Some inventions make small differences. Others change everything. At 7:15 on Tuesday, November 12, at Board of Education offices at 163 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst, local author and historian Gary Crawford makes the case that the steam locomotive was one such history-changing innovation.
In his talk, “Train Travel and the Transformation of the Jersey Shore,” Gary lays out the role that railroads played in the development of Monmouth County and the Jersey shore. Successful lines, and some not so successful, cr...eated a transportation system that linked large population centers with remote seashore communities--destinations that, no matter how inviting, had for generations remained practically inaccessible to the large populations in New York, Newark, and Philadelphia.
Trains changed all that. They gave families a way to escape the oppressive, pre-air-conditioning city heat for the cool Altantic breezes. Travelers packed their trunks and headed to the shore--often for the season. (Wage-earners commuted by Shoretrain from their vacation homes or hotels into the city.) Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, and Deal were among the coastal communities planned and developed in response to the opportunities made possible by train travel.
Join us 7:15, Tuesday, November 12 at the Board of Education Offices, 163 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst. The presentation is open to the public, free of charge. Donations are appreciated. Refreshments are served. (We collect and will deliver non-perishable items for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.)
In his talk, “Train Travel and the Transformation of the Jersey Shore,” Gary lays out the role that railroads played in the development of Monmouth County and the Jersey shore. Successful lines, and some not so successful, cr...eated a transportation system that linked large population centers with remote seashore communities--destinations that, no matter how inviting, had for generations remained practically inaccessible to the large populations in New York, Newark, and Philadelphia.
Trains changed all that. They gave families a way to escape the oppressive, pre-air-conditioning city heat for the cool Altantic breezes. Travelers packed their trunks and headed to the shore--often for the season. (Wage-earners commuted by Shoretrain from their vacation homes or hotels into the city.) Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, and Deal were among the coastal communities planned and developed in response to the opportunities made possible by train travel.
Join us 7:15, Tuesday, November 12 at the Board of Education Offices, 163 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst. The presentation is open to the public, free of charge. Donations are appreciated. Refreshments are served. (We collect and will deliver non-perishable items for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.)