Rediscover the hidden New Jersey

288 Pages·2015·3.81 MB·English

by  Roberts

REDISCOVER
THE
HIDDEN
NEW
JERSEY
RIVERGATE REGIONALS
Rivergate Regionals is a collection of
books published by Rutgers University Press focusing on New
Jersey and the surrounding area. Since its founding in 1936,
Rutgers University Press has been devoted to serving the people of
New Jersey and this collection solidifies that tradition. The books in
the Rivergate Regionals Collection explore history, politics, nature
and the environment, recreation, sports, health and medicine,
and the arts. By incorporating the collection within the larger
Rutgers University Press editorial program, the Rivergate Regionals
Collection enhances our commitment to publishing the best
books about our great state and the surrounding region.
REDISCOVER
THE
HIDDEN
NEW
JERSEY
Second Edition
Russell Roberts
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS
New Brunswick, New Jersey and London
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Roberts, Russell, 1953– [Discover the hidden New Jersey]
Rediscover the hidden New Jersey / Russell Roberts.— Second edition.
pages cm.— (Rivergate regionals)
Revised edition of: Discover the hidden New Jersey. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University
Press, 1995.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 8135- 6945-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)— ISBN 978- 0- 8135- 6946- 8 (e- book)
1. New Jersey— History— Miscellanea. 2. New Jersey— History— Anecdotes. I. Title.
F134.5.R6 2014
974.9— dc23
2014017565
A British Cataloging- in- Publication record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright © 2015 by Russell Roberts
All photographs in this book were taken by Pat King- Roberts.
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from
the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 106 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ
08901. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law.
Visit our website: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu
Manufactured in the United States of America
To Megan—because without her I am nothing

Contents
Preface ix

1 New Jersey Firsts 1

2 The Rocks, the Land, and Other Things 21

3 Interesting People 31
4 The Sporting Life 56

5 Canning, Building, Riding, and Other Fascinating Things
About New Jersey 75

6 Celebrated Sons and Distinguished Daughters 84

7 Great Storms 109

8 Ghosts, Tall Tales, and Legends 127

9 Historical Happenings 139
10 A Town Treasury 163
11 When New Jersey Was Hollywood 187
12 It’s the Natural Thing to Do 198
13 Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels 214
14 The Call of the Pines 234
15 Birthplaces and Burial Sites 251
Bibliography 259
Index 271

Preface to the Second Edition
As I thought about what to say for this updated edition, I thought about all
the changes that have occurred since the first edition was published in 1995.
I thought about all the books I’ve written since then, and all the thou-
sands of words that have poured out of my writing pen in the form of ar-
ticles and many other types of writing. Maybe I never achieved my goal
of being as well- known as Hemingway— I suspect he wasn’t too worried
anyway—b ut my work will survive in libraries and other places for some
time. At least that’s something we will have in common.
I also thought about all the changes that have occurred in writing during
that time. When I was writing the first edition, the idea that so much of the
information that I had to dredge up out of libraries, badly lit microfilm, and
historical societies would be available with a few computer keystrokes on
the Internet would have been ludicrous. Then again the idea of writing a
book is in and of itself ludicrous—m uch of it is done alone, with no idea if
all your hard work is ultimately going to result in something good or some-
thing cringe- worthy— that maybe I should have seen it coming.
Then I thought about the book itself. If you had told me twenty years ago
that I’d someday be writing a preface for a second edition, I’d have smiled
and figured you were delusional. Nobody sets out to write a good book, or
a bad book; you just write it because you have to, because it’s as important
as breathing to you, and hope that people won’t use it to line the bottom of
their birdcages. I’m just glad that the first edition was so well received and
hope that I didn’t deprive too many birds.
I finally thought about myself. I’m no longer a young writer struggling
to carve out a career. No longer intent on letting myself be defined by my
work, I’ve realized with the passage of years that you can only be defined by
the type of life you lead. By now the same thing has happened to me that
has happened to everyone else— life— and I hope I’ve learned that the des-
tination isn’t as important as the journey.
I hope you’ll enjoy the journey this second edition of the book provides.
ix