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The story of Highland Park begins long before the New Jersey town's founding in 1905, with the Lenape hunting these high woodlands along the banks of the Raritan River thousands of years before the arrival of George Drake--brother of Sir Francis Drake--in the seventeenth century.
From British encampments during the Revolution to a 1903 convention of hoboes, through the business and politics of the present, Highland Park's history is full of life and drama.

Described by explorer Henry Hudson's first mate in 1609 as "a pleasant land to see," this high point of the eastern seaboard has witnessed the full sweep of American history from its steep wooded slopes. From the permanent settlements of the Navesink band of Lenape Indians through the passing of the Dutch and the founding of the second English town in New Jersey here in 1667, Atlantic Highlands became a prime Victorian resort during the Golden Age of the Jersey Shore. Later, as the axis of an extensive bootlegging operation during Prohibition with ties to big-city mobsters, the town's heritage grew as flamboyant as it was rich.

Seated majestically upon a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Highlands, one of New Jersey's most famous and romantic coastal towns, has served, in turns, as sanctuary, battlefield, resort destination, and home to generations of Americans, both immigrant and native. Its history, in many ways, mirrors the epic tale of America's evolution: an untamed wilderness yielding under the determination and sacrifice of a people laboring to create an enduring community--and in Highlands, they succeeded. Highlands, Ney Jersey chronicles this town's remarkable journey across four centuries of adventure, adversity, and prosperity, from the first New World explorers, such as Verrazano and Henry Hudson, to the present-day men and women who work, live, and play along these picturesque shores. This illustrated volume provides a rare glimpse into the Highlands of yesteryear and introduces readers to a cast of unique characters against a backdrop of major local and nation events, such as the Revolutionary War, the luxury era of Highlands in the nineteenth century, its incorporation in 1900, and the gold rush of 1948. Through these stories and their vivid images, the personality and charm of Highlands come to life, reminding today's residents and visitors why this setting has served as a source of inspiration for scores of writers, artists, and businessmen over the years.

Emerging from the shores of the Raritan Bay, Keyport's roots trace back to the Kearney family's plantation and its vital role during Revolutionary times. Although just 1.4 square miles in size, it encompasses shipbuilding, oyster farming, a trolley network, and an Aeromarine industry within a rich and influential history. Beyond these are the abundant and captivating tales of catastrophic fires and the vaunted Prohibition days providing a colorful framework of life in this coastline community.