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Because of their unique location directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City have long been centers of transportation activity, but they excelled with railroads.

When the railway industry was booming in the early twentieth century, four major passenger terminals dotted the left bank of the Hudson: the Jersey Central, the Pennsylvania, the Erie, and the Lackawanna. Thousands of people streamed through these terminals every day to the ferries that took them across the river to New York City. With over two hundred historical photographs, Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey Cityexplores the cultural and commercial effects of railway travel in two important New Jersey cities, and follows the history of these railroads between the mid-1800s and the 1970s, as well as exploring how the once vibrant waterfronts of Hoboken and Jersey City went through tremendous decline and how, over time, the waterfront has been restored and redeveloped. New residential and commercial buildings have sprouted along the old Pennsylvania and Erie properties, the Lackawanna Terminal has been restored, and the Central Railroad Terminal is now part of Liberty State Park, one of New Jersey's most popular tourist destinations.

An engaging pictorial history of Red Bank, a New Jersey shore town whose beginnings are sure to fascinate any reader.

Residents of Red Bank, one of New Jersey's best known shore towns, greeted the publication of a photographic history if their town with tremendous enthusiasm in 1995. For the first time, significant people and events in the town's past were celebrated in a vivid record available to all. The author of that volume, Randall Gabrielan, has produced an all-new second book on the town that incorporates many important images reluctantly edited from the first work and others newly uncovered. In his second Red Bank volume in as many years, Mr. Gabrielan seeks to deepen the view presented in the earlier work and expand the scope of his study. This volume also includes a separate chapter on the West Side, presents a closer look at the influence of the railroad, and extends an examination of Broad Street's changing face.

Few would imagine that the land currently occupied by the Nature Conservancy's Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, or "the Meadows," was once the picturesque Jersey Shore town of South Cape May.

By the early twentieth century, a striking hotel and homes designed by renowned Victorian-era architects dotted the landscape. Residents and visitors alike spotted rumrunners racing across the beachfront during Prohibition and endured World War II with German submarines lurking just offshore. But by 1954, barely a trace of the town remained except for about twenty of the original houses, which were moved a mile away. Join one of the town's last residents, Joseph Burcher, as he chronicles life in South Cape May before the angry Atlantic swallowed this serene town.

Settled in 1665 as one of the Two Towns of the Navesink, the township of Shrewsbury played an important role in the development of Monmouth County.

One of the most historically areas in the New Jersey region, the original vast expanse of Shrewsbury Township has since evolved into a charming 2. 3 square-mile residential borough. In this vivid photographic history, author Randall Gabrielan has brought together over 200 vintage images that convey the special character of Shrewsbury through the years. Many of the organizations, people, and buildings that fostered the evolution of this community are represented here, and informative, well-researched captions document their individual historical contributions.

In 1865, industrialist/inventor Hezekiah Bradley Smith purchased Shreveville, later renamed Smithville, an abandoned textile mill and town located along the Rancocas Creek in Burlington County, for $20,000.

He moved many workers from his Lowell, Massachusetts, plant to the new location, rebuilt the factory, and prepared it for the manufacture of his patented iron woodworking machinery. Smith began to improve the aging housing in the surrounding village. He opened a school and, later, constructed a new school building. Smith erected a boardinghouse for factory workers that contained shops and a concert hall. Through farming on land adjacent to his mansion, he made fresh produce and milk available to his workers. Smith's company also expanded into new industries by working with outside inventors, like George Washington Pressey, who needed a manufacturer for his American Star Bicycle. Later, Arthur Hotchkiss contacted the company to build the world's first bicycle railroad to transport workers from Mount Holly to the Smithville factory. This book captures life in the village and factory, memorializing the intertwining lives of the Smithville workers and H.B. Smith through photographs.

Many of the North Jersey Shore towns we know today began as quiet retreats for pious New Yorkers wishing to escape the vice and crime of the city.

Towns such as Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Red Bank, and Atlantic Highlands all got their start like this, but with the passage of Prohibition in 1919, the region became a haven for criminals who began smuggling liquor through the serene seaside. Speakeasies sprang up on virtually every corner, as gangsters like Vito Genovese, Charles "Lucky'? Luciano, and Meyer Lansky ruled this brutal underworld, while civilians were caught in the crossfire of gun battles between rival syndicates. Discover the true drama that captured the Jersey Shore during Prohibition.

Over 200 images are set in geographical sequence to guide the reader along the famed Henry Hudson trail.

The Central Railroad of New Jersey's Seashore Branch provided rail and boat services from New York City to points along the New Jersey Shore. It discontinued passenger service in 1966, with the last freight train operating in 1983. Official abandonment proceedings sparked the need to keep the right of way for future mass transit needs. This led to interim use. Today, the area is called the Henry Hudson Trail and is one of over 500 parks referred to nationally as a Rail-Trail. This free, ten-mile-long, hiking, biking, and walking trail is administered by the Monmouth County Parks System, and connects several towns of the Raritan Bay shore area. This rare look will enlighten trail users through images of views gone forever, while pointing out structures still in place. Over 200 images are set in geographical sequence to guide the reader along the trail.

The summer retreat of Stone Harbor at the Jersey shore is shown here in pictures from its earliest days.

On a barrier island near the southern tip of the Jersey shore lies the borough of Stone Harbor. Resting between the shore and the salt marshes, Stone Harbor was recognized in the early 1900s as a natural summer retreat. Stone Harbor presents the development of this popular vacation destination with historical pictures and the previously unpublished photographs of Percy J. Cole. As seen through the lens of this talented photographer, Stone Harbor in the 1930s through the 1970s represents days remembered as those of ideal summers at the shore.

Stone Harbor has the distinction of being one of the earliest planned resorts. The Risley brothers were responsible for transforming idyllic dunes into broad avenues for a town that boasted all the modern utilities. Photographs of the construction scenes that brought about this change, architectural overviews of the first ""cottages,"" other scenes from the then sparsely populated town, and wildlife photographs from the only town-supported heronry in the United States are just part of what make up this beautiful collection. Stone Harbor includes a look at the nautical life of this seaside resort, which is home to the Comet class sailboat.

Much like the building material of the same name, the township of Brick has a sturdy and reliable history.

In 1850, when the New Jersey Legislature created Ocean County among a region of virgin woodland. The new township was named after its most prominent resident, Joseph W. Brick, the industrious and successful owner of Bergen Iron Works; as Brick's and other local industries expanded, more and more people began to call the town their home.Brick Townshiprecords these lives of these founders, as well as the events and places that helped them shape their community. By 1920, parts of the township had declared their independence, and the remaining parts of Brick began to evolve into a resort community. Brick continued to be an intimate but prosperous resort area into the 1950s, when the Garden State Parkway opened, and the subsequent residential and commercial development created dramatic growth in year-round residents.Brick Townshipcaptures scenes of life in Brick from 1850 to the 1950s and beyond--from the early European settlers to the suburbanites who now call Brick their home.

In rare photographs, the book reveals the history of the people and places in the communities of Franklin, Hamburg, Ogdensburg, and Hardyston.

Franklin, Hamburg, Ogdensburg, and Hardyston chronicles the settlement and life of the Wallkill Valley area of northern New Jersey. Beginning entirely as Hardyston Township, the area developed into four communities, each with distinctive qualities. Franklin is the ""Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World,"" as declared by the U.S. Congress, and with its zinc mines, is known as the ""Model Mining Town of America."" Hamburg from early times was a crossroads and business district. Ogdensburg possessed several mines and Thomas Edison interests. Hardyston, with its lakes for summer visitors and still-thriving farmland, retains the beauty of its natural surroundings.

Hoboken's history as a link to Manhattan and a town rich in Italian-American and immigrant culture, industry, and families is revealed here in pictures and anecdotes.

Incorporated as a city in 1855, Hoboken's history as a ferry terminus dates back to the eighteenth century, with the first horse-powered ferries to lower Manhattan. The city's history is entwined with that of Col. John Stevens and his family. He was the inventor of the t-rail and a pioneer in steam-generated power and navigation. Prior to the city's growth as a transportation hub, it was a scenic locale favored by city dwellers who could arrive by ferry and enjoy a riverside promenade, partake of water drawn from a natural spring, and watch a cricket or baseball game. Hoboken eventually grew to become a bustling city, with an active waterfront as well as a home and place of work for tens of thousands of immigrants and families. In Hoboken, the pattern of early development is described, giving the reader a sense of the city in the mid-nineteenth century. Landmarks of the terminal area, downtown (Washington Street), and ferry terminals are highlighted in this photographic tour of the city. Chapters are devoted to the great rail, ferry, and trolley terminal at Hudson Place, the commercial center, the waterfront before and after industrialization (including boat and yacht clubs), and the memory of some of Hoboken's residents.

For a century and a half, Montclair has been known as one of America's most attractive residential suburbs. Yet for an equally long period, it was a simple, rural settlement. Some of the finest homes are shown in these pages.

As one historian put it, when the trains came in 1856 they ""completely changed the character of our town from a sparsely settled agricultural region to a community of elegant suburban homes."" Elegant homes remain, and at the opening of the latest century, they lured a new surge of refugees from Gotham. This history meanwhile reflects the rich mix of race, ethnicity, and opportunity that went into the making of the town. Montclair presents various aspects of the town, from Washington's Headquarters, to Italian immigrants laying pipes, to the No. 29 trolley climbing past the Food Fair.

Amusement piers offered vaudeville, band concerts, thrill rides, diving horses, fishnet hauls, and more. Visitors stayed in grand hotels, among the largest and finest in the world. Through more than 200 postcard images, the amazing spirit of this historic resort town is revealed.

Take a fascinating journey through the history of Sea Isle City, New Jersey with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

The founder of Sea Isle City, Charles K. Landis, was a man of action. He had a dream of what the ideal seashore resort should be. In the 1870s, his dream began to take shape.

It has been said, Each age is a dream that is dying or a dream that is coming to life. This is the fascinating story of how Sea Isle City, located along the New Jersey coast in Cape May County, evolved. Sea Isle City is a pictorial tour of the founding and early history of this resort by the sea. Almost overnight the island town became accessible by railroad and by turnpike. Hotels and cottages appeared throughout the island. The Braca, Busch, Cronecker, Dever, Kehner, Pfieffer, and Rey families played a vital role in the growth of the town. Another family, the Hafferts, formed the Garden State Publishing Company, which contributed significantly to employment and economic stability. Commercial fishing became an important industry in the development of the town with the coming of the Hatmen at the beginning of the twentieth century. The influential people who shaped the community and countless other families, schoolchildren, and local legends are finally brought together in Sea Isle City.

Author Michael F. Stafford, president of the Sea Isle City Historical Society, has lived his life in and around Sea Isle City. He is active in community affairs throughout Cape May County and has contributed numerous articles to South Jersey magazines.

South Amboy is a fascinating history of this community's past and beginnings, with vintage images that document what life was really like.

South Amboy, a celebration of the people and places of this key Central New Jersey community, is a fascinating look back in time at the city's early days. Through a variety of vintage images combined with insightful text, travel to the waterfront, railroad, and bustling business district of South Amboy's past. As 1998 marks the 200th anniversary of the city's organization, weeping revitalization and development are under way, and it is an ideal time to reflect upon South Amboy's beginnings. Included in South Amboy are photographs of the old city hall, prominent local businesses, long forgotten schools, and an earlier and very different Broadway. South Amboy has always been a transportation hub, from a stop in revolutionary days on the route from New York to Philadelphia, to its current role of shuttling commuters throughout the area. Life in South Amboy is shown in all aspects, from social to civic activities, from the taverns to the firehouses, and from houses of worship to the city's hospital. The historic images featured, most of which have never been published, are largely from the private collections of South Amboy residents.

On January 9, 1850, Judge John Van Winkle and his wife, Jane, were brutally stabbed to death by their former farm hand, John Jonston.

The murder happened in their home on Goffle Road in Hawthorne, NJ (which is still standing). This story would go down in history as the first in Passaic County. Since the murder in 1850, it inspired the work of New Jersey's greatest poet William Carlos Williams. Williams would go on to inspire the works of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. In 1850, with the execution of Jonston, it became the first execution in Passaic County. The newspaper accounts of the day go into great depths to describe the day. As recorded in The New York Times in 1882 ""the abode of unearthly visitants,"" there have been documented occurrences of the unexplained occurring, and the current owner, Henry Tuttman is working to bring the house in the 21st Century while retaining the heritage of the house.