Morgan Memories – The Robert E. Lee Inn
Painting of the Robert E. Lee Inn, Credited to Snooky Wynegar, Which Used to Hang in the Robert E. Lee Inn.
Those of us who grew up in post Great Depression/World War II Morgan knew it as The Robert E. Lee Inn. It was located on the northwest side of the Cheesequake Creek channel where the creek emptied into RaritanBay. Fewer of us knew it was previously called Cady’s House of Sea Food when it was built in the mid-1920’s by James H. Cady – including his grandchildren. My mother knew it however. I found out in an odd way which I’ll cover in a bit.
Alfred S. Landis Picture Post Card of Cady’s House of Sea Food Circa mid-1920s to mid-1930s.
When I first saw the Alfred S. Landis picture post card of Cady’s House of Sea Food, it confused me since it looked just like the Robert E. Lee Inn and appeared to be located about where the Robert E. Lee Inn used to be located – even though the roads shown were different than the present day roads. The roads were different before World War II than they are today. The post card shows the “Shore Road” intersecting with what later known as Old Spye Road. At the time it seemed to be known as either Route 4, Main Street, Keyport Road or the Amboy-Keyport Road. The bridge over Cheesequake Creek shown in the post card was removed after the current bridge was opened in 1943. You’ll note that there is no sign of the Jersey Central Traction trolley line which also crossed Cheesequake Creek on this bridge. That line went out of business in the summer of 1923.
Morgan Beach in the Fall of 1938. L-R: Rita Casey, Marjorie Thalmann, and Betty Cady, Youngest Daughter of James Cady. Source: Marjorie James Collection.
A fact I learned only recently to the date of the original posting of this topic was that a co-worker of my mother’s at Rutgers University Bookstore, the lady I knew when I went there as Betty B., was more than just a co-worker to my mother. Betty was and remained a life long friend to my Mom until Betty passed away on April 24, 2011. When my mom was a child, her parents would take my uncle and her to Morgan Beach in the summer starting sometime in the 1920’s. They were among the hordes of people from the northern NJ cities who would flock to the JerseyShore in the summertime. Morgan Beach was essentially the first beach the Northerners would encounter while going southward and was conveniently located near a railroad station. The first thing my mother would do when she got to Morgan Beach was to cross over the drawbridge (shown on the postcard) and go see her friend Betty Cady. When I told my mom about the Cady’s post card, she nonchalantly said, “Oh yes, it was originally called Cady’s”. That is also when she told me that her close friend Betty’s maiden name was Betty Cady. Of course I was floored that all my life that information was known within my family yet I had no clue.
So the beloved Robert E. Lee Inn started out as Cady’s. They mystery regarding when Cady’s was built was demystified when I read the April 23, 1926 issue of the South Amboy Citizen newspaper. We now know that the restaurant was built during the winter of 1925/26 and opened on Thursday, April 22, 1926! The article also confirmed something mentioned by Diane Norek Harrison, author of the “Remembering the Past” columns for the Atom Tabloid & Citizen-Gazette website. Diane indicated that Cady’s Dining Hall was listed as a 1922 Morgan business. This article mentions that Mr. Cady’s previous restaurant was located near Morgan Station, the railroad station in Morgan where what is now known as Old Spye Road crossed the New York & Long Branch Railroad, just a few hundred feet away from the site of Cady’s House of Sea Food/Robert E. Lee Inn.
South Amboy Citizen – April 23, 1926 – CADY OPENS NEW RESTAURANT
The “House of Sea Food,” considered to be one of the most modern and best located restaurants on the Jersey Coast was opened at Morgan yesterday by Mr. J. H. Cady. Mr. Cady formerly was located at Morgan near the railroad crossing. The building is located on the Shore Road near the Morgan bridge and was built during the past winter.
The dining room has a capacity of seating over two hundred people and everything in the way of fixtures is entirely new. By the time the bathing season opens Mr. Cady expects to have a number of bath houses constructed and a gasoline station will be located on the property. The building is in a nice location overlooking Raritan Bay and Cheesequake Creek. Shore and fish dinners are a specialty at the new place and will, according to Mr. Cady, be as good, if not better than those which have earned for his establishment a reputation that is more than state-wide.
Front of Cady’s House of Sea Food with Staff, Circa 1920s, Perhaps Showing Opening Day. Mr. James H. Cady is on the Left. Source: Marjorie James Collection.
Mr. Cady, per his grandsons Peter Bunting and David P. Weldon, later opened up a small business further north on the side of the road off of Route 35 toward Perth Amboy called Cady’s Clam Bar. He had a smoke house out back where he smoked whiting, eels and other fish and lived in a small place near by. Mr. Weldon used to ride with him to and from Barnegat to obtain fresh supplies for the clam bar. The Clam Bar was also a hot topic on the Facebook Group “You Knew You Grew Up in Morgan if” in June of 2013. Because of this Facebook chatter, one time Morgan resident Beverly Moline identified the exact location and current Morgan resident Jim Whoski Maciejewski provided a map which helped pinpoint the location to have been on the north side of Route 35 just below the intersection with Kath Street. Another Morgan mystery solved!
Cheesequake Creek Side of Cady’s House of Sea Food for Some Special Event (Possibly Opening Day), Circa 1920’s. Source: Marjorie James Collection.
When the Cady family owned what later became the Robert E. Lee Inn, they lived on the upper floors. At that time, Morgan was rather remote and had very little in the way of a year round population. The bungalows at Morgan Beach were mostly seasonal. Most of the present day Morgan residential housing came later during the housing boom of post World War II but in the 1920s, near as I can tell with information I have found thus far, most residences were mainly on the streets nearest the bay or along present day South Pine Avenue. It is rather cool that some members of the Cady family do still have and use some of the original tables, plates, dishes and chairs from the restaurant!
Cheesequake Creek Side of Cady’s House of Sea Food for Some Special Event (Possibly Opening Day), Circa 1920’s. Source: Marjorie James Collection.
Thus far I don’t really have any information regarding the Inn portion of the building. I know the building contained a restaurant and a bar. Debbi J. is a long time Morgan resident who used to live in one of the World War II Army surplus barracks which were acquired then placed next to the Robert E. Lee Inn (REL) by then owner Don MacRae. The barracks were originally intended for summer rentals for people from New York City per Theodore Douglas, Mr. MacRae’s grandson. Later, people lived year round in them. Debbi and her mother worked at “The Lee”; Debbi eventually married one of their co-workers.
Debbi provided us with the photo showing most of the painting of the Robert E. Lee Inn; there used to be post cards of this painting such as the one at the top of this. The painting was created by Frances Wynegar, daughter of and one of three children (Mary Lou, Frances and Richard “RJ”) of previous owners of the REL, Dick and Gladys Neubold. Frances went by the nickname “Snooky” – let’s call her the original Snooky of the Jersey Shore! Thank you to Diane Wynegar Griffin for the update about her mother Snooky (especially the correct spelling), grandparents, aunts and uncles.
In the painting you see two levels of windows along the channel. Debbie wrote me that she “was told the tavern was downstairs, the second floor was a banquet hall, the third floor was where the owners lived, and there was also an apartment on the fourth floor. One day supposedly a nor’easter flooded the bar and that is when it was moved to the second floor where the bar and restaurant existed until the day it burned down.”
Looking at Cady’s or Robert E. Lee Inn from Morgan Beach – 1939. L-R: Marjorie Thalmann, Betty Adams, Dorothy Thalmann (Marjorie’s Cousin), and Rita Casey. Source: Marjorie James Collection.
In my childhood time in Morgan, boaters from all over the area, including across the bay from New York, would stop at The Robert E. Lee Inn for lunch or dinner. Here is a Robert E. Lee Inn menu from circa 1972! Local kids, including my brother, Doug, would work the small docks on the channel tying up the boats for tips. Doug also learned the fine art of “shucking” clams and oysters at the Robert E. Lee Inn. Shucking uses a roundish blunt knife to first cut open the mollusk then to separate the muscles and soft tissue of the creature from the shell. This was done just before being served to the dining patrons so they could have clams or oysters on the half shell. Doug is a pretty amazing schucker.
Our school bus stopped there to pick up kids who lived either in the REL or in the bungalows (i.e., the Army surplus barracks). I recall one named Joe, from my Jesse Selover Elementary School days, lived in the Inn and another, named Dave from my Sayreville War Memorial High School and drum corps days, who lived in one of the bungalows.
Since the opening of the current draw bridge across Cheesequake Creek during World War II and the corresponding reconfiguration of the roads in support of the bridge, access to the property can only be gained via Route 35 south.
Sadly, as had happened to some of the buildings of nearby Henry Luhrs Sea Skiff, Inc. (see the to-be-reposted write-up) and the Old Spye Inn previously located on the other side of the railroad tracks, the Robert E. Lee Inn burnt to the ground one fateful morning taking with it both Snooky’s Robert E. Lee Inn painting and a giant painting of a riverboat named the Robert E. Lee. According to my records, this fire occurred in the early morning hours of April 22, 1986 (though I see another reference which indicated the fire occurred in February). The News Tribune reported it was a “3:45 am fire” and that the structure was “79 years old” (wrong). The Star-Ledger got it right when it indicated the building was a “70-year-old Sayreville restaurant and bar” at the time of the fire. Though Charles Ludwig, the owner at the time, hoped to rebuild the structure, fate did not concur. Mr. Ludwig lost the property in 1991 and died two years later.
During the mid to latter 2000’s, the Borough of Sayreville, through the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA), tried to redevelop the 4-acre property along with 8 “riparian” acres intended for a marina on the west side which boarded the western jetty. Per the Suburban Newspaper from November 8, 2007, three companies submitted statements of interest to SERA. Hopefully this is still an active project. At the time, this was being lead by Mr. Raniero Renny Travisano, whom I remember from local politics and the Morgan Hose and Chemical Company (see the to-be-reposted write-up) before I moved to California.
How this possible redevelopment fits in with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s report of contaminated areas with extremely high levels of lead around the western jetty near Cheesequake Creek and at the small beach area north of the jetty in Sayreville (i.e., the Robert E. Lee Inn site), I don’t know (see the to-be-reposted write-up). As a minimum, it will likely delay any redevelopment plans for a number of years, if not decades.
From what I have found so far, here is the list of owners. If you have any further info on the correctness of this list, please contact me!
- James Cady
- Don MacRae
- John Millroy
- Richard E. Millroy (John’s son)
- Dick and Gladys Neubold
- Charles Ludwig (Ramble Realty Co)
Robert E. Lee Inn from Cliff Avenue September 1978.
The September 23, 2003 issue of the Newark Star-Ledger indicates that “The Robert E. Lee was named for the property’s original owner, Robert E. Lee Morgan, who bought it in 1904 and constructed a marina and an inn.” I don’t know if that is true. I do know that Robert E. Lee Morgan descended from the original Morgan family and owned property adjacent to the site so he probably also owned the property on that site.
There is an excellent photo of the Robert E. Lee Inn available for purchase which would look great in a frame in your house or office. This photo was taken by Joe Tanski shortly before the fire. Joe and his wife Gail have an excellent photography studio off South Pine Avenue in Morgan. Not only do they do weddings and portraits, they offer some phenomenal images of the Raritan Bay area. I especially like the one of the Great Beds Lighthouse. When you end up buying one of the Robert E. Lee, please let them know that you read about it on this web site.
Here is an image taken shortly after the fire which destroyed the Robert E. Lee Inn.
Here are some other images of the Robert E. Lee Inn from a private individual.
All That Remains of the Robert E. Lee Inn, Circa 2010. Photo Courtesy of Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine and Navteq.
Certainly what is written here is only partial information about The Robert E. Lee Inn. If you have any additional information or corrections please don’t hesitate to let us know via a comment below. The great thing about a web site is the ability to update it.
On a final note, Betty was the one who told my mother there was an opening at the RU Bookstore and that my mother should apply. This came in mighty handy when I went to RU since as a dependent of a university employee, there was no tuition – just some student fees. Thank you, Betty!
Originally posted on December 30, 2010 & May 28, 2011 and updated on May 22, 2017.
I just bought a menu from the Robert E. Lee Inn at an auction house in upstate N. Y. The menu has Coffee for 25 cents!
Thanks for the rest of the story. Susan
Hi Susan, I also have a menu which I intend on one day scanning and posting. I was very excited when I found it! Unfortunately I don’t think I ever ate there. How silly! Verne
Hello, I was wondering if I could buy the menu off there for my parents? It is where they met and I am making a memory book for them. Thankyou
Hi Walter! Very thoughtful of you to do that for your parents. I replied to your email with scans of the menu I have. Hope that is what you are looking for!
Why not click on the link in the article showing the menu and make a copy on nice paper? Staples can do it for you 😉
Can I get a copy of the menu I worked there many years ago.
Thanks
Vin
Please post! We spent every special occasion/ birthday at the Robert E Lee. A favorite was the pot of steamers!!!!
Do you know the name of the restaurant that was on Amboy Road in Keyport next to what is now the Blue Rock? I had went there for a NYE dinner/celebration with friends years ago and can not think of the name of it. It was very similar in looks and the name was similar in history to the
Robert E, Lee. Thank you so much as any help or guidance with finding this out will be appreciated.
Hey, I saw you just bought a menu from the Robert E. Lee, that is the place my parents met, I am doing a few things for there anniversary and was wondering if u could buy it off you ? If so please let me know and I will get in contact with you. Thankyou
My name is Terry Lukas, I am the step daughter of Charlie Ludwig. I spend my entire childhood at the Robert E. Lee. My mother Maureen and Charlie were partners for over 20 years. She managed the “Lee” for many of those years. I have so many memories and pictures from as young as I can remember to when I was 22 when it burnt down that early morning in April 1986. I remember waking up that morning and my mother wasn’t home, odd because she closed the bar every night. I was in a complete panic thinking she perished in the fire. I immediately drove to the Lee. I was already there when Charlie pulled up. He sat in is car looking for the longest time. Many of the employees were there that morning also just staring in disbelief. I have the post card (more like a business card size) of the first picture with the contact info on the back! I worked there from the time I was 11 to shorty before it burned down. My understanding is that when Charlie had plans to rebuild he wanted to make it more profitable, although keeping the same structure style, he wanted to build event facilities etc, and was turned down because the town wanted to keep it “historic”. The recession hit and Charlie’s trucking business took a serious downturn in business and most of his wealth was lost. He passed in November 1994.
Hey Terry, Hope all is well, lots of great memories at the LEE! George
Hi. My name is Sherry Bailey. My mother Joyce was the bookkeeper for the Lee. We moved into one of the bungalows in 1961. Then moved into a larger one some years later. Dick Newbold owned it then. When he sold it to Charlie, my family moved upstairs above the restaurant. The mural that is on the business card was painted by Dick’s daughter, Snookie. I have one of the business cards. I had 3 enlargements made. One of them went to morgan.org. I have one framed. The third went to my best friend Debbie who also lived in one of the bungalows in the 60s. Both Debbie and I worked as bar waitresses. Her mom Dot also worked there. That had to be the best childhood anyone can imagine.
Thank you for leaving a comment! Looks like morgan.org (not this web site) is a web site for some part of a Morgan family. It currently indicates it is undergoing renovations. Never thought to or tried to link to that site! People have great memories of the Lee, glad you are one of them!
Terry my name is Frank. My mother phyllis worked at the Lee for years as the manager bartender and I was raised in the back room and upstairs.
I would like to inquire about the picture for sale however none of the links are working. Is there a contact number for the photographer?
Perhaps gailtanskiphotography.com would know.
I enjoyed reading your post about My Grandfather, James H. Cady, and his history of restaurants in Morgan and Sayreville. Please note the spelling of my surname.
The Betty B you referred to is Betty Bunting, wife of Mulford Bunting and youngest daughter of James and Hattie Cady. Betty was the younger sister of my mother, Doris Cady Welden who was married to my father, Robert P. Welden, of South Amboy. Jim and Hattie also had three older daughters, Helen, Emily and Hazel. All five of the girls lived and worked in the Robert E. Lee Inn. I believe all five are now deceased.
Thank you for the excellent writing.
David P. Welden
It was great to read my cousin David Weldon’s comments. My Mother, Betty Cady Bunting died three years ago. The only ones left are the the grandsons and daughters of James Cady. It is wonderful to read and see pictures of the Robert E. Lee and read the comments on your website. Keep up the good work. Peter Bunting PS: David if you read this, please contact me.
Thanks, Mr. Welden! Mrs. Bunting was a very nice lady and my mom loved her! I remember commuting to Rutgers Book Store with them one summer.
My family would go there for dinner during the warmer months. Dad had a 27ft Silverton cabin cruiser that we would take out of Great Kills Harbor and drive over while dad would put out lines for fishing for part of the way while I drove ( I was 11 at the time) I remember the last time we were able to go mom and dad had their favorite meal of a bucket of steamers with a long neck beer each and my brother and I shared a pizza. So many good memories. I wish it was still around to continue the traditions.
It was great to read this posting. I grew up on Morgan Avenue and my bedroom window faced the bay. The night of the fire, my family watched the Robert E. Lee in burn from my window. It was very upsetting. We loved to go there for dinner. The pictures you have are great!
i used to go there for dinner all the time. long after the place burnt down. i found the no swiming / no crabbing / no fishing sign from the robert e lee docks laying on the getty when i was fishing. i still have it to this day
My mother, grandmother, and a coupe of aunts worked at the Robert E. Lee!
My grandma & step-grandpa (Charles Ludwig) were the last to own it. It’s a shame they could never rebuild, since it was the place where my parents met (it seems like many couples met there haha). I was born after it burned down, so I have only been able to see photos and heard a few stories. I never knew how much history was there though, such a shame its no more.
Charles Ludwig was a very wonderful and generous man my mom worked there for years doing the books and her friend Maureen was the bar maid at night. I new many of the workers there.
I fondly remember netting blue crabs on their dock, and also walking out on the jetty on the north side of the Cheesequake Creek mouth exploring. There were a large number of globs of melted lead on that jetty, which I once collected a newspaper carrier bag so full of that I couldn’t carry it all back to the parking lot. Can’t recall why I picked it up. Probably I had recently learned that scrap copper was worth collecting, and maybe also thought the lead would fetch similar ‘big bucks’.
In the 1980’s I lived in Union Beach and i kept my 1960 wood Chris Craft 25 footer that i had restored, ( i was abused over and over by the fiberglass boat guys, ) but to me a boat was made of wood, not plastic….lol….. I would start up the 283 chevy inboard and cruise out of Keyport harbor and head over to the Robert E. Lee for some fine food and even finer beer, Bud, of course. We were devastated when we found out it burned down. The pictures mentioned were lost but also a model of the ship named the Robert E. Lee was lost also. We were told an old patron of the bar built it. I will always miss that place. Boating over to it in my old wood boat and the good times we had there will be forever in my memories, as long as i can remember them……Russ V.
Hi Russ, I also owned a 25` Chris Craft 1954 , I bought at Pederson`s Marina from the original owner in 1980. It had the original 6 cyl. flathead engine. Not a fast boat but all mahogany and a pain to keep up. Had it for 4 years and went to fiberglass. we ate and drank at the Robert E Lee until it burned down, many fond memories.
I can confirm the 3:45 am fire. I could see REL from my bedroom window growing up on Morgan ave. I was woken up by the orange glow of fire in my bedroom. When I realized what was really on fire I ran to wake my parents who told me I was just dreaming. I remeber the model of the ship and the giant steam boat painting. Thanks for this post.
I worked there in the 80s till the day it burnt down lots of great memories!!!
Loved the Robert E. Lee!! Enjoyed many “steak specials” offered on Tuesdays during the early 1970’s.
This restuarant holds many fond memories for me and I was saddened by it’s demise.
Does any one out there recall the stories of the Great storm of 1962 : Robert E. Lee, Morgan ? All furniture , jute box & large heavy organ/got swept out to sea ? A few hardy local guys managed to form a team & transport all the spirits to the upper floors to save somewhat part of the loss. Any recalls on this?
Yes, my grandparents owned it at that time. Richard and Gladys Newbould. I have s piece of pottery my grandmother recovered at that time. It was devastating for them but they recovered and thrived with the Inn bar tending serving food and running the boat basin.
There were lots of storms before 62. One in the late 1960s took the ferries from the dock in Keyport and dropped them on Route 35. Also took away the coastline in Laurence Harbor, boardwalk, bungalows, rides, and the famous Harbor Casino Dancehall.
That was Hurricane Donna. Went right up the east coast from Florida. Was one of the worst storms to hit the Jersey coast in years.
Probably hurricane Donna. But that storm happened in 1960. I remember it well. I was only 5yrs old, we lived on Bayview dr in Laurence Harbor. The water came to with in a couple of feet of cresting the hill in front of our house.
is that you Zeke?
Dennis Wilmot here.
reading about Morgan and found you. Hope all is well with you.
I wish my dad was still alive. I know he said during this hurricane that him and Richie Millroy took the boats out to sea. My dad belong Coast Guard Auxilary 21 and they would always have their meetings there. My parents were very good friends with all the Millroy’s. I have so many memories of Lee during my childhood. I remember my sister telling me when the bottom floor was flooded. I used to take my mom to dinner there in the 70’s. My dad passed away in 1969. I would always visit Pop Millroy(aka John) and Richie Millroy when I would go to Ft. Lauderdale. They both ran fishing Charters out of the Baha Mar. Hopefully, I am spelling that correctly. I still keep in touch with John Millroy’s youngest daughter, Alice. She is the last one of John’s Millroys children alive. John remarried after his wife passed away and he had another son, Michael. He lives in FLA. Thank you for bringing back so many wonderful memories.
Thank you, Kathy!
Thank you for your input on this great story! I am a Nephew of John Millroy. My father told me many stories of his Uncle John and I remember dining at the Robert E. Lee when we were really little. I often wonder about my cousin Michael, as I haven’t heard much about him in years.
He lives in South FL still
Hey I came to this page looking for information because I’m doing Alice’s 85th birthday next month if you have any old pictures or anything I’d love to use them. Please contact me I am her GodDaughter.
Hey I came to this page looking for information because I’m doing Alice’s 85th birthday next month if you have any old pictures or anything I’d love to use them. Please contact me I am her GodDaughter.
just retired from working there, had a great crew some times
My uncle Teddy Yovanovitch worked there as a bartender for many years and I believe Ben Denblyker who owned Bens’ Den in Port Reading, NJ also tended bar there in the 70 or 80s. I remember going there as a child and then a teenager and playing with the kids who lived in the small bungalows on that property along with catching many horseshoe crabs and then letting them go there too. Memory has faded a bit but I do remember being happy there and also enjoying all the food from the restaurant.
To whom it may concern, I am the granddaughter of Gladys and Richard Newbould previous owners of the Robert E Lee. My mother painted the above mentioned painting. I wanted to inform you of the miss spelling of her name. She signed it Snooky Wynegar. Her name was Frances. It was very common for her to sign her work by her nickname, Snooky. I am honored to see her work memorialized here on your website! Thank you for your time, Sincerely Diane Wynegar Griffin
Fixed – thank you!
My Mother, Jeannie Macrae (Douglas) grew up in the Robert E. Lee. So many stories!! Loved every one. My Grandmother, Ruth Macrae would sing at the night club portion. My Grandfather, Donald, built all the bungalows on the property. Great Article, love to hear the history!
REL was happening place during WW II , the soldiers from Fort Monmouth would spend weekend leave there.
Al Henba was in the Army band,he would play the piano. There were always single young women at REL. A few years later he would marry my Aunt Adrienne Geores from Laurence Harbor.
My younger introduced me and my fiancé to “The Lee” to watch submarine races in 1967.
My younger sister introduced me and my fiancé to “The Lee” to watch submarine races in 1967.
I am a friend of the Macrae family, from 1946. I spent many happy days there playing with the two girls. We all lived in Laurence Harbor, went all thru school together, great times.
When I lived In Parlin and Keyport often had dinner at the Robert E. Lee. My first sailboat was purchased in Morgan, C&C sailboat. Dinners there were great and people were friendly. Didn’t know the place had burned down in 2010 as I am now living in FL, although telecommuting to work in NJ daily.
I also heard the restaurant in Keyport ‘Ye Cottage Inn’ was taken out by Sandy??
Thanks for the great story and history of the Robert E. Lee.
-Ray Iorio
What a great story. I love that there are so many people that have fond memories of the Robert E Lee. And also the Olde Spy Inn.
My Aunt Dorothy Kath lived in one of the bungalows with her family. She and her daughter Debbie Worked at Robert E Lee for years. I would love to get a copy of the menu for them also. Great read!
I remember going down to the creek on the week ends to tie up the boats the people used to come in on,those were the good old days.
Hi, It was great reading about the history of The Robert E. Lee. I was born and raised in Morgan. I’ll be 61 years old. My grandparents had started a business in Morgan
I was told it was called the Italian/American Club but then during WW2 and after It was known as Connies Bar and Restaurant. I remember the original building that my
grandfather built. We owned it for about 70 to 75 years. A lot of history. Morgan has changed so very much. Most of the building are empty. Its a shame.
My family owned Ernie Frank’s Texaco on south bound RT#35 next to Kozy Bar when that was a bowling ally . I would go to the Robert E Lee for lunch for steamers an a beer. We would always watch to see if the boaters would mistakenly go over the jetty at high tide!!!
My brothers and I used to dock boats there during the summers for many years before the fire. Lots of great childhood memories. Lots of young and crazy kids always around swimming and jumping from the bridge.
R. Montgomery
August 16, 2017
Trying to find and interview those who actually saw the jetty being built out with the slag material. Need to confirm where the slag material came from, who installed it and what companies were involved. Any information is sincerely appreciated.
(212)637-4332
I was married on february 28, 1986 and had my wedding dinner at the Robert E Lee. My husband loved the restaurant. So any thought that the restaurant burned down in February of 1986 are incorrect.
Thanks for the confirmation – that should hopefully quell any such rumors! This is what is stated on the page, “According to my records, this fire occurred in the early morning hours of April 22, 1986 (though I see another reference which indicated the fire occurred in February).” Can you share any of your experience on that night? Any photos?
I have seen dates that it was built late 1925 early 1926 and opened on April 22nd, 1926, so it burning down on April 22nd 1986 would be a coincidence but what do I know. I remember the flood but I would have to guess at the year. Probably early 1960’s.
many great memories there
Very sad to see The Robert E. Lee gone, my uncle Walter Shuck of South Amboy was a bar tender their for a short time along with the Sayerwoods Inn, Sayreville back in the 60’s and 70’s. I would park my family boat their after fishing for Blues and Flounder, off the Hook in the late 70’s. I would love their food, burgers, FF, steamers, beer, etc. We then would walk sideways out of the Lee and attempt to dock the boat at Brown’s Boat Yard, then Morgan Marina back in the old days. We use to duck hunt at the end of the Jetty a few times, before Sayreville’s finest suggested, we drink and hunt in the woods back by Cheesequake Creek, back by the dumps. I remember swimming across the inlet to the southern side of the inlet, but walked back over the bridge, sometimes jumping off the bridge back then when it wasn’t a crime, but hey its all changed up their now, we all use to live in Madison Park and then Oak Tree East, off Ernston Rd. Lots of liquid memories of the Robert E. Lee.
Ken
Florida
HELLO IM JAMES RICE I WAS A FRIEND OF CHARLIE LUDWIG I WOULD GO TO SEE CHARLIE IN HOSPITAL WHILE HE WAS ILL HE WAS BY SURE A PERSON THAT STOOD BY HIS WORD CHARLIE HELP ME GET STARTED IN A POWER WASH BUISNESS IT THEN EXPANDED INTO A SANDBLASTING BUISNESS ALSO SO FOR YEARS I WAS POWER WASHING ALL OF CHARLIES EQUITMENT AND I SANDBLASTED 90 PERSENT OF HIS EQUITMENT AND REPAINTED ALL OF IT /EARTHMOVERS /DUMPTRUCKS ALL OF THEM BLACK ONES AND BULLDOZZERS /ROLLERS WE HAD A TRUE FRIENDSHIP I WOULD DO ANYTHING CHARLIE ASK OF ME ..HE MADE MY LIFE SO MUCH BETTER I TRUELY MISS CHARLIE A MANS MAN INDEED .THANK YOU CHARLIE MAY GOD BLESS HIM
Very interesting article, and well written. Brings back so many memories. I used to love the Robert R. Lee, and still think of it from time to time. My Uncle Tom and I would go there for lunch and “supplies” while duck hunting in the Raritan Bay. They had a boat dock out back. Thank you for posting.
Grew up in nearby Madison Park, this was the “fancy” place my family would go to a couple times a year such as mother’s day and Easter. I used to get pork chops because they were so much bigger and better than the little fried version my mother used to make.
As a dock rat in the early days at Morgan Marina and Pedersen’s , any time spent at the REL was a treat. I learned so much from the customers and the nice staff.
I only went there a few times. Most of the boaters I dined with are no longer with us, however the stories live on. The epic south jetty collisions ( I did witness one) and the pipeline collisions leaving boats high and dry on the way back to Keyport are forever etched in my mind. I was running a jackhammer in a paint pigment factory for summer work and flying back and forth to Boston on People’s Express for 25 bucks. Then some chick at Raritan convinced me I did not have to fly away anymore.
She lied and the REL burnt down.
Just read all the info about the R.E.Lee restaurant . I used to love going there, their steamers were the best. As a resident of old bridge twnshp. off Ernston rd. i would go to the restaurant about once a month. I heard one morning on my cb radio going to work that the robert e lee was on fire and was heartbroken. for many years after the fire the sign that was on a tall pole next to rt. 35n remained and i heard the place was going to be rebuilt, sadly it was not. Does anyone remember the heavyset man that used to seat you when you went in? I dont think i ever knew his name. Thanks
Bob Pepe ,Sr. , “Fox” ,dead end of Luke St. 1957 until drafted in 1968. from a Jersey boy to a NAM MAN. Us guys owned the Robert E Lees creek especially the south side beach and the wall. Yeah I remember the ship model and painting in ‘the Lee. We hung there for over a dozen years. Tell ya more later.
I remember foing to the REL and The Olde Spy Inn once I turned 18 in 1972. Drinking age turned to 18 in January 1973 and back to 21 3 years later. My Great Aunt and Great Grandmother owned Mildreds Bait Shop down the road from Olde Spye Inn across from the boat building yard and by Morgan Marina. She rented rowboats and sold bait and supplies. My grandmother and mother used to be in the area all the time from the 30s onward. They moved to South Amboy but either walked or took the bus to Morgan. We would go over to the REL for dinner after visiting in later years.
Awesome, Bob! Does your family have any photos of Mille and Mildred’s Bait Shop (we all knew it as Millie’s).
We used to go there often for the soft shell crabs. My favorite dish. Our regular waitress would walk over and say, “soft shell crabs ” ??, when we walked in. Restaurants like that were so comforting and are sorely missed today. They don’t make ’em like they used to.
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Hi, I’m originally from Laurence Harbor and I remember having my first date there. I can’t believe there’s still a fence in that area. Why hasn’t anything ever been built there? It was always hopping there between their dinner and boats pulling up. You would think somebody would have built something there by now! They are building all over the place, it would be nice if someone would build another place so all of us town people can have some good ole memories again!
It is currently an EPA Superfund site waiting for a big cleanup.
Does anyone know or remember that heavy set gentleman who used to greet you at the door when you came to eat? Loved the R.E.Lee steamers but the atmosphere and the creaking sound of the structure made it priceless. Lived in Parlin, now in Southern California 10 years. If the Lee was still standing i would go out of my way to return just 1 more time if i ever returned. thanx.
Is there any way you can recover and repost my post from 12-23-21. I WAS TRYING TO CHANGE A IMPROPER WORD IN MY FORMAT AND ADD TWO COMA’S AND I GUESS I ACCIDENTLY DELETED MY POST. UF YOU CAN REINSTALL IT IN COMMENTS SECTION AND POSTS I WIULD DEEPLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. PATRICK BURNS. AGAIN POSTED ON 12-23-21. PATRICK BURNS.
Worked at the lee from 78-83, started as a scraper n ended as a busboy. Worked with terry # 9, doris, ginger n terry maureen n charlie,red charlie s friend who was the host, bill n nemo the bartenders, numerous others from cliffwood beach , sayreville n laurence harbor, nights after work on the wall across the creek or up the hwy to the flying dutchman. Great place, great times vic wnorowski,
Hello my name is Michael Millroy, my uncle John used to own the Robert E Lee, I remember going there as a child and a teenager, it was sad when I went to go there one day and found out it burned down, I wish I had a piece of memorabilia from there