History: Klansmen Attend Red Bank Baptist Church (1923)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KKK meeting, 1921-22 (Granger Collection)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matawan Day 2012 - Saturday 13 October

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

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

Voter Registration 2012 - Monmouth County, NJ

Voter registration deadline is Oct. 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Index to "Around Matawan and Aberdeen"

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

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

ADDRESSES

Amboy Road

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

Angel Street

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

Broad Street

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

Church Street

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

Cliffwood Avenue

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

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

County Road

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

Freneau Avenue (also known as Route 79)

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

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

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

Holmdel Road

• Bechstein farm, 1907 (pg 78)

Jackson Street

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

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

Keyport Road (see also State Route 35)

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

Little Street

• 48 Little Street,  c 1950 (pg 47)

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

Lower Main Street

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

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

Main Street

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

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

Matawan Avenue

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

Middlesex Road

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

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

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

Mill Road

• Hawkins House,  1936 (pg 52)

Park Avenue

• 165 Main Street is at intersection with Park Avenue

Ravine Drive

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

South Concourse

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

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

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

 State Route 35 (see also Keyport Road)

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

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

State Route 79 (see Freneau Avenue)

Upper Main Street

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

Valley Road (see also Middlesex Street, Route 34)

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

Washington Street

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

PEOPLE

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

Matawan Borough Police Department, c 1940 (pg 80)

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

Matawan Township Police Department, 1957 (pg 80)

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

Methodist Episcopal Church Choir, c 1931 (pg 19)

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

PLACES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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