Memories of Seaside Heights, New Jersey
This page serves as a jumping off place for personal recollections and memories of times spent in Seaside Heights. Things are evolving here and I will post more pages whenever I receive new entries. It would be great too to be able to post pictures too, if anyone has some of those to contribute.
If you have a story or a short anecdote to send in please let us know. You can find out about how to submit content here.
Motown and the Boardwalk
I've been thinking about my own personal Motown history quite a bit lately. It started when I was in grammar school. I remember being at Seaside Heights on the Jersey Shore with my family, and winning a little Japanese transistor radio at one of the wheels of chance on the boardwalk. continued....
The Bouquet, the Sewell Cup and Leopold Zwarg
On August 9th, 1900 the Sewell Cup was won by the Bouquet, which at the time was owned by William G. Hartrauft. The boat was later owned by Leopold F. Zwarg - also known as “Pappy” or “Leo” Zwarg - in the 1940s and early 50s. continued....
Crabbing with Dad
My memories of Seaside Heights and Seaside Park are so tightly woven with those of my Dad’s that I can’t seem to separate them. My times spent on the beach and boardwalk were infused with a deeper sense of enjoyment and respect because of the love that both my parents had for the area. My Mom grew up in Paterson and my Dad was born and raised in Little Falls, NJ. My Dad’s parents naturally vacationed in Seaside as did most of his neighbors and friends from North Jersey.continued....
You can see more lovely paintings of the Jersey shore at dianehutchinson.com
Memories of the Seaside Heights Fireworks
When I was a child I spent my summers in Ortley Beach. My family owned a house that was a stone's throw from the Surf Club. In those days the houses were not all three stories high. Most were still small bungalows. Our house had a sundeck coming off of the second floor dormer and from there we could sit and watch the weekly Seaside Heights fireworks show. continued....
Vignettes
Seaside Heights 40's & 50's
submitted by Lois
My aunt lived on Hiering Ave.There were no buildings at all from her house to the beach (one block). She picked wild beach plums and made jelly. I spent many weeks every summer there. The mayor was Patrick Tunney. Does anyone remember Augie Hoffmann's bar on the main blvd. The big banner outside said"hammond organ". Many a good time there.
Bait in the Bay
circa mid 70's, submitted by Tom
When you I was in my early teens I was looking for ways to make some extra money to play the pin ball machines on the boardwalk. My grandfather offered to take me fishing for spearing with his dragnets so I could sell them. We’d wake up early and set out for Pelican Island with our nets, buckets, baggies and some bread for bait, and within an hour or so we’d have a full bucket of active little silver fish. I’d put a handful in each baggie and we’d make the rounds of the local bait stores in Seaside and sell them for one dollar a bag. Business was always brisk and it was a fun way to make money, and especially learning from my grandfather how to be a better fisherman, just like him.
Keeping Track on the Boardwalk
circa early 70's, submitted by Pat
Keeping track of my four little sons was always a challenge on the busy Seaside boardwalk. Everyone wanted to do everything: go on every ride, try every pizza stand, play every arcade game. I would dress them in bright clothes so they’d be easy to spot and I would constantly count heads to myself: one, two, three, four, one two three, four….. Only once did I lose one for more than a minute, and that was when I learned where the lost and found booth was.
Feel free to send us your own stories or add a comment about your memories of Seaside Heights.
Pinball
Does anyone remember an actual pinball machine called The Silver Ball?
Lucky Leo's arcade SSH I believe
There was a pinball machine
There was a pinball machine called Silverball Mania. You can read all about it here:
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=2156
There are pictures there of the machine so it should be obvious right away if this was the same machine you remember.
Jersey shore is the best
Jersey shore is the best
spaceship
Does anyone remember the round spaceship that sat in the public parking lot as you got off the bridge into seaside heights? I think it was a information ceneter or something? I always remember asking my mom if i can go in the spaceship and she would say I don't want it taking off with you! I believe it had seaside heights written on it's shiny exterior.
what ever happened to it? It was still there in the early 80's for sure.
The Italian Village!
When my dad moved us from Belmar to Deal, to Loch Arbour, to Allenhurst, To Wanamassa and ultimately to Toms River at age 16 I had HEARD about 'the rides' in Seaside, but had never seen them. When I first prowled the boardwalk during those sunny beach days of 1972 - EVERYTHING seemed new (and even kinda clean). Friends in HS spoke in hushed tones about the NEW Aztec motel where you MIGHT get a drink if you were underage. (In those days, the drinking age as 18). Or, in the Bamboo Bar where a friends garage band might be playing........but MY person thrill was the Italian Village. There I had my young face done in pastels by RHODA SHAPIRO. This portrait hangs over my dining room hearth today and people say, "Is that your daughter?" Makes me smile to recall the leather tooling of belts (I got one for a birthday gift with mushrooms and lightning bolts in brown leather and a huge silver buckle....I also had a purse, the COOLEST silver earrings that dangled down to my neck and of course there was the Original coffee bar - the espresso/pastry corner. Those fun filled days and nights in Seaside were the greatest for a teenager, freshly ripped from the 'other' Jersey Shore - Asbury Park......what fabulous locations for growing up in the 60 and 70s. I no longer live in NJ - and I recall a MILLION stories. What's the beach like today? Sounds like it's all brain-dead mutants who SAY they're jersey girls, but in reality, are all from Equador and who never wash their faces of days old bronzer.
Rhoda Shapiro
I too had a beautiful portrait done in pastels by Rhoda Shapiro. It unfortunately got damaged in a flood. The portrait completely captured me into the depth of my soul. She captured every fleck of color in my eyes. My spirit showed through the picture as if i could jump off the paper. what an incredible exactness. What ever happened to her?
I had my portrait done by
I had my portrait done by Rhoda Shapiro when I was very young back in the 1970's. I remember she lived in Cinnaminson, New Jersey and always wore very beautiful hats. She was very charming. I would also love to know where she is.
Memories of Ortley Beach
As a kid in the late forty's, early fifty's, we would visit my grandparents in Beachwood during the month of July. The vacation always had several trips to Ortley beach to swim in the Atlantic. We would park near the "Surf Club" (pre Joey Harrison) and sneak onto the the 'private' beach.
We roasted in the sun all day and cooled off with orange, grape or lemon popsicles bought from a vendor on the beach. At the end of the day we would pile into the car and head back to Beachwood, where my grandfather would spray us with the garden hose to get the sand off us before we went into the house. Icy water on fresh sunburn...yeowww!!
Good times.
SEASIDE BATH HOUSE
BACK IN THE 70'S I HAD THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME TO
WORK SUMMERS AT THE SEASIDE BATH HOUSE ON HIERING AVENUE.
SUMMERS WERE MET WITH FAMILIES & CHILDREN AND THE BEACH WAS BLANKET TO BLANKET BACK THEN. HAWIAAN TROPIC SUN LOTION WAS A GREAT HIT WITH THEIR GIRLS STOLLING THE BEACH PASSING OUT SAMPLES. THE LITTLE STAND ON THE END OF SEASIDE HEIGHTS WAS PACKED BY MID-DAY WITH ORDERS FOR
PORK ROLL & CHEESE, HOT DOGS OR HAMBURGERS.
SEAISDE HEIGHTS WAS THE PLACE TO BE FOR A VACATION.
bands
does anybody remember Eddie and the knockouts that use to play at the chatterbox in seaside heights nj.
knockouts
Yes I remember them.Eddie parrente was a doll mu uncle was their drummer.
Diner from the 70's
Does anyone remember the name of the diner on the Blvd in between Grant and Blaine ave?
The small things!
We would go to seaside often 1970's, does anyone rember the bathrooms under the boardwalk? or the benches with the flip flop back, either you can look at the water or the boardwalk they were painted red green blue colors. Then there was the star stamp that that had the ink you can only see under the black light they would stamp the back of your hand to get on the beach.
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