New Jersey

Well-known for its hunting, fishing, and seafaring capabilities, the town of Barnegat, New Jersey, was also once a thriving center of industry and modern technology.

Steam locomotives once raged through the pines, and over 4000 boats were built at the Perrine Boat Works. A downtown business district thrived, and cottage industries--such as glass blowing and silkworm cultivation--also left their marks. The history of the Barnegat area, vividly chronicled in this marvelous photographic history by Kevin Hughes, is a truly varied and fascinating one.

The agricultural communities of what now comprise Parsippany-Troy Hills were settled in the mid-18th century, but time has destroyed many of the artifacts of early years.

Evidence of rock shelters once used by the Lenni-Lenape Indians is still present, but the farms that once existed have been replaced by modern developments. Lake Passaic, formed by a receding ancient glacier, once covered Parsippany-Troy Hills; this geological phenomenon left behind fascinating rock formations and a rich, fertile soil. Follow the history of this New Jersey township from early farmland into a bustling, modern city.

As Hillside developed its own character, its people began a movement for independence in 1905. On April 29, 1913, they voted to form their own township. Hillside contains countless beautiful images gleaned from sources as diverse as private residents and professional news organizations. While children attend classes again at Salem School or Saybrook School, workers build Bristol-Myers and Kraft into highly successful, global companies. Hillside invites the reader to the Roaring Twenties ball of the Ladies' Auxiliary and to ride along the Italian-American Association's parade float. Even the Evergreen Cemetery, home to the grave of writer Stephen Crane and more recently the setting for the Shelly Winters movie King of the Gypsies, finds its place in this remarkable book.

Colorado of the East, ""the Queen City,"" ""City of Homes,"" and ""Wall Street Suburb"" are all monikers that have been applied to Plainfield over the years, but no single phrase can capture the essence of this wonderfully diverse and unique place.

From its inauspicious start as an agrarian Quaker community in the fields beyond Elizabethtown, post-Civil War Plainfield developed into a complete incarnation of gilded-age splendor. It flourished briefly as a summer resort before becoming an affluent bedroom community for New York City's financiers and captains of industry. As economic and development patterns changed, Plainfield slipped into a secondary role, but not for long. Rediscovery of its rich history and outstanding architectural heritage by new generations has renewed the vigor that has been so much a part of Plainfield's legacy. Plainfield is a work that expresses the author's' devotion to their hometown. They have carefully selected images that contrast everyday activities with little-known events in the city's three-hundred-year saga.

New Jersey's institutional research accolades are renowned--medical inventions at Johnson & Johnson, the genius of Edison Labs and fourteen Nobel Prizes to Bell Labs scientists.

But beyond those behemoths of innovation lie many more breakthroughs and firsts. In 1869, Rutgers and Princeton played the first college football game. Famed inventor Abram Spanel developed the Apollo space suit at his home, Drumthwacket, now the official residence of governors. The American Can Company and Krueger Brewing Company teamed up to create the first beer can. Author Linda J. Barth reveals these and many more stories of the state's diverse tradition of original ideas and trailblazing personas.

In this exciting new volume, you are invited visit the grand hotels, and relive the night life that caused thousands to flock to each summer.

Within easy reach of large cities to the east, Lake Hopatcong - situated at over 900 feet above sea level - was a perfect vacation destination. From the 1880s through the 1930s, the Lake welcomed thousands of people each year, including leaders of government, industry, and entertainment. Lower daytime temperatures and cool evenings made the region a welcome respite from the urban centers to the east. As the area developed as a resort, the borough of Brooklyn was founded on Lake Hopatcong's west shore in the waning years of the nineteenth century. Soon renamed the Borough of Hopatcong, it experienced rapid growth and development.

A fascinating histroy of Roselle Park, an important link in the chain of transportation, industry, and historical events.

Ancient Native American trails led the first settlers to Roselle Park. Samuel Williams and his family established a farm, some of the first roads, and a home on the road to the West Fields. Later, this area felt the trudge of soldiers' feet, as Revolutionary War skirmishes were fought along Galloping Hill Road. Former battlefields gave way to prospering farms, and by New Years Day of 1839, farmers heard the train engines that were to provide the predominant means of direct transportation to work, markets, and recreation. When Roselle Park's founding fathers separated from Union Township and incorporated, the community defined itself as a most unique borough, different in many ways from its neighbors. As you journey through Roselle Park, you may catch a glimpse of a military general, a famous inventor, a governor, a president, a famous actor, a sports figure, family members, classmates, teachers, neighbors, and old friends. Photographs included in this long-awaited history represent a collection acquired by the Roselle Park Historical Society. Diligent research offers insight into a community that has been involved in the forefront of important developments, including Marconi's wireless telegraph, WDY's radio broadcasting, Edison's electrical wiring, women in politics, and the first poured cement school building. Although Roselle Park is only 1.3 square miles, it has always been an important link in the chain of transportation, industry, and historical events.

The pictorial history and the comprehensive, informative, and often humorous captions which accompany them will delight, fascinate, and amuse young and old, resident and visitor alike.

Cranford celebrates the 125th anniversary of its founding in 1996. To commemorate the event, two local historians, Robert Fridlington and Lawrence Fuhro, have joined forces to create a wonderful new history of the town. This book is a nostalgic look back at the town's roots, with over 200 fascinating photographs dating from 1871 to the 1940s. These images bring to life the town's rich heritage--its Victorian downtown district, school ""daze,"" special events, and faces forgotten and familiar. We see Cranford's origins as a sleepy river village dependent on farming and milling, and its growth as a suburb from the late nineteenth century to the end of World War II. Many of these remarkable pictures have never before been seen by the public, and the authors have uncovered images and stories long forgotten, such as the town's African-American baseball teams and efforts to make Cranford the state capital.

This fascinating new addition to the Images of America series offers a glimpse into the unique history of Ocean City, New Jersey.

Ocean City is among the nation's most popular vacation destinations. Founded in 1879, it has evolved from a Christian-oriented summer resort to a year-round community that mirrors the many facets of America's diversity.

The area's wide, sandy beaches and lively boardwalk continue to attract thousands of visitors each year. Ocean City, New Jersey Volume II uncovers many more vintage photographs of the town's seaside attractions and features rare scenes of the community, its politics, the impact of World War II, and the unusual events that have become the hallmark of parades and celebrations held here. From Martin Z. Mollusk to the Miss Miscellaneous Contest, Ocean City has had a long and animated history of offbeat traditions.

Join authors Frank Esposito and his son Robert on an insightful journey back in time to discover the people and places of Ocean City's early days. With a variety of images from the collection of the late Al Senior, this volume provides residents and visitors of all ages with a captivating account of a unique seaside community and its colorful past.

Over 200 photographs document the history of the Spring Lake community.

Spring Lake, an oceanfront community bounded on the south by Wreck Pond and on the north by Lake Como, was named after a spring-fed body of water that spawned the town's settlement in the 1870s. The development of the area was accelerated by the advent of the railroad, which brought building activity to the locale. Eventually, Monmouth Avenue and the lakefront became very desirable locations for seasonal homes. Once promoted as New Jersey's ""garden spot,"" Spring Lake came to contain several private landscape showplaces, exquisite public grounds, and a legendary non-commercial boardwalk. This photographic record of Spring Lake's development illustrates the remarkable architectural tradition whose legacy remains evident in this elegant resort today. From Ballingarry and the Casino to the churches and the New Monmouth Hotel, Spring Lake's stunning built environment is vividly displayed in over two hundred photographs contained in this volume.

Over 200 vintage and rare photographs document the fascinating history of Long Branch.

Long Branch's rich and varied past makes it one of Monmouth County's most important historic places. Although much of the physical evidence of its earlier days is gone, historian Randall Gabrielan has gathered a collection of images that vividly represent the New Jersey city that became a mecca for presidents, financiers, and gamblers. In Long Branch People and Places, tour stately summer homes, visit hotels of the gilded age, and behold Long Branch's famed Ocean Pier--widely considered a 19th-century engineering marvel. Through this collection of more than 200 photographs, discover how Long Branch developed into a significant resort in the 1800s, and gain insight into its business power, educational life, and spiritual being.

When the twentieth century was young, visitors to Cape May knew exactly how to show the folks back home the attractions, accommodations, and ambiance of ""the Nation's Oldest Seaside Resort"": they sent a penny postcard.

Publishers such as local entrepreneur Joseph K. Hand provided a vast choice of views, capturing white sands crowded with colorful tents and wool-suited bathers or beachfront hotels such as the Stockton, Lafayette, and Congress Hall. Popular postcards depicted amusement centers and nearby diversions: the Casino, Red Mill, Corinthian Yacht Club, Fun Factory, Convention Hall, and Cape May Point Lighthouse. Reprinted Victorian views of hotels destroyed by fire served as reminders of the resort's glory days. Real-photo cards chronicled newsworthy events including the creation of the harbor, construction of the huge Hotel Cape May, and the 1907 fire at the Iron Pier.