Monmouth County Timeline
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"...
August 21, 1904
The Legendary William “Count” Basie
William James "Count" Basie was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank. A pianist, he played vaudeville before eventually forming his own big band and helping to define the era of swing with hits like "One O'Clock Jump" and...
November 27, 1908
Panamanian Steamer Finance is Rammed and Sunk off Sandy Hook
On November 27, 1908, in a thick fog off Sandy Hook, the lightly laden Panama line steamer Finance, outward bound with 85 passengers, was rammed by the stout steel freighter Georgic, of the White Star line, and went down within...
August 10, 1910
The Wright Brothers Bring Aviation to Monmouth County
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...
August 15, 1911
President Taft Speaks About the Horrors of war at Ocean Grove Auditorium
On Tuesday, August 15, 1911, U.S. President William Howard Taft gave a speech at the Ocean Grove auditorium. According to the Monmouth Democrat, "The president went into details on the horrors of war and the past policy of the United...
September 24, 1912
John Thompson Lovett Sr., the Small Fruit Prince of Little Silver
By John R. Barrows Editor’s note: The author is indebted to Timeline contributor and noted historian Randall Gabrielan, author most recently of Lost Monmouth County (The History Press, 2021), for sharing much of his research into John Thompson Lovett, as...
March 14, 1914
Leon Hess of Asbury Park
Leon Hess (March 14, 1914 – May 7, 1999) was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets. He was born to a Jewish family in Asbury Park and attended Asbury Park High School,...
January 1, 1915
Court Street School Education Community Center
140 Court St, Freehold The Court Street School is one of the principal structures associated with the segregated history of early twentieth century education for African Americans in Freehold, New Jersey. The original school was organized in 1915 exclusively for...
January 28, 1915
The Legacy of the U.S. Life-Saving Service: The United States Coast Guard
Despite proving successful in being able to rescue people from wrecked ships, the U.S. Life-Saving Service struggled to fulfill its mandate, with inadequate manpower, equipment, and a lack of central management. These conditions continued until a major storm struck the...
July 12, 1916
The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916
On July 12, 1916, three people were attacked by a shark in Matawan Creek, with two dying from their injuries. These attacks followed previous and unprecedented shark attacks off of Spring Lake beach on July 6, and Beach Haven, in...
August 7, 1916
Kermit Love, Creator of Muppets
On August 7, 1916, Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love was born in Spring Lake. Love was an American puppet maker, puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children’s television and on Broadway. He was best known as a designer and builder with...
March 7, 1917
A Brief Timeline of Thomas Alva Edison in Monmouth County
Editor’s note: Thomas Alva Edison (born February 11, 1847, Milan, Ohio; died:October 18, 1931, West Orange, N.J.) was “America’s Genius Inventor,” a man who averaged one patent for every 10-12 days of his life, including the incandescent light bulb, the...
March 26, 1917
Maury Jones of the Lafayette Flying Corps
By Mark A. Wallinger On March 26, 1917, a young man from Red Bank prominent in Monmouth County social circles left the United States and volunteered to join the French in their war against Germany, well before the U.S. entered...
June 3, 1917
U.S. Army Signal Corps Arrives In Little Silver To Begin Construction Of Fort Monmouth
On June 3, 1917, 32 soldiers of the U.S. Army Signal Corps first arrived at the site of what would become Fort Monmouth in two Model T Ford trucks. Originally named Camp Little Silver due to its location, they built...
July 18, 1917
A Man Who Will Not Be Thwarted, Thomas Alva Edison Begins Conducting Submarine Defense Experiments from Sandy Hook
In early 1917, Thomas Alva Edison fell ill, and so his Naval Consulting Board moved on without him to recruit a scientific advisory group and build a new naval research laboratory. After he recovered, U.S. Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels suggested...
July 21, 1917
Harry Houdini Brings a Crowd of Magicians to Keansburg – But He Does Not Perform
On Saturday, July 21, 1917, legendary escape artist and entertainer Harry Houdini returned to Monmouth County, accompanied by his wife, Bess, his brother Theodore “Hardeen” Weiss, and a group of fellow magicians from New York City, to visit a colleague...