Local Dates to Remember - September/October 2014

Mark the following dates in your calendar:

• Aberdeen Day - 13 Sep 2014
• Old Bridge Day - 20 Sep 2014
• Matawan Day - 11 Oct 2014 (rain date 12 Oct 2014)
• Keyport Screamin' Country Jamboree - 11-12 Oct 2014

Salt Water Day in Old Bridge and the Spanish American Festival in Keyport took place yesterday. Salt Water Day was able to return after the boardwalk, damaged in Superstorm Sandy, was repaired.

History: Restaurant Operators in Keyport in 1910 Census

In my quest for further information about Ye Cottage Inn's early days, I searched the 1910 Federal Census for restaurant operators enumerated in Keyport and found three: Henry Denison, Yancey Anderson and Thomas B Rowser.

1) Henry Denison operated a successful restaurant on First Street, according to the History of Monmouth County, New Jersey (1664 - 1920), Vol 3, pg 346. Since his restaurant was not on Front Street, I've ruled him out as an early operator of Ye Cottage Inn.

2) Yancey Anderson operated a restauran, perhaps in Matawan, until 1892, when he relocated to West Front Street at Main Street in Keyport. According to the History of Monmouth County, pg 646, Anderson sold his restaurant in 1913 to Burtis A Aumack, who operated it and a hotel until 1918, when Aumack sold them both to become involved in the successful West Furniture Co business. (See my Burtinia Place article elsewhere in this blog for further details about Burtis Aumack.) Anderson's restaurant would have been closer to where Keyport Pizza is situated today, so I'm ruling it out, too.

3) I found little about Thomas B Rowser's restaurant, but since it wasn't operating in 1892 and wasn't on First Street, it seems to be the only viable candidate to be the earliest iteration of Ye Cottage Inn -- that is if the restaurant began operations in 1906 as it said on its signs. Thoughts?

Here is what I've collected on Anderson and Rowser:

Yancey Anderson

The 2 Jul 1892 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 5) included this advertisement announcing that Yancey Anderson's restaurant would be relocating to Front Street opposite Main Street in Keyport. (The same ad appeared in many of the 1892 editions.)

NOTICE!

Yancey Anderson

- HAS -

Removed his Restaurant

to the floor under E H Conover's gents' fur-

nishing store and K Van Brakle's ladies'

and gents' shoe store, where you will

Find Him Catering to the Public.

---------

Yancey Anderson

is the Only Caterer that caters for Weddings, Par-

ties and Private Dinners. He is the only one that

makes it a specialty.

He will continue keeping his fine flavors of

ICE CREAM,

and also everything else in his line of business, first

class and strictly pure.

                                            Thanking You for past patronage

                                                  Remain Yours Very Respectfully

                                                     YANCEY ANDERSON

                                        Front Street, opposite Main, Keyport, NJ

The 5 Sep 1900 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 4 col 5) contained an advertisement for Keyport's Restaurant, operated by Yancey Anderson. "When you are in Keyport, go to Yancey Anderson's restaurant for your needs. Caterer for weddings and parties."

The 17 Feb 1938 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 7 col 5) carried this summary of a news item from 25 years earlier (1913) in its Items of Yesteryears from Register Files series. "Yancey Anderson, who had been in the restaurant business at Keyport for 30 years and who also had a restaurant at Sea Bright, sold his business at Keyport to Burtis A Aumack, one of his former employees."

Census research showed Yancey as a 27 year old waiter in Cooperstown, Otsego Co, NY in 1880.

Yancey was a 46 year old restaurant keeper in Raritan, Monmouth Co, NJ in the 1900 census. He was born in Oct 1853 in South Carolina ; his parents were both born in South Carolina as well. His 44 year old wife Sarah J Anderson, was born in May 1856 in New Jersey; her father was born in NJ and her mother in New York. Sarah was employed at her husband's restaurant. They had daughters Stella (born Jul 1873 in NJ) and Leslie (born Oct 1874 NJ) living at home.

The 1910 census showed Yancey living in Key Port as the proprietor of a restaurant. He was 59 years old and born in SC, as were his parents. His wife Sarah J was 58 years old, born in NJ to parents born in NJ and NY. She had given birth to two children, both of whom were still alive. Their single daughter Stella, age 36, remained at home. They lived on Broad Street in Keyport.

Yancey is buried at Holmdel Cemetery. His stone reads that he was born in 1852 and died in 1920.

The 1880 census reported Yancey as black; the 1900 census reported Yancey, his wife and children as black; in 1910 he and his wife and child were listed as mulatto. The graduation from Keyport High School in the 1890s of Yancey's two colored daughters was mentioned in the 15 Jun 1911 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Thomas B Rowser

The graduation of Thomas B Rowser's colored son Kenny from Keyport HS was also highlighted in this article. Thomas was a Keyport restaurant owner at the time as well.

Thomas (52 VA VA VA) and his wife Maggie (51 VA VA VA) lived on Fulton Street in Keyport in the 1910 Federal Census. Thomas' occupation was listed simply as "restaurant".  They had a son Charles K (17 NJ). Their daughter Leodicia Dandridge (29 VA) lived in the household with her husband John M Dandridge (31 VA) and their three children. John was a laborer on a tender. A third child of Thomas and Maggie had died.

Thomas (Mar 1856 VA) was a cooper living on Waverly Street in Raritan with his wife Maggie and two children in the 1900 census.  Brothers William and John Dandridge of Virginia, who both worked at a brickyard, were boarders in the household.

Thomas was a worker in a cotton mill in Falmouth, Stafford Co, VA in the 1870 census.

Thomas was buried at the African-American Midway Green cemetery off Lloyd Road in Aberdeen. His stone says he was born in Mar 1854 and died in Nov 1915.

John Matthew Dandridge died at his Fulton Street home on 23 Feb 1950, age 70, predeceased by his wife, Leo Dicia (Rowser) Dandridge (sic). His obituary appeared in The Matawan Journal's 2 Mar 1950 edition.

History: Ye Cottage Inn, Keyport (1906 - 2012)

Ye Cottage Inn was a restaurant located at the mouth of Luppatatong Creek, aka Oyster Creek, at 149 West Front Street in Keyport. The restaurant was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy in late October 2012 and the building razed.

In later years, the restaurant boasted that it was established in 1906, and a local history dated the restaurant's origin at about 1915, but the earliest reference I could find in local newspapers was 1926. To be sure, the issues of The Matawan Journal for the second half of 1906 are not available and I haven't viewed issues of The Keyport Weekly from the time period, but why there are no references to Ye Cottage Inn in the twenty years between 1906 and 1926 is a big question.

Some locals have told me the last iteration of Ye Cottage Inn was actually a composite of several restaurants that used to be in separate, neighboring buildings. One of the buildings was said to have been the former Burlew's Restaurant.

William E Burlew (July 1904 - August 1989) was proprietor of Ye Cottage Inn in the mid-1920s, between a short stint running the Keyport Fishery (1918 - 192X) and nearly 40 years (1928 - 1966) operating Burlew's Restaurant, according to his obituary in the 23 Aug 1989 edition of The Middletown Independent. The photo (right) is of the Original Burlew's on West Front Street in Keyport.

The 24 Nov 1926 edition of The Red Bank Register announced that Emanual Einzinger, of the Keyport Dry Goods Company, treated his staff out to dinner at Ye Cottage Inn.

The 21 Dec 1928 edition of The Matawan Journal contained an advertisement (image, left) in which Burlew's Restaurant invited people to celebrate New Year's Eve at their establishment - music, dancing, fun for all, and a turkey dinner, all for $3.50.


The 19 Aug 1932 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 1 col 2) reported that Jacob Rippen, proprietor of the Original Burlew's Restaurant on Front Street in Keyport, was appealing charges that he had punctured the tire of a patron of Ye Cottage Inn because the patron's car was parked on his lawn. A fine of $25 was in the offing.

The 19 Jun 1936 edition of The Matawan Journal said Jacob Rippen had applied to Matawan Township for a liquor license as Original Burlew's Inc.

By 1940, Arthur C Schultze and his wife, Virginia (Griffin) Schultze, co-owned Ye Cottage Inn.

Virginia D Griffin, age 6 NJ, lived at 109 Broadway in Keyport in the 1920 Federal Census and was enumerated in the household of her father, William L Griffin, 47 New York, a steam fitter at a chemical plant. Also in the household were her mother, Allie, 44 NY; her widowed grandmother, Isabella W Chipman, age 80 NY; and Virginia's older sister, Mabel D Griffin, age 17 NJ.

Virginia was born 29 August 1913 in Keyport, the daughter of Mr and Mrs William L Griffin of Broadway in Keyport. Virginia died on 27 June 1944 at Allenwood Hospital in Allentown after a six-month illness. (Source: Virginia's obituary in the 29 Jun 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 2 col 1)

The 1940 Federal Census showed Arthur C Schultze, age 35 Germany, living on Front Street in Keyport with his wife Virginia, age 26 New Jersey, and their daughter Virginia, age 4 NJ. Arthur and his wife were both listed as proprietors of a restaurant. Daughter Virginia attended Penn Hall Preparatory School in Chambersburg, PA, and the University of Miami in Miami, FL. She married Rex Crawford, according to the 10 Mar 1955 edition of The Matawan Journal.

According to the 18 Oct 1945 edition of The Matawan Journal, a former busboy and two of his associates, ages 14, 17 and 18, all of Keyport, allegedly attempted to hold up Ye Cottage Inn on 23 July 1945. Arthur's sister, Mrs Ella Kurica, of 727 Charles Street, Perth Amboy, was shot twice -- once in the neck and once in the back -- after she recognized one of the young men in a rear passageway of the restaurant. Arthur, proprietor of the restaurant, was shot in the head when he came to her aid. A cashier was severely beaten.

While all survived the ordeal, Ella was in the hospital for months recuperating and suffered paralysis in one leg due to her spinal injury. Doctors assessed she would remain crippled the rest of her life. The shooter was brought up on additional charges when he reached age of majority and was due to leave Rahway Reformatory, according to the 20 Feb 1947 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 4 col 5).

Arthur's sister Ella Kurica, 34 Germany, lived in Perth Amboy in the 1940 Federal Census along with her husband, George Kurica, 36 NJ, a machinist in ship repair, and their children Charles, 15 Germany, and Julia, 11/12 NJ. Ella lived in Keyport in 1935 while George lived in Perth Amboy.

Ye Cottage Inn ran a Christmas advertisement in the 22 Dec 1949 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 4 second section, or pg 10 of 12). Arthur C Schultze was listed as proprietor.

Ye Cottage Inn, under proprietor Arthur Schultze, was open to the public only two days after the devastation of Hurricane Donna, according to the 22 Sep 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Tom Lucas was the proprietor of Ye Cottage Inn, according to the 16 Sep 1965 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 9 first section, col 6).

The 20 Sep 1997 edition of The South Amboy-Sayreville Times (pg 3) featured Ye Cottage Inn as the Business of the Month.The article said the owners for the past eight years (c 1989) have been George Hilas, Mihal Hilas and George Vouloumanos. The manager was Denise Wolf.

--------------------------

I will continue to research Ye Cottage Inn's origins and will update this article as appropriate, but there is enough information at this point to warrant publishing my results to date. I welcome comments or emails with additional information, corrections, leads, references and/or photographs that could clarify the YCI story.

Sherburne M Graham Diary (1889)

Sherburne M Graham, the son of Methodist circuit rider Rev Charles Curtiss Graham, spent the summer in Keyport in 1889. I suspect that his step-mother was from the area and he was working a summer job.

Sheburne's diary is for sale at an antiquarian bookseller in Ontario, Canada for over $2,000.

Up The Creek Under Construction, Keyport

They've made considerable progress this weekend on the new Up the Creek in Keyport.

Up The Creek Tavern Being Rebuilt in Keyport

The Up the Creek Tavern, a favorite among boaters at Keyport Marina, was severely damaged in Superstorm Sandy and had to be demolished. Good news is that the tavern is being rebuilt. If you drive by along Amboy Avenue from Cliffwood Beach or cross the bridge on West Front Street from Keyport, you will see a set of tall, cinderblock posts sticking up like soldiers in a vacant lot next to the marina. The building will sit high above the tide. (Let's hope the parking lot gets a bit of a lift as well.)

The 28 May 1970 edition of The Matawan Journal contained a photograph of the grand opening of Up The Creek Tavern on Friday 22 May 1970.

UP THE CREEK OPENS - Matawan Creek, that is. The grand opening of the new inn took place Friday at 5 pm at the West Front St, Keyport establishment. Shown at the ribbon cutting ceremonies are, from left, Pete Peterson, Mayor Robert Strang, Walt Steager, and Jim Dickerson. The three co-owners, and the mayor, were on hand to greet some of the hundreds of the well wishers during the grand opening. 

The 30 Jul 1970 edition of The Matawan Journal carried the above advertisement for Up The Creek Tavern and Marina on West Front Street at the bridge in Keyport. The ad listed Jim Dickerson, Pete Peterson, Walt Steager and Harry Ross (Manager).

The 20 Dec 2011 edition of The Matawan-Aberdeen Patch included an obituary for James M Groome, owner and barkeep at Up The Creek restaurant in Keyport.

The Keyport Marine Basin has a news page that says "an all new Up The Creek Tavern is in the works. It will be higher and dryer." The marina has kept the tavern's Without a Paddle Grill and Catering menu on their site.

Osprey Watch

  

Above is a video about a nesting pair of osprey on the Potomac River south of Old Town Alexandria. The video provides a good primer on osprey identification as well as nesting and feeding behaviors.

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.

Check out my page at Osprey Watch for locations of these and other nests in our area. I've posted directions and photographs and Osprey Watch provides maps. You can register from their home page to become an osprey watcher yourself. I welcome additional watcher reports and photos. The breed is starting to thrive again after some difficult years, so please don't disturb them. We all hope for a successful nesting season. And be sure to donate to Osprey Watch if you're able.

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.

Benedict B Mione (1910 - 1966), Beautician, Keyport

Benedict B Mione, owner-operator of Ben's beauty shop in Keyport, thanked his customers for years of faithful patronage in the 2 Mar 1944 edition of The Matawan Journal as he announced the closing of his business on Saturday 11 March 1944 for the duration of the war. Mione had been drafted into the Second World War. "I hope that when my work for Uncle Sam is finished, that I may again be able to serve you."

Benedict was born on 3 May 1910 in Manhattan, New York, the son of Mr and Mrs Lorenzo Benedetto Mione. Lorenzo came from Italy in 1908 and was a presser in a pants shop in the 1910 Federal Census in Manhattan. Lorenzo was a shirt presser in later censuses. The 1910 census identified Lorenzo's wife as Colomba, and later records show his wife as Rose, Rose Mary, or Rosemarie.

Benedict moved to the Bayshore about 1934 and opened Vincent & Ben's Beauty Shop on Broad Street in Keyport with Vincent Geraldi, his wife, Lillian (Geraldi) Mione's brother. Benedict's eldest son is apparently the namesake of Vincent Geraldi. (See Benedict's son Laurence's birth announcement and some of this paragraph's details in the 15 Feb 1935 edition of The Matawan Journal.)

Benedict (born 1910) enlisted in the US Army as a private on 20 Apr 1944 at Fort Dix, NJ. His enlistment papers said he was a resident of Monmouth County, New Jersey, and his occupational category was provided as "barbers, beauticians and manicurists." He had one year of high school education.

Benedict (30 NY Italy Italy) was enumerated as head of household living in a rented property on Holmdel Road in Raritan, Monmouth Co, NJ in the 1940 Federal Census. He was a beautician with a beauty shop. His household included his wife, Lillian Mione (29 NY), and sons Laurence (5 NJ) and Vincent Mione (9/12 NJ).

Benedict served as commander of the Raritan Post of the American Legion. He was a third degree member of the Keyport Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Benedict died 6 Nov 1966 at Riverview Hospital in Red Bank, according to his obituary, which appeared in the 10 Nov 1966 edition of The Matawan Journal (Second Section, page 3 (page 17 of 22)). His funeral was conducted at St Benedict's Church in Hazlet, where he had attended for many years. He was buried at St Joseph's Cemetery in Keyport. He was survived by his wife, Lillian; two sons - Laurence V Mione in Neptune, and Vincent G Mione in Chestnut Hill, PA; brother, Leonard Mione in Brentwood, Long Island; and sister Rosalie Marino.


According to Find-a-Grave, Private Mione's war service is described on his gravestone as follows: Private, Company B, 55th Infantry, Training Battalion (PVT CO B 55 INF TRG BN).

Former "The Office" Site in Keyport To Become Dunkin Donuts Drive-Thru/Gloria Nilson Real Estate Office

UPDATE 4/27/2014: I noticed some major renovation work going on at the long-vacated The Office Beer Bar & Grill on Route 35 North in Keyport on Saturday morning. It is in the same parking lot with Stop n Shop and IHOP. I put out some feelers and did some research.

While Dunkin Donuts headquarters weren't prepared to say anything yet but would be making an announcement soon, my friends at IHOP confirmed what I read in a recent discussion in the "Keyport, NJ" Facebook group that Dunkin Donuts will be using a third of the building for a new drive-thru business and Gloria Nielson Real Estate will occupy the other two-thirds for a new agency office.

Too bad. I mean it's nice that the space is being occupied, especially because it is one of the last vacancies along Route 35 lingering since the recession. But I wish there was a Chipotle or Panera or something like that going in that spot. Seems a waste to add yet another DD. We're saturated with them in the area. Like drug stores.

The Keyport Facebook group also discussed Up the Creek, which may be rebuilt soon. The parking lot there routinely flooded, so needless to say the bar was nearly washed away during Sandy. It will be built with a 14' boost in its height off the ground, which could offer a nice view of the harbor. Perhaps they should change the name to Above the Creek?

History: Henry E Ackerson (1880 - 1970) Clears Legal Hurdles for Matawan to Create Artificial Lakes (1915)

The 20 May 1915 edition of The Matawan Journal reported that New Jersey State Senator Henry E Ackerson, Jr, introduced a bill in Trenton that would allow municipalities to build and maintain artificial lakes in their communities. Matawan's legal counsel Elmer H Geran helped draft the bill, apparently with Lake Matawan and Lake Lefferts in mind.

Henry Elijah Ackerson was born on a dairy farm in Holmdel, NJ on 15 Oct 1880, son of Cornelius and Anna B (Stillwell) Ackerson. (He was the namesake of his paternal grandfather, which should have made him Henry II, not Henry, Jr.) About 1890, the family moved to Raritan (Keyport), where Henry graduated from Raritan High School.

In the 1900 Federal Census, Cornelius had a job as a bank cashier and sons Henry (19) and Cecil (12) were in school. (Henry's obituary said Henry briefly clerked at People's National Bank in Keyport.) Henry graduated New York University Law School in 1902 and passed the New Jersey bar in 1904. Cornelius was still at the bank in the 1910 Federal Census, and his sons were both lawyers in his Keyport household.

Henry married Edith D Calef about 1912. Edith was born in Connecticut to Connecticut parents, and  she bore sons Cornelius and Calef in her home state. Henry was tied to New Jersey, so it seems unlikely they were living there. This suggests that Edith delivered her children at her parents' home in Connecticut.

Henry served in the NJ Senate (1915 - 1919), according to the NJ Historical Society Biography Index.

He was appointed to the newly-created Court of Errors and Appeals in 1919, according to his obituary. The 1920 Federal Census showed Henry and Edith with sons Cornelius (7 CT) and Calef (3 CT). Henry was listed as a judge in the court of errors in that record.

Their son Calef D Ackerson (1916 - 1920) died soon after the 1920 census and was buried at Holmdel Cemetery, according to Find A Grave.

Henry was appointed to the Hudson County Circuit Court in 1924 and served there until 1948. The 1930 Federal Census listed him as a judge in the circuit court. He and his wife, Edith (44 CT) were living in Keyport with their son Cornelius (17 CT) and Edith's mother, Laura Calef.

When he registered for the World War II draft in 1942, Henry was working for the "New Jersey Court House" at the "Hudson County Court House" in Jersey City. He was 61 years old and living at 116 Maple Place in Keyport with his wife Edith.

Henry served on the NJ State Supreme Court (1948 - 1952), according to his obituary and the NJ Historical Society Biography Index.

After his retirement from the court, Henry served as a Rutgers University trustee until his death. As chairman of the law school committee for 15 years, Henry spearheaded the building of a modern structure on the Newark campus dedicated to the study of law. What became known as Ackerson Hall served as the home of the Rutgers School of Law from 1965 to 1979, according to a 2008 centennial history of the law school. The building currently houses the Rutgers University College of Nursing.

Henry also served on the board of governors of Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch for nearly two decades and was honorary vice president of the board at the time of his death.

Henry died on 9 December 1970 at the Arnold Walter Nursing Home in Holmdel, according to his obituary in the 11 Dec 1970 edition of The Red Bank Register. His final arrangements were handled by Bedle Funeral Home and his funeral was conducted on 13 December 1970 at the Reformed Church in Keyport. He left son Cornelius and grandson Henry E Ackerson, III.

Henry's wife, Edith (1885 - 1969)  predeceased him a year earlier. She was buried at Holmdel Cemetery in Holmdel, NJ.

Henry, his brother Cecil (1887 - 1963), and their parents Cornelius (1852 - 1921) and Anna (1852 - 1929) are all buried at Holmdel Cemetery in Holmdel, NJ.

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

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.

Beach Sweeps at Cliffwood Beach in previous years.

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.

---------------------------------

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.

--------------------------------- 

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: Our Matawan Portfolio (1891)

Page 3 of the 25 Jul 1891 edition of The Matawan Journal had a section called Our Matawan Portfolio, in which some local news items were reported. Below are items from the paper, followed by my research notes.

1. Charles H Schanck sent six baskets of peaches to New York last Wednesday.
2. Dr Jackson has a Kensington cart that attracts much attention and is admired by all.
3. Remember the Oriental lecture and entertainment in the Baptist Church this Friday evening.
4. Benjamin Cooper, of Freneau, had a stroke of apoplexy on Monday and is lying in a critical condition.
5. The net receipts of the Fourth of July Picnic under the auspices of the St Joseph's R C Church were over $725.
6. Almost forty young people from this place attended the harvest home at Old Tennent Church Wednesday evening.
7. Mrs E Sylvester, of Perth Amboy, has removed to Matawan and is occupying a house on Broad street owned by E I Brown.
8. Elwood Hopkins gathered three bushels of swamp huckleberries in two days this week. Where he was they were plentiful.
9. The pile driver is at work on the bridge crossing the creek above the railroad trestle. Henry Holland is the engineer in charge.
10. The August number of Butterick's Delineator is out. As usual, it contains just what the ladies need in preparing their summer costumes.
11. J W Cooper and family, of New York, have rented the James Cottrell house in the upper part of the town and are now occupying it.
12. A new fence has been built around the property of C H Wardell in the rear of Washington Hall. W A Fountain, Jr furnished the labor.
13. We acknowledge the receipt of a map from Amzi T Dodd, of Long Branch, showing the different points reached by way of the Central R R of New Jersey. Please except (sic) thanks for same.
14. Dr C Knecht has removed his heater from his house and W A Fountain has contracted to put in a Furman steam heater, which is expected to give much better results than the one just removed.
15. On Monday night as Garret Hendrickson was leaning back in a chair on the stoop of Conover's restaurant, his weight proved too much for one of the large glass windows and the top of the chair went through it.
16. The meeting of the Commissioners announced for Saturday evening last was attended by only three members, one less than a quorum. It was decided to have the next meeting on Saturday, July 25, at the usual hour and place.
17. Mr E H Dominick has a copy of The Lord's Prayer printed in fifty-three different languages. It was compiled by F A Strale of New York in 1811 and has been in the possession of Mr Dominick since that time. It is certainly a curiosity.
18. The evangelist, Lavinia A Browne, was married on Monday at Little Silver to Mr Joseph Anderson of Atlantic Highlands. Mrs Browne-Anderson will continue her evangelistic work while her husband is in college preparing himself for the ministry.
19. A number of farmers in this vicinity were noticed going to the seashore on Saturday morning last with empty tubs and rakes. Upon their return in the evening their tubs were filled with hard clams, and in addition to having a day's recreation they were amply remunerated for their long drive.
20. Rev C I Percy and Mr P V Hyer engaged in a croquet game on Monday evening on Dr Knecht's grounds. Chinese lanterns made light for the occasion and the grounds presented a picturesque appearance. The game was hotly contested and resulted in a draw, after more than an hour's play.
21. The Midway Shooting Club of this place will meet the Perth Amboy Gun Club on the latter's ground on Saturday and shoot a friendly team match. The contest will begin at 1 pm and will be at live birds. The opposing teams will consist of at least eight and possibly ten men and the Midways hope to carry off the honors.
22. Potatoes, tomatoes, apples, corn, peppers, cabbage and other early produce have been going to the market in large quantities this week. The first of the week tomatoes brought $3.50 a crate, but on Thursday they were quoted at $1.59@$3. Potatoes range from $1.75@$2, and apples from 75c@$1.50, Nyacks bringing $2.50.
23. The present week has been a joyous one for the country people. Different localities have made up parties and visited the shores of Raritan Bay for a pleasant time in bathing, boating, etc. On Thursday several load of children from the neighborhood of Ticetown passed through town bent on a day's outing at Cliffwood.
24. If any of our readers have last week's copy of The Journal at hand and can spare it they will confer a favor by sending it to this office.  We have a call for several copies which are wanted to send to friends of Miss Ida Faye. The demand last week was an unusually large one and our edition was exhausted before all our friends were supplied.
25. Assessor Bedle has about finished  his visits to taxpayers. Only a few property-owners have not handed in their schedule and in case this is not done soon the assessment will be made and if deductions should afterward be claimed the application will have to be made to the State Board of Assessors, which will probably meet in this county some time next month.
26. William P Malcolmson, who was said to have been committed to the Reform School July 16 by Judge Conover, is still at liberty. The Judge was not satisfied that the Reform School was the proper place for a boy of his age and the matter was laid over for a week. On Thursday the hearing was again laid over in order that the father of the boy could be present at the proceedings.
27. Charles Gehlhaus has lost two cows this week. The first one died Sunday morning and the other Tuesday afternoon. It is supposed that there must have been something wrong in the food given them, as both died in the same manner. Both cows were buried near by in Straub's barnyard. Last week Mr Gehlhaus also lost a horse, and his cup of  bad luck seems to be running over.
28. Mr Antisell has sold his first piano, manufactured in Matawan, to the Baptist Sunday school of this place. The instrument is an upright in style and finished in the best manner known to the trade. Its tone is superior to any we have heard and we have no doubt as soon as its merits become known in the East the demand for the Antisell piano will be greater than the anticipation of the manufacturers.
29. Nothing of importance was done at the special meeting of the Township Committee on Saturday evening last. After a half hour's talk it was decided to adjourn until Wednesday and go over the new road and what was still required to be done. The plans for the new bridge as prepared by the county will be used by the Township in building its part of the bridge, thus making the entire bridge uniform in material used and mode of construction.
30. Sebastian Miller, of New York, a man noted as an athlete, wrestler, and heavy lifter, visited the Aberdeen Inn on Tuesday, in company with Mr Wickert, of Keyport. While there he showed his strength by breaking a cobblestone into pieces with his hand doubled up. In appearance he is a rather short man but powerfully built. It is said that he will give an Exhibition in the Armory, Keyport, in about a fortnight, which will be under the auspices of the athletic club of that place.
31. We are informed that Ruliff Quackenbush will soon put on stages between Keyport and the railroad station in opposition to the horse railroad company. He has been thinking over the project for some time and the one thing in the past that has deterred him from doing it before was that he believed the Matawan patrons of the horse railroad would be very apt to continue with the railroad. He now, however, has reached the conclusion that the people riding from this section will bestow their patronage on him and for that reason is going to give it a trial. 
32. As J L M Dominick was making a delivery at the piano factory on Wednesday he left his horse standing along the public road. The animal was attracted by some foliage on the bushes and crossed the road to get it. Just at this point there is a five foot ditch and as he was about to step into it he was stopped by Dr Knecht, who was passing at that instant. It was fortunate for Jerry that that the doctor came along as he did, as the horse would have fared badly in another minute, and his loss would have been a severe one.

NOTES

1. - There was a Charles Schanck, born about 1836, who was enumerated in Matawan in the 1860 Federal Census. He was living with Mary A Cook and her daughter Gertrude, and what appears to have been Charles's mother, Hager Schanck, born about 1801.
   - There was a Charles Schenck, born about 1835, enumerated in Marlboro in 1870 as a farm laborer. He had a wife Elizabeth and a 15 yr old son Charles.
    - There was a Charles Schanck, born about 1840, enumerated in Marlboro in 1880 as a farm laborer in the household of Vanderbilt Whitlock. He had a wife Elizabeth.
    - John V P Schanck was Schanck the Grocer (wholesale and retail), of Matawan, who advertised in The Matawan Journal in the 1880s and early 1890s. He had a son Charles W Schanck born about 1867.
2. - There was a Andrew J Jackson, born Dec 1842 in New York, physician, living on Main Street in Matawan in the 1900 Federal Census. A Kensington cart was likely an electric car manufactured by the Kensington Automobile Company, of Buffalo, NY, which made cars from 1899 to 1904.
3. - Oriental lectures in the Baptist church would likely have been Sunday school classes teaching about the Holy Lands or mission work in the Far East. There was an Oriental Lectures Bureau selling Sunday school materials on West 23rd Street in New York in 1887. And there was an Oriental Lectures Bureau at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, undated.
4. - Benjamin P Cooper, carpenter, was born about 1817 in New Jersey. He lived in Raritan (Keyport)  and then in Matawan until his death.
8. - Elwood Hopkins, born Dec 1851, appeared in the 1900 Federal Census living with his widowed mother, Lucy Hopkins, born Mar 1828. Also in the household was Elwood's sister, Dora Hopkins, born Dec 1855. No one in the household was working in 1900.
9. - Henry Holland, born Nov 1853, stationary engineer, appeared in the 1900 Federal Census in Matawan. He listed himself as married sixteen years, but there was no wife, only a son, Robert.
10 - I found an online copy of the May 1891 edition of Butterick's The Delineator .
11. - There was a farmer named James H Cottrell, born about 1830, with wife Patricia Ann, living in Marlboro in the 1860 and 1880 Federal Censuses.
12. - Charles H Wardell, bank cashier, born about 1838, appeared in the 1880 and 1900 censuses in Matawan along with his wife, Mary. They were living with his mother-in-law, Charlotte Simpson, in 1880.
12. and 14. - William A Fountain, born Apr 1839, ran a hardware store in Matawan.
13. - Amzi Dodd, born about 1867, was the son and namesake of the owner of Dodd's Express, a baggage handling service in the New York City area. He was attending college and living with his father in New York City in the 1880 Federal Census. The 1900 Federal Census showed him living in Ocean, NJ, where he was enumerated as the superintendent of Dodd's Express. There are a number of letters to the editor and even a dedicated article (Express Nuisance) in The New York Times complaining bitterly about the New York Transfer Company, of which Dodd's Express was part. The company would lose or steal from people's baggage. There was an article in The Hartford Weekly Times claiming that one of the company's drivers conspired with thieves to steal from postal bags between the port and the post office. A company cashier committed suicide by taking morphine, again as reported by The NY Times.
14. - Cyrus Knecht was a physician in Matawan in the 1900 Federal Census. He was born in Sep 1851 in Pennsylvania. He was a physician in Easton, PA in the 1880 Federal Census. He was the doctor who treated a knife wound after a pool room fight on Main Street in 1929. He died in 1934 and was buried at Green Grove Cemetery in Keyport. (See 12 above re W A Fountain.)
15. - Garret Hendrickson, born about 1838 in NJ, was son of John S and Eleanor Hendrickson. Garret lived with his father, a farmer in Raritan Township, in the 1850 Federal Census. He was a clerk in a mill living in the household of David Craig, a merchant in Matawan, in the 1860 Federal Census. He was married and back in his father's household, a $26,000 farm in Holmdel that used the Matawan post office, in the 1870 Federal Census. And he was a store clerk living with his father-in-law, Benjamin E Griggs, the tax assessor in Matawan, in the 1880 Federal Census.
15. The 2 Aug 1890 edition of The Matawan Journal announced the Saturday 27 July 1890 opening of W H Conover's restaurant and dining rooms adjoining the Journal's offices. William H Conover, born about 1837 in NJ, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census as a farmer. He had a wife and three daughters living with him at the time.
17. - Edward H Dominick, born about 1811 in New York, was a watch repairman when he was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census. Also in his household was his 45 year old housekeeper (Alice Compton) and his 7 month old son (Amsey Dominick).
17. - Frederick A Strale, born about 1795 in Stockholm, Sweden, paper maker, 5' 10" tall, hazel eyes, brown eyes, dark hair, enlisted in the 5th Infantry Regiment (US Army), Company D, on 17 March 1820. He became an artificer in light artillery. (The 5th Infantry notably built a fort at the mouth of the Minnesota River during this time, laying the groundwork for the construction of Minneapolis-St Paul.) He graduated Uppsala University in 1809, and then graduated Andover Theological Seminary, Andover, Massachusetts in 1827. He was ordained an evangelical Presbyterian minister on 16 September 1829 at New Lebanon, NY. (This town was home to the New Lebanon Conference, where Presbyterian leaders challenged the preaching methods of Charles Finney at the peak of the Second Great Awakening.) Strale, late of Chenango, Broome County, NY, had died recently when a public notice to creditors was placed in The Broome Republican at Binghamton, NY on 11 Oct 1832. I suspect the Lord's Prayer was assembled by Rev Strale but not in 1811, which coincidentally was Edward Dominick's approximate year of birth. Strale was likely still in Stockholm in 1811.
20. - Rev C. L. Percy preached at the First Baptist Church in Matawan from January 1890 to October 1894, according to a 1904 history of Baptists in the area. He conducted a wedding in Matawan on 21 Feb 1894, according to the 28 Feb 1894 edition of The Red Bank Register. He accepted a call to a Baptist church in Deposit, NY, starting his new charge on 1 November 1894, according to Christian Work, vol 54, published in 1894.
20. - Peter V Hyer, born about 1839, lived in Holmdel with his wife Julia in the 1860 Federal Census and used the Matawan Post Office. He had a $15,000 farm in Holmdel in the 1870 Federal Census. And he was a farmer in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census.
21. - The Midway Shooting Club's founding was announced in the 2 Oct 1875 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 4). "A company of gentlemen from Matawan and vicinity, who are fond of the sport connected to the gun," rented the hall above the stores in the Rose Building across the street from the Episcopal church on Main Street, Matawan, for their new club.
22. - The Nyack pippin or Champlain apple was an obscure form of Sweet Bough dessert apple grown in New Jersey and Delaware in the mid to late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was thought to have originated in Vermont or New York. Reference the Bulletin of the US Bureau of the Plant Industry, 1907; The Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Horticultural Society, 1876; and The Western Fruit Book, by Franklin Reuben Elliott, 1859, reprinted.
24. - Ida Faye, born about 1857, was one of three single adult daughters of the widow Jane Faye, born about 1820. They were all living together in their mother's Matawan household in the 1880 Federal Census. The newspaper she wanted extra copies of, the 18 Jul 1891 edition of The Matawan Journal, included a story on pg 2 col 3 about a farewell reception held at the Baptist church for Ida Faye, MD, who would be departing in August for missionary work in India.
27. - Charles Gehlhaus, born about 1842 in Germany, was a baker enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census, along with wife Caroline and eight children. His son Otto was boarding in Keansburg as a real estate salesman in the 1930 Federal Census. He reported that his father was born in Hamburg, Germany and his mother in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
28. - The T M Antisell Piano Company of Matawan manufactured the patent steel wrest plank tuning device and high grade pianos recognized with awards in New Orleans and Melbourne, according to an 1891 advertisement in the Music Trade Review. It employed 20 persons in Matawan in 1909, according to the Industrial Directory of New Jersey, 1909. The Red Bank Register, 8 May 1901, reported that Matawan residents had invested $2,000 towards the establishment of a foundry, due to open 1 June 1901, called the Matawan Steel and Iron Company. The foundry would be located in the old Antisell piano factory.
30. -  An article at Muscles of Iron says Sebastian Miller was born in January 1862 and came to the US in 1887.
- Wrestling Observer contains research on events involving Sebastian Miller mentioned in issues of The Brooklyn Eagle between 1888 and 1902.
- The 1910 Federal Census shows Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, living at 122 4th Street in Manhattan. Terese Miller, born about 1858 in Germany, was his second wife, this being their second year of marriage. Sebastian was a saloon proprietor. He claimed to have immigrated to the US in 1887 and that he was a naturalized citizen.
- The 1920 Federal Census shows Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, living at 3019 North Clark Street in Chicago. His wife Theresa and nephew Joseph Miller were living in the household. Sebastian was a tailor. Sebastian claimed to have immigrated to the US in 1886 and that he was naturalized in 1895.   
- A Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, came to America in steerage as a mason in December 1881 aboard the SS Switzerland, which sailed from Antwerp, Belgium to New York City.
- A Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, last residence Munich, came to America in 2nd cabin as a machinist in December 1892 destined for New York aboard the S S Spaarndam, which he boarded at Rotterdam to New York City.
31. - Ruliff Quackenbush, born about 1816 in New Jersey, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census. He was a laborer. His wife was Cecelia, also born in 1816 in NJ.
32. - Jared M Dominick, born about 1851 in New York, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census. He was an expressman. His wife was Sarah and his infant daughter was named Mary.

History: Strand Theater Owner Arrested (1973)

 The owner of the Strand Theater on West Front Street in Keyport was arrested on Monday 5 March 1973 by members of the Monmouth County prosecutor's office and the Keyport police on obscenity charges related to his plan to show the infamous film Deep Throat that evening.

The movie had become the subject of a national controversy soon after it was released in June 1972. Some called it porno chic, an adult film with higher production values and an actual plot, however contrived, and prominent television and movie stars were admitting having seen it, while others labeled it as worthless smut. The women's movement both applauded and decried the film.

The New York City movie house that was showing the film to large audiences was taken to criminal court in December 1972, raising the visibility of the film still further. The conviction on obscenity charges in New York, including the harsh condemnation of the film by Judge Joel Tyler, propelled the film to must-see status. This is what drew the crowds to Keyport, but also drew the attention of local authorities. The New York conviction prompted Newark authorities to confiscate Deep Throat mid-showing that same Monday evening.

Anthony "Big Tony" Peraino, of the Colombo crime family, funded the making of the film and facilitated its distribution to small movie houses. He and his sons, Butch and Joseph, "are considered pioneers in the American pornography industry, according to the 23 Oct 1993 edition of The Sun Sentinel. Assistant US Attorney Phillip DiRosa said "they are thought to be among the top 20 producers and distributors of pornography in the United States. 'Joseph, Anthony and Louis Peraino all became millionaires as a result of Deep Throat,' a report of the 1986 President's Commission on Pornography says. 'They used profits from the film to build a vast financial empire in the 1970s that included ownership of garment companies in New York and Miami, investment companies, a 65-foot yacht in the Bahamas, 'adults-only' pornographic theaters in Los Angeles and record and music publishing companies on the East and West coasts.'"

Edward Wilson, of Matawan, the owner of the Strand Theater, said he had switched to adult films about 1970 because he couldn't compete against the national chains for the family audience. Unable to tap the large regional audience attending his showings, Wilson predicted that this event signaled the end of having a movie house in Keyport. The theater eventually closed, became a bank, and is now a storefront church.

The headline in the 8 Mar 1973 edition of The Matawan Journal read: Strand Theater Owner Arrested; 'Throat' Is Cut."

History: Burtina Place, Keyport

Burtina Place and Octavia Place, which are located between Green Grove Avenue, Maple Place, Hurley Street and Van Dorn Street in Keyport, are named after the daughters of Burtis Ashburn and Julia Mary (English) Aumack, of Union Beach.

Burtis was born 2 May 1892 in Raritan Township, NJ and died in Mar 1973 in North Brunswick, NJ. He was a furniture salesman in the 1920, 1930 and 1940 enumerations of the US Census.

Julia was born 25 May 1892, also in Raritan Township, and died 6 Sep 1960 in Newark, NJ. She was a public school teacher for 42 years in Monmouth County, 20 years in Union Beach, including as a principal.  She married Burtis in 1913 and had two daughters before 1920. (See Julia's obituary in the 15 Sep 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 3, cols 1-2.)

A neighbor told me that Burtis Aumack built a small neighborhood in Keyport in 1933 and named two of the new streets after his kids. Real estate listings and local papers indicate that development began in 1929 and continued through the 1930s and 1940s into the early 1950s. *

I'm unclear how a furniture salesman ended up building homes, but Burtis was certainly well respected in the area: he served on a police committee that was established when the Borough of Union Beach was established in 1925, according to an online borough police department history. (Perhaps there is a "construction" connection in the fact that Burtis was on "Strother's Builders" bowling team, as recorded in the 5 Feb 1953 edition of The Matawan Journal?)

The Union Beach Board of Education named Julia as Acting Principal of the Florence Avenue School, according to the 19 May 1955 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Burtis and his wife traveled from New York to Southampton, England in July 1938 aboard the S S Normandie and returned from Le Havre, France to New York in August 1938 aboard the S S Ile de France. (It was during August 1938 that Britain's Neville Chamberlain sent an emissary to Czechoslovakia to seek a resolution to the Sudeten Crisis. Chamberlain himself met with Adolf Hitler in September 1938 and ceded the land to Germany, in an attempt to appease Hitler. The beginning of the Second World War loomed - a dangerous time to take a vacation.)

As for the girls for whom the streets were named: Burtina Mae Aumack attended West Chester Teachers College in the mid 1930s and worked for years as a teacher. Like her mother, Burtina was enumerated as a public school teacher in the 1940 Federal Census. She was mentioned as working at Keyport High School in school yearbooks from the late 1950s and early 1960s, and again in the Red Bank Register in September 1963. She retired with a pension from the Keyport Board of Education in January 1980. Burtina was married to Captain George W Parcels, commander, New Jersey State Police Patrol, Garden State Parkway, according to the 23 Sep 1963 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 3 col 5).

Her sister, Octavia (Aumack) Mahawage made several sea voyages to South America, served in education adminitration, and died in Columbus, Ohio in August 1990.

Julia Aumack's brother, Eugene V English, was killed in an automobile accident on Route 35 in Holmdel, according to the 19 Jul 1945 edition of The Matawan Journal. Burtina Parcels' son Burt was also killed in a car crash, just 3 years ago. (See 7 May 2010 edition of the Barnstable Patriot)

I found the following references to Burtina Place in The Matawan Journal beginning in 1945 and Octavia Place in 1951.

• Mr and Mrs Joseph Shumock, of 3 Burtina Place, were the proud parents of a newborn daughter, according to the 18 Jan 1945 edition of The Matawan Journal. 
• Mr and Mrs George Boyce, of Burtina Place, were the proud parents of a newborn son, according to the 5 Jul 1945 edition of The Matawan Journal.
• Ms Dorothy Boyce hosted a shower at her home on Burtina Place, according to the 6 Sep 1945 edition of The Matawan Journal.
• George Raymond Boyce, son of Mr and Mrs George E Boyce, of Burtina Place, was engaged, according to an announcement in the 13 Jun 1946 edition of The Matawan Journal.
• Mrs Joseph Shumock and her children Harold and Judy, of Burtina Place; William Conway, of Green Grove Avenue; and Mrs Peter TenEyck of Matawan were visiting Mrs Shumock's and Mrs TenEyck's relatives in LaBelle, Missouri, according to the 31 Jul 1947 edition of The Matawan Journal.
• Mr and Mrs Vanderbilt Boyce, of Burtina Place, were the proud parents of a newborn daughter, according to the 13 Oct 1949 edition of the Matawan Journal.
• Mr and Mrs Charles Herriger, Jr, 5 Octavia Place, were the proud parents of a newborn daughter, according to the 28 Jun 1951 edition of The Matawan Journal.

* Land records show 3 and 8 Burtina PL were built in 1929; 1 Burtina PL in 1931; 7 Burtina PL in 1951. 3 Octavia PL was built in 1948; 4 Octavia PL in 1951; 10 Octavia PL in 1953; 9 Octavia PL in 1989.