Continuing History of West Long Branch

Introduction

Borough Government
Events
Population
Officials

Native Americans

Education
Local Grammar Schools
Shore Regional High School
St. Jeromes School
Monmouth University
WLB Public Library
Friend's of the WLB Library

Service Organizations
Borough Chemical and Truck Company No. 1
Ladies Auxiliary of Borough Chemical and Truck Company No. 1
Fire Co. No. 1 Auxiliary
Fire Department
Fire Company No. 2
West Long Branch Ladies Auxiliary of Fire Company No. 2
First Aid Squad

Community Organizations
American Legion
WLB Community Center
WLB Sports Association
WLB Lions Club
WLB Historical Society
Parent-Teachers Association
Chamber Of Commerce

Churches
Old First United Methodist
Lutheran Church of the Reformation
St. Jerome Roman Catholic

Cemeteries
General
Old Free Church Cemetery
Unknown Cemetery

Folklore or True
The Slocum Murder
The Negro Hill Massacre

Introduction

In compiling Volume 2 as a Continuing History of the Borough, it has been the intention of the West Long Branch Historical Society to update, clarify, and add information concerning groups, places, and personages covered in "The Early History of West Long Branch", which now has become Volume 1.

The articles to be included here have been contributed by participants of local groups in reponse to our requests during a two year period preceding the celebration of the Borough's Centennial to be conducted throughout 2008.

Some new participants have joined the list.

The format is in data form so that both volumes may be visited at the Borough Web Site by all interested parties. This allows for access to any particular article as well as the entire volumes. Also, new information and clarifications may be inserted well into the future.

We wish to dedicate this volume to the two individuals who tirelessly edited and produced the original document- the late Robert Van Benthuysen and the late Charles Maps. Mr. Van Benthuysen was past president of this Society as well as Director of the Guggenheim Library of Monmouth University, and Mr. Maps was a past vice president of this Society and Borough Historian.

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Borough Government

Events :: Population :: Officials

Events

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Population

Year	Population
1910	879
1920	966
1930	1,686
1940	2,030
1950	2,739
1960	5,337
1970	6,846
1980	7,380
1990	7,690
2000	8,258

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Government Officials

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The Native Americans of the West Long Branch Area

The Native Americans who inhabited The Monmouth County area were Algonquins of the Lenni-Lenape Tribe. In Lenape, their own tongue, they claimed to be the most ancient of all the aboriginal nations, as almost all Native Americans claimed. The European settlers call them The Delaware. The Delaware River was named in honor of Lord DeLaWare, the English governor of Virginia, who, on sailing back to the Caribbean, was blown off course in a storm. The ship found refuge by sailing up a large river north of Virginia. As the Lenape people are found on both sides of The Delaware River, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, they became The Delaware Nation.

It is known that at least as early as the first century the Unami clan (meaning people of the rivers) had developed trails to the ocean from their principal home areas along the Delaware River. One branch of their pathways crossed the southern part of present day Eatontown through the area now called West Long Branch and Long Branch to the shore. These visits to the ocean were usually in the summer season following spring planting, and were made for obtaining oysters, clams (for purple/white shell wampum), fish, shore fowl and beach plums. As many of the local Lenape went to the shore, it was also used for visiting with family and friends. The Lenape dug great pits in the sand and put all the seafood inside, covering it and letting it cook. Today, we call it a clambake. However, a very small group called the "Nevisans" (Navesinks) settled permanently in our area. They were wealthy with goods for trade with the Dutch and English settlers.

Many communities cannot boast of the presence of Native American in their histories. However, a backyard discovery of skeletons and artifacts by Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Markert in the early 1930's was good proof that West Long Branch can make this claim. This led to an archeological "dig" by the Native American Museum of New York City with subsequent findings in the vicinity of Dennis Place and Halsey Street, Franklin Lake, and Shore Regional High School. It would be quite natural to assume that Broadway was once the eastern end of a trail which passed by "high ground and a stream" (now Franklin Lake) necessary for suitable living conditions. Also, on the site of the present day Sorrentino Park there was a farm known as Giambroni's. In the spring, when it was time for planting the crops and if the ground was moist, arrowheads popped up. Mrs.Ella Giambroni had quite a collection of arrowheads in display frames. This would put the Lenapes further south on the small brook that feeds into Franklin Lake behind present day Cost Cutters, still within the Franklin Lake general area.

We have a proud tradition that our State alone among the 13 original colonies paid cash or its equivalent for every inch of land taken over from the Native Americans. Many of the first settlers were Quakers (Society of Friends) from England. In accordance with their beliefs, all people are equal in the sight of God. They were and are known for their honesty in all of their dealings. They would not have taken advantage of the local Natives, as was done elsewhere, but paid them fairly for all land transactions. Many of these first Quakers married the Native girls, technically making them a "part of the family" Although it must be recorded that a few "fast deals" do seem to have crept into the transactions. One slight twist in the tradition came about in the present day greater Long Branch area, involving a noteworthy wrestling match back in 1688 between a Native and a settler on the beach. Colonist to the north had been eyeing the Long Branch area with the idea of spreading out. After preliminary dickerings, the Natives invited the white settlers to a feast. As entertainment, the Lenapes staged wrestling matches and their champion named Vow-a-Vapon (phonetically) easily defeated all who took up the challenge.

Then, when it was time for business, the two groups disagreed on a term indicating land measure. It was settled by staging a wrestling match between Vow-a­Vapon and a tall, muscular man named John Slocum. It was agreed that the terms would be settled by which side won the contest. Vow-a-Vapon had a secret weapon in the form of goose grease smeared all over his whole body so Slocum could not get a grip on him. Being no fool, Slocum used handfuls of beach sand to make a gritty surface on Vow-a­Vapon. Two hours later Slocum emerged the winner. By arrangement, the next day Slocum "walked off'; meaning, that how much land the person was able to walk in one day was awarded to him as his new land holdings. Slocum "walked off' the considerable amount of ground from Long Branch to Sea Bright, down through Little Silver and Eatontown, over to West Long Branch and finally south to Oakhurst (Ocean Township). Four pounds was paid for the property even though Slocum won the match.

The Lenapes have the distinction of being the first people to be moved onto a reservation. Those that had married white men and took their religion and language, who had their babies, were allowed to stay with their white families. All the rest were moved to Brotherton in South Jersey. But not to long after that, the whole tribe was moved, via Canada, to Oklahoma where they reside on their own reservation within the Cherokee Nation. Today, it is hard now to find a pure Lenape here in New Jersey. Most people that claim Native blood have come from one of the white/native colonial marriages and are therefore of mixed blood, but with no less pride then their full blooded brothers and sisters in Oklahoma. Records of these marriages and families are in the possession of a Lenape woman in Pennsylvania, having them passed on to her by her late brother who lived in New Jersey.

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Education

Local Grammar Schools :: Shore Regional High School :: St. Jeromes School :: Monmouth University :: WLB Public Library :: Friend's of the WLB Library

Grammar Schools

Over the years, from 1978 to the present (2007), many fine men and women served to direct and improve our educational program. Some years of service were short, others served over thirty years. The list of members includes P. Jacobowitz, M. Manashil, S. Busacca, F. Weinstein, J. Giannotta, Wm. Jelley K. Klatsky, C. Hopkins, M. Fedak, M. Guilford, E. Demaree, C. Herschkowitz, W. Deisinger, S. O'Neill, R. Bettenhausen, C. Campione, R. deSante, D. LaBanca, A. Harrison, R. Penta, A. Bonnello, L. Cosentino, 0. Monsour, E. Kelly, E. Loray, T. Prosser, M. Gassman, D. Coffey, C. Critelli, M. Kessler, A. Hurley, C. O'Donnell, K. Campbell, K. Kennedy, S. Fineberg, D. O'Hare, T. Chase, G. Aikens and T. Hunter.

The two buildings that constituted the WLB school system were proving to be quite inadequate. Every available space in the Frank Antonides School was being used to meet various educational needs; including the gym and stage.

The Wall Street School basement was declared to be "unfit" for public education. That meant, no lunch room, no library, no developmental education space, no small group instruction space and, no working space for teachers.

Wall Street School could only function, while serving grades kindergarten through grade three, because of the goodness of the Old First Methodist Church. The church allowed the school to house part of grade three and then, three full day kindergarten classes in their educational wing, for several years. Thereby, all of our children were able to enjoy desk space and a chair.

The Board of Education, on several occasions endeavored to pass a referendum permitting the renovation of the Wall Street School or the building of a new school. However, every effort was defeated by a small public vote. Finally, in 1989 the Board of Education resorted to a Lease/Purchase Agreement which enabled the building of a new school on Parker Road, to be known as the West Long Branch Primary School.

Construction of the new school on Parker Road started in the fall of 1990 and by September of 1991 the school was ready to welcome the kindergarten through grade three children. Everyone expressed their pleasure with the new school as over 800 people passed through during the "Open House."

The Wall Street School was now empty. After several months of talking about the school, it was decided that it might be best to sell the property and give the tax payers some tax relief. The property was to be sold "as is" with a minimum bid of $1.050,000. Two bids were received. One bid was from a drug company and one from Deal Yeshiva. As we now know, the building was finally sold to Deal Yeshiva in 1993 for $950.000.

Ernest Melofchik resigned as Principal of the Frank Antonides School in 1988. Upon Mr. Melofchik's resignation, the administrative structure changed. Mr. Sandilos served as Superintendent/Principal 6-8. Kathy Prout served as Head Teacher. Working out of two buildings Betty McElmon became the Principal/Curriculum Coordinator grades K-5.

Following thirty-one years of service Mr. Sandilos, as the Superintendent of Schools, retired on July 1, 1992. A search was then conducted by the NJSBA. However, after several interviews, a suitable candidate was not found. Betty McElmon was then selected to follow as the district's School Superintendent. At that time, she also served as Principal of the WLB Primary School. However, the able assistance of Head Teachers Eleanor Millar and Carolyn Cameron was always available.

A search was now underway for a full-time Principal to lead the Frank Antonides School. Mr. Kenneth Knops was selected. Planning to marry, and move northward, Mr. Knops resigned in the Spring of '92.

Another search was underway. After many interviews, Mr. Lawrence Farley was selected by the Board of Education.

Mr. Farley has proven to be a valuable addition to the administrative staff and to the whole Frank Antonides School family. He proved to be not only loving and caring but a life­long learner. His zest for knowledge has been a challenge to the students in the school.

In September of 1992 the administrative staff consisted of Betty McElmon, Superintendent/Principal of the Primary School; Lawrence Farley, Principal of Frank Antonides School; Robert Tarantolo, SBA/Board Secretary; Lolly Yacona, Director of Special Services/LDT-C.

The school was saddened by the retirement of Robert Tarantolo in 1994. Finding a replacement for him was not easy. Robert was followed as the SBA by several "short-termed" Business Administrators. While the search continued those serving as "interims" were ably supported by Vikki Olsen and Thea Lopez.

Betty McElmon, having served the West Long Branch Schools for forty-seven years, retired July 1, 2000. At that time, in her honor, the name of the West Long Branch Primary School was legally changed to the Betty McElmon Elementary School.

Two Superintendents followed Betty McElmon. Dr. Joan Kelly, who served for six years, and in July 2007 Dr. Elizabeth H. Keshish.

Dr. Kelly's tenure was remarkable in fostering many improvements to better support the education of the WLB students. A beautiful addition was built to expand the music, art and library programs. Two computer labs were built and a pre-school program was established to accommodate pre-school handicapped students, as well as an "Outdoor" classroom for the additional pleasure of all students.

The search for a Principal to guide the education at the Betty McElmon Elementary school found Maureen O'Reilly. Mrs. O'Reilly has efficiently and capably brought educational excitement to enhance the learning of all students.

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Shore Regional High School

In January 1959, the boroughs of Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea right, and West Long Branch were notified that their students would not be able to attend Long Branch High School after 1965, A study group was gathered and plans were made to form a regional district. In March, 1960, the voters gave overwhelming support to a referendum providing for the establishment of the Shore Regional High School District.

Work was immediately begun to select a site and to appoint an architect. In January, 1961, it was decided to hold an election in March for a bond issue for $2,281,000 to buy lard and construct a high school thereon.

An effort by the Board of Education to acquaint the people of the four boroughs with the plans for the school was successful. The voters approved, and the Job was begun: In May of the same year, Mr. Elbert M. Hoppenstedt was named Superintendent.

In August, bids were received for construction of a building. S. 3. Levy of Camden, New Jersey was the low bidder. September 1961 saw the ground-breaking and actual construction was begun in October.

Immediately the administration set about the job of organizing a working school system. The guidance staff, department heads, and administration occupied offices in the north end of the building June 1, 1962 in preparation for the opening of school in September.

The building was dedicated November 11, 1962 and the first year was highlighted by several accomplishments which gave Shore a reputation unusual for such a young school.

On June 14, 1969, a referendum for $1,970,600 for an addition to the present high school was defeated by the voters. On November 25, 1969 a new referendum for $1,470,000 was approved by the voters.

In June 1970 bids were received for construction of the addition to the high school. In July, some of the bids had to be re-bid. Groundbreaking and Actual construction began in August, 1970.

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St. Jeromes School

On October 18, 1956, the Most Reverend Bishop George W. Ahr of the Diocese of Trenton, established the parish of St. Jerome School in West Long Branch, and appointed Reverend Francis X. McGuinness as the first pastor.

The school opened its doors with grades K-5, staffed with six sisters of the Religious Teachers Fillipini on September 7, 1957. Our first principal and fifth grade teacher was Sister Catherine Girgenti, MPF; vice principal and first grade teacher, Sister Adele Venezia, MPF; kindergarten, Sister Anna Nowgruckes, MPF; second grade teacher; Sister Theresa Nowgruckes, MPF; third grade teacher; Sister Lucille Coviello, MPF, and the fourth grade teacher was Sister Elaine Tromba, MPF. The sisters resided in the convent building to the left of the school building and the rectory was located in a house that was to the right, but has been since torn down.

Located on the first floor where the fourth grade presently is, was the first grade. Second grade was located where the third grade is now. Kindergarten was the second grade classroom. The computer lab was used as a storage area, the third grade was in the first grade classroom. The nurse's office was positioned in the main office where the principal and vice principal were located separated by a short wooden fence and a swinging gate. On the second floor, the library was set up in the present faculty room. Fourth grade was first located in the present seventh grade classroom, and fifth grade was in the current math room with no divider existing. The remaining classrooms were unoccupied until the years progressed when sixth grade was located where fifth grade presently exists. Seventh grade was in the sixth grade classroom, and eighth grade was always in the same room from the opening of the school. Mrs. Elizabeth Espe??? was our first lay teacher, and she taught the sixth grade. Sister Angela Bulla, MPF, taught our first seventh grade. The first class to graduate was on June 11, 1961. Sister Mary De Bacca, MPF, was the first eighth grade teacher at St. Jerome School, and is now the Mother Provincial of the Religious Teachers Fillipini and resides in Rome, Italy. Many students still correspond with Sister Mary in Rome, and I had the pleasure of being invited up to the Motherhouse, Villa Walsh in Morristown, NJ, last year to have lunch with her along with my brother who graduated in 1961 in the first class. I followed on June 7, 1963. My brother and I had not seen her in over 40 years. What a wonderful day--a day we will never forget!

When St. Jerome School opened that first day in September, 1956, children from many surrounding areas were standing in the front parking lot waiting for the large doors to open and allow us to enter and see our brand new classrooms, library, auditorium and cafeteria. The cafeteria was staffed with a cook, Mrs. Mary Fierro, along with other ladies who prepared hot lunches for the students every day that we picked up on trays and handed to us in front of the kitchen to pass through a window that is still there today. Everyone ate lunch at the same time since when St. Jerome School first opened there was a Kindergarten class through Grade 5 only. On the bottom floor there were only the present day auditorium, and the remaining area was one open space, no library, PreK or kindergarten classrooms. The entire section was filled with rectangular shaped lunch tables for all to enjoy their wonderful daily hot lunch. All subjects were taught in the classroom by the grade teacher (nearly 60 students per grade)--Religion, English, Arithmetic, Spelling, Reading, History, Geography, Science, Music, Writing and Art. We did have Gym once a week in the auditorium with Mr. James Burns, a physical education teacher from Monmouth University. We had a popular school choir directed by Sister Adele, and Sister Elaine was in charge of our Vocation Club. Confessions and First Friday Masses were held every month as they are today. Mission collections and prayer services were also conducted on a regular basis. The sisters emphasized the importance of religion in our lives by making each and every day prayerful and meaningful. For the past fifty years, the philosophy of St. Jerome School has always remained the same, "To provide an excellent academic education which fosters Catholic teachings and Christian formation."

Father McGuinness often visited our classrooms of approximately 60 students to speak with us and, of course, came to hand out our reports cards four times a year. Father was a kind and an understanding man who always had some encouraging words as he called each one of the students up to review his/her report card and offer his advice and support. Parents were asked to be involved with the school, and St. Jerome's was always known from the beginning as having a dynamic and energetic PTA. The PTA ran many different fundraisers including selling costume jewelry to putting on minstrel shows in the auditorium where they performed themselves. First prize for selling the most costume jewelry was a TV, black and white of course! I particularly remember this as my brother and I won two years in a row!
Our school colors were maroon and gold. The girls wore maroon jumpers, ties and beanies with white shirts. The boys wore maroon jackets, ties and white shirts.

The school handbook was approximately 3 by 4 inches. Each was hand typed and stapled together and given to each family by the Sisters. Yearbooks, entitled the "Jeromian" were prepared in the same manner and given to each graduating student. Graduates were also presented with school autograph books, name cards, and school rings! The Sisters made every occasion special and memorable.

Today, Saint Jerome School offers a dynamic educational program for students in Pre-K to Grade 8, which maintains high academic standards in a Christian environment, develops technological awareness and creative expression. It has been a pleasure to have both my children also graduate from St. Jerome School and to be a faculty member here for the past eighteen years.

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Monmouth University

This much seemed certain as he traced their past through the maze of the American Bicentennial: the fates of Monmouth College and its home town would overlap long after Robert Van Benthuysen sketched the origins of the school for his Early History of West Long Branch New Jersey.

In the thirty years since the initial publication of that pamphlet, the campus has celebrated and struggled.

But, back in 1977—amid the economic foreboding, stagnant enrollment, and brief, but bitter, student and faculty protests that, Van Benthuysen noted, beset Richard Stonesifer's tenure (1971-79) as fourth president of the young institution—propitious signs at Monmouth were hardly preponderant.

Only now is it clear progress endured.

Under Stonesifer's leadership, the college doubled the number of master's degree programs it offered, symbolically, at least, thus pointing the way for its eventual transition to a teaching university. The era also gave rise to a new student center on campus, while—thanks to a countervailing initiative sparked by Van Benthuysen's penchant for preservation—entry in both the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places helped secure the heritage of the Guggenheim Cottage and Wilson Hall.

By the same token, the athletic ascendancy that followed Monmouth's 1980 debut in NCAA Division I competition was foreshadowed by moments in the mid-1970s that saw the New York Giants and New York Knicks select the college as home base for their preseason training operations. The decade also brought international distinction to Monmouth alumna Wendy Boliogi, whose swimming prowess garnered multiple medals for the American team at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

Prescience pervaded the period's cultural commitments as well, insofar as the choice for keynote speaker at Monmouth's 1978 commencement—Sidney Kingsley, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright and chairman of the state's Motion Picture and Television Commission—inadvertently heralded the area arrival of director John Huston, who—three years later, to the delight of many locals—filmed his $35 million production of the musical "Annie" at a newly refurbished Wilson Hall.

But, highlights such as these notwithstanding, 51-year old Dr. Samuel Hays Magill faced some formidable hurdles, in July 1980, when he left his job at Simon's Rock Early College in Great Barrington, Massachusetts to accept what was initially thought to be an interim position as the chief executive at Shadow Lawn. Demography, alone, appeared to bode poorly for what has ironically been the longest span (1980-1993) to date enjoyed by any of the school's leaders.

Looking back on that period, the editors of the Asbury Park Press opined that Monmouth, like "many other private institutions" of the day, had been "forced" into adopting rigorous marketing and accounting practices to simply survive the harsh reality of a postwar Baby Boom gone bust. Nevertheless, after more than a decade of painful reforms that included the re-shuffling of some key administrative assignments—coupled with concerted efforts to diversify the student body by aggressively courting new applicants from outside the Garden State—total enrollment at the college had risen by little more than 100 students to 3,941, while the number of full-time undergraduates actually declined.

All of this contributed to the school's chronic ranking of "less competitive" by some nationally-known, higher-education guides. And the Press, for its part, concurred with the assessment. By "most traditional measures of reputation," the paper conceded in 1993, "Monmouth College hasn't gone too far."

Still, if critics found progress recurrently absent, or, more plausibly, simply hard to discern, there was ample evidence, by the end of the Magill era, that Monmouth was poised for rebirth. Among the more significant signals, in the eyes of many observers, was an eightfold increase in the college endowment and a movement—originating with the students, themselves, and quickly co-opted for the prevailing