Monmouth County Timeline
May 19, 1887
The Reservation
By Randall Gabrielan Editor’s note: On May 19, 1887, the Monmouth Inquirer of Freehold published a list of "New Incorporations" filed with the county clerk's office, which included the following: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Company. Office at Long Branch. William...
November 7, 1888
E.C. Hazard’s State-of-the-Art Ketchup Factory is Destroyed by Fire
On November 7, 1888, the E.C. Hazard canning factory in Shrewsbury caught fire and was totally destroyed. The Red Bank Daily Register described the complex as "the most complete affair of its kind in the country," and estimated the loss...
February 13, 1891
Medal of Honor: Thomas Timothy Fallon
On February 13, 1891, Thomas Timothy Fallon of Freehold received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest award for bravery during combat. Fallon was born in County Galway, Ireland, on August 17, 1837, and immigrated to the United States...
June 17, 1892
“Gentleman Jim” Corbett’s Asbury Park Training Leads to Championship Win in The Fight of the Century
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...
June 30, 1892
Arthur A. Zimmerman: Monmouth County’s World Champion Cyclist
Editor’s note: On June 30, 1892, in London, Arthur A. Zimmerman of Freehold broke the world's record for the fastest time covering a half-mile on a bicycle from a standing start, with a time of one minute and five seconds. ...
August 21, 1892
Stephen Crane’s Writing Ends his Brother’s Jersey Shore Journalism Career, and Possibly Affects the Outcome of a Presidential Election
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...
August 22, 1893
Dorothy Parker – The Accidental Monmouthite
Editor’s note: On August 22, 1992, 300 people showed up at West End Park in Long Branch to see celebrities such as New York Daily News gossip columnist Liz Smith, famed biographer Margaret Meade, a former New York City Council...
June 6, 1896
Two Men from Atlantic Highlands are First to Row Across the Atlantic Ocean
On June 6, 1896, George E. Harbo and Frank Samuelson departed New York City in a specially made rowboat and headed for Le Havre, France, on an ocean journey that would last 55 days and cover 3200 miles. Harbo, 27,...
October 2, 1897
Bud Abbott, Straight Man Extraordinaire
Editor’s note: Monmouth Timeline is grateful to Nancy Bierbrauer for contributing to this Timeline story. William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, best known for his film comedy double act, as straight man to Lou Costello. Born (perhaps -...
November 21, 1897
A Timeline of Vito and Anna Genovese in Monmouth County
Editor’s note: Vito Genovese was involved in criminal activities from his early years in New York City and continued to run the rackets even after he was finally behind bars for good. His nefarious deeds have been extensively chronicled elsewhere...
October 12, 1898
Monmouth County Historical Association
The first meeting of the Monmouth County Historical Association was held on October 12, 1898. Caroline Gallup Reed (pictured, 1821-1911) was the driving force behind the organization, and was its first president. Over the next 125 years, the Monmouth County...
August 25, 1899
President William McKinley Talks About What the American Flag Means in Speech at Ocean Grove
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...
September 30, 1899
Guglielmo Marconi Demonstrates Wireless Telegraph in the U.S.
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian physicist and inventor of wireless telegraph. In 1909 he received the Nobel Prize for physics, shared with Ferdinand Braun. On September 30, 1899, Marconi first utilized his wireless telegraph technology in the U.S., following successful...
August 29, 1900
Cedar View Cemetery of Lincroft: A Final Resting Place for Black Families and Civil War Veterans
By John R. Barrows On August 29, 1900, Charles Reeves died, age 80, in Lincroft. A former slave, he lived his entire life in the Middletown area, and was laid to rest in Cedar View Cemetery. Charles Reeves was considered...
August 17, 1901
New Jersey Sandy Hook Ship’s Pilot Boat James Gordon Bennett Cut in Half and Sunk by SS Alene off Sandy Hook
On August 17, 1901, a clear day, the steamship SS Alene ran down and sank the New Jersey Sandy Hook Ship's Pilot boat James Gordon Bennett, No.7, and three pilots and the cook drowned. Pilot Fred Hopkins and Alexander Dexter...
October 4, 1901
Lewis O. Summersett – The Man Who Brought T. Thomas Fortune to Monmouth County
Editor’s note: On or about October 4, 1901, a group of African American leaders from Monmouth County gathered in Red Bank to form a new political organization, the Afro-American Republican Union. Executive committee members included William E. Rock, publisher of...
May 4, 1902
Booker T. Washington Comes To Red Bank For Historic Meeting with T. Thomas Fortune
On May 4, 1902, Booker T. Washington, described at the time by the Red Bank Register as “probably the foremost negro statesman in the United States,” was hosted by T. Thomas Fortune, the noted African American journalist and advocate, at...
November 4, 1902
Laura Biggar, Fugitive Gold-Digger, Finally Turns Herself In
By John R. Barrows On November 4, 1902, nationally famous vaudeville stage actress Laura Biggar surrendered herself to Monmouth County authorities in Freehold, where she was placed under arrest, arraigned, and confined to the county jail there. She had arrived...
September 16, 1903
Whatever Happened to B.B. Ogden, the Fugitive Mayor of Keyport?
By John R. Barrows By today, September 16, everyone in Keyport finally realized that their mayor was gone. Missing. Disappeared. Vamoosed. Am-scrayed. On the lam, a fugitive from justice. In 1903, Benjamin B. Ogden was president of the Keyport town...
December 13, 1903
Sonny Greer, Duke Ellington’s Drummer Extraordinaire
On December 13, 1903, William Alexander “Sonny” Greer was born in Long Branch. Considered one of the greatest jazz percussionists in history, he is most famous for being the immortal bandleader Duke Ellington’s drummer for 30 years. [caption id="attachment_1675"...