Beach Haven Then And NowTM

A Journey Through Time on
Long Beach Island, New Jersey USA
Old Photographs Compared to New
from The Queen City, "Six Miles at Sea"

a web site by Bruce Clark

Be sure to visit former mayor Deb Whitcraft's Museum of New Jersey Maritime History!

Located at the intersection of Dock Road, and West Avenues in Beach Haven.

Link to Museum website

Welcome to Beach Haven Then And Now

Beach Haven's Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (HPAC) is seeking old photos of Beach Haven's historic homes. If you know if any leads regarding this, please contact Bruce A. Clark. I will be happy to have any scans emailed to me or make arrangements for copies to be made. I will then pass along the photos to the HPAC. Now is the time to preserve these photos for future generations. Thanks for your help!

SAD NEWS, 9/12/05: Morrison's Seafood restaurant burns down.

Now see LBI in Click here for our latest dimensional experiment!

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In the 1960 Academy Award winning film "The Time Machine", actor Rod Taylor (portraying H.G. Wells) sits in his activated invention. He watches in amazement as the world around him rapidly changes while he stays stationary. Looking out the window of his greenhouse, he witnesses the fast-forward passage of time on the streets outside. He sees what few people have bothered to see - time touches some things and leaves other things alone.

That's what this web site is all about. Time.

You are now sitting in your own "time machine" and, for the first time anywhere, you will be able to instantly see changes to Beach Haven that took decades to achieve. You'll stand in the very same spot that old-time photographers stood - seventy or more years ago, see what they saw, then compare it to an image taken from that exact same spot today.

And, hopefully, you'll have a new appreciation for the history of Beach Haven, and look a little differently at the buildings and homes that you pass by everyday.

Many of the old photographs on display here came from postcards. The senders of these cards gave little thought to their future historical significance. Each is a moment in history frozen forever by the shutter of the photographer's camera.

Above: 1930's Promotional Brochure for Beach Haven.
Miniature golf has been popular here for 60+ years!

Our journey begins...

Our first stop is along Beach Avenue. The old postcard below was published by "A. J. Durand, Druggist" in Beach Haven and the card itself was printed in Germany. It shows a July 17, 1912 Beach Haven postmark and was sent to someone in Mt. Holly, NJ. The simple handwritten sentiment was, "How would you like to be here with me?". A one cent Benjamin Franklin postage stamp carried the card to its destination.

The postcard identifies the view as "Beach Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ" but does not identify the cross street. Today, much of Beach Avenue is one-way southbound, so driving down it will not reveal this view, unless you constantly look in your rear-view mirror!

Yes, this is a northbound view up Beach at the intersection of Pearl Street, looking toward the center of town. The wonderful old house on the northwest corner (left side of image) is the giveaway as it still stands proudly at the corner. Just look at the changes since 1912! Beach Avenue is now lined with telephone poles and criss-crossed with wires. A paved street covers where deep wheel ruts on the unpaved roadway used to be. Painted lines now tell pedestrians, bike riders and joggers where to go. The fire hydrant has been moved from Pearl to Beach just around the corner. But one thing has remained the same - the chairs on the old porch still allow you to watch the world go by. See PG.9 for yet another look up this street.

Photo was taken standing in the street (Beach), near the southwest corner with Pearl.

Churches have always been a favorite subject of postcards. The old card at left dates back to August 22nd, 1918 when the vacationer wrote:

"We have been here since August 2. Persis had appendicitis, seems to have fully recovered and is enjoying the water and sports. Ed and Doc come down in the auto Friday nights, go back Sunday night. Persis will write when we get home. Liz wants the blue skirt. Clara."

The 2 cent stamp took the card to its Connecticut destination.

Today, of course, the building is one of the most famous spots in Beach Haven. It is the home of the Long Beach Island Historical Museum. But when it was opened in 1882, it was the first church on the island, known as Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.

Photo was taken standing in the street, on the southern side of Beach and Engleside Avenues.

TO PAGE TWO

This web site is dedicated to my uncle, Kenneth Lamar Clouse, who introduced our family to Beach Haven, and to the memory of my late parents, Andrew and Georgina Clark, who brought us back, year-after-year!

Questions? Comments? Have some photos we can use? Just e-mail us! SixOfOne AT netreach DOT net

I would love to hear about your experiences in Beach Haven! And I would especially like to hear from anyone who rented from Ernest Wexler Real Estate on Iroquois Avenue in the southern part of Beach Haven. Wexler owned some one-story buildings that faced S.Beach Avenue and were less than a block from the beach. Our family stayed at his rentals from the 50's into the 60's.

About the author:

Bruce Clark has been visiting Beach Haven since the mid 1950's. He and his family now own a summer home there.

Bruce's interest in history has culminated in the creation of his own business, Roadside Magnets. He is the nation's only manufacturer of Historical Marker Magnets.

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