room Structures Completed This Week.
Work will be completed this week on a unique bungalow's colony being constructed for thc Cliffwood Beach Club near Treasure Lake, Cllffwood Beach. The development consists of 150 one-room bungalets and 50 two-room structures adapted from the "divided hotel” plan in successful operation on the Catalina Islands and other Pacific Coast resorts.
Charles W. Morrisey, president of Morrisey & Walkcr, Inc., developers of Cliffwood Beach, and an organizer of the Cliffwood Beach Club, in announcing the approaching completion of the building operations, declared that the demand for large houses has shown a steady diminution during the last few years along the shore.
The Cliffwood Beach Club, he continued, has endeavored to keep abreast of the vacation trend by the erection of "bungalets," as they are known on the coast, which will be managed on the lines of a hotel from a central administration building.
Occupancy of the bungalets will be limited to members of the club, which will have a maximum roster of 200 families, who will be required to furnish adequate business and social references. Registrations for the single rooms wlll be limited to four and for the two-room structures to six persons.
The houses are of frame 10x20 feet, and are located 100 feet from the shore. Particular attention has been paid to sanitary provisions and there will be daily garbage collections.Water and electricity for lighting and cooking will be provided. Each bungalet is sufficiently distant from its neighbor to insure a maximum of privacy.
Members of the Club, in addition to occupylng rooms in the "divided hotel," will also have access to playgrounds, tennis courts, boating facilities on Treasure Lake, a private beach and band concerts.
If the Innovation proves as successful in the East as it has on the Pacific Coast, Mr. Morrisey said it is probable it will be extended to other parts of the north Jersey shore.
Morrisey & Walker, Inc, the developers of this bungalow colony, is the largest seashore realty organization in New Jersey. The firm has successful developments at Cliffwood Beach, Shark River Hills, Asbury Park, West End, Belmar, Keansburg and Laurence Harbor. This firm has offices at 951 Broad Street, Newark, N. J„ three offices in Asbury Park, one on Cookman Avenue and two on the boardwalk, the famous Pirate ship at Cliffwood Beach known all over thc country, and at Keansburg and Laurence Harbor.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Osprey Watch
There are two active nests in Cliffwood Beach at the moment, in case you want to see osprey in action. The nests in nearby Keyport have vanished, probably due to Superstorm Sandy. I think the nest above Union Beach Police Department is active, based on the comments about pooping birds from the staff there. I've not checked out the nests in Laurence Harbor or Cheesequake yet.
If the weather cooperates, I plan an outing this weekend to find the reported nest off Wilson Avenue in Matawan. It seems to be along the Hudson Trail by the power station.
UPDATE: After dinner at MJ's Sports Bar on Route 34, where we watched the Brazil v Colombia World Cup match and a bit of the Yankees v Twins game, I took my wife over to Wilson Avenue to locate the osprey nest near the Hudson Trail. Turns out there is an active nest atop the huge -- I mean really tall -- communications tower at the JCP&L Wilson Avenue sub-station.
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Monday, June 23, 2014
History: Cat 'n Fiddle, Cliffwood Beach (1927 - 1969)
The 1 Jul 1927 edition of The Matawan Journal had two small advertisements for the Cat 'n Fiddle placed throughout the paper, seven in all. One recommended "When dancing at the Cliffwood Beach Casino, dine at the new seafood restaurant and cafeteria 'The Cat 'n Fiddle,' on the boardwalk. Reasonable prices." Another announced the new place and recommended the shore dinner at $1.50. It also named the music group playing on Sunday evening 3 July as the "famous Marimba Band from Central America, now the talk of New York."
The 28 Jun 1935 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 4) included a small ad referring to the Cat 'n Fiddle as "Jersey's smartest rendezvous." The ad invited customers to "dine and dance on the water's edge. Perfect dinners 55 cents. Cocktails 25 cents, served on Cocktail Porch overlooking the sea. Dancing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Owens Brothers Orchestra from 7 pm to 1 am." An ad on page 9 announced, "Richard Jennings, manager of the Cat 'n Fiddle, will again supervise the service. Several bridge luncheons have been scheduled for this week. Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening a dance orchestra appears."
The 29 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1, col 8) included a small advertisement for the Cat 'n Fiddle, which would reopen under new management on 30 Jun 1944. "Choice liquors and food at reasonable prices. No cover. No minimum. No tax."
The 14 Jun 1951 edition of The Matawan Journal contained a public notice by the following persons, as representatives of the Krieg Corporation, doing business as the Cat 'n Fiddle, who were seeking a liquor license in Matawan Township: William E Webster, Jr, President, 1250 Shore Concourse, Cliffwood Beach, NJ; R Edgerton Webster, Vice President, Jamesburg, NJ; Isabel F Webster, Secretary-Treasurer, 1250 Shore Concourse, Cliffwood Beach, NJ; and Cliffwood Beach Amusements, Inc, Cliffwood Beach, NJ.
The 26 May 1955 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 5) ran an article announcing the opening of The Cat 'n Fiddle for the summer season. "Ray and his Jazz Bandits will be featured this summer at The Cat 'n Fiddle, in Cliffwood Beach, which will open this coming Saturday. Frank Cerranty will be at the bar and also will be manager of the establishment. The Cat 'n Fiddle is located on the Raritan Bay beachfront and it has been in operation for 25 years. It is owned by Morrisey and Walker, and is one mile from the Pirate Ship. There is a large parking area and reasonable prices will prevail for snacks and refreshments." The large ad above appeared on page 13.
The 15 Sep 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 3) provided the following excerpted reporting on damage caused by Hurricane Donna at Cliffwood Beach on Monday 12 September.
"Bayfront areas of Matawan Township took a battering from Hurricane Donna, especially in sections bordering Matawan Creek and in portions of Cliffwood Beach. During the worst of the hurricane, water was nine to 10 feet deep in the streets of Cliffwood Bench, police reported.
Damage in the beach area was estimated at more than $150,000. Ten families were evacuated from the waterfront area to the Cliffwood Fire House. Flooding in Cliffwood Beach reached all the way back to Greenwood Ave.
The storm lashed bay waters completely covered the roofs of the 180 unit colony of seacots* facing the bay at Cliffwood Beach and crashed through the rear of the Cat 'n Fiddle Restaurant, splitting the building in two. Police were stationed at the restaurant after looting was reported."
* The Seacot Village in Cliffwood Beach in Matawan Township
A seacot was a small summer rental, presumably an abbreviation for "seaside cottage." Helen Henderson shows a photograph of a "cozy seacot" and provides some information on rental prices, etc, on page 87 of her book "Around Matawan and Aberdeen."
An article in the 12 Aug 1948 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 5) mentions the death of a renter by heart attack at the Cliffwood Beach Seacot Colony.
The 6 May 1965 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1) published the rates for seacots to hook up to the Cliffwood water supply for the season. Units with one water tap paid $8.80/season; it was $17.50 for units with three taps; and renters paid $7.30 for an outside shower.
-------------------------------------------
The Cat 'n Fiddle was destroyed by fire in December 1963, according to an article in the 16 Dec 1963 edition of The Red Bank Register.
The 27 Jan 1966 edition of The Matawan Journal, which reported on a Nor'easter that struck the area on Sunday 23 Jan 1966, mentioned the Cat 'n Fiddle and seacots in a photo caption on the front page. The captionn read, in part:
"Driven by gale force northeasterly winds Sunday, waters of Raritan Bay overflowed the banks of Matawan Creek, flooding marinas and fishing stations along the way. The Cliffwood Beach section of Matawan Township was hard hit as water swept by the Seacot Colony, Cat 'N Fiddle Restaurant, and the Cliffwood Beach Pool. One woman, wife of the caretaker at the pool, had to be rescued by first aid men equipped with a boat. . . ."
The 10 Aug 1967 edition and 24 Aug 1967 edition of The Matawan Journal (pp 2 and 10, resp) contained an advertisement for the Cat 'n Fiddle, which was under new management. Hours were daily noon to 1 am; Saturday 10 am to 1 am. The Harry Thomas Review, featuring Eileen Walsh, was appearing on Fridays and Saturdays.
The 4 Jul 1968 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 12) contained an ad for the Cat 'n Fiddle, which was promoting dancing and entertainment on weekends. Pat and Joe were the hosts.
The 31 Oct 1968 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 16) reports on an investigation of fraud against the owners of the Cat 'n Fiddle.
ABC Sets Hearing For Area Tavern
A hearing will be held Nov. 4 in Newark offices of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control into charges against the Kreig Corp., owners of the Cat 'N Fiddle in Cliffwood Beach, of giving false information on a liquor license application.
The ABC alleges the stock of the corporation is held by three New York state residents. Corporate
officers insist the stock is in the hands of New Jersey residents as stated on its June 5, 1968 license application.
The 23 Jan 1969 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1) announced the state's revocation of the Kreig Corp's liquor license to operate the Cat 'n Fiddle due to the fraud charges.
Details of the demolition of the bar and seacot colony have yet to be found.
UPDATED to add an image of the Dec 1963 Red Bank Register article, some details about seacots, details from the Jan 1966 Nor'easter article, news of new ownership in Aug 1967, and word of fraud charges in Oct 1968 that led to the revocation of the liquor license in Jan 1969.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
College Job at Midland Glass
After college, Penelope became a teacher and is now an award-winning fiction writer. Check out her books and consider following her blog.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
High Tide at Cliffwood Beach on Friday the 13th
Tonight around 9 pm, my wife and I were heading home from dinner at Bertucci's. We needed gas, so we stopped in at Wawa off Cliffwood Avenue, but they waved us off, no gasoline for some reason. So we got on Route 35 North and picked up gas across from the 7 Eleven in Cliffwood Beach on the Old Bridge side of town. To get home, we took Ocean Parkway towards the Raritan Bay and crossed the Whale Creek bridge. From the heights we could see water covering the field in the park, but the roadway was clear, so we proceeded. But we could only go as far as the beginning of Lakeshore Drive, where we found waves of water approaching us. Tonight's full moon brought quite a high tide at Cliffwood Beach. The roadway and much of the park, and probably part of Greenwood Avenue, were all under 6 - 12 inches of water. A high pickup truck made it through, but we had to turn our car around.
This is the road that Aberdeen Township talked about in the 21 November 2013 edition of The Independent. They wanted to spend $180,000 to raise and repair it. The thinking was that if only the storm drains could be cleared of debris and the dunes repaired, the roadwork would revitalize the 65-acre park. Nice sentiments, but frankly, I think the Raritan Bay has other plans for these lowlands at Cliffwood Beach.
On a related note, check out Google Maps' idea of where the Cliffwood Beach Seawall is situated. They have it in the bay.
Cliffwood Beach lost power today and suffered some flash flooding due to a heavy rainstorm around dinnertime. The construction gullies along Cliffwood Avenue and Route 35 were full of rainwater tonight.
Route 35 North was reduced to a single lane through Hazlet tonight. Traffic was at a standstill. There were countless fire trucks and construction vehicles in the closed right lane from Hazlet Avenue to Holmdel Road. I assumed it was storm related, but who knows?
This is the road that Aberdeen Township talked about in the 21 November 2013 edition of The Independent. They wanted to spend $180,000 to raise and repair it. The thinking was that if only the storm drains could be cleared of debris and the dunes repaired, the roadwork would revitalize the 65-acre park. Nice sentiments, but frankly, I think the Raritan Bay has other plans for these lowlands at Cliffwood Beach.
On a related note, check out Google Maps' idea of where the Cliffwood Beach Seawall is situated. They have it in the bay.
Cliffwood Beach lost power today and suffered some flash flooding due to a heavy rainstorm around dinnertime. The construction gullies along Cliffwood Avenue and Route 35 were full of rainwater tonight.
Route 35 North was reduced to a single lane through Hazlet tonight. Traffic was at a standstill. There were countless fire trucks and construction vehicles in the closed right lane from Hazlet Avenue to Holmdel Road. I assumed it was storm related, but who knows?
Monday, April 28, 2014
21st Annual Family Fishing Contest - 10 May 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Route 35 Improvement Project in Full Swing
The long-awaited road improvement project on Route 35 in Aberdeen Township and Old Bridge Township has been underway for over a year now. New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) issued a press release in March 2013 announcing its imminent start, but it didn't specify when it would end nor did it describe the full extent of the project.
All I can say is that the project is in full swing. Cliffwood Avenue and Amboy Avenue intersections are the focus of attention at the moment, with new curbs installed, sidewalks torn up and being replaced, new storm drains and pipe installed, and new traffic lights hanging over the intersection but not yet operating. The school crossing guards must be having the devil of a time getting the kids safely across the intersection with the sidewalks gone.
Route 35 northbound commuter traffic is backed up most weekday mornings through Keyport due to a right-lane closure, which forces traffic to merge into a single lane at Prospect Avenue just east of Wendy's. Lots of traffic cones, barriers, flashing lights, etc, make it hard to find your way if you need to turn at Amboy or Cliffwood Avenue. I imagine the evening commute is just as messy southbound through Laurence Harbor. Lucky for me, I ride the train and have no children currently in school.
I've avoided Route 35 north of Cliffwood Avenue for the duration of the construction, so I don't know exactly how far they've gotten with raising the road surface and adding culverts under the roadway in the notorious flood plain at the county border. But I can say the stack of concrete culverts and pipe they piled at the corner of Route 35 and Cliffwood Avenue, where Burlew's Pizzeria used to stand, has all been used up and different supplies are now sitting there. It will be great when the mounds of tarp-covered materials are gone and the gateway to Cliffwood Beach can begin to look less like a war zone.
I'm anxious to see exactly what they plan to do with the north side of Route 35 at Cliffwood Avenue, where the traffic gets snarled every morning during the morning rush. They tore down Burlew's and Moore's Bar, presumably to make room for some aspect of this project, so they have plenty of land to develop a better intersection there. They've not started adding curbs on that side of the highway, so it is hard to say what is shaping up. They're doing the curb work on the south side of Route 35 at Amboy Avenue, across from McDonald's. I'm optimistic that vehicles exiting Route 35 North at Cliffwood Avenue will be able to make their way without a struggle, but we have no details on the state's intentions for the intersection so far.
I have to say it's amazing how long it takes for such an endeavor to get started. I first reported on the impending project in this blog four years ago this week, but planning had been underway since at least 2006.
As for when the roadwork will be completed, I expect the bulk of the project will be done by the end of summer. The state initially budgeted through FY 2013 for this project, I believe, so presumably they are already late getting this done.
If someone knows more details or can refer me to a website with the information I'm seeking on the project, please be in touch.
All I can say is that the project is in full swing. Cliffwood Avenue and Amboy Avenue intersections are the focus of attention at the moment, with new curbs installed, sidewalks torn up and being replaced, new storm drains and pipe installed, and new traffic lights hanging over the intersection but not yet operating. The school crossing guards must be having the devil of a time getting the kids safely across the intersection with the sidewalks gone.
Route 35 northbound commuter traffic is backed up most weekday mornings through Keyport due to a right-lane closure, which forces traffic to merge into a single lane at Prospect Avenue just east of Wendy's. Lots of traffic cones, barriers, flashing lights, etc, make it hard to find your way if you need to turn at Amboy or Cliffwood Avenue. I imagine the evening commute is just as messy southbound through Laurence Harbor. Lucky for me, I ride the train and have no children currently in school.
I've avoided Route 35 north of Cliffwood Avenue for the duration of the construction, so I don't know exactly how far they've gotten with raising the road surface and adding culverts under the roadway in the notorious flood plain at the county border. But I can say the stack of concrete culverts and pipe they piled at the corner of Route 35 and Cliffwood Avenue, where Burlew's Pizzeria used to stand, has all been used up and different supplies are now sitting there. It will be great when the mounds of tarp-covered materials are gone and the gateway to Cliffwood Beach can begin to look less like a war zone.
I'm anxious to see exactly what they plan to do with the north side of Route 35 at Cliffwood Avenue, where the traffic gets snarled every morning during the morning rush. They tore down Burlew's and Moore's Bar, presumably to make room for some aspect of this project, so they have plenty of land to develop a better intersection there. They've not started adding curbs on that side of the highway, so it is hard to say what is shaping up. They're doing the curb work on the south side of Route 35 at Amboy Avenue, across from McDonald's. I'm optimistic that vehicles exiting Route 35 North at Cliffwood Avenue will be able to make their way without a struggle, but we have no details on the state's intentions for the intersection so far.
I have to say it's amazing how long it takes for such an endeavor to get started. I first reported on the impending project in this blog four years ago this week, but planning had been underway since at least 2006.
As for when the roadwork will be completed, I expect the bulk of the project will be done by the end of summer. The state initially budgeted through FY 2013 for this project, I believe, so presumably they are already late getting this done.
If someone knows more details or can refer me to a website with the information I'm seeking on the project, please be in touch.
Beach Cleanup Set for Saturday 26 April 2014 - Cliffwood Beach and Other Sites
Clean Ocean Action (COA) will be hosting its semi-annual Beach Sweeps in our area next Saturday morning, 26 April 2014, from 9 am to 12:30 pm. Be sure to volunteer! Bring gloves, hard-soled shoes or boots, and dress for the weather.
You will find volunteer team leaders at our regional rally points as designated below. Click here for many other rally points in New Jersey, sorted by county.
- Aberdeen - Fishermen's Parking Lot at Cliffwood Beach (see detailed map at bottom)
- Keyport - Cedar Street (First Street at the waterfront)
- Middletown - Leonardo Public Beach South (at Beach Avenue)
- Middletown - Ideal Beach (at Ocean Avenue and Bayside Parkway)
- Middletown - Bayshore Waterfront Park
- Old Bridge - Pirates Cove section of Old Bridge Waterfront Park (Raritan and Ocean Boulevards, Cliffwood Beach) (see detailed map at bottom)
- Red Bank - West end of Locust Avenue
- South Amboy - Fisherman's Beach
- Union Beach - Front and Florence Avenue
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| Fishermen's parking lot at Cliffwood Beach is accessible by taking Cliffwood Avenue north, left on Greenwood Avenue, right on Lakeshore Drive, and a right into the lot (red arrow, above). Old Bridge's Pirate Cove beach sweep is being held just across the Whale Creek bridge on Ocean Boulevard (blue arrow, above). Both sites are accessible from Route 35. |
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| Beach Sweeps at Cliffwood Beach in previous years. |
Sunday, December 1, 2013
What Next For The Cliffwood Beach Waterfront?
Mayor Fred Tagliarini had a close call in the recent election and wondered aloud on election night whether he needed to do a few things he promised but didn't delivered on, one of those being the Cliffwood Beach Waterfront revitalization. He pointed out that there's no point to fixing up the place if it is going to continue to flood, something I agree with.
Councilman Greg Cannon announced a development project to deal with the flooding of the beach onto Lakeshore Drive by improving drainage and engineering the dunes to withstand storms, things that the township might be able to get state or federal funding for but seem wishful thinking, engineering wise.
The roadway and park are literally immersed in a flood zone and nothing short of a seawall is going to keep out the Raritan Bay. And not for the long term, even with a concrete structure. The tide has been cutting a path towards Greenwood Avenue and regularly floods the woods behind the homes there. After Sandy and Irene, people were kayaking on Lakeshore Drive. No mound of sand, no matter how well engineered, is going to keep out the bay.
It might be time to start pondering a different approach to the beachfront. Perhaps a new bridge to connect Greenwood Avenue with Ocean Avenue? A bridge could provide secure vehicle transportation between Monmouth and Middlesex counties. It could also support a walkway/bike path connecting the Laurence Harbor seawall with the Cliffwood Beach seawall, eventually linking them to the Hudson Trail at Keyport. At the same time, we could develop a saltwater marsh at Cliffwood Beach instead of building basketball courts. A green approach could attract game bird hunters, fishermen, bird watchers and envirotourists. And generous funding at the state and federal levels.
Councilman Greg Cannon announced a development project to deal with the flooding of the beach onto Lakeshore Drive by improving drainage and engineering the dunes to withstand storms, things that the township might be able to get state or federal funding for but seem wishful thinking, engineering wise.
The roadway and park are literally immersed in a flood zone and nothing short of a seawall is going to keep out the Raritan Bay. And not for the long term, even with a concrete structure. The tide has been cutting a path towards Greenwood Avenue and regularly floods the woods behind the homes there. After Sandy and Irene, people were kayaking on Lakeshore Drive. No mound of sand, no matter how well engineered, is going to keep out the bay.
It might be time to start pondering a different approach to the beachfront. Perhaps a new bridge to connect Greenwood Avenue with Ocean Avenue? A bridge could provide secure vehicle transportation between Monmouth and Middlesex counties. It could also support a walkway/bike path connecting the Laurence Harbor seawall with the Cliffwood Beach seawall, eventually linking them to the Hudson Trail at Keyport. At the same time, we could develop a saltwater marsh at Cliffwood Beach instead of building basketball courts. A green approach could attract game bird hunters, fishermen, bird watchers and envirotourists. And generous funding at the state and federal levels.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach Update - July 2013
Some updates about Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach:
- Bruno's on Cliffwood Avenue, near the railroad tracks, has closed. The property owner has a sign up seeking a business to lease the space. Two underground tanks of some sort were removed from the property in recent days, so it should be about ready for a new shop to occupy the space. I'll miss the old Hershey's chocolate sign that hung outside.
- There is construction at the traffic light across from McDonald's at Amboy Avenue and Route 35. They've removed the curbs and seem to be widening the road on the A&P side of the highway. Perhaps they will widen the roadway there so traffic can enter and exit the A&P lot from the McDonald's traffic light?
- I suppose that is part of the overall construction project underway on Route 35. There are numbered concrete fittings piled up on the grass where Burlew's pizza parlor used to be, across from the Goodwill store. The fittings are marked with the letters "CB," plus numbers, probably indicating how they fit together to carry the creek under Route 35. Just think: We could be flood free soon, unless of course another Sandy comes along and floods the whole area. Let's not think about that.
- Have you noticed something odd with the left arrow when you are exiting Cliffwood Beach on Cliffwood Avenue at Route 35? The left arrow goes away but the light remains red for about two seconds before turning green. If you are approaching when the arrow disappears, do you stop? Or do you get mad when others stop? Oh, and, by the way, do you get mad when people wait to cross into the far lane and enter the A&P lot, keeping others from making the left turn onto Route 35? But I digress. . . .
- The Cliffwood Beach seawall was seriously undercut by Sandy, leaving maybe half a dozen of the concrete sidewalk sections uneven and at an angle. There is also at least one section of rail missing. I hope repairs to the seawall are part of the Governor's relief package. Or maybe we could ask the UAE for some help?
- Finally, the dry cleaners in the A&P shopping center is closed. I guess too many folks have been using those dryer sheets from the grocery store.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
History: Prospect Grove (Money Island)
Before Cliffwood Beach was developed in the 1920's, the area was known as Prospect Grove or Money Island.
P. M. Barber operated the grove at the beach in Cliffwood on Wednesday and Saturday evenings during the summer of 1889, according to an advertisement in the 27 Jul 1889 edition of The Matawan Journal.. Offerings included music and refreshments at social events such as picnics, pleasure parties, and clam bakes.
Joel A Walling built a photography wagon and took it down to Prospect Grove in 1889 and did a thriving business, according to a Forty Years Ago history piece in the 23 Aug 1929 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 4.
The 2 Aug 1890 edition of The Matawan Journal talked about Sunday School groups from Morganville and Brick that picnicked at Money Island.
The 4 Aug 1894 edition of The Matawan Journal said, "Large crowds gather at Prospect Grove to get the benefit of the sea breeze. There is dancing held at the grove every Saturday evening.
The 27 Jul 1895 edition mentioned a Sunday School group visit to Money Island by a Morganville church.
The 27 Jun 1896 edition of The Matawan Journal declared that Prospect Grove was open for the season under the management of George Birch for music and dancing on Thursday nights, and good boating and bathing. The ad said it was "a pleasant place to spend a day and evening at the seashore." (The same ad appeared in the 27 Jul 1895 edition of The Matawan Journal.)
The 16 Aug 1900 edition mentioned a Sunday School group from Cliffwood that would be visiting Money Island.
Prospect Grove is mentioned in a scientific publication in 1904, but it isn't clear how they derived the name of the place for their publication. They described the grove as being found along the Raritan Bay southeast of Cheesequake creek. The publication, which can be found online, is The Clays and Clay Industry of New Jersey, by Heinrich Ries and Henry B Kummel, which is The Final Report of the State Geologist, Vol IV, New Jersey Geological Survey (Trenton, 1904), pp 166 ff (Google eBook). The section of the book is called Cliffwood Lignitic Sands and Clays. It discusses the geologic and geographic attributes of particular kinds of clay in the Cliffwood area, which was famous for its brickyards in that time period.
In the summer of 1905, the Olive Branch Grange held its second annual picnic at Money Island, according to a 25 Years Ago historical piece in the 1 Aug 1930 edition of The Matawan Journal.
The 15 Jul 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal spoke of an outing by boat to Money Island to collect clams for a clam bake. "Misses Mildred Morton, Dorothy Dennis, Ethel. L Lewis, and Mabel Emmons, togethet with August Kattner and Harold Close enjoyed themselves at Money Island on Friday. The trip was made by motor boat and enough clams were gathered to have a clam bake at Miss Lewis' the same evening."
The 30 Sep 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal looked fondly at the nearly forgotten Money Island. "That Money Island has not been forgotten by picknicers is evidenced by the fact that the Whitlock family with their friends enjoyed a very pleasant day there on Saturday."
Another scientific reference is in the May 1916 edition of The Journal of the New York Botanical Garden, which mentioned the oak trees in Prospect Grove. "The March conference of the scientific staff and registered students of the Garden was held in the laboratory of the museum building on the afternoon of April 5. Mr. W. A. Stowell reported on the results of his investigations of the oak hybrids of Cliffwood, New Jersey. During the past summer Mr. Stowell made an intensive study of the tree population of Prospect Grove, near Cliffwood, which is the type locality for the hybrid Quercus Rudkini. A portion of the grove, about twelve acres in extent, was found to contain nearly all the oak hybrids of the region." The article continues with details about an oak census done by Mr Stowell.
The 19 Jul 1917 edition of The Matawan Journal mentioned a camping trip to Money Island. "Edwin H. Dominiik, Edward M Hyer and Alfred Davis spent the weekend camping at Money Island."
The 25 Aug 1921 edition of The Matawan Journal mentioned families from Browntown and Matawan who picnicked at Money Island.
The 8 Sep 1921 edition of The Matawan Journal had a front page story about a group of men from South Amboy who drove to Cliffwood one evening and assaulted one of the daughters of Isaac Johnson at the shack they lived in near Money Island. Melinda Johnson supposedly shot one of the men twice in the stomach, but the police couldn't find the men involved. The women had a "hard" reputation, having never attended school, etc. Isaac Johnson had actually left home because things were so bad at the shack.
The 1 Jun 1923 edition of The Matawan Journal contained this news story of the sale of Money Island to the developers of Cliffwood Beach.
"M0NEY ISLAND" BOUGHT BY MORRISEY & WALKER
TRACT WAS LONG SOUGHT BY LAND DEVELOPERS
Was Hiding Place for Captain Kidd and His Treasures Which Gave Spot Its Name.
Cliffwood Beach, better known as Money Island, has been bought by Morrisey & Walker, the greatest coast developing company in the State. The price paid is said to be $200,000.
Possession of .this tract has long been sought by real estate men from New York to Philadelphia. The property was formerly owned by Miss Eleanor Clark of New York, who during her life, considered and refused the offers of many who sought to purchase it for home or commercial purposes.
Very serious consideration was given to the property as a terminal for rail and seaport, both for local and foreign freight. Surveys were made. Many times it was reported sold. The Standard Oil Company contemplated building a great oil storage plant, utilizing the fine harbor for shipping purpose. Even after the death of Miss Clark about two years ago, every effort was made by real estate men to purchase
the estate. The property was left to a niece, Miss Minnie S. Keyes of New York, from whom Morrisey & Walker made their purchase.
The tract comprises about 350 acres, in the center of which is a beautiful lake, known as the "Duck Pond. Much of the land lies high above the water, great cliffs overlook the bay. These are wooded with pines and oaks and have for years formed a favorite picnicing ground for those wishing a beautiful and secluded spot. There is a gradual slope to the beach which is one of the finest sandy stretches on Raritan Bay. This is pure beach sand extending for two miles and a half.
It was the fine harbor and secluded cliffs, no doubt, that enticed Captain Kidd to choose it as a hiding place as he played upon the seas and because it was the storehouse for his treasures he secured as a pirate it became known as Money Island. Almost every child who has picnicked in the woods on
these cliffs and bathed along the beach knows the story of Capt. Kidd. . . ."
A Mar 1924 edition of The Matawan Journal reported, "Cliffwood, more often called "Money Island" because it is supposed to have been the hiding place of Captain Kidd's treasure, is yielding to the demand for greater shore resort development. This attractive stretch of beach, with its dense woodland and pretty lake, will be opened by Morrisey and Walker." This, according to a Looking Backward historical piece in the 30 Mar 1972 edition of the paper.
The 31 Jul 1931 edition of The Matawan Journal reported, "Many people from around Hillsdale drove through Matawan on Thursday to Money Island. There must have been close to 100 wagons and each contained from four to six persons. Some Freehold residents were also noticed driving through town to the same resort."
The 27 Jun 1957 edition of The Matawan Journal had the above photo story. It identified Money Island as including the shoreline between Matawan Creek and Whale Creek. It also included Treasure Lake.
A brief history of Cliffwood Beach in the 7 Jul 1994 edition of The Independent said Prospect Grove and Money Island were actually early names for Cliffwood Beach. The ads sound more like Prospect Grove was a commercial venture than a geographic or maritime location. Neither the 1873 nor 1889 county atlas identifies the shoreline at Matavan as anything except Raritan Bay. There are no references to Prospect Grove after 1916 and only one reference to Money Island after its sale in 1923.
The 31 Jul 1886 edition of The Matawan Journal contains the first reference I can find of Prospect Grove, a social venue for swimming and entertainment along the shore at what is now Cliffwood Beach.The article suggests that Prospect Grove was also known as Money Island.
The 23 Jun 1888 edition of The Matawan Journal announced the annual opening of Prospect Grove on 19 Jun 1888. The grove had a pavilion, bathing-houses, seats, tables, etc, making it the finest place in the region for picnics and pleasure parties. The grove served ice cream, refreshments, and all Temperance drinks. Sociables were held every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Good music was always in attendance. Clam-bakes could be arranged at short notice. P M Barber was proprietor.
The proprietor likely was Peter Barber, born about 1844 in New Jersey,
who was living in Matawan Township in the 1880 Federal Census along with
his wife Celia, their six children and his mother. He was a farmer by
occupation.
The same ad appeared a year earlier for a 1 Jul 1887 opening. See the 25 Jun 1887 edition.
Joel A Walling built a photography wagon and took it down to Prospect Grove in 1889 and did a thriving business, according to a Forty Years Ago history piece in the 23 Aug 1929 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 4.
The 2 Aug 1890 edition of The Matawan Journal talked about Sunday School groups from Morganville and Brick that picnicked at Money Island.
The 4 Aug 1894 edition of The Matawan Journal said, "Large crowds gather at Prospect Grove to get the benefit of the sea breeze. There is dancing held at the grove every Saturday evening.
The 27 Jul 1895 edition mentioned a Sunday School group visit to Money Island by a Morganville church.
The 16 Aug 1900 edition mentioned a Sunday School group from Cliffwood that would be visiting Money Island.
Prospect Grove is mentioned in a scientific publication in 1904, but it isn't clear how they derived the name of the place for their publication. They described the grove as being found along the Raritan Bay southeast of Cheesequake creek. The publication, which can be found online, is The Clays and Clay Industry of New Jersey, by Heinrich Ries and Henry B Kummel, which is The Final Report of the State Geologist, Vol IV, New Jersey Geological Survey (Trenton, 1904), pp 166 ff (Google eBook). The section of the book is called Cliffwood Lignitic Sands and Clays. It discusses the geologic and geographic attributes of particular kinds of clay in the Cliffwood area, which was famous for its brickyards in that time period.
In the summer of 1905, the Olive Branch Grange held its second annual picnic at Money Island, according to a 25 Years Ago historical piece in the 1 Aug 1930 edition of The Matawan Journal.
The 15 Jul 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal spoke of an outing by boat to Money Island to collect clams for a clam bake. "Misses Mildred Morton, Dorothy Dennis, Ethel. L Lewis, and Mabel Emmons, togethet with August Kattner and Harold Close enjoyed themselves at Money Island on Friday. The trip was made by motor boat and enough clams were gathered to have a clam bake at Miss Lewis' the same evening."
The 30 Sep 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal looked fondly at the nearly forgotten Money Island. "That Money Island has not been forgotten by picknicers is evidenced by the fact that the Whitlock family with their friends enjoyed a very pleasant day there on Saturday."
Another scientific reference is in the May 1916 edition of The Journal of the New York Botanical Garden, which mentioned the oak trees in Prospect Grove. "The March conference of the scientific staff and registered students of the Garden was held in the laboratory of the museum building on the afternoon of April 5. Mr. W. A. Stowell reported on the results of his investigations of the oak hybrids of Cliffwood, New Jersey. During the past summer Mr. Stowell made an intensive study of the tree population of Prospect Grove, near Cliffwood, which is the type locality for the hybrid Quercus Rudkini. A portion of the grove, about twelve acres in extent, was found to contain nearly all the oak hybrids of the region." The article continues with details about an oak census done by Mr Stowell.
The 19 Jul 1917 edition of The Matawan Journal mentioned a camping trip to Money Island. "Edwin H. Dominiik, Edward M Hyer and Alfred Davis spent the weekend camping at Money Island."
The 25 Aug 1921 edition of The Matawan Journal mentioned families from Browntown and Matawan who picnicked at Money Island.
The 8 Sep 1921 edition of The Matawan Journal had a front page story about a group of men from South Amboy who drove to Cliffwood one evening and assaulted one of the daughters of Isaac Johnson at the shack they lived in near Money Island. Melinda Johnson supposedly shot one of the men twice in the stomach, but the police couldn't find the men involved. The women had a "hard" reputation, having never attended school, etc. Isaac Johnson had actually left home because things were so bad at the shack.
The 1 Jun 1923 edition of The Matawan Journal contained this news story of the sale of Money Island to the developers of Cliffwood Beach.
"M0NEY ISLAND" BOUGHT BY MORRISEY & WALKER
TRACT WAS LONG SOUGHT BY LAND DEVELOPERS
Was Hiding Place for Captain Kidd and His Treasures Which Gave Spot Its Name.
Cliffwood Beach, better known as Money Island, has been bought by Morrisey & Walker, the greatest coast developing company in the State. The price paid is said to be $200,000.
Possession of .this tract has long been sought by real estate men from New York to Philadelphia. The property was formerly owned by Miss Eleanor Clark of New York, who during her life, considered and refused the offers of many who sought to purchase it for home or commercial purposes.
Very serious consideration was given to the property as a terminal for rail and seaport, both for local and foreign freight. Surveys were made. Many times it was reported sold. The Standard Oil Company contemplated building a great oil storage plant, utilizing the fine harbor for shipping purpose. Even after the death of Miss Clark about two years ago, every effort was made by real estate men to purchase
the estate. The property was left to a niece, Miss Minnie S. Keyes of New York, from whom Morrisey & Walker made their purchase.
The tract comprises about 350 acres, in the center of which is a beautiful lake, known as the "Duck Pond. Much of the land lies high above the water, great cliffs overlook the bay. These are wooded with pines and oaks and have for years formed a favorite picnicing ground for those wishing a beautiful and secluded spot. There is a gradual slope to the beach which is one of the finest sandy stretches on Raritan Bay. This is pure beach sand extending for two miles and a half.
It was the fine harbor and secluded cliffs, no doubt, that enticed Captain Kidd to choose it as a hiding place as he played upon the seas and because it was the storehouse for his treasures he secured as a pirate it became known as Money Island. Almost every child who has picnicked in the woods on
these cliffs and bathed along the beach knows the story of Capt. Kidd. . . ."
A Mar 1924 edition of The Matawan Journal reported, "Cliffwood, more often called "Money Island" because it is supposed to have been the hiding place of Captain Kidd's treasure, is yielding to the demand for greater shore resort development. This attractive stretch of beach, with its dense woodland and pretty lake, will be opened by Morrisey and Walker." This, according to a Looking Backward historical piece in the 30 Mar 1972 edition of the paper.
The 31 Jul 1931 edition of The Matawan Journal reported, "Many people from around Hillsdale drove through Matawan on Thursday to Money Island. There must have been close to 100 wagons and each contained from four to six persons. Some Freehold residents were also noticed driving through town to the same resort."
The 27 Jun 1957 edition of The Matawan Journal had the above photo story. It identified Money Island as including the shoreline between Matawan Creek and Whale Creek. It also included Treasure Lake.
A brief history of Cliffwood Beach in the 7 Jul 1994 edition of The Independent said Prospect Grove and Money Island were actually early names for Cliffwood Beach. The ads sound more like Prospect Grove was a commercial venture than a geographic or maritime location. Neither the 1873 nor 1889 county atlas identifies the shoreline at Matavan as anything except Raritan Bay. There are no references to Prospect Grove after 1916 and only one reference to Money Island after its sale in 1923.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Stripers Draw Fishermen to Cliffwood Beach
Fishermen are at Cliffwood Beach hoping to catch stripers. NJ.com reported word of some bites before the recent storm. The fish preferred sandworms. The paper added that Raritan Bay will be open for shellfishing on 15 April after a lengthy hiatus due to Sandy.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Cliffwood Beach Access Road Cleanup
I pulled some tires, bottles and plastics from along the beach access road today and left them near the Greenwood Avenue gate. Perhaps some others might want to help out over the weekend by picking up some other debris and leaving it there? And then the Aberdeen Utility Dept could come by next week and pick it up?And people could stop leaving their beer bottles in the brush along the access road? Show some class.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
History: Wash Jackson, Cliffwood Beach, Arrested for Breaking and Entry (1931)
A store owner named James Johnson, Atlantic Avenue, swore out a warrant that Wash Jackson, a 19-year-old Cliffwood resident, and Clarence Taylor had broken into his store and stolen $150 and cigars and were seen by Lewis James as they exited the store. Taylor reportedly fled to relatives in Virginia to avoid arrest, while Jackson left town only briefly and was captured upon his return. According to the 11 Sep 1931 edition of The Matawan Journal, Jackson was out on $500 bail awaiting the results of a grand jury.
The 1930 Federal Census showed Washington Jackson, Jr, age 17 NJ, and five younger siblings living in in the Cliffwood Beach household of his parents, Washington and Mary Jackson, both 40 years old Virginians with Virginian parents. Wash and his father were both laborers at a local brick company.
The witness, Lewis James (38 VA), was a coal and ice laborer living in Keyport in the 1930 Federal Census.
I didn't find James Johnson or Clarence Taylor in the 1930 census. And the venue of the crime isn't mentioned.
The 1930 Federal Census showed Washington Jackson, Jr, age 17 NJ, and five younger siblings living in in the Cliffwood Beach household of his parents, Washington and Mary Jackson, both 40 years old Virginians with Virginian parents. Wash and his father were both laborers at a local brick company.
The witness, Lewis James (38 VA), was a coal and ice laborer living in Keyport in the 1930 Federal Census.
I didn't find James Johnson or Clarence Taylor in the 1930 census. And the venue of the crime isn't mentioned.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Oklahoma Baptists to the Rescue on NJ Bayshore in Wake of Sandy
A hundred Baptists from Oklahoma came rushing to New Jersey's Raritan bayshore to help us with downed trees and muddy, flooded basements in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. This team was based out of a Baptist church in Middletown and expected to be in the area for a couple of weeks.
I stopped by one of their first work sites in Cliffwood Beach to seek help. They were at a scene of absolute devastation at the corner of Cliffwood Avenue and Greenwood Avenue. The workers were like ants, cutting tree branches and trunks and hauling and moving the remains of a large tree that had crushed at least two roofs when it fell. A woman took my information and within days they were in my backyard, dealing with a tree that had damaged my roof and gutters and continued to menace my home. It was still attached to the trunk and leaning hard against the deck, ready to fall. It threatened to kill or injure any unfortunate soul who got under it and to crush my deck if not taken down properly. They did a great job.
Here are some photos of them at work.
I stopped by one of their first work sites in Cliffwood Beach to seek help. They were at a scene of absolute devastation at the corner of Cliffwood Avenue and Greenwood Avenue. The workers were like ants, cutting tree branches and trunks and hauling and moving the remains of a large tree that had crushed at least two roofs when it fell. A woman took my information and within days they were in my backyard, dealing with a tree that had damaged my roof and gutters and continued to menace my home. It was still attached to the trunk and leaning hard against the deck, ready to fall. It threatened to kill or injure any unfortunate soul who got under it and to crush my deck if not taken down properly. They did a great job.
Here are some photos of them at work.
Inkspeare
Maria Diaz, the writer of Inkspeare ("To blog or not to blog. . . ."), published a blog article with photographs about her neighborhood in Cliffwood Beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and in anticipation of the Nor'easter that was then approaching. She also wrote a blog article about her preparations for Sandy, again with a lot of interesting photographs chronicling the steps she took to ready her house and precious keepsakes.
Maria is a free-lance writer and writes about that, but some of those articles can easily apply to anyone who runs their own small business. For example, she recently wrote a broadly-applicable series on building your brand (Building Your Brand, Building Your Brand - The Challenges, and Building Your Brand - The Rewards). She writes poems, posts photos of her watercolors, tells us about her cat, and updates us on a wide range of projects she's pursuing.
Her blog is quite interesting and of local origin. I recommend it.
Maria is a free-lance writer and writes about that, but some of those articles can easily apply to anyone who runs their own small business. For example, she recently wrote a broadly-applicable series on building your brand (Building Your Brand, Building Your Brand - The Challenges, and Building Your Brand - The Rewards). She writes poems, posts photos of her watercolors, tells us about her cat, and updates us on a wide range of projects she's pursuing.
Her blog is quite interesting and of local origin. I recommend it.
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