Origins
January 17, 1524
The European Explorers of New Jersey
The earliest European explorers of the Americas never caught even a glimpse of any part of the northern Atlantic coast. Christopher Columbus explored and settled various Caribbean nations, while Amerigo Vespucci's explorations appear to have been mostly of South America, specifically,...
September 2, 1609
Henry Hudson First Arrives at Navesink Highlands
On September 2, 1609, Henry Hudson approached the Navesink Highlands area. A crew member, Robert Juet, kept a daily journal of this famous exploration, and entered in his journal his impression: 'This is a very good land to fall with,...
September 6, 1609
Henry Hudson’s Half Moon Explores Our Region
On September 6, 1609, the Half Moon, captained by Henry Hudson, after sailing past Highlands, is said to have landed on the shores of present-day Keansburg (although some historians argue that the landing took place at the tip of Sandy...
March 25, 1664
Lenape Chief Sells Navesink Highlands
On March 25, 1664, Popamora, chief of the Lenape Indians of the Navesink region, executed the sale of the neck of land stretching from Sandy Hook and Rocky Point to Keansburg on the west, and to the Navesink Highlands on...
April 8, 1665
The Monmouth Patent
Editor’s note: The author would like to thank Yvette Florio Lane, Ph.D., for her assistance with this important Timeline story. On April 8, 1665, the English deputy-governor of New Amsterdam, Colonel Richard Nicolls, granted 12 white men, mostly Quakers from...
December 29, 1675
How Enslavement Came to Monmouth County
Editor's note: On December 29, 1675, the entrepreneur Lewis Morris purchased a one-half interest in a bog iron property in Monmouth County near Colts Neck. He built an iron forge on the river in what today is Tinton Falls, and...