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."

Watch for Church Street Detour 28-29 July 2014

Monmouth County will be repaving Church Street between Broad and Atlantic (past Aberdeen Town Hall) 7 am to 5 pm on Monday and Tuesday 28 - 29 July 2014, according to The Atlantic Highlands Herald, which routinely publishes county press releases for some reason.

You can best avoid this local hotspot by taking Main to Route 34 to Lloyd Road or Lower Main to Clark St to Lloyd Road. Also keep in mind that Little Street crosses Lake Matawan to join Broad and Atlantic.

UPDATE: The county would be conducting this work for Thursday 31 July and Friday 1 August 2014, according to a township alert on Wednesday. 

History: Monmouth Consolidated Gold Mining Company, Gilpin County, Colorado (1876)

Image of Quartz Hill and Nevadaville, Colorado in the Denver Public Library Digital Collections. The Monmouth and Fagan-Kansas mines appear towards the right side of the image.

The 29 Apr 1876 edition of The Matawan Journal has this interesting piece to add to my recent post about the old Fagan homestead.

"The Monmouth Democrat this week has an editorial notice of the Monmouth Gold Mine, in Colorado, owned by a stock company. Mr James Fagan, to whom reference is made in the article, is a son of George H (not James) Fagan of our town. One-half the stock is owned by citizens of Matawan and vicinity, and the other half by Mr James Fagan, by whom the mine is operated. But this is only one of Mr Fagan's enterprises. He has several other shafts, more valuable even than the Monmouth alone, and has also formed a partnership with a gentleman named Metcalf, and under the firm of Metcalf & Fagan these gentlemen have established a Bureau of Mines and Mining in the new building corner of Broadway and Fulton St, NY."

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The Monmouth-Kansas Mine was located in Nevada Gulch, Nevadaville, Gilpin County, Colorado in 1880. The area had been so rich in gold since 1859 that the county was known in Colorado as "Old Reliable." The Monmouth Company hit a dry spell in 1878-79 and the Kansas Consolidated Mining Company purchased their Monmouth and Fagan properties in the spring of 1880 , according to Colorado, Its Gold and Silver Mines: Farms and Stock Ranges and Health and Pleasure Resorts (1880), by Frank Fosset.

See a map of the Fagan and Monmouth-Kansas Mine, in Colorado (1875-1885), at the Portal to Texas History.

The Burroughs (Quartz Hill), Camp Grove (Quartz Hill), Fagan-Gunnell (Gunnell Hill), Monmouth-Kansas (Quartz Hill) and Monmouth-Kansas Mill (Nevada Gulch) mines were all operated by the Monmouth Consolidated Gold Mining Company, New York, according to the Colorado Directory of Mines (1879).

The Monmouth operations are mentioned in The Engineering and Mining Journal, no 25, 23 Mar 1878.

There are numerous references to Fagan and Medcalfe (sic) and their gold mines in Colorado: A Historical, Descriptive and Statistical Work on the Rocky Mountain Gold and Silver Mining Region (1878), by Frank Fosset.

History: Matawan Creek Bridge (1915)

Profile and cross section of the proposed new Strauss Bascule Drawbridge over Matawan Creek.

On the occasion of the construction of a new bridge over Matawan Creek by the Monmouth County freeholders, the 22 Apr 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal discussed the history of transit over Matawan Creek between Matawan Point and Keyport and provided details about the then-current bridge project.

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The location over Matawan Creek, at which point the new bridge to be constructed by the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Monmouth County is to be placed, has been used as a crossing point for a very long time. It is understood that the Indians which inhabited this section of our county, were the first to use it in order to reach their brethren at Chingarora Point from Matawan Point.

Long after the Indians had been driven out a raft was used to transport persons from one side to the other. Along about the year 1854, the late John K. Kuhns, Cliffwood, started a ferry by which he could transport wagons and persons across the stream. This mode of transfer was in effect for a number of years, as the owners of the vessels sailing in and out of Matawan on Middletown Point Creek were successful in fighting off the efforts of the people of Keyport in having a charter granted for a pay drawbridge.

Keyport-Cliffwood Direct

The boatmen were aided in their efforts to hold up the charter by the merchants of then Middletown Point, now Matawan, as all wagon traffic was compelled to make the long drive around Matawan to Keyport via what is known as the P. V. Heyer farm at the upper end of Matawan Creek, at which place was the only bridge at that time.

At first when the question of a bridge was agitated, the owners of the sailing vessels, aided by the merchants of Middletown Point, were powerful enough to defeat legislation which would permit the construction of the bridge for a number of years. About the year 1858 the late Joseph Rose, who had moved from New York to the farm known as the Rose farm and who frequently went to New York City by boat from Keyport, became interested in the proposition and created such a sentiment for the building of the bridge that the "bridge party" were successful in electing members to the Senate and House from this county, who had a law enacted empowering the company to build a bridge and charge toll. This was in 1857.

Charged Tolls Then

The bridge, as a toll bridge, was maintained for a number of years and up until the county purchased it from the company and made it a free or county bridge.

The first bridge built was constructed of wood, and lasted until the year 1888 when it was replaced by the present iron bridge at a cost of about $19,000. At the time the trolley road was extended to South Amboy, an enlargement was made by the county, whereby the trolley company was permitted to use the bridge in connection with the county. As the iron bridge, when built, was not meant to carry the traffic to which it was then subjected, it soon began to show the strain which it was compelled to carry, and it has been necessary to do considerable work on the bridge to keep it in condition for use. For the use of the bridge the trolley company pays one-half the operating expenses, repairs and the cost of any new structures which the Board of Freeholders felt it necessary to erect.

Trolley Shared It

Several months ago the Board decided to replace tho present bridge with a new and modern structure, and the designers of what is known as Bascule, or "Jack Knife" bridge were requested to submit plans, specifications, and approximate prices for a new bridge.

Among the proposals submitted was one from the Strauss Bascule Trunnion Bridge Company, of Chicago, Ill. After the Board of Freeholders and the representatives of the Jersey Central Traction Company had gone over the various plans of bridges submitted by the competitors, it was the unanimous conclusion of the Board and the trolley company that the Strauss Bascule Trunnion Bridge was superior to any other style or type submitted, and a contract was made with this company to furnish the plans and specifications for same.

The preliminary drawings were completed and the specifications outlined, when it became necessary for the County Engineer to go to Chicago to go over same in conjunction with the Chief Engineer of the Strauss Bridge Company. The work of checking up the plans and specifications was done last week by the County Engineer, and we have been able to obtain the following facts in connection therewith.

Shift Location

The new bridge will be located directly along the present structure on.the southwest side of same. It will have a thirty foot roadway with a street car track in the center and will be built for traffic and in the most substantial manner. The trunnion pin will be 10 1/4 inches in diameter. The bridge will consist of three stationary spans, each about seventy feet long, and in addition a double leaf bascule span of the Strauss type, which will give a clear unobstructed channel for navigation of fifty feet. This type of "Jack-knife" or "bascule" bridge is recognized throughout the country as the best form of movable bridge and it is remarkable for its speed of operation, because it affords the best possible conditions for shipping and because the bridge itself acts as the most efficient safety gates for the roadway traffic, the leaves of the bascule span, closing up the roadways entirely when the bridge is partly or fully open. There are a1ready twelve of these bridges built for neighboring counties within the State of New Jersey.

Bascule Or Jack-knife

The characteristic feature of this particular type of lift bridge is the counterweights which balance the two leaves in the same manner as the ordinary railroad crossing rate is balanced. These counterweights are of concrete, are suspended as a pendulum from a rear extension of the carrying girder but, of course, these counterweights will not be seen, since they are below the bridge floor and confined entirely between the girders of the adjacent approach spans.

Altogether the appearance of the lift span will be very much the same as of a small plate girder arch, and it will be noted from the appended cut that the appearance of the structure will be very pleasng. That the structure is no small affair will be understood from the fact that each of the above mentioned counterweights will have a weight of more than 100,000 pounds.

The bridge will be operated by electricity by an operator stationed in the operator's cabin on one side of the bridge and all the latest safety devices will be employed in the electrical and machinery equipment of the bridge.

The bridge is being designed by The Strauss Basou1e Bridge Company of Chicago, which are specialists in this class of work, and tenders will probably be asked within a month or so.

The Quantities as estimated by the engineer are as follows:

Structural Steel, Gullace and Anchorage
Bascule span           100,500
Fixed span               235,800 lb
                                320,000

Cast shoes                   1,000
Trunnion and pins        3,000
Trunnion bearings,
   sleeves, etc               4,000
Operating and lock
    machinery              12,000
Counterweight, 50 cu. yds.
    concrete               200,000
Reinforcing basis         800
Electrical equipment:
    2714 hp. operating motors
Plant flooring about   33,000 ft
Operator's house, machinery,
     enclosures, navigation
     signals, etc               5,000
Trolley poles, wires
     and pins                  14,300
Substructure Excavation   150 cu. yds
Cofferdams, as needed
     concrete                       100 cu. yds
Reinforcing steel               1,000 1bs
Piling from 65 to 90 ft.         112 pts
Fender piles                           45 pcs
Timber in fenders,
    about                             6,000 ft

The whole machinery will be operated from the operator house, which shows in the cut.

The hand or guard rail will be 2 1/2 inch galvanized iron with globe fittings, and will give the structure a neat appearance.

Cost To Be $40,000

Because of the slight change in the location of the bridge about 10 feet south of the present structure, it will be necessary to straighten the road on both sides of the bridge, and the procuring of the necessary land, and permissions are now under way. It will take all the summer to put in the sub-structure, and the draw will probably be placed next winter when the creek is frozen, and navigation closed as it will be impossible to swing the present draw when the new one is being erected. It is estimated that the total cost of the structure will be about $40,000. When the lift is up it is a positive barrier to any vehicle which might, with the old style bridge, force its way into the creek as did the automobile on the Passaic Bridge recently, in which accident four persons were drowned.

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Bids to provide all labor, tools and materials for the construction of the bridge were to be submitted to the freeholders by 8 Sep 1915, according to a notice in the 2 Sep 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 3 col 5).

The bids appeared in the 9 Sep 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 5). A decision was postponed until 16 Sep 1915.

The 9 Sep 1915 article named the road where the bridge would be built as the Keyport-South Amboy road. It would be part of Route 4 when the latter was established by the Egan Bill in 1916, and in 1927 would become part of today's Route 35, established by Chapter 319 of New Jersey public law. (See Wikipedia's History of state highways in New Jersey before 1927 and 1927 New Jersey state highway renumbering.)

The bridge could have been part of a statewide plan to improve the roads system in New Jersey and certainly made a longer highway possible, whatever the intentions. Turnpikes between Middletown and Keyport, founded in the 1850s, would have stopped at Keyport because of the inadequate crossing at Matawan creek. The wooden bridge would have been inadequate, and the iron bridge, built in 1888 and replaced in 1916, was not built to sustain turnpike traffic.

The 16 Sep 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 5) reported that the bridge over Matawan Creek failed on 12 Sep 1915 and was closed to both automobiles and trolley traffic. There was some debate whether the bridge would be closed until the new bridge could be built or if some temporary solution could be found. This article identified the bridge as a drawbridge between Cliffwood and Keyport.

History: The Iron Bridge, Matawan (1885-1887)

Little Street crossed the Mill Brook ravine using this iron bridge, which was built for the Monmouth County Freeholders by Dean & Westbrook in late 1887. It connected downtown Matawan with residents living to the east. (Photo: 1914)

Below are some news articles on the iron bridge built over the Mill Brook ravine in 1887.

The 13 Jun 1885 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 5) reported: "An iron bridge that was bought by the county but found too small for the place intended, is to be utilized by the careful forethought of Freeholder Dunlop, of this township, in being placed across the stream known as Mill Brook, east of Matawan on the continuation of Church street toward the water-power mill of Cartan & Co. The bridge will be placed on stone abutments and raised three or four feet higher than the present one, and the road graded up to it."

The 14 May 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 4) reported: By resolution passed by the Board of Chosen Freeholders on Thursday morning, the entire Board will meet at the Matawan House, in Matawan, on Wednesday next, May 18 at 2 PM, to take into consideration the iron bridge over the ravine east of town."

The 30 Jul 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal contained an advertisement for J S Harris' grocery store, located at Little and Main Streets, which announced: "The new iron bridge will be built at the foot of Little Street in Matawan. . . ." Week after week through the summer and fall, this ad would speak of the bridge's construction in the future tense.

The 6 Aug 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 4) reported: "Stone has been carted this week for the abutments for the new iron bridge over the marsh at Little street. E Sylvester has the contract for building them."

The 3 Dec 1887 edition of the Matawan Journal (pg 3 col 3) cited $5,000 as the amount of Monmouth County's first payment to Dean & Westbrook for the Matawan iron bridge, as per the county's semi-annual income and expense report as of 8 Nov 1887.

The 10 Dec 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 4) reported: "The first skating of the season was on the 2d inst on the marsh near the new iron bridge. It did not last long." (Reference was made to 2 Dec 1887.)

The 17 Dec 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 3) reported this item from the December 1887 meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders: "An invitation from Dean and Westbrook for the Board to meet at Matawan on the 10th of January next, to examine the new bridge, was accepted." The Harris grocery ad (pg 3 col 3) continued to say the bridge ". . . will be built . . ."

The 24 Dec 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal contained a revised advertisement for J S Harris' grocery store, which announced: "The new iron bridge has been built at the foot of Little Street in Matawan. . . ."

UPDATE: Bridgehunter.com added this bridge to its website about historic and notable bridges of the US on 6 June 2014.

History: Benjamin Foulois Visits Sandy Hook (1909)

Tests at Sandy Hook on Balloons

"First Lieutenant Benjamin D Foulois, of the signal corps, has been ordered from Washington to duty in connection with the proposed tests of firing field artillery and small arms at captive balloons to be held at Sandy Hook Proving Grounds.

The experiment will be for the purpose of demonstrating the theory that modification in the present type of field artillery is necessary in operations against balloons. The resisting power of the balloon will be observed."

Source: The Matawan Journal, 25 Nov 1909 edition.

Foulois (left) with Orville Wright. (1909)

Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (1889 - 1967) played a major role in evaluating the role of fixed wing air power in American war-making. He arranged the purchase of the first test planes for the military from the Wright brothers in 1908. Within a year he concluded the US military should acquire airplanes and began to recommend moving away from lighter than air vehicles like dirigibles. Those who supported balloons for the military were displeased with his outspoken criticism.

He served as navigator on a record breaking flight (speed, altitude and distance) at the end of July 1909.  Foulois went to College Park, Maryland in October 1909 and took flying lessons from Orville Wright.

It was in this context that Foulois was sent to New Jersey to study the use of artillery against stationary dirigibles instead of learning to fly in suburban DC. Apparently those seeing a bright future for balloons arranged the trip for him.

The Signal Corps had important operations in New Jersey and Maryland at the time, and since the Signal Corps were playing such a major role in studying air power, travel between College Park and Sandy Hook by Foulois seems logical and reasonable. It might also shed some light on the development of Aeromarine at Keyport. It is hard to imagine details of US military weapons testing appearing in the local papers today.

As an aside, the 1900 Federal Census showed Corporal Benjamin D Foulois stationed at Sogod, Cebu, in the Philippines with Company G of the 19th Infantry Division, US Army, in connection with the Philippine Insurrection. In the wake of the US acquisition of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, an independence movement developed in the Philippines and Foulois ended up there soon after his enlistment.

Foulois would eventually attain the rank of Major General.

History: Temperance and The Matawan Journal (1871 - 1889)

The Matawan Journal was a strong voice for the temperance movement throughout the late 19th century. As a consequence it covered the news with a certain bias, editorialized broadly against the evils of alcohol, and  meticulously covered the various manifestations of prohibitionist agitation and organization in the county and state. While it is a great resource, keep in mind that it surely represents the opinions of only a segment of the community and contains a heavy bias. You may have to read between the lines and reverse engineer certain articles and editorials to begin to see what was really happening. 

Below are a few related pieces I found today; you will find others throughout the blog.

The 30 Sep 1871 edition of The Matawan Journal contained this harsh editorial rebuke against political machines using liquor to obtain votes during the party nomination phase of elections. The commentary followed on its coverage of a dysfunctional local party convention at the Farry hotel. When a nomination was challenged, the person running the meeting was an interested party and left the issue unaddressed, so a large group exited the convention and met outside near the hotel's stables to nominate their own committee. It was in that context that the text below followed.

"A word or two now with reference to whiskey. We saw more drunken men in Matawan last Saturday afternoon than we have seen in the six months before. It is a shame and a disgrace that we cannot select men for our public offices without a part of our citizens being turned into rum tubs, into whose mouths whiskey is poured almost like water, in the hope that by this means a nomination may be secured. What low things will be done by men wearing the garb of respectability, that they may attain to a little honor. We would rather hide honor in the grave than climb for it on the temple of ambition, if to obtain it required our wading through the streams of rum that flow every year from political whiskey barrels."

Coverage of the temperance movement included the work of the Prohibition Party, which was expected to hold its NJ state convention in Keyport on 6 Sep 1887, according to the 27 Aug 1887 edition of The Matawan Journal. This conservative third party was founded in 1869 and advocated for the prohibition of alcohol in the US. Its heyday was the years immediately after World War I and the beginning of Prohibition, then again immediately after World War II and before the Korean War. The party still exists but has been relegated to political oddity status according to Wikipedia.

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) had its own column in the Matawan Journal, as seen in its 7 Sep 1889 edition. The column listed upcoming meetings by the Matawan WCTU in the Baptist church's lecture room on 12 Sep 1889 and the Loyal Temperance Legion on 13 Sep 1889 in the Reform Club room.

A significant portion of the WCTU column was dedicated to an editorial pondering the best strategy to make progress on temperance in Matawan. A local WCTU member had recently bemoaned the state of affairs in Matawan as being worse than when she started agitating for change 30 years earlier. The editorial proposed a legal prohibition of alcohol as worth a try.

"In this temperance work there is the yet untried remedy of legal suppression, and there are temperance voters enough in the old parties to give it a trial. Would matters be in any worse state, if it simply proved that prohibition simply didn't prohibit?" (Well, there's that whole issue of how rum running prompted the creation of organized crime in America.)

Prominently displayed on page 2 col 1 of the 7 Sep 1889 paper were announcements of the Democratic Party and the Monmouth County Prohibition conventions. The Prohibitionists of Monmouth County would be electing their county executive committee at their meeting on 7 Sep 1889 at the Reform Club room in Freehold.

History: Monmouth County and the Hudson Tubes (1903)

The 24 Dec 1903 edition of The Matawan Journal carried the following piece, attributed to The Freehold Transcript, predicting how ongoing construction of Hudson River tunnels would ease travel between Jersey City and New York City. These light rail tunnels, known as the Uptown Hudson Tubes, would benefit Monmouth County in many ways.

The first pair of tunnels were completed in 1906 and are part of today's PATH train system.


Bright Prospects Ahead

"The marvelous engineering enterprise now in progress in and about New York City may excite nothing more than a  passing interest in Monmouth County, but the Red Bank Register is quite right when, in looking ahead a bit it argued that one of them at least -- the tunnels connecting Jersey City and New York -- will prove a direct benefit to this county.  When it is realized that within the next three years any one may go from any one of the larger towns in the county to the heart of the city of New York practically without change of cars in perhaps less than an hour, it requires no imagination to understand just how much of an asset it will be in attracting outsiders to permanently locate here. Although it may be a harping upon the same old string, it is none the less true that there is no county in the State so fortunately situated so far as the future is concerned as Monmouth."

History: Monmouth County Hangings (1691 - 1906)

The 5 Jul 1906 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 6 col 2) reported the grisly details of the hanging in Freehold of Edward W Brown, a 38 year old black man from Virginia, for the 11 Jun 1904 murder of Rebecca Treynum in Long Branch.

See also Chapter 3 - The Brown Execution (pp 25 - 34) in George Joynson's "Murders in Monmouth: Capital Crimes from the Jersey Shore's Past" for a detailed rendering of the murder, pursuit, trial and execution. (Available to view at Google Books)

The article also contained this list of hangings in the county, but I can't vouch for its accuracy. See if you detect a theme.

• Sep 1691 - Cesar, black, for the murder of Mary Wright, also black, at Middletown. Tried, convicted and hung at Shrewsbury.
• Mar 1696 - Jeremy, black, for the murder of his master at Middletown, where he was hung.
• 1699 -  Tom, black, for the rape of a white woman at Middletown, where he was hung.
• 1700 - Mingo, black, for the murder of Ned, also black; he was hung at Middletown.
• 13 May 1803 - Peter Stout, presumed white, for the murder of a neighbor's son at Upper Freehold; he was hung at Freehold.
• Fall 1826 - Tony, black, for murder of Elijah Bedle near Keyport; he was hung just south of Freehold.
• 11 Apr 1851 - John Cline, presumed white, for the murder of a man at Red Valley.
• 8 Jan 1858 - James P Donnelly, presumed white, for the 1 Aug 1857 murder of Albert E Moses at Navesink.
• 27 Nov 1863 - Peter E Slocum, presumed white, for the murder of his wife at West Long Branch.
• 7 Jan 1869 - William N Woolley, presumed white, for the murder of Hartshorne Fleming at Bennett's Tavern near Shark River.
• 18 Jul 1888 - Richard Kearney, black, for the murder of Mrs Margaret Purcell at Elberon.
• 13 Apr 1892 - Louis J Harriott, presumed white, for the murder of Mrs Charles T Leonard at Atlantic Highlands.
•  29 Jun 1906 - Edward W Brown, black, for the 11 Jun 1904 murder of his mistress in Long Branch; hung at Freehold.

History: Main Street, Matawan (c 1905)

 What can we see in this post card image of Main Street, Matawan, New Jersey published as A6545 by the American News Company?

The turn in the road in the distance suggests that we are looking north from near Ravine Drive. Here's a roughly equivalent view in today's Matawan.

The chimney on the right in both images might lock the perspective of the old image.

The three story building on the right in the far distance is likely the Matawan House, which was located at the bend in the road at that point. It was torn down in 1930. See "Around Matawan and Aberdeen," page 102, to see an image of the Matawan House. The two-story A-frame building to the north of the Matawan House is large and distinctive but I cannot immediately identify it. Can you?

The Methodist Church steeple might be visible within the tree immediately to the right of the carriage on the right side of the street.

The presence of one or more horse-drawn carriages suggests this image is dated before 1908, when vehicles started to share local roads in earnest and cause some issues with horse-drawn vehicles.

Utility poles were installed in 1899, when Main Street received electric street lights, so the image could be after that date. Then again, no wires are visible, so the poles could be for kerosene lamps setting the date for the image prior to 1900. Thoughts?

I'd welcome any building identifications or thoughts on the date of the image.

History: Monmouth County Has Highest Maternal Death Rate in US (1931)

The 18 Sep 1931 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1, pg 2 col 3) reported on the annual meeting of the Matawan Public Health Association. This was the association's 7th year of service to the community. A report was delivered, telling of accomplishments and goals. The report noted the need for additional work with pregnant mothers, as statistics revealed that Monmouth County had the highest maternal death rate of any county in the United States at the time.

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"During the past year visits to pre-natal patients were increased 28 per cent. We realize that this is one of the weakest points in our generalized nursing program, and that there is great need for increased service since, according to statistics, Monmouth County has the highest maternal death rate of any county in the United States. We hope, therefore, to be able to develop the service to a much greater extent during the next year."

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This high death rate may have prompted local and/or county health authorities to open the Maternal Health Clinic in Asbury Park in 1935.

History: First Birth Control Clinic in Monmouth County Opens (1935)

The 4 Oct 1935 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 7 col 4) reported on the establishment of the first birth control clinic in Monmouth County in Asbury Park.

BIRTH CONTROL CLINIC OPENS

A birth control clinic for Monmouth County opened at 913 Sewall Avenue, Asbury Park, Wednesday, according to Mrs. Robert G Haley, Rumson, and will be known as the Monmouth County Maternal Health Center.

The clinic, the first of its kind in the county, each Wednesday will give contraceptive advice to overburdened mothers and those in poor health. A small sum will be charged those capable of paying, but poor mothers will be given advice free of charge.

History: Dr Carl Gesswein, Matawan Physician (1881 - 1956)

Charles Albert "Carl" Gesswein was a prominent medical doctor with an office at the corner of Church and Main Streets and a home at 205 Main Street in Matawan for many years. He born on 30 May 1881, in Canton, Ohio, married Bessie Morrow about 1906, and died on 19 Mar 1956 at Riverview Hospital in Red Bank after a long illness.

In the 1881 Canton City Directory, Carl's father Gustave L Gesswein was foreman at the Diebold Safe and Lock Co and lived at 148 South Cherry Street in Canton. In a separate section of the directory, G Gesswein was listed as the 4th Ward's member of the school board. His term of office was due to expire in 1890.

Gustave appeared in the 1888-1889, 1889-1890, and 1891-1892 Canton City Directories.

Carl was a student living with his parents, Gustave J and Mary Gesswein, at 506 Bucher, Canton, OH, in the 1896 Canton City Directory. Carl's sister Laura was in the same household; she was working as a bookkeeper at the co-op grocery. His sister Rose was also there, listed as a stenographer.

Carl was a student living with his parents, Gustave and Marie Gesswein, in Hamilton, OH in the 1900 Federal Census. His father, who was born in Sep 1850 in Germany and came to the US five years later, was superintendent of a safe manufacturer in Hamilton, OH. Home to three major safe companies, Hamilton was considered the Safe Capital of the World at the time. Carl's mother was born in Feb 1856 in the portion of Virginia that would become West Virginia; her father was born in Germany and mother in Switzerland. Gustav and Marie were married about 1877 and had four children, one of which had died by 1900.

The 1900 Hamilton City Directory showed Gustave as Superintendent of the Mosler Safe Company, Grand Boulevard, East Hamilton. Their residence was at 229 North 7th Street in Hamilton. Carl was a clerk at Mosler. Gustave's wife was Mary A Gesswein. Carl's sisters Laura and Rose were in the household but listed no occupations.

Carl was a student in the 1902 Hamilton City Directory. Laura was a stenographer, while the other details above remained the same.

Carl was a medical student in the 1904 Hamilton City Directory. The other details above remained the same.

Carl finished undergraduate work at the University of Cincinnati, then medical school at the University of Illinois, Urbana, according to his obituary. He opened a medical office in Plainfield, NJ in 1904.

Carl married Bessie Morrow about 1906. Bessie and her fraternal twin, Jesse Morrow, were born in Oct 1879, children of John and Ada Morrow, according to the 1900 Federal Census. The family lived in Hamilton, OH, where John was a salesman. The twins were born in Seven Mile, OH, according to Bessie's obituary, which showed her name as Bessie Hudson Morrow. Her burial record and Carl's obituary both showed her maiden name as Hudson, but the Hudson connection was not obvious. John and Ada had been married 29 years in the 1900 Census and the children showed Pennsylvania parental birth places, matching John and Ada.

Carl and Bessie were enumerated at 102 Central Avenue in Plainfield, NJ in the 1910 Federal Census. He was a doctor with his own office. He and Bessie had been married for four years at the time.

Carl appeared with a business listing in the 1912 Plainfield City Directory. He was a physician with hours 8 - 10 am, 1 - 3 pm, and 7 - 8 pm. His residence was at 102 Central Avenue in Plainfield, NJ. His phone was 730-J. His father Gustave was listed in the household; he was working as a superintendent in Philadelphia. The women were not listed.

Carl was listed with physicians in the 1914, 1915 and 1916 Plainfield City Directories. Each showed his 102 Central Avenue address.

Carl and Bessie moved to Matawan in 1916, according to his obituary. The 14 Dec 1916 edition of The Matawan Journal contained this report:

"Dr. George G. Reynolds has sold his house on Main Street to Dr. Carl A. Gesswein of Plainfield, who, with his wife, moves here to-day. Dr. Gesswein is a graduate of The Chicago College of Physicians and Surgeons, with twelve years' experience of practicing medicine and has had experience as operating surgeon in the Plainfield Hospital."

An advertisement for Dr C A Gesswein appeared in the 1 Nov 1917 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 6, col 5). His office was at the corner of Main and Church Sts, telephone 214, was open early in the morning (7:30 - 9 am), afternoon (1 - 3 pm), and evening (7 - 8:30 pm).

By the time Carl registered for the WWI draft in Sep 1918, he and Bessie were living at 205 Main Street in Matawan. He was of medium height and build with brown hair and grey eyes and was keeping a medical office at 30 Church Street, according to that record.

Carl's parents and two unmarried sisters were living in his 205 Main Street household in the 1920 Federal Census. His father was no longer working. (This record, in contrast to the 1900 record above, says that Gustave emigrated to the US in 1870 and was naturalized in 1875. And Marie's parents were both born in Switzerland in this record.) Carl's sister Laura was a secretary at the Episcopal church.

Carl and Bessie's household at 205 Main Street in the 1930 Federal Census included his parents, his sister Laura, and Bessie's sister's daughter Lillian Kenny. Lillian was a nurse in an office, presumably Carl's medical office.

Carl's parents went to Germany and spent several weeks there in the early fall of 1930, according to an Oct 1930 article reprised in the 1 Oct 1970 edition of The Matawan Journal. The article revealed that Gustav held the title of Justice of the Peace.

The doctor hit the news in 1930 when he recommended testing the water in Lake Matawan for toxins.

In Jun 1931, Carl took Bessie and their niece Lillian Kenny to Philadelphia, where he attended the convention of the American Medical Association, according to a history article in the 17 Jun 1971 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Bessie hosted the Matawan Women's Club at her home to hear the Mayor Edward Currie speak on municipal management, according to the 25 Nov 1932 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1, col 3). (Her  attendance in the early 1950s at a Former Presidents of the New Jersey Federation of Women's Clubs suggests that she served as president of the Matawan Women's Club at some point.)

Bessie hosted the Wednesday Afternoon Bridge Club at her home, according to the 25 Jul 1935 edition of The Red Bank Register.

Carl maintained a flower garden on the lot where Daniel B Strong had a store for many years, according to the 16 Aug 1935 edition of The Matawan Journal. (You can also see the text of the 1935 article at History of Singer Sewing Machines in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties in his blog.)

The 1940 Federal Census showed Carl and Bessie hosting his unwed sister Laura and an adult niece named Lillian Kenny at their 205 Main Street residence. Lillian was a technician, office assistant.

Carl served on the committee for the annual dance benefit for Riverview hospital, according to the 18 Jul 1940 edition of The Red Bank Register.

Carl's medical office was at 35 Church Street in 1942, according to his WWII draft registration papers.  He and Bessie were at 205 Main Street and their phone number was 214. He was 5'8" tall and 200 lbs with grey hair and had a tattoo on his arm.

During WWII, Carl was chief of emergency medical services of the Matawan Borough Defense Council.

Carl worked on the staff at Monmouth Medical, Riverview and South Amboy hospitals. He served as the school physician for the Matawan Township school district. He also worked in Holmdel Township. He was a former member of the Monmouth County Medical Society.

Carl served on the Board of Directors of Matawan Bank and attained the presidency of the bank, according to his obituary. The 12 Jul 1951 edition of The Matawan Journal had a public notice of the accounts of this bank, showing Carl as president.

Carl was a member of Matawan Lodge #192 F & AM {Free and Accepted Masons}, according to his obituary.

Bessie was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church, according to her obituary. She served as President of the Glenwood Mission Band until 1950, according to the 19 Jan 1950 edition of The Matawan Journal. She was also a circle member, among other activities of the church. She was also active in the Matawan branch of the American Red Cross. She is mentioned in this context in the 13 Apr 1950 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Bessie died of a heart attack on 11 Nov 1952 at their home in Matawan, according to the 13 Nov 1952 edition of The Matawan Journal. Her funeral was to be conducted by Rev Chester Galloway of the First Presbyterian Church on 14 Nov 1952, with burial to follow at Old Tennent Cemetery.

Carl resigned as Matawan Township schools physician in Feb 1955 due to illness, according to the 24 Feb 1955 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1, cols 4-5). He also resigned as schools physician in Holmdel, according to the 14 Jul 1955 edition of The Red Bank Register.

Carl's obituary appeared in the 22 Mar 1956 edition of The Matawan Journal, (pp 1, 4). His funeral was conducted by Chester Galloway of the First Presbyterian Church. Burial was on 22 Mar 1956 at Old Tennent Churchyard in Tennent, NJ, according to Find-a-Grave.

Carl left $45,000 and the balance of his estate, minus $30,000 in directed bequests, to Lillian Kenny, his niece, according to the 12 Apr 1956 edition of The Matawan Journal. The bequests went to cousins and nieces as well as his late wife's twin brother.

Did You Vote in 2011? Likely Not. Very Likely Not.

The Monmouth County Clerk's Election Division posts election results and information online. If you check out Aberdeen Township's 2011 municipal election results, you'll find that less than a quarter (24.6%) of all eligible voters (2,764/11,209) visited their polling place and voted on election day.* The statistics are shameful, with over two-thirds not voting in the best district and nearly 85% not voting in the worst case.

• District 1 (Cliffwood Fire House) had the worst participation at 16.6% (196/1,183). While that district had 10.6% of all eligible voters, only 7% showed up at the polls that day. In other words, voters in District 1 forfeited more than a third (-34%) of their franchise.

• District 7 (EMS Building at 260 Church Street) had the best participation at 29.3% (201/685). That district boosted its overall influence in the township by a fifth (+20%) by showing up at the polls.

* The numbers used in this study exclude 163 voters who voted by mail-in ballot and 12 who filed a provisional ballot. These numbers cannot be applied to this discussion because their geographic aspect cannot be discerned from the statistics. Fortunately the numbers are low, at only 1.5% of all eligible voters.

Check out the 2011 participation rankings below.**

1. District 7 (EMS Building, Lloyd RD at Church ST) 29.3% (201 out of 685)
2. District 11 (Fire House, Church ST at Lloyd RD) 28.8% (149/518)
3. District 6 (High School, Atlantic AV) 28.0% (201/718)
4. District 4 (VFW, Cliffwood AV) 27.1% (329/1215)
5. District 10 (Fire House, Church ST at Lloyd RD) 26.4% (192/726)
6. District 13 (High School, Atlantic AV) 26.3% (207/785)
7. District 2 (Fire House, off Cliffwood AV) 25.7% (308/1198)
8. District 9 (EMS Building, Lloyd RD at Church ST) 25.1% (210/836)
9. District 3 (VFW, Cliffwood AV) 24.4% (190/778)
10. District 5 (Cross of Glory Lutheran, Cambridge DR) 24.1% (131/542)
11. District 12 (Cross of Glory Lutheran, Cambridge DR)  23.1% (208/901)
12. District 8 (Municipal Building, Church ST) 21.5% (242/1124)
13. District 1 (Fire House, off Cliffwood AV) 16.6% (196/1183)

** I've color-coded the regions to show how no region is voting more than any other. Voting or not may have more to do with the average age of residents, home owners vs renters, or some other characteristic. Any thoughts?

Hopefully more folks will vote on 5 November due to the governor race and 3 town council contests being waged this year. You can't vote out your Congressman this year, so maybe you'll decide to stay home. Don't. You should vote. Exercise your right to cast a ballot. Bring up the numbers and show you care.

History: Peanuts, Thompson Family Pet Pony, Struck by Automobile and Killed (1932)

The 21 Dec 1932 edition of The Red Bank Register contained this sad front page story about the untimely death of Peanuts, the Thompson family's pet pony, at the Brookdale farm in Lincroft. (Thompson Park and Brookdale Community College owe their existence to the generosity of the Thompson family.)

Auto Kills Pet Pony at Lincroft

Peanuts is dead. This little sentence may not mean much to the large army of readers of The Register but it tells briefly the climax of a tragedy that has befallen the family circle of Dr. William P. Thompson of Brookdale farm at Lincroft.

Before describing the incident the reader must know that Peanuts was not an edible morsel. Peanuts was an honest-to-goodness Virginian stock pony, about five years old, and was brought north about a year ago by Tori Healey, the famous trainer of the Brookdale stables at Lincroft.

Peanuts was acquired by Dr. Thompson for his children "Billy," Jr and, "Peggy" and at once it endeared itself not only to them but to all those employed on the Dr. Thompson place as well as the folks at the Brookdale and Greentree estates.

The pony waa carefully groomed and when hitched to a special vehicle purchased for the children's comfort the turnout was the envy of other children in the village. Occasionally Peanuts would get out of the corral and would cross the highway to pay a visit to the neighbors at the Greentree stable. Tender hands would soon lead Peanuts back to comfortable quarters on the Brookdale estate.

During the snowstorm of a week ago Saturday, Peanuts took a notion to go visiting and left the corral unnoticed. While crossing the highway between the Greentree and Brookdale estates the animal walked directly into the path of an automobile driven by Matthew Mullen, Jr.. of Lincroft and was instantly killed.

The dead pet was tenderly taken from the highway to the Brookdale estate where the snimal was given a respectful burial shortly after nightfall under the personal direction of Dr. Thompson who, with several employees of the place, stood uncovered in the driving snowstorm as the body of the children's playmate was lowered into its laat resting place.

History: Keansburg Gateway, Palmer Avenue & State Route 35 (1926 - 1958)

With the opening of New Jersey State Highway 35 in the 1920s, tourists driving down from New York City to visit Bayshore beaches were soon taking the Palmer Avenue jughandle as the most direct route to Keansburg and its then-popular beach resort and amusements. Known as the "Keansburg Gateway," this intersection, which spawned numerous "Gateway" business names and even a small community, ironically was not even in Keansburg.

For a time, everything was at or near the Keansburg Gateway. Accidents happened, people lived and died in, businesses relocated to, and even school district maps began at the Keansburg Gateway. But when the Garden State Parkway opened in the 1950s, Exit 117 led beach goers onto State Highway 36 instead, leaving Palmer Avenue out of the picture. Also, Hurricane Donna wreaked havoc on the Bayshore in the mid-1950s. The last reference to the Keansburg Gateway that I could find was in 1958, when Middletown and Holmdel were arguing over whether to split 15% of the cost of a traffic light at the Palmer Avenue/Route 35 intersection. There were more important things for them to spend their money on, the politicians said, so the state paid 85% and the county picked up the remainder.

Palmer Avenue at Route 35 is that confusing intersection where the Target store is currently located. I remember the Middletown movie theater at that corner for many years. The property is up on a hill and has complicated entry and exit points. Cherry Farm Road only adds to the confusion at that intersection.

Below is a sampling of local news articles I found mentioning the Keansburg Gateway between 1926 and 1958. If you know of information specifically related to the origins of the gateway name and its demise, I'd be interested. Drop me a line or add a comment.

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The 10 Sep 1926 edition of The Matawan Journal reported the arrest of a Holmdel man at Cherry Tree Farm, near the Keansburg Gateway on the state highway. The man paid a $20 fine, $5 in court costs, and another $200 fine, plus he lost his license for two years, all for driving under the influence.

The 30 May 1928 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 22 col 4) reported an automobile accident at the Keansburg Gateway.

The 16 Oct 1929 edition of The Red Bank Register included an advertisement for a tradesman's shop called Bergman's, which would henceforth be located at the State Highway and Palmer Avenue, the so-called Keansburg Gateway. Bergman's offered "new and second hand lumber and mill work," "plumbing and roofing," and "sheetrock and paints."

The 17 Jan 1935 edition of The Red Bank Register included reporting on the Middletown Village Civic Association, which said the Keansburg Gateway section of Middletown Township would now be included in the 5 cent bus fare zone.

The 28 May 1936 edition of The Red Bank Register reported a serious car accident that took place on Palmer Avenue near the Keansburg Gateway.

The 29 Jan 1942 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 12 col 3) provided the precise bounds of Middletown Township School District's No 1, No 2 and No 3.  Keansburg Gateway was the starting and ending point for the description of District No 1.
 

Helen Miller ran a tropical fish store on Route 35 near the Keansburg Gateway, according to an ad in the 9 May 1946 edition of The Red Bank Register. She also had an ad on pg 29 of the 29 Jan 1942 edition (below) and ads on pp 8 and 15 of the 30 Nov 1944 edition.

An obituary in the 20 Feb 1947 edition of The Matawan Journal reported that Mrs Anthony Granata, of Keansburg Gateway Road in Middletown, had recently lost her mother.

The 29 Dec 1949 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 6 col 1) identified members of an upcoming petit jury, including Nadie G Stampler, of Keansburg Gateway.

The 12 May 1955 edition of The Matawan Journal mentioned the opening of the Bowl-o-Drome in Middletown near the Keansburg Gateway. (See History: Bowling in Keyport (1954-1955) in this blog for details.)
The 17 Jul 1958 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 3) reported that Holmdel and Middletown couldn't agree to a deal with the State of New Jersey on the installation of a traffic light at the corner of Palmer Avenue and Route 35, even when the two municipalities would be only paying 15% of the cost -- $375 each. The intersection, known as the Keansburg Gateway, would mostly benefit Keansburg, but the traffic light was not in its jurisdiction and Holmdel and Middletown had better things to do with their money. Monmouth County finally stepped in and funded the light.

History: Advancement in Police Communications in Monmouth County (1936)

The 26 Jun 1936 edition of The Matawan Journal included this cover story about an advancement in regional police communications in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Hold First Tests Of Monmouth Police Radio; Success Reported
Mrs. Edwin C. Sloat Permitted To Make Several Of The First Few Calls; Matawan Chief Hears Wife's Voice While Cruising Near Matawan; Reception Perfect

The honor of being one of the first persons in the county to make a test call over WAKC, Monmouth County's new police radio, went to Mrs. Edwin C. Sloat, wife of the Matawan police chief Saturday afternoon.

Chief Sloat, a member of the three-man county police radio commission and instrumental in having the system installed, heard his wife's voice while he was cruising in a police car in Matawan. Mrs. Sloat was speaking into the microphone set up in the control room on the third floor of the court house at Freehold.

"WAKC, Monmouth County police radio located at Freehold, N. J., operating on a frequency of 3366 kilocycles. Test call for Chief Sloat. WAKC testing. Time 2:22 p.m.," were the words spoken by Mrs. Sloat to her husband.

Saturday's test broadcasts were the first in a series under direction of the Gamewell Co., Massachusetts, electrical engineering firm, which installed the $8,000 system. Mrs. Sloat was allowed to make several test broadcasts as she happened to be in the court house at the time.

Aside from the calls made to Chief Sloat, additional tests were made to other police officers in various sections of the county. Sherif George H. Roberts and Paul Watson, Fort Monmouth radio expert, received a number while cruising separately in the vicinity of Atlantic Highlands, Fort Monmouth, West Long Branch, Little Silver and other districts.

Everywhere in the county where test calls were received it was reported that they came thru clearly. To date no "blind spots," or areas where the announcer's voice can not be distinctly heard, have been encountered, according to reports.

Chief Sloat has been jubilant over the successful trial calls and is of the opinion that the successful operatlon of the county system will succeed materially in reducing the percentage of crime in Monmouth. Efforts will also be made to have police bodies in Middlesex and Ocean Counties tie-in with the Monmouth County system.

According to present plans the system will be operated twenty-four hours a day, with a time signal broadcast every thirty minutes. If a receiver in a police car or police headquarters does not sound this time signal on the thirty-minute periods the patrolman on duty is instructed to notify police headquarters.

Chief Sloat has indicated that one of the first results of the new system expected is to reduce the cost of theft insurance on motor cars in Monmouth County as much as $25,000 a year. The effect will also be noticeable in the outlying sections as the radio will permit a police car to be dispatched to those areas within several minutes after the alarm has been received.

Station WAKC will receive its police calls thru three telephone trunk lines leading from the principal districts of the county. A teletype of the state police system has also been installed in the broadcasting station and as reports are received over it they will be broadcast.

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The Nov 1940 edition of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officers (APCO) Bulletin, pg 15, discusses the Monmouth County radio communications experiment in an article called New Jersey's Police Communications, by Lieutenant John E Murnane, Communications Officer, New Jersey State Police.

Gamewell Company is an earlier iteration of Gamewell Fire Control Instruments (Gamewell FCI) of Newton, Massachusetts. Gamewell is famous for its fire alarm systems.

History: Monmouth County Recommends One-Way Routing Through Matawan (1969)

According to the 20 Mar 1969 edition of The Matawan Journal, Monmouth County Traffic Engineer Henry Ney recommended to the Matawan Borough Council that they consider routing traffic through downtown by means of one-way streets. Responding to Councilman Howard Henderson, who asked for suggestions on dealing with traffic congestion in the business district, Ney proposed making Main Street exclusively a southbound route through the borough, and Broad Street one-way northbound.

History: Morganville Woman Fatally Beaten With Tree Limb in Matawan (1952)

The 28 Aug 1952 edition of The Matawan Journal reported the arrest of James King for the beating death of Mrs Mary Lee Vann, 38, who had lived with King for two years. The paper reported that King, Vann and two others had been returning from visiting a home on Texas Road when King became angry at Vann. He stopped the car on Mill Road in Matawan Borough, dragged Mrs Vann from the vehicle, punched and kicked her, then beat her with a 4-foot long tree branch. King put her back in the vehicle and continued to beat Vann until they arrived at their home. King carried her unconscious body to their apartment and put her to bed. A few hours later he found that she had died. He summoned a Matawan doctor, whom King told that Vann had fallen down the stairs. The authorities were summoned and the body was removed to Bedle Funeral Home for an autopsy. The article's accompanying photo showed King being interrogated by county and state law enforcement officials.

The 23 Oct 1952 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1) provided the details of the crime as presented in the indictment.

The 30 Oct 1952 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 10) reported that King was assigned counsel from Asbury Park. King entered a not guilty plea.

The 15 Jan 1953 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1) reported that King changed his plea to non vult (no contest) at the recommendation of prosecutors and put himself on the mercy of the court. King claimed to have been drinking when he became violent without cause and beat Mrs Vann. He would be charged with manslaughter instead of murder and face a recommended sentence of 7 to 10 years.

The 5 Feb 1953 edition of The Matawan Journal reported his sentencing at Freehold to 7 to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for the murder..

History: Matawan Journal Applauds Red Cross Response to Hurricane Donna, Urges Reader Donations (1961)

The 23 Mar 1961 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 4, col 1) urged its readers to give generously to the Monmouth County Chapter of the Red Cross after its herculean efforts to help the Bayshore after the previous fall's Hurricane Donna.

Help The Red Cross

Our readers are urged to respond generously to the annual fund drive of the American Red Cross, now, underway throughout most communities in the bayshore area. The drive is conducted only once annually when all persons are asked to contribute to this worthy service.
 
We, in the bayshore area, after living through the violence and destruction brought by Hurricane Donna last fall, know fully the helpful and timely aid and service rendered by the Red Cross through its Monmouth County Chapter.

Immediate assistance was given, not loaned or sold, to families in distress those who lost clothing, bedding, furniture, and household goods, due to the floods that accompanied the hurricane. Many of these families were lucky to have escaped with their lives in view of the speed at which the tidal flood inundated the low-lying coastal regions from Keansburg to Madison Township.

The Red Cross mobilized its volunteer and professional forces rapidly and were in a position to give aid immediately after the storm. This year, when you make your annual contribution, think of the many families, possibly your neighbors, who were assisted by the nation-wide organization which eases the burden of stricken mankind, the Red Cross.