History of Bradley Beach.
Author Unknown, about 1938
(A history of the founding of Bradley Beach in Monmouth County, NJ, including informatin on town borders and elected officials
Note - Spacing/Breaks have been intentionally added to make the document more readable. Original document consists of very long sentences with little punctuation.)
Note - Spacing/Breaks have been intentionally added to make the document more readable. Original document consists of very long sentences with little punctuation.)
Page 1
Prior to 1893 the territory now known as Bradley Beach was a part of Neptune Township and was commonly referred to as Ocean Park. The citizens of this section appealed to the legislature of the State of New Jersey, asking for a referendum on whether or not the territory comprising a line equal distance between Fourth and Fifth Avenues on the south, the center line of the Railroad tracks on the west, the center line of Fletcher Lake on the north and the Atlantic Ocean on the east could become a separate municipality. This Act became a law in 1892 and at the referendum the voters decided to become a separate Borough.
According to the report of the Election Board, the Judge and Inspectors of the election elected by Vica-Voce vote, assembled at the residence of A. T. Jones on the corner of Cook Avenue, now known as LaReine Avenue and Main Street in the Borough of Bradley Beach, at the hour of 7 o’clock in the forenoon of the 21st day of March 1893 to conduct an election for the officers hereinafter named for the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Bradley Beach and this Board certified that having first taken and subscribed an oath of honesty and impartially to hold and conduct said election they would forthwith open the poll for the election of the following named officers for the said Borough of Bradley Beach, namely: Mayor, six members of Council, Borough Clerk, one Assessor, one Collector, three Commissioners of Appeals in cases of taxation, one Judge and Two Inspectors of Elections and one Pound Keeper, and at the closing of the polls at 8 o’clock that evening of that day the said Election board canvassed the voters and determined that
Benjamin Bennett, having received sixty-eight votes was elected Mayor,
for members of Council, Alfred Yarnall, Peter Poland, William Gifford, Jerome Muddell, A. T. Jones and William Griffin, Sr. were elected.
For Borough Clerk Addison Hutchinson was elected. For Assessor Frank Herbert was elected. For Collector William Larrabee was elected.
For Commissioner of Tax Appeals Robert Peterson, Sr. William J Paynter, William Flood were elected.
For Judge of Elections John Leonard was elected.
For Inspectors Joseph Steward and Ridgeway C Pyott were elected.
Begin page 2
For Pound Keeper Charles Murphy was elected.
According to the statements signed by the Election Board 137 votes were cast. One week later, namely, March 28, 1893 Bradley Beach was incorporated as a Borough and the first meeting of its now elected mayor and Council was held, at which time the rules and regulations covering procedure were adopted.
The Borough of Bradley Beach progressed very nicely under the new form of Government until 1908 when citizens living in that section of Neptune City bounded by a line equal distance between Fourth and Fifth Avenues on the North, Atlantic Ocean on the east, Sylvan Lake on the south and the center line of the New York and Long Branch Railroad Tracks on the west, petitioned the State Legislature and by an Act were authorized to hold an election to become annexed to Bradley Beach and during that same year, after an election, this portion became a part of Bradley Beach.
The Borough continued under the coucilmanic form of government until March 16, 1915. Prior to the above date the citizens held a referendum to determine whether opr not the form of government should be changed and after the vote was recorded in the affirmative an election for Commissioners was held on March 9, 1915 with the result that William Macdonald, Sr., Bernard V. Poland and A. T. Rogers were elected Commissioners. At the first meeting of this Commission, held at the Borough Hall March 16, 1915 William E. Macdonald was chosen Mayor and the Director of the Department of Public Affairs and Public Safety and Commissioners Bernard V. Poland and A. T. Rogers were designated the Director of Revenue and Finance and the Department of Public Improvements and Public Property. This is the form of government in effect today and although twenty-one years has elapsed it may be interested to note here that Commissioner Bernard V. Poland has been re-elected as a Borough Official on each succeeding election.
On May 13, 1919 Frank C. Borden, Jr., Bernard V. Poland and John Rogers were elected and have been re-elected in each succeeding election.
Begin page 3
During the regime of these men Bradley Beach made its most rapid progress. Paved streets, new septic tanks, the purchase of the beachfront, the construction of the boardwalk, pavilions, swimming pool and other improvements, too numerous to mention, came into being. Bradley Beach is primarily a summer resort, catering to the recreational and health of its summer visitors and is recognized throughout the eastern part of the United States as one of the finest seashore resort communities.
Prior to 1893 the territory now known as Bradley Beach was a part of Neptune Township and was commonly referred to as Ocean Park. The citizens of this section appealed to the legislature of the State of New Jersey, asking for a referendum on whether or not the territory comprising a line equal distance between Fourth and Fifth Avenues on the south, the center line of the Railroad tracks on the west, the center line of Fletcher Lake on the north and the Atlantic Ocean on the east could become a separate municipality. This Act became a law in 1892 and at the referendum the voters decided to become a separate Borough.
According to the report of the Election Board, the Judge and Inspectors of the election elected by Vica-Voce vote, assembled at the residence of A. T. Jones on the corner of Cook Avenue, now known as LaReine Avenue and Main Street in the Borough of Bradley Beach, at the hour of 7 o’clock in the forenoon of the 21st day of March 1893 to conduct an election for the officers hereinafter named for the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Bradley Beach and this Board certified that having first taken and subscribed an oath of honesty and impartially to hold and conduct said election they would forthwith open the poll for the election of the following named officers for the said Borough of Bradley Beach, namely: Mayor, six members of Council, Borough Clerk, one Assessor, one Collector, three Commissioners of Appeals in cases of taxation, one Judge and Two Inspectors of Elections and one Pound Keeper, and at the closing of the polls at 8 o’clock that evening of that day the said Election board canvassed the voters and determined that
Benjamin Bennett, having received sixty-eight votes was elected Mayor,
for members of Council, Alfred Yarnall, Peter Poland, William Gifford, Jerome Muddell, A. T. Jones and William Griffin, Sr. were elected.
For Borough Clerk Addison Hutchinson was elected. For Assessor Frank Herbert was elected. For Collector William Larrabee was elected.
For Commissioner of Tax Appeals Robert Peterson, Sr. William J Paynter, William Flood were elected.
For Judge of Elections John Leonard was elected.
For Inspectors Joseph Steward and Ridgeway C Pyott were elected.
Begin page 2
For Pound Keeper Charles Murphy was elected.
According to the statements signed by the Election Board 137 votes were cast. One week later, namely, March 28, 1893 Bradley Beach was incorporated as a Borough and the first meeting of its now elected mayor and Council was held, at which time the rules and regulations covering procedure were adopted.
The Borough of Bradley Beach progressed very nicely under the new form of Government until 1908 when citizens living in that section of Neptune City bounded by a line equal distance between Fourth and Fifth Avenues on the North, Atlantic Ocean on the east, Sylvan Lake on the south and the center line of the New York and Long Branch Railroad Tracks on the west, petitioned the State Legislature and by an Act were authorized to hold an election to become annexed to Bradley Beach and during that same year, after an election, this portion became a part of Bradley Beach.
The Borough continued under the coucilmanic form of government until March 16, 1915. Prior to the above date the citizens held a referendum to determine whether opr not the form of government should be changed and after the vote was recorded in the affirmative an election for Commissioners was held on March 9, 1915 with the result that William Macdonald, Sr., Bernard V. Poland and A. T. Rogers were elected Commissioners. At the first meeting of this Commission, held at the Borough Hall March 16, 1915 William E. Macdonald was chosen Mayor and the Director of the Department of Public Affairs and Public Safety and Commissioners Bernard V. Poland and A. T. Rogers were designated the Director of Revenue and Finance and the Department of Public Improvements and Public Property. This is the form of government in effect today and although twenty-one years has elapsed it may be interested to note here that Commissioner Bernard V. Poland has been re-elected as a Borough Official on each succeeding election.
On May 13, 1919 Frank C. Borden, Jr., Bernard V. Poland and John Rogers were elected and have been re-elected in each succeeding election.
Begin page 3
During the regime of these men Bradley Beach made its most rapid progress. Paved streets, new septic tanks, the purchase of the beachfront, the construction of the boardwalk, pavilions, swimming pool and other improvements, too numerous to mention, came into being. Bradley Beach is primarily a summer resort, catering to the recreational and health of its summer visitors and is recognized throughout the eastern part of the United States as one of the finest seashore resort communities.
