Although Rumson, New Jersey, spent much of its early existence unknown to the outside world, the borough has built a reputation for itself as a great American suburb. The many grand estates, such as Thomas McCarter's Rumson Hill, and sweeping panoramic views establish its place as one of the most desirable destinations in New Jersey. Occupying the eastern section of a peninsula formed by the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers, the small but affluent community began as a seasonal home before the year-round activity took over. Rumson Road, once a sandy path among the farms, grew into one of the...

Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright are the first two municipalities below the United States Government's Sandy Hook--the northernmost stem of New Jersey's barrier beach on the Atlantic coast--and an analysis of their development provides a study in contrasts. The two share a beginning as parts of the same seventeenth-century land grant, but developed very different characters following the 1865 sale of Wardells Beach. Monmouth Beach, to the south, cultivated exclusivity. Life there centered around a membership in an association, and residents cherished the peace and privacy provided by this...

With Atlantic Highlands, author Randall Gabrielan continues his insightful photographic journey through eastern Monmouth County at the turn of the century. Many family heirlooms, carefully gathered from local residents, the Atlantic Highlands Historical
Society, and private collectors, are presented here. The array of images and locations within this book is truly a tribute to a time when life at the shore seemed just a bit simpler.
Readers will discover vintage images from the 1880s to the recent past, including views of the harbor, downtown streets, shops, and people who were...

Since the development of photography in the mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs bring alive our picture of the past and can open a floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity and a sense of history. Collected in this intriguing visual history are over 200 photographs which take us on a journey around the neighborhoods of Middletown Township, New Jersey. The history of Middletown Township may not be unusual, but its people and places are singular and well-portrayed
here. Around the familiar landmarks of a...

Fair Haven: The Making of a Modern Town continues the detailed look into the history of this New Jersey
community. In over 200 images, the author further explores the town's development from the small seasonal community it once was to the suburban borough that it has become. The early town of Fair Haven was little more than a waterfront--a passage between the neighboring towns of Red Bank and Rumson. As the town developed, churches, schools, shops, and traditional houses sprang up everywhere.
Although the public places have been changed or replaced, many of the town's early homes are...

Middletown Township: Volume II is a fascinating collection of over 220 vintage views of this venerable township, and it explores in even greater depth the rich and historic fabric of the community first brought to life last year in Middletown Township. In this second volume, the author has collected an extraordinary diversity of images from a wide range of sources, and these images bring to life the development of the township and the lives and aspirations of its people. We meet the people who gave the township character; witness the changing landscape; visit places of worship; marvel at the...

The name of Keansburg usually evokes pleasant memories of the town's forty years of glory as a waterfront resort. But the fact that Keansburg also has a rich heritage of fishing and farming, as well as a fascinating period of transition into a year-round residential community, is often forgotten. In Keansburg, local author and historian Randall Gabrielan presents a fascinating view of the town's history from its former status as sections of Hazlet and Middletown Township, to its present-day community life. Keansburg has a special focus on the amusement and resort businesses that have brought...

Shrewsbury, one of New Jersey's oldest settlements, has been a separate borough only since 1926. Since then, a modern town has developed around a core of historic and exclusive estates. This second volume of Shrewsbury's past takes readers on an engaging historical journey while tracing the community's development. The emerging businesses that helped turn a quiet Broad Street into a modern highway stretch are linked to that stem's rural past. The construction of buildings during the 1970s such as the Red Cross Building and the Shrewsbury State Bank helped transform Shrewsbury into a mixture...

Middletown Township has the distinction of being one of the earliest settlements in New Jersey. Although the township does not have any large photograph archives, author Randall Gabrielan has carefully gathered images from many private and public sources. Here, with over 200 vintage photographs, he
presents yet another dramatic view into the realm of
our suburban villages and neighborhoods.

The history of Marlboro Township is both fascinating and diverse, including topics as varied as some of the first airplanes, a landmark greenhouse, and the once booming local potato industry. This collection includes many scenes and reminders of Marlboro's textured past and a timely look into its bright future. Marlboro Township presents a once-rural Monmouth County town on its way to modern suburbia. Among the many images collected for this volume are those that reveal Marlboro's successful agricultural past. The region was once the nation's largest grower of potatoes, while Marlboro had...