Paul:
Shown here is an old advertisement of an annual train excursion held by the Union Transportation Company to Ocean Grove in August 1908.
This ad is 20 x 7 inches long and highlights this “A Full Day by the Sea”. A round trip of $1.50 for the Pemberton & Hightstown Railroad ride will get you to and from this seaside community.
“When we get there, can we stop at Days Ice Cream first daddy before we go to the beach?”
An ice cream cone, two buffalo nickels, great— make it vanilla!
Rich (Rich Amole is the staff historian of. Blogfinger)
“Pardon me boys……..” Julia West Howard, a Broadway star in the ’20’s, lived at 113 Mt. Hermon Way from 1937-1948. (now it is Blogfinger headquarters)
EDITOR’S NOTE:
In 1875, the closest train ended at Long Branch, so anyone wanting to go south to Ocean Grove had to take a stage coach or carriage. The Camp Meeting Association wanted to promote tourism, so they invested in a local railroad,the Farmingdale and New Egypt Line, and in August 1875, two trains arrived in the Grove from New York City. There was a “depot” in the Grove outside the gates, and soon after, there were connections to Philadelphia. In 1879, 300,000 visitors arrived by train that summer.
There was one problem. The CMA would not allow trains to stop at OG on Sundays. In 1910, the State Legislature overruled that blue law.
–Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net.
Ref: The Story of Ocean Grove…1869-1919. By Morris Daniels (1919)
ANDREWS SISTERS: Click on “Watch on You Tube” if it doesn’t play.
`
It is interesting to look at old railroad maps and see all the lines that existed in the past that have since vanished. The PRR operated a line from Camden to Seaside Park and then up the coast to the present North Jersey Coast Line. This was likely more convenient for persons coming from Philadelphia to OG than present routes. Persons from Manhattan could take a boat to Sandy Hook where there was train service down the coast.
The OGCMA owned land outside of what is normally thought to be its territory. The site of the Asbury Park train station was one such area. This was sold to James A. Bradley in 1879 for $90,000 with restrictions on Sunday train service.
The railroad eventually applied to the NJ Public Service Commission for permission to stop at Asbury Park on Sundays and was granted the same over the objections of the OGCMA. The arrival of the first Sunday train on 3 March 1912 occasioned a public celebration, likely to the chagrin of the Association. The Asbury Park Press reported:
“Fully 4,000 people crowded the station platform, red fire burned and bombs exploded, fire engines and their hose patrols clanged their bells, the band played “My Country Tis of Thee,” everyone yelled, the police having kept the celebrants off the tracks.
Though a cold winter night, the celebration went on till the next morning.”
Although the Ocean Grove Times was in favor of Sunday trains, it voiced strong disapproval of this event and added, “The whole was topped off with a free moving picture show.”
This is great stuff. Please keep the historical info coming!
I believe the beach was closed all day on Sunday.
Interesting that in 1910 the State ruled against OG regarding train schedule. At that time does anyone know if there was a restriction for beach access as there is today?