Filled with firsthand accounts and historical images, this handsome book commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Monmouth County Park System. After the construction of the Garden State Parkway in the 1950s provided easy access to New Jersey’s shore towns, the park system was established in order to protect natural and scenic resources, as well as to provide recreational opportunities for the increasing number of residents. Today, this central New Jersey county is a nationally recognized leader in parks and recreation, having preserved more than 15,000 acres of open space, including some of the region’s most significant natural areas and historic sites. By taking an in-depth look at one county’s efforts to preserve open space and provide superior recreation opportunities for all, this volume elevates the relationship of parks and preservation to the quality of life in our nation.
"Halcyon Days from the Jersey Shore to Freehold. With desirable beach communities and nearby commuter-friendly towns, Monmouth County continues to attract new residents, while nostalgic memories of bygone landmarks, forgotten businesses and more remain in the hearts of many.... New Jersey historian Randall Gabrielan takes readers on a journey of lost Monmouth County."--Back cover.
Focusing on the development of a single African American community in eastern New Jersey, Hodges examines the experience of slavery and freedom in the rural north. This unique social history addresses many long held assumptions about the experience of slavery and emancipation outside the south. For example, by tracing the process by which whites maintained "a durable architecture of oppression" and a rigid racial hierarchy, it challenges the notions that slavery was milder and that racial boundaries were more permeable in the north. Monmouth County, New Jersey, because of its rich African American heritage and equally well-preserved historical record, provides an outstanding opportunity to study the rural life of an entire community over the course of two centuries. Hodges weaves an intricate pattern of life and death, work and worship, from the earliest settlement to the end of the Civil War.
Historians have long considered the Battle of Monmouth one of the most complicated engagements of the American Revolution. Fought on Sunday, June 28, 1778, Monmouth was critical to the success of the Revolution. It also marked a decisive turning point in the military career of George Washington. Without the victory at Monmouth Courthouse, Washington's critics might well have marshaled the political strength to replace him as the American commander-in-chief. Authors Mark Edward Lender and Garry Wheeler Stone argue that in political terms, the Battle of Monmouth constituted a pivotal moment in the War for Independence. Viewing the political and military aspects of the campaign as inextricably entwined, this book offers a fresh perspective on Washington’s role in it. Drawing on a wide range of historical sources—many never before used, including archaeological evidence—Lender and Stone disentangle the true story of Monmouth and provide the most complete and accurate account of the battle, including both American and British perspectives. In the course of their account it becomes evident that criticism of Washington’s performance in command was considerably broader and deeper than previously acknowledged. In light of long-standing practical and ideological questions about his vision for the Continental Army and his ability to win the war, the outcome at Monmouth—a hard-fought tactical draw—was politically insufficient for Washington. Lender and Stone show how the general’s partisans, determined that the battle for public opinion would be won in his favor, engineered a propaganda victory for their chief that involved the spectacular court-martial of Major General Charles Lee, the second-ranking officer of the Continental Army. Replete with poignant anecdotes, folkloric incidents, and stories of heroism and combat brutality; filled with behind-the-scenes action and intrigue; and teeming with characters from all walks of life, Fatal Sunday gives us the definitive view of the fateful Battle of Monmouth.
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 ROEBLING LEGACY portrays the story of the Roeblings, from the great immigrant engineer John A. Roebling and his quest to design the Brooklyn Bridge, to his son Washington A. Roebling, who built the bridge with help from his wife Emily Warren Roebling, and since it opened in 1883 has become became the universal symbol of New York. The story spans four generations of the Roeblings through their bridge building and the family business, the John A. Roebling's Sons Company of Trenton, N.J., that developed and produced innovative wire rope and wire products for many emerging technologies over a 125 year period. The Roeblings built the great cables of many landmark suspension bridges, including the George Washington andGolden Gate Bridges, and they built the town of Roebling, N.J., which David McCullough has called "one of the best planned industrial towns ever built in America, a model in every respect." Today the town is thriving with a new Roebling Museum and Roebling factory buildings in Trenton have been adapted for new a variety of new uses.
