Asbury Park

On June 17, 1892, James J. “Gentleman Jim” Corbett arrived in Asbury Park to begin training for “The Fight of the Century” against world heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan.  William Brady, Corbett's manager, chose a cottage in Loch Arbour

On August 21, 1892, a story appeared in the Sunday edition of the New-York (sic) Tribune that launched the meteoric career of one writer, and ended the career of another － his brother. Jonathan Townley Crane, Jr., known as “Townley,” the

On Friday, August 25, 1899, William McKinley, 25th president of the U.S., gave a speech at the Ocean Grove auditorium, following a presidential parade through the streets of Asbury Park. In his speech, about matters concerning the end of the

On August 10, 1910, the Wright Brothers came to Monmouth County to stage “America’s Greatest Aviation Meet.” It was designed to be a grand exhibition of manned heavier-than-air flight using the aviation system the Wrights created. The aircraft, called the

On July 27, 1918, boxer Jack Dempsey knocked out Fred Fulton in just under 19 seconds of the first round. It was Dempsey's first major fight, and within a year, Dempsey would go on to defeat Jess Willard to become

On June 7, 1921, James A. Bradley, founder of the Monmouth County communities of Asbury Park and Bradley Beach, died at age 91, just three weeks before he could see a statue of him erected near Convention Hall to commemorate

Editor’s note: In 1926, legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth brought a barnstorming team to Monmouth County for a pair of exhibition games, one on October 11 in Bradley Beach, and the second on October 23 in Highlands.  Both

On July 5, 1930, at 4:30 p.m., an explosion erupted at Frank Cimino’s fireworks factory in Neptune Township, killing four people and injuring four. The blast could be heard for miles and was followed immediately by a series of additional

Editor’s note: On September 11, 1934, the S.S. Morro Castle was a blackened hulk resting just off the beach at Asbury Park, three days after coming to a rest there after a horrific fire at sea. The site of numerous

Text courtesy of the Asbury Park African American Music Project, used with permission. In the 1960s, there were dozens of music venues on the west side of Asbury Park, all along Springwood Avenue. Today, only one structure remains that was

Editor’s note: The following story is reprinted with the permission of the authors of A History of Submarine Warfare along the Jersey Shore (The History Press, ©2016, available from retail booksellers everywhere). By Joseph G. Bilby & Harry Ziegler It

On February 4, 1946, the USS Argentina steamed into New York City after an absolutely brutal nine-day voyage from England.  A luxury passenger liner converted into a U.S. military troop ship, she sailed into the teeth of two terrible storms

On June 20, 1956, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana (LAV) Flight 253, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, caught fire and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean 32 miles off Asbury Park.  Flight 253 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Idlewild International Airport,

This is a story about small airfields of Monmouth County that are now long gone. During World War II, residents of Monmouth County became accustomed to seeing a number of small aircraft, midget planes known affectionately as "Flying Jeeps" passing

On August 16, 1970, Universal Pictures released a new motion picture entitled Dreams of Glass, which was written, directed, and produced by Robert Clouse (1928–1997), most famous for directing some of Bruce Lee’s greatest films, including Entering the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978).

On February 8, 1974, The Stone Pony, one of the world’s best-known live music venues, first opened its doors in Asbury Park, across the street from the boardwalk. Founders John P. “Jack” Roig and Robert “Butch” Pielka bought the club

On September 13, 1981 - exactly six years and ONE DAY after the show made its debut, Danny DeVito received the prime time Emmy award for best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as the irascible cab dispatcher

On June 8, 2004, volunteers removed one of the "Tillie" murals from the Palace Amusements building in Asbury Park, so as to ensure its preservation prior to the demolition of the building. "Tillie" is the nickname of two murals of