Morgan Memories – View of Morgan Beach Area, Circa Late 1920s
Morgan Beach Area Taken from Morgan Heights Circa Late 1920s Featuring Cady’s House of Seafood and Lockwood’s Bait Store. Photo Courtesy of Robert L. Sorenson, Sr.
This text accompanying the above image is still a work in progress. I just received this photo from my long time ago Morgan neighbor, Pam, and wanted to post it right away. I’ll finish this write up at a later time so please check back.
Firstly, let me give Pam a HUGE thank you for this amazing photo provided by (taken by?) her father, Robert L. Sorenson, Sr. I’m told it is circa the 1920s. Based on what I know about this specific area, it is no earlier than mid 1926 as that is when Cady’s House of Seafood (the big white building on the left) opened. The road in front of Cady’s opened in July the year before. Depending on when this photo actually was taken, this road was either designated at State Highway Route 4 or, sometime after 1927 (I think) State Highway Route 35. Before this incline was filled in with dirt, the Jersey Central Traction Company had their trestle in this spot. Based on the growth of brush and the erosion on the incline, the incline had been there for a few years.
On the far right we see the Henry Luhrs’ Morgan Yacht Basin (subject of a future page). Between them is the Morgan Fishery Restaurant and Lockwood’s Bait. Two of my great grandfathers used to sell bait to Mr. Lockwood during the summer according to my Mother.
Paul, Pam’s neighbor, saw the word “Golf” on the building in front of Lockwood’s Bait store and wrote, “Why would there be a golf shop there? Answer: Up until 1928 there was a 400 acre shore front golf and country club in Lawrence Harbor. Clark Gable, Guy Lombardo, the Prince of Wales and the Vanderbilts played golf and partied there. I could be wrong, but, it seems to make perfect sense to have a golf shop near a prominent golf course. What’s amazing is the amount of real estate on the opposite side of the creek. Could you imagine if Hurricane Sandy had hit this area back then? There’d be nothing left down there.” Alycia – please chime in here as you are the expert on Laurence Harbor. This perhaps could give us a clue about when the photo might have been, i.e., no later than 1928.
You can’t see the bridge over Cheesequake Creek because it was the predecessor bridge to the current Route 35 Bridge and was a double leaf bascule draw bridge which, by its nature, was not very tall. You can see an image of it if you click here. That bridge was replaced in the early 1940s by the current bridge so this photo was taken sometime after 1926 and before 1941-ish.
You can see some of the bungalows on Morgan Beach starting with Hock’s bungalow to the right of the Cady’s sign. Someday I’ll write that page about the Morgan Beach Bungalows.
Compare the above image to this one from about 1910, also taken from what was then known as Morgan Heights.
Awesome!
My entire childhood was spent in the building you call Cady’s…My father bought the restaurant which was called The Robert E. Lee when I was a baby (1939) his name was Don Macrae…he and my mother ran the place all during the war and rented the rooms on the top floor to mostly the coast guardsmen who came into the basin …..he charged only .50 a night if they came in wearing a uniform. (just the cost of clean sheets)……..The highway was called route 35 and at that time it was just about the only way to get by car from anywhere in the north….We called it the Morgan Channel, which connected the Raritan Bay to the marshy waterways behind Henry Luher’s Boat Works…..that channel was treacherous at all times, but especially when the tide was comming in or out….the current would sweep even the strongest swimmer out past the “lollipop” right into the bay…..(the lollipop” was a marker for the channel so the boats would be able to navigate into the boat basin….There was a small “lighthouse”on the north side of the channel just parallel to the “lollipop” ….they both sat on Hugh boulders that formed the jetty alongside the channel….the channel was dreghed by a private company that was contracted by the state to allow for bigger vessels to pass and to prepare for the building of the new high rise bridge (which is still in use)……..The Robert E Lee housed some very colorful characters during those years…..My memories of these times are very clear and anyone who is interested may contact me at my email address above..P.S..(we were a “whistle stop”) for the Pennsylvania
Railroad train that went from Newark to Long Branch) If you didn’t pull the rope to blow the whistle the train did not stop at the Morgan Station on the othe side of the highway……
Hi Betty!
Wonderful to hear from you. If you look at another part of the Morgan-NJ.org web site, you’ll see an article about the history of that building (to the best as I understand it). Please see. So many people loved that building – including me!
http://www.morgan-nj.org/blog/sample-page/morgans-people-places/places/the-robert-e-lee-inn/
Verne
My great aunt owned a grocery store on the Morgan beach side next to kaisers it was called ruane and was run by Catherine Ruane I spent the first 11 years of my life on the beach the best years of my life
Any body know what happened to kaiser s tavern. My aunt and uncle owned it and I am looking for mycousin.
I really can’t tell you, but my uncle hung out there many, many years ago and occasionally a the family gathered
there and yes, we even swam there. I guess that was about 62 years ago or so. The reason I am writing is because I
couldn’t remember the name of that bar and it finally registered. You weren’t the only who has thought about Kaisers.
Good luck, hopefully by now you have your answer. This person: morgannjadmin talks about morgan, maybe he knowns
Betty Anne,
I am John Thomson from Laurence harbor, went to school with you at st mary’s, was in the Fire Company Band with you and Jeanne. I found this site while doing research about the beach community that was a village of ramshackle homes on the beach in Morgan Beach. Wondered what became of them. My younger brother Charles still lives in the home my father built in LH. I left LH after high school and have lived in CA since 1960 after a tour in the Air Force in TX. My youngest daughter lives in Glen Ridge, NJ and we visit her twice a year. I have been working on my Memoir for a few years,now 140 pages long so I have been trying to pull together history of the harbor and area. Would like to communicate with you if possible. Best Regards, john
My name is Pat Kellett. Eddie and Ethel Kellett were my Uncle and Aunt. I was reading your article and was so thrilled to see Uncle Eds pic and the whole article brought back so many memories. We used to go to Gerritys almost every night and everything was just so interesting. I tried to contact you on facebook but nothing was going through so hopefully this will find you.
Hi Betty this is Richard Clune we lived on the Morgan beach side of the channel my grandparents were friends with your family
I recently moved to South Carolina and changed my email address I have been in touch with a mr James who provided me with a picture of her grocery store pls email me back if you get this I spent the best years of my life on Morgan beach. Recently I took my 18 and 14 year old grandaughters out to the lollypop that makes three generations that have walked out there with me my daughter being the second generation when she was very young
I was about 3 years old when my parents rented a bungalow on Morgan Beach. Walked out the screen door onto the beach. The roof leaked in 5 places when it rained and we had lots of fun putting pots under the leaks. I remember the bar that sat above the sand near the bridge and the smell of beer from a pipe that dumped beer and who knows what else onto the sand. That was probably around 1950-51 when we stayed there. Had bon fires at night and roasted marsh mellows. My father road down on a train from New York that was pulled by steam locamotive. Great memories of that place although I wasn’t happy when the jelly fish were around in the water.
Allan,
Thanks for posting! If you didn’t see it already, you might enjoy this one:
https://www.morgan-nj.org/blog/sample-page/morgans-people-places/places/morgan-memories-morgan-beach-days/
Thanks,
Verne