LONG BRANCH - From Mary Todd Lincoln observing surfmen drills in the 1860s to the Kiernan Beach gang breaking barriers in the 1960s, the city's lifeguarding and surfing history runs rich and deep.
The city is paying homage to it all summer long at a new exhibit at the Long Branch Arts & Cultural Center.
The artifacts in the exhibit include an original 1890s bathing suit, a 1907 beach lounge chair, retro surfboards, historic lifesaving equipment and photographs through the decades from both lifeguards and surfers. The opening reception is 6 tp 8 p.m. this coming Monday. If you miss that, the exhibit will stay up all summer.
Long Branch news:Long Branch looking to add amphitheater and bandshell to City Hall landscape
“We expect the reception to be a reunion of sorts for the beach and surf community,” said Maggie Fischer, arts director. “There is a lot of excitement around this exhibit and we are thrilled to bring everyone together. We have a wall dedicated to the hundreds of photos given to us by the community that has come together as kind of a yearbook wall that we are very proud of.”
The history starts in the 1850s, when Long Branch was becoming a wealthy resort for Broadway actors and actresses, high-stakes gamblers and sitting U.S. Presidents.
On one memorable day in August 1861, a group of high society people including First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln came to the beach here at Lake Takanassee to observe training drills of volunteer surfmen at the recently built U.S. Lifesaving Station.
These surfmen, the predecessors to modern-day lifeguards, were stationed there to rescue people from shipwrecks. The first Lake Takanassee life saving station was built in 1855. In the next half-century the station was significantly developed. The Captain's House was put up in 1878 and a boathouse with a lookout tower and a Port Huron-type station were added in 1897 and 1904.
None of those buildings remain on site today. The boathouse, which had fallen into disrepair, was finally finished off by Superstorm Sandy's storm surge. A local developer moved and then restored the Captain's House and the Port Huron buildings. They now sit on private property at residence in the city.
Lifeguarding today remains a serious business in the city, which boasts a large-and well trained Ocean Rescue squad. Several members of the squad led by Dan George, head of the city's Ocean Rescue, were on the Monmouth County Lifeguards team that won the National Lifeguard Competition last year.
Long Branch news:Developer wants to build townhouses on Holy Trinity Church parking lot
Hang ten
Fast forward 100 years from Mary Todd Lincoln's day at the beach and a group of local surfers made history at Kiernan Beach, which is part of Seven Presidents Park is today. This beach marks the birthplace of organized surfing in the state. Eight summers ago, the surfers who made it happen got together and a had an historic marker placed there to remember it.
The year was 1966. Surfing was just becoming popularized, but it was not permitted on many private beach clubs at the Jersey Shore because the sport was considered too dangerous.
The local surfers here began to change that when a group of them formed the Kiernan Surfing Association and worked out an agreement with the beach's owner to lease the beach for the purpose of riding waves. Thus, the surfing beach was born.
Red Flag Warning:Don't Ignore this beach danger sign
“This summer we wanted to honor Long Branch’s deep history with lifesaving and take the opportunity to recognize the significant role both the lifeguards and surfers have played in shaping the culture in Long Branch,” said Mayor John Pallone said. “The latest exhibit was a true collaborative effort, with lifeguards and surfers, past and present, sharing their stories and loaning items from their private collections.”
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0