Asbury Park Press Walking Tour

Today was a great one for the Beachwood Historical Alliance – this afternoon we had Beachwood’s Asbury Park Press reporter, Chelsea Michels, join BHA member Louis Holterhoff and myself for a walking tour of the waterfront and general northern original section of town, with stops including the beach, site of the original yacht clubhouse over the water, site of the spring near the water, the Nickerson home, Mayo Park, site of the Lodge, site of the Auditorium (first borough hall), and the site of the clubhouse.

Following this we were treated to an unscheduled tour of the William Mill Butler bungalow, Bayside Avenue, that has been meticulously refurbished, restored and expanded by owners and BHA members Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wahlers in the authentic original California bungalow style and elements used during its initial construction at the birth of our borough. Mr. Wahlers himself gave the tour after he saw us peering up his front walk. Afterward we passed by the Levett bungalow and were again given the chance to show Ms. Michels another part of Beachwood’s past through a tour of the original home to the borough’s first mayor, Joseph Senior, Bayside Avenue, currently owned, restored and cared for as Bellaterra by BHA members Louis and Judith Holterhoff. During it we learned of the incredibly dilapidated state it was found in when they purchased it twelve years ago. Their work has indeed paid off and the Holterhoffs should be proud of their fine investment not only in the state and value of their home but in the prized heritage restored within the borough.

At this point the clock was running and Ms. Michels, Mr. Holterhoff and myself made our way back to Beachwood Beach to go on a driving tour that included the Charles Haring home, Clubhouse Road; the Staton home, corner of Beachwood Blvd. and Forepeak; the Robinson home, Beachwood Blvd.; site of the original borough hall/firehouse; the Beachwood Circle; and a quick walk surveying the downtown area between the Circle and the site of the Central Railroad of New Jersey station, CRRNJ right of way (soon to be part of the official Barnegat to Toms River Rail Trail), Pennsylvania Railroad Signal Tower, and PRR right of way (now Route 9 leading from the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic City Boulevard).

From there we hopped back in the car and drove down Locker Street past the post office to get a quick view of the Pennsylvania Railroad – Toms River Station now moved to its borough location and converted to a house on Halliard Avenue (but appearing to be carefully restored to its original state by the owner), after which we drove by the Norman Rowe bungalow on Ensign, the Widmaier and Campbell bungalows on Ship, down the CRRNJ right of way on Railroad Avenue and finally to pit stops at Wanda Lohr’s Japanese Pagoda House on Capstan and Mayor Collins’ bungalow on Forepeak and Spring before returning to the beach and calling it a day.

Ms. Michels appeared pleased with the tour and expressed that an Asbury Park Press photographer would be making the rounds in the near future to photograph today’s sites for a future press article. The Beachwood Historical Alliance thanks Ms. Michels for her ongoing interest in the history of the borough and will keep you posted for when that is announced to be published.

Beachwood Days Are Lovely

Originally printed in an announcement of a trap-shooting tournament in the borough for June 13th and 14th, 1924, this passage by Toms River resident J. Leonard Clark amplifies some of the original and still present attributes of Beachwood through description of the five senses:

About ten years ago a tract of pine woods lying along the southern shore southeast of Toms River, was developed into a popular summer resort. This is the Borough of Beachwood, where salty air from Barnegat Bay mingles with the resinous fragrance of the pines; where the sandy beach offers a children’s playground, and the gentle slope of the sand into the water a safe bathing place. The borough authorities have administered Beachwood’s affairs with intelligence and few resorts are more comfortable.

On the clear, bright days which are usual in this vicinity, to breathe the sweet air of Beachwood, to watch the bright-colored sails on the blue waters, to smell the rich odors from the surrounding woods and hear the ripple of waves and the sigh of the trees, to feel the healing peace of water and woods, is to enjoy life to the full. Beachwood days are lovely the year round.

Honoring Historic Site Preservation Leads to Better Community

Today’s ‘Preservation Newsworthy’ item includes a piece again from Freehold on the benefits of supporting those residents who have taken it upon themselves to restore and preserve their historic properties through the years for the benefit of the borough and its future heritage. Certainly a worthy cause the Borough of Beachwood should undertake in the near future.

Historic Panel Honors Freehold Homeowners

Clare Celano
Staff Writer
The News Transcript
Greater Media Newspapers

The borough of Freehold is known for its character, its small-town ambiance and its historic homes.

The Freehold Borough Historic Advisory Commission recently honored two homeowners for their efforts to maintain, restore and beautify their homes. Top photo shows a home on South Street, which received the Restoration Award. Bottom photo shows a home on Brinckerhoff Avenue, which received the Preservation Award.

The Freehold Borough Historic Advisory Commission annually honors families that have gone above and beyond the norm in the care and maintenance of their older homes. The commission presents a Restoration Award and a Preservation Award to deserving homeowners.

The awards carry the name of the borough’s late historian, Ira Tilton.

The winners of the awards for 2007, Conrad Schure and Sharon Baker, 21 Brinckerhoff Ave., and Tom and Patti Gaetano, 120 South St., were presented with a plaque from the commission during a recent meeting of the Borough Council.

According to commission Chairman Dave Loring, the PreservationAward was presented to Schure and Baker, who live in a green and red colonial that has graced tree-lined BrinckerhoffAvenue for more than 100 years.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff

This award is presented to a house or structure that has been “consistently and accurately historically preserved through the years.” The structure must have always maintained a high level of historical accuracy and integrity.

“This award reflects the structure’s continuum over time, through successive occupants and the changes and alterations that have been made,” Loring explained.

Schure, 78, said he and Baker were honored and happy to receive the award. Schure said he has lived in the house for 32 years.

“I fell in love with it the first time I saw it,” Schure said. “I never looked at another home. This was it.”

Over the years the Schure family has made repairs and improvements to the home, including redoing the attic, which is now a library. Schure added an extension to create a larger kitchen, breakfast room and powder room. New landscaping surrounds the home, and there are new windows, storms and screens, all in keeping with the original structure.

“People who like these houses like the windows that go with them, even though they are quite hard to keep clean,” he said

Schure’s home is the perfect showcase for his large collection of antique devices such as old slide rules, adding machines, scientific and survey instruments. He crafts and displays hand-made lamps.

The home, which includes French doors leading to a large outdoor side porch, is a source of contentment for Schure.

“I suppose I should be thinking about downsizing,” he said, “but I don’t want to. The house is comfortable for us and I’m not giving it up.”

The Gaetano family, which received the commission’s Restoration Award, moved into their circa 1890 home in 1987. According to Tom Gaetano, the home was bought with the express purpose of restoring it.

The couple said they were happy and honored to receive the award from the commission.

Patti Gaetano, who was raised in Woodbridge, said that when the couple found Freehold Borough they knew this would be their new hometown.

Tom, who works as an architect for Renaissance Properties in Old Bridge, said his dream had always been to renovate and restore an older home. The home at 120 South Street gave him that opportunity.

Initial improvements included an addition to enlarge the kitchen and add a breakfast room.More recent additions, in 2007, included expanding the living room and adding a bedroom suite, bathroom and enclosed/porch sunroom onto the home.

Patti’s mom, Edith Kardos, now lives with the family.

All of the improvements and alterations were designed to retain the character of the home.

“My plan was always to make the changes appear as if they had been a part of the original concept of the house,” Tom explained.

Calling the work “a labor of love,” the Gaetanos said they are happy with the results of all the hard work and are glad they decided to make the borough their hometown.

Councilman Marc Le Vine said when an older home or building passes from one owner to another, more than just a deed is transferred.

“Along with the purchase,” Le Vine said, “comes a greater responsibility to maintain the history and character of those beloved properties, which affectionately bare the name of the original owner.”

Le Vine said, “The winners of this year’s awards should be congratulated for choosing the borough and its historic properties to live in, preserve and/or restore. The attention to detail and maintenance efforts show great respect for the memories of those who built them, lived in them and gave them their rich historical and aesthetic character.

“By keeping these properties structurally sound and true to their original architectural design, they are helping to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy living in them and passersby will continue to reflect on their history,” the councilman said.

Aerial View: Beachwood, Downtown and Waterfront, Circa 1950s

Undated postcard depicting an aerial view of Beachwood.

Above can be seen an undated postcard aerial shot of Beachwood. Judging by the existing structures and blurred car makes/models, it can be estimated to being the 1950s or early 1960s.

Note the Beachwood Circle at the intersection of Beachwood Boulevard and Atlantic City Boulevard in the lower left quadrant of the photo. Its quarter-circle cutouts were later replaced with corners by order of the state for the installation of a traffic light. The Borough of Beachwood still owns those the land at those four corners, and the original Beachwood Circle Inn/Circle Shop building, now Carpetland, can be seen without the addition that projects today into its parking lot. That intersection, though slightly altered, is still a unique part of the borough with a sidewalk outlining where the circle that once gave the former shop its name was cut out.

Across the street is also seen the original white block structure of the borough hall/firehouse, now site of the Welsh Farms convenience store.

In addition, it is easy to see how much of the area had many more undeveloped lots, pitch pine trees and natural sandy land throughout.

Below is the back of the postcard, giving a glimpse of what these particular visitors to the borough experienced while here during their mid-twentieth century stay. It appears curiously unsent. If anyone has any further information about anything listed therein, please e-mail us at beachwoodhistoricalalliance@gmail.com.

The text of this card has been typed out and is visible beneath the image.

Back view of this particular postcard.

Hi -

Well talked to you to-day but want to send you a card from here. We are going to leave soon. Randy [?] is out someplace with the girl across the St. We have had a nice time the men went Sea fishing caught, Shark’s colds, sea sickness and 2 sea Bass. Will tell you about it when we see you.

Love Mary & all

Addressed to:

Mrs. Berneice Combs [?]

Carlisle, Indiana

Undated.

Local Founders Profile: Edwin D. and Edna May Collins

From the pages of his own 1924 Beachwood Directory and Who’s Who, here is what William Mill Butler wrote about Mr. and Mrs. Edwin D. Collins. Click on all the embedded links for a broader understanding of their lives and background:

Circa 1924.

Collins, Edwin D., east corner Forepeak Ave. and Spring St., Block D-25. Other address, 41 South Clinton St., East Orange, N.J.

Mr. Collins was born at Shoreham, Vt., June 29, 1869; educated at Newton Academy, Shoreham, and at the State Normal School, Castleton, Vt. He began his business career as a stock clerk in the linen thread business of J.R. Leesor & Co., in Boston, 1887; was transferred to their New York office in 1891, and became a salesman on the road; in 1894 he went with the William Clark Co., New York, manufacturers of cotton thread, which firm was absorbed by the American Thread Company in 1899; remained with them until 1913, when he became New York manager of Summit Thread Co., cotton thread, and also represented several other thread manufacturers: the Roxbury Shoe Thread Co., the French Thread Mills, the U.S. Thread Co., and the Old Colony Thread Co. Still represents a majority of them and makes regular trips in New York State, Northern New Jersey and Connecticut, with headquarters at 653 Broadway. Was married to Edna May Bogardus, of New York, in 1897; one daughter, Ruth Douglas Collins.

Mr. Collins was a member of the First Naval Battery of New York, from 1894 to 1900. Served in the Navy during the Spanish War, in 1898, as quartermaster. In 1894 he became chairman of the board of directors of the Morris Yacht Club, on City Island, in the Pelham Bay park district, New York City, and was instrumental in placing that club upon a prosperous basis, after a hard struggle lasting a number of years.

Is a member of Evangelist Lodge, No. 600, F. and A.M., of New York; Hiram Chapter, No. 1, Red Bank, N.J.; was master of his lodge in 1909 and 1910. Also a member of the United Commercial Travelers of America; senior councillor of this order in Brooklyn Council, 1909, and senior councillor in Essex Council of Newark, 1914. Member Commercial Travelers’ Mutual Accident Association of Utica, N.Y.; Illinois Commercial Men’s Association; Illinois Traveling Men’s Health Association, and Travelers’ Health, of Omaha, Neb. Member New Jersey Auto and Motor Club of Newark; honorary member Newark Athletic Club; charter member, vice-commodore and treasurer of the building committee Polyhue Yacht Club; treasurer of the Property Owners’ Association from 1918 to 1921. Elected commissioner and mayor of the Borough of Beachwood for four years, in April, 1922.

Circa 1924.

Mrs. Collins was for two years president of the Woman’s Commercial Travelers’ Association connected with Essex Council of Newark; was secretary of the New Jersey Federation of Women’s clubs for nine years; was a lieutenant (one of eight selected by the war board at Washington who did not go overseas, but served in this country); represented Newark Motor Corps at Washington in placing a wreath and helmet on the grave of the unknown soldier in 1921; member of the Easter Star, Sandolphin Chapter, No. 72, of Brooklyn, and served as conductress for twenty-two years.

Member and first vice-president of the Beachwood Woman’s Club; also associate member, together with Miss Collins, of the Polyhue Yacht Club.

Collins' Home, photo circa 1924.

Collins' Home, December 3rd, 2008.

Save America’s Treasures

Today we’ll take a look at a program committed to preservation celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. In the article reprinted below from Preservation Magazine off the National Trust For Historic Preservation website, one can plainly see the interest our federal government has taken in ensuring America does not bend to the whim of unnecessary demolish-and-build construction at the detriment of past structures from sea to shining sea.

This program is clearly well suited for our borough and its unusual history in the fabric of the overall American story, if only to act as a guide toward the establishment of local directives and the acquisition of funds for saving our own history before it’s too late. Future generations will not get another glimpse at our origins as readily as they would if we ensured that much of it was kept around for them to enjoy and learn from for the benefit of Beachwood and the surrounding area.

Studies and reports have shown that minimal dollars spent saving and teaching local youth and residents about the importance of their hometown today will save many times that amount spent on social, economic and cultural levels in a future devoid of such benefits. Negative effects of allowing our history to diminish through neglect and widespread ignorance include lack of community interaction and volunteerism, rampant teardowns of sites and structures unique to the borough, an abundance of unkempt sites requiring fines and municipal retaliation, increased litter, vandalism cleanup and vacant dated cookie-cutter structures where important community-centric ones once stood.

These are not things any municipality can ever afford to have in its future and their impact will be directly felt by the taxpaying residents of that future.

For 10 years an innovative partnership has helped preserve the nation’s historic monuments, objects, and documents

By Krista Walton and Fiona Lawless | From Preservation | November/December 2008

The Star-Spangled Banner–the flag that inspired our national anthemCredit: National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Have you planned a visit to see the restored Star-Spangled Banner?

Or walked through the Great Hall at Ellis Island? Or marveled at the adobe buildings that make up Acoma Sky City in New Mexico? These remarkable examples of our history and heritage survive, thanks in part to Save America’s Treasures (SAT).

Launched by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1998 with the help of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the two-year White House initiative quickly attracted bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress. Within months SAT had grown into “the most ambitious national preservation effort of the past 50 years,” says National Trust President Richard Moe, co-chair of the award-winning program. “It’s an astounding success story.”

SAT is now a permanent project, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and private funds to protect America’s irreplaceable buildings and collections. It has helped to save national parks such as Valley Forge; landmark structures, including President Lincoln’s Cottage; and scores of priceless objects—from the flag that inspired the national anthem (left) to the Founding Fathers’ papers.

Led today by Honorary Chair Mrs. Laura Bush, this public-private partnership brings together the National Park Service, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the country’s major cultural agencies, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. SAT has designated more than 1,600 official projects in every American state and territory, and awarded $289 million in federal matching grants, and more than $56 million in private support through the National Trust.

“Every community has something—a courthouse, a statue of a local hero, a mural in the public library—that distinguishes it,” says Bobbie Greene, SAT’s founding director. “Those landmarks help define us as a people and a nation. By rescuing them from the ravages of time and indifference, Save America’s Treasures honors the past with gifts to the future.”

The American Hotel – Freehold

In today’s post, we will examine the events surrounding the purchase, assessment and demolition of a major historic and cultural landmark in Freehold, courtesy the News Transcript at gmnews.com.

First you’ll see a summary article written at the time of its demolition after it was purchased by a developer for preserving and then deemed unsalvageable. Following this is a letter by a New Jersey Senior Preservation Specialist submitted to that newspaper after its demolition that disagrees with the developer’s latter assessment.

The lessons learned from this account are important in making development decisions regarding our borough’s own cultural landmarks that will forever be in danger until officially recognized and protected under local, state and national historic trust directives.

Town Loses an Old Friend

January 16, 2008

The News Transcript
Greater Media Newspapers

Downtown Freehold Borough took a hard shot to the body in the second week of the new year when the landmark American Hotel was demolished.

The historic building, which stood in Freehold for about 180 years, held many memories for generations of area families who celebrated their most cherished occasions there.

At the end, and for the past few years, those memories were encased in a decaying shell of rotting wood, peeling paint, and cold, dark, damp ballrooms. It was difficult for those who loved this Main Street classic to watch the grand old landmark waste away.

Two years ago businessman Steve Goldberg bought the American Hotel at public auction and said he was determined to restore the building to its former glory with new uses.

However, according to Goldberg, preliminary interior work in the building revealed that years of neglect had taken too much of a toll to save the structure. The developer’s original plan to remove only the third floor of the oldest portion of the American Hotel had to be scrapped.

Instead, most of the hotel building fronting Main Street, three stories of history and memories, came down. Now there is a large open space where the bulk of the American Hotel once stood. One section of the building that fronts Main Street will remain in place.

Goldberg says he will construct a new building that will resemble the old hotel. Freehold residents and municipal officials will wait anxiously to see that happen – hoping this businessman will provide the town with a building that may itself become a landmark and stand for 200 years.

One wonders whether the men who built the American Hotel in the early 1800s imagined that it would stand for almost two centuries. Could they have envisioned the thousands of family affairs that would be celebrated there? The countless meetings of area business and philanthropic organizations?

With the demise of the American Hotel, those people who celebrate local history and are its guardians are feeling a deep sense of loss. They may believe that they came up short in their efforts to protect an old friend, but they are not to blame.

Previous owners who let the American Hotel run into the ground were the true culprits in this sad turn of events. It seemed to be wishing beyond all realistic hope that Goldberg would be able to salvage the oldest part of the building.

As a newspaper that traces its roots back more than a century in Freehold, we, too, feel the loss of another piece of the town’s history. This unfortunate development should serve as yet another reminder that the community’s efforts need to be redoubled in order to preserve and protect Freehold’s remaining architectural and historical landmarks.

CHRIS KELLY - STAFF Residents and visitors to Freehold Borough are still trying to come to grips with the gaping hole on East Main Street where the American Hotel once stood. The oldest part of the hotel was demolished several weeks ago and will be replaced by a new hotel and commercial operation.

Resident Doesn’t Buy ‘Structural Problems’ Explanation
It is horrific to hear of the news of the destruction of the American Hotel in Freehold Borough. I am positive the building could have been saved, restored and used as a hotel again. “Structural problems” is a cliché often used to rationalize the demolition of a historic building – a cop-out. Unfortunately it is accepted at face value by the majority of people today. Several years ago the house on the corner of Main Street and Park Avenue was slated for demolition due to “structural problems” to make way for a new building. Thankfully it’s still here.

I am not a structural engineer. However, as a Senior Historic Preservation Specialist, I have been involved with the restoration of numerous historic buildings throughout New Jersey which have been determined by historic preservation specialists to have had serious structural problems but have been rehabilitated and/or restored.

The problem in this case is that those involved were not qualified to make such a decision on a building of this age, especially a historic landmark. You need qualified specialists. Those involved qualified for modern structures are not necessarily qualified for historic structures.

There is a great difference in the professional (engineer, architect, etc.) trained to specialize in historic preservation, and the professional who has the minimal required coursework in the preservation of historic buildings. It is the same difference between the general practitioner vs. the specialist.

The State Office of Historic Preservation provides a list of qualified professionals who meet the minimum federally required professional qualifications to work on historic preservation projects. A project such as the American Hotel, therefore, should have been evaluated by a qualified preservation architect overseeing the project architect, engineers, etc. The Freehold landmark might then be preserved for years to come instead expanding the landfill.

The Drake House, a historic house in Plainfield much older than the American Hotel, can now hold over 100 people on the second floor as a result of specialists. When will Freehold learn to protect its cultural resources?

Another great loss to Freehold Borough was the Bartleson house. This building was really demolished by Freehold Borough – not by the developer, because municipal land use zoning laws were not set up to protect the building from the developers. As much as the residents tried to stand in the way of the developers, there was no ordinance to protect it – the door was left wide open.

As a result, a preservation commission was created. What is its purpose? Why was demolition approved so quickly without further investigation? How many more buildings will it take to know what to do?

It was said in the newspaper that the new building will be exactly as the original. This is a worn out phrase that’s usually used to rationalize over the “structural problem” excuse. We can all be sure there will be a new structure that will look nice, but that’s it. The new building will “resemble” the original, especially to the untrained eye and those driving past, but it will definitely not have the character of the original.

The detail and relief will be diminished. All wood trim will definitely look totally different than the original. Fenestration, the most pronounced character defining feature, will most likely be a different size, window frames will be narrower with less detail, and probably plastic grids instead of true divided light window panes. Original character defining features will be lost forever.

As I am sad to see this happen, I hope readers will learn that when it comes to historic buildings, you need qualified professionals.

Ken Roginski

Freehold Borough

January 23, 2008

Beachwood-in-the-Pines

Example of the Pitch Pine tree native to the Beachwood region.

In a unique opportunity of the past re-emerging in current events, the Shade Tree Commission was brought up by a resident at tonight’s borough council meeting as a potential example of an unwanted freedom-stifling bureaucratic brickwall that the borough could do without.

To better shed light on the origins of our Shade Tree Commission and the general preservation of our pines, below you will find a few passages again from Wm. M. Butler’s Beachwood Directory and Who’s Who 1924. It is our hope that these statements from our very founders and indeed the original architect of the borough, Addison D. Nickerson, will show this commission and its purpose to be as ingrained and firm an institution in the borough as the original founding spirit of Beachwood itself.

Look especially to the end for an original offer by the commission that would make an excellent project for today’s Beachwood.

Protection and Increase of the Pines

The Beachwood Property Owners’ Association, at its annual meeting on August 9, 1919, voted unanimously in favor of the protection and increase of the pines, which are the chief asset of this beautiful family resort, the resolutions adopted being as follows:

Whereas, the pines are the chief adornment and glory of our landscape, bringing sweet perfume to the delightful, balmy air and helping to make the climate of Beachwood ideal; and

Whereas, without the pines Beachwood would sink to the level of commonplace and lose its greatest charm as a health-giving family resort, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Beachwood Property Owners’ Association urges its members to do everything possible for the preservation, protection and increase of the pines.

Resolved, that we recommend to the Mayor and Commissioners of our Borough the enactment of rules and regulations forbidding unnecessary destruction of pine trees on borough property.

Resolved, that a committee of three be appointed by the president of this association to look after the welfare of the pines, to study their diseases and remedies, and to investigate how such trees may be increased, planted and transplanted, in order that our borough may in years to come be more than ever embowered among them and achieve enduring fame as Beachwood among the Pines.

The Committee, consisting of William Mill Butler, Rev. Martin L. Stimson and Addison D. Nickerson, immediately began to investigate the subject, obtaining expert advice for this purpose and called a public meeting which was largely attended at the clubhouse, August 23. An address was delivered by James E. Stillaway, a well known horticulturist and landscape engineer. This was followed by a general experience meeting and interchange of views. Many instances were related by physicians and others showing the wonderful influence of the pines in cases of illness: Insomnia, bronchitis, catarrh, infantile paralysis, hay fever, fever as an after effect of influenza and other ailments were shown to have been relieved or entirely cured. From the valuable and practical address of Mr. Stillaway we take the following points which, followed by all lovers of the pines, will combat their diseases and the insects which are the cause. This information will also aid us in increasing the pines by transplanting.

Some say the Jersey pines are not the most beautiful, but proper care will improve any tree. Besides this, we can introduce and plant other varieties of pines. In fact, the committee on the protection and increase of pines has in view an arboretum in which various kinds of pines suited to Beachwood will be planted as an object lesson.

Do not allow sellers of nursery stock or others with designs upon your pocketbook to persuade you that the pines draw the heat and are of no value. Why are places among the pines celebrated as health resorts? Is a health producing tree not of the greatest possible value? Is health not the greatest blessing?

The cone of the Pitch Pine Tree.

PINE PROTECTION

(From the address of James E. Stillaway)

Ladies and Gentlemen: –

I have been asked by the committee for the preservation and increase by transplanting of the pine trees in this resort, to address this meeting of the Property Owners, to urge their co-operation in this praiseworthy object, to retain and, if possible, to increase the attractiveness of Beachwood in the Pines.

The pines form one of the chief features of the landscape in this section of country, and are able to thrive upon soils where very few other trees could exist. But like nearly all other members of the vegetable kingdom, it has its enemies, chief of which is the borer or larva or a small black beetle, which deposits its eggs upon the lower part of the trunk of the tree near the ground and up to a height of 5 or 6 feet in the loose bark. When first hatched it seeks the soft inner bark. As its jaws gain in strength it finally enters the trunk of the tree, and the effect is soon apparent as the tree is soon killed. Their presence can easily be detected by a quantity of turpentine mixed with borings issued from the tree trunk. Clearing the opening and inserting a piece of copper wire will generally prove effective and end his career, as copper wire, being pliable, will follow the ramification of his gallery or runway.

A good plan against infection is to scrape all the loose bark from the lower part of the tree trunk. Borers are generally more prevalent where a quantity of pine brush and logs have been left to decay, which forms an ideal breeding place; therefore all pine brush and logs should be destroyed, which will go a long way towards eradicating the pest; all dead limbs should be removed and burned.

Pitch Pine Trees.

Another enemy of pines is the fungus, especially the white, thread-like spores of the purpled stemmed boletus, which often penetrates and disrupts the bark of the roots, forming a white network upon the roots. Many years ago I had an experience with this disease when as many as 6 to 8 trees would be attacked in a limited area. I resorted to opening trenches to stop the spawn from running and treating the infected sections with powdered sulphur.

The pinus strobus or white pine is subject to attack of the pith borer which attacks the young growth. When hatched this insect follows the pith in the young growth. The eggs are deposited in August, but the damage is not apparent till the following spring when the preceding year’s growth dies. In this case it is the young trees which are attacked.

But to return to the case immediately before us; it is only by external vigilance that the ravages of the borer pest can be eradicated and if every one will co-operate, they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped to retain the chief feature of this resort.

This is not all. How few realize the health-giving properties given off by pines, especially when in blossom, when the pollen is prevalent in the air and is inhaled with great benefit, especially by those suffering with pulmonary diseases. I know of two cases of bronchitis which were greatly benefited by residence here.

Few people stop to consider when chopping down a tree how long it will take to replace it. The rapid rate at which our forests are being depleted is causing the high cost of lumber today, and it may be of interest to many to know that the average increase of one acre of mixed timber trees is 14 ft. of sawed lumber per year.

But to return to our subject, I would state that April and part of May and August and September are the best times of the year to plant pines and other cone-bearing trees successfully. In the first period named growth is just commencing and at the second it is just completed. If moved at other times of the year there will be many cases for the undertaker. I am speaking from 45 years’ experience in this line of business. To many people a pine tree is just a pine tree and nothing more. There are 30 varieties in this country today, some of which are pinus strobus, or the white pine; pinus cirops, the Jersey pine.

In concluding, I would urge the property owners of this borough to co-operate with the committee to preserve the existing pine trees and by planting to fill in all vacant spaces, and so retain the natural beauty of this resort. By so doing they will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped not only to preserve the physical aspect of this place, byt will be conferring a lasting benefit to posterity.

If anyone should wish to consult me upon any point in connection with this subject, I shall be most happy to confer with them and to render any advice they may need.

JAMES E. STILLAWAY

Arboriculturist and Landscape Engineer.

Drawing of a typical Pitch Pine Tree branch with cones.

PINE PLEDGE

(Unanimously adopted at a mass meeting of the residents of Beachwood, August 23rd, 1919.)

I believe in a still more beautiful Beachwood among the pines. I believe that one of the best means to enhance her fame as a healthful family resort is to preserve, protect and increase the trees which are her chief glory and adornment, which lend sweet perfume to her atmosphere and help to make her climate truly beneficial.

I pledge myself to do all I can to advance the interests of Beachwood, to prevent the unnecessary destruction of the pines and to foster their growth and welfare.

Close shot of pine needles on a Pitch Pine.

Beachwood Shade Tree Commission

(Extract from Ordinance finally adopted September 29, 1923)

An Ordinance creating and establishing a shade tree commission in and for the Borough of Beachwood, in the County of Ocean, and prescribing the powers and duties of said commission.

The Board of Commissioners of the Borough of Beachwood, in the county of Ocean, do ordain:

Section 1. That a commission be hereby created and established consisting of three residents of the said Borough of Beachwood, and to be known as the “Shade Tree Commission of the Borough of Beachwood, in the County of Ocean,” pursuant to the provisions of an act of the Legislature of the State of New Jersey, entitled “An Act providing for the regulating, planting, care and control of shade trees and shrubbery upon the public highway and in municipal parks, and for the care, control and improvement of such parks; authorizing the continuance of existing shade tree commissions and the appointment of commissions, and prescribing their powers and duties (Revision of 1015)” – approved April 14, 1915, and the acts amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto.

Section 2. That the said commission shall have and exercise full, sole and exclusive control over the regulation, planting and care of shade and ornamental trees and shrubbery now situate, or which may hereafter be planted in any public highway, park or parkway of said Borough, except county parks or parkways, including the planting, trimming, spraying, care and protection of the same for the public good; to regulate and control the use of the ground surrounding for their proper growth, care and protection; to move, or require the removal of any tree, or part thereof dangerous to public safety, at the expense of the owner of such tree; and to remove any tree or part of a tree at the request and expense of the owner of such tree; to care for and control such parks and parkways; to encourage arboriculture; to make, alter, amend and repeal in the manner prescribed for the passage, alteration, amendment and repeal of ordinances by the Board of Commissioners of the said Borough any and all ordinances necessary or proper for carrying out the provisions of the said Act; and to contract with the owner of any real estate in said Borough to supply the owner material and labor for the purpose of planting, cultivating or removing trees, grass, flowers, or shrubbery, and to charge the actual cost thereof to such owner; or if, after such material or labor is supplied, payment thereafter is not made on demand to certify the actual cost thereof to the Collector of Taxes, whereupon the sum so certified shall be collected by said Collector as other taxes on real property are collected in said Borough and all such other and further powers as are now vested or which may hereafter be vested in such a Commission under and by virtue of the Laws of this State.

Section 3. That this ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its passage and publication according to law.

Living trunk of a Pitch Pine Tree.

NOTICE TO LOVERS OF THE PINES

The Shade Tree Commission, cooperating with the Committee on the Preservation of the Pines, will prepare a large number of pine trees of fairly good size this fall, for transplanting in the spring. Your orders for the placing of such trees on your premises will be received up to October 1st, and the work will be completed for you next spring at actual cost. Draw a plan of your lots and indicate where you would like the trees placed. Authorize us to remove old and diseased trees. Also to remove scrub oaks and make the pines as nearly 100 per cent as possible.

WILLIAM MILL BUTLER, Chairman.

ADDISON D. NICKERSON,

WALTER SCOTT NOBIS,

Shade Tree Commission

Welsh Farms

Welsh Farms Former Borough Hall AC Blvd, originally uploaded by HeathenClerk.

Former site of the second Borough Hall/Firehouse (but first officially constructed for that use) and police station.

Demolished earlier this decade following the construction of a modern, expanded hall and station at the southern edge of town near the Garden State Parkway. This already dated structure is a strong example of a prime town center site unfortunately altered for a usage that takes away from our borough’s character at the expense of its residents.

It is always a shame when monetary interests from outside concerns triumph completely or without mutual compromise over community culture due either to lack of foresight at the time or the disinterest of those with differing opinions to put forth the effort necessary to effect a better path for themselves and those around them. It is the hope and mission of the Beachwood Historical Alliance to sound the bell for stronger community involvement on all levels toward better awareness and informed decision making on the issues that shape our borough, whether physical in historic structures, environmental in plants and trees native to the region or visceral in the essence and spirit that created our extraordinary colony.

Our quality of life and the future success of our borough depend on it.

Local Founder Profile: William Mill Butler

From the pages of his own 1924 Beachwood Directory and Who’s Who, here is what William Mill Butler wrote about himself. Click on all the embedded links for a broader understanding of his life and background:

William Mill Butler, New York Times, October 26 1895

Circa 1924.

Butler, William Mill, south side of Bayside Ave., near Harpoon St., Block D-13. All-year resident of Beachwood. Business address, 487 Broadway, New York City.

“Is a native of Rochester, N.Y., where he was for six years connected with the Daily Post-Express, resigning as editor-in-chief when that paper changed its political policy. He was also for several years editor and associate editor of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Later he became editor of the Home Magazine and, still later, chief of the foreign correspondence department of the Philadelphia Commercial Museum, which voted him a diploma for meritorious services in connection with the National Export Exposition in 1900. He was in the consular service for several years, and paid a visit to Paraguay and reported to the State Department at Washington an offer which he obtained from the Paraguayan government of a subsidy for a direct steamship line to that country, if the United States would give similar support. The Congress of Paraguay passed him a vote of thanks and $500 gold for his book on Paraguay. Among his other literary productions are, the Whist Reference Book, Democracy and Other Poems, and a comic opera, The Sea-Serpent, which was set to beautiful music by Clifford W. Walsh. During the war, his poem, Democracy, was set to music by twelve American composers, in a contest which was won by Carrie Jacobs Bond, author of “The Perfect Day.”

“For a number of years past he has been part owner of two trade journals. He is a life member of the New York Zoological Society; a member of the Polyhue Yacht Club of Beachwood, and a Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner.” – American Journalist and Author Blue Book, Chicago.

Married to Helen J. Butler, daughter of Judson W. Perrine, one of the lineal descendants of the Huguenots who came to this country after the massacre in France. They have no children. Both have taken an active interest in Beachwood affairs, Mrs. Butler as a member of the Woman’s Club, for which she conducted the annual cake sale for four years with great success. She is also an associate member of the Polyhue Yacht Club and a member of the Property Owners’ Association. Mr. Butler was the first president of the Property Owners’ Association and served a second term. He was also the first president of the Beachwood board of education and the first chairman of the board of trustees of the Beachwood Religious Association; also the first chairman of the committee on the preservation of the pines, and of the recently appointed shade tree commission. Also a member of Beachwood’s first special police reserve, first fire organization, and Rod and Gun Club; charter member Polyhue Yacht Club; member Safety Committee, Automobile Club of New York.

During the war he addressed the House committee on military affairs at Washington, urging humane and sanitary care of the dead on the battlefields.