Asbury Park Historical Society

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Asbury Park Historical Society

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Our mission is to advance the understanding, appreciation, preservation and restoration of anything of historical value to the City of Asbury Park

Advance the understanding, appreciation, preservation and restoration of anything of historical value to the City of Asbury Park, New Jersey through:

• The collection, preservation, restoration, exhibition and archiving of artifacts and documents related to the founding and continuing evolution of the City of Asbury Park

• The restoration and preservation of landmarks, buildings and sites that exemplify the City's historically diverse character and standing as a premiere New Jersey shore resort

• The development and presentation of educational, entertainment and social programs that highlight significant aspects of the City's history as a center of life, culture and business on the New Jersey shore

• The researching, drafting and publication of historic or new articles, journals, books or newsletters, and the development and production of audio and/or video recordings that document life in the City of Asbury Park

11/03/2026

2026 Annual NYC Holiday Trip
December 6 @ 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
$139

The Asbury Park & Ocean Grove Historical Societies present their annual NYC Holiday Tour!
The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights are New York City’s most famous residential holiday display. Begun in 1980 by one homeowner, it has grown into a neighborhood effort to celebrate the holidays with elaborate decorations, glowing lights, animatronic figure, inflatables & festive holiday music filling the streets.

Tour Features
Lavatory Motorcoach Transportation
Shop Bryant Park’s Outdoor Holiday Bazaar featuring Specialty Shops & Kiosks
3 Course Luncheon included in Little Italy
Visit Little Italy’s Quaint Shops
Guided Sightseeing Tour Featuring Dyker Height’s Decorated Homes
Tax & Tips for Meal, Driver & Guide
Progressive Travel Tour host service

Itinerary
Depart Ocean Grove: 10am
Included Luncheon: 1:30 – 2:30pm
Return Ocean Grove: 9:00pm
For Additional Info
Teddy Chomko:
(848) 667-3432

10/14/2026

Once again, it will be our annual “Mischief Night” at the Stephen Crane House (508 4th Avenue, Asbury Park) on Friday, October 30, at 7 PM. We will continue our tradition of Edgar Allan Poe readings to celebrate both the Halloween season and Stephen Crane’s 155th birthday. Frank D'Alessandro will be reading a short story and two poems by Mr. Poe: “Annabelle Lee”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, and “The Raven”. After the readings, we will have light refreshments in keeping with the Halloween season and a birthday cake for Stephen Crane, who will be 155 on All Hallows’ Day, November 1! For those who dare (or are patient enough) to remain, we will screen our traditionally cheesy movie based on a Poe story. This year we will be screening “The Tomb of Ligeia” (1964, 82 minutes, widescreen, color) with scene-chewing Vincent Price. We invite all members of the Asbury Park Historical Society to join us free of charge, but we encourage non-members to attend with a donation in any amount, $10 suggested. Doors open at 6:30 PM with the program to begin at 7 PM. Hope to see you there!

09/08/2026

The Asbury Park Historical Society remembers the SS Morro Castle disaster with an annual commerative wreath.

08/03/2026

The Asbury Park Historical Society is proud to present our new Special Edition Ornament celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Asbury Park High School. You can order online at APHistoricalSociety.Org. Cost is $25.00 plus $7.00 shipping.

07/08/2026

REGISTRATION CLOSED Join us on Sunday, August 16, from 9 AM–6 PM for the 21st Annual Art on the Boardwalk, held in memory of founding artist Ray Sternesky. Ray alongside his beloved wife Dolly helped shape the Asbury Park Historical Society, and his legacy continues through this cherished tradition.

We're inviting artists and craftspeople to share their handmade work along the iconic Asbury Park Boardwalk for a day of art, community, and local history.

Interested in exhibiting? We'd love to have you join us! Deadline to submit is August 1, 2026. For more information, contact Teddy Chomko at 848-667-3432, and visit our website here: https://bit.ly/4fr8XPK

06/08/2026

Remember riding the Ferris wheel at Palace Amusements? Its story isn’t over yet.

The original Palace Amusements Ferris wheel was forged in 1893 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, a subsidiary of the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and became one of the defining landmarks of Asbury Park’s boardwalk. In the 1890s, the company built four massive steel Ferris wheels known as “Phoenix Wheels.” One was installed at Palace Amusements in Asbury Park, while the other three were erected in Coney Island, Atlanta, and South Carolina. Over time, those three wheels disappeared, leaving the Asbury Park wheel as the only surviving Phoenix Wheel in existence today.

The wheel stood beside Palace Amusements for nearly a century before the amusement park closed in 1988. Dismantled and moved several times over the following decades, the historic structure was ultimately rescued, restored, and returned to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where it has now been reassembled as a monument to American engineering and amusement park history. More than 130 years after it was built, the last remaining Phoenix Wheel continues to tell the story of Asbury Park’s golden age and the communities that helped preserve its legacy.

Its survival is thanks to decades of preservation efforts led by passionate advocates and historians, including the Schuylkill River Heritage Center, the Schuylkill River Heritage Society, and supporters from the Asbury Park Historical Society. Through fundraising, restoration, and community dedication, the wheel has been given new life in Phoenixville, strengthening the enduring connection between the Pennsylvania town where it was built and the Jersey Shore city where it became an icon.

06/07/2026

Nicky was what Jersey Shore R&B and Doo W*p vocal harmony was all about. His legacy will live on.

Nicky Addeo, iconic Asbury Park singer and pioneer of the Sound of Asbury Park music, passed June 6, 2026. Born in Newark, he moved with his family to Asbury Park in 1955. It was there that Nicky first became aware of music - especially R&B.
Living on the street at the age of 16, Nicky soon found himself harmonizing with many of the city's young Black vocalists in the hallways of the Boston Way projects. He also connected with the Darchaes and when Ray Dahrouge left for college, Nicky became their lead singer. Buzzy Lubinsky first recorded Nicky leading the Darchaes on "Gloria." A chance meeting with the Plainfield group, the Plazas on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk led to Nicky recording "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" with them.
Stormin' Norman Seldin was booking the Uniques when Billy Brown left the group. Norman picked Nicky Addeo to lead the Uniques, making them one of the first Jersey Shore integrated groups. Norman recorded Nicky Addeo & the Uniques on "Over The Rainbow," a true masterpiece of group harmony.
Nicky's contributions to Shore music were far from over at that point. He continued singing with numerous groups as well as performing solo. Nicky's music career established him as one of the true pioneers of the Sound of Asbury Park. Nicky Addeo's career will be celebrated in the coming Asbury Park Museum, opening in 2027 at 1200 Springwood Avenue. His legacy will be covered in detail in the forthcoming book, "Springwood Avenue Harmony, Vol. 2".

On behalf of all of us at the APHS and with a special thanks to Charlie Horner, a friend of Nicky, and music historian for this tribute, we say thank you Nicky. Keep on grooving. Rest in power, music and melodies.

03/04/2026

Are you coming to Asbury Park’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1 PM on Sunday, March 8? If you’re not participating in a pub crawl later, why not witness the greatest “pub brawl” of all time in “The Quiet Man” being screened at the Stephen Crane House (508 4th Avenue) at 3 PM? In our opinion, the two great stars of that 1952 classic are the gorgeous Technicolor presence of Maureen O’Hara and the equally glorious images of the Emerald Isle itself. Fans of the Duke, John Wayne, will applaud him as the title character. Great director John Ford, who won the Academy award for “The Quiet Man”, insisted upon filming in Ireland itself, resulting in a second Oscar for cinematography. And there’s that worldclass “Donnybrook” with flying fisticuffs! We will have refreshments, including some homemade Irish soda raisin bread (regular and vegan) along with coffee and tea. Members of the Asbury Park Historical Society are encouraged to attend gratis, but all others are asked for any donation for the Historical Society for the upkeep of the Crane House. Hope to see you with shamrocks on, Sunday, March 8, at 3 PM!

02/10/2026

Calling All Sweethearts - For a Movie Showing, Monday, February 16 at 3 pm, at the Stephen Crane House, 508 Fourth Avenue, Asbury Park.

Asbury Park Historical Society's cherished Frank Dalessandro, will be screening an old-fashioned, light-hearted musical film based (loosely) on a Victor Herbert operetta and
promises to be a delightful conclusion to this year's Valentine's Day weekend.

The 1938 MGM film "Sweethearts," starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, holds the distinction of being MGM's first feature-length movie produced in three-strip Technicolor. The film dazzles with its vibrant costumes, a multitude of extras, and magnificent orchestral scores.

"Sweethearts" debuted just a year before the beloved "Wizard of Oz." Notably, Frank Morgan, who played the wizard, is third billed after the two leads. The film also features everyone's favorite scarecrow, Ray Bolger, performing lively dance moves dressed as a Dutchman. Additionally, the renowned writer Dorothy Parker, originally from Long Branch, was brought in to enhance the dialogue.

Please join the Asbury Park Historical Society for a lovely afternoon of music and camaraderie with light refreshments, coffee, tea, cake and cookies.

All Asbury Park Historical Society members are invited to attend gratis. All others are encouraged to make a small donation if possible, for the Historical Society.

01/22/2026

📢 TONIGHT! Join us for the Asbury Park Historical Society’s Annual Membership Meeting!

📅 Thursday, January 22
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 Asbury Park Public Library

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Jason Adolf, Endowed Professor of Marine Science at Monmouth University, for a fascinating talk on the history and natural life of Asbury Park’s coastal lakes and simple ways we can all help protect them.

From indigenous Lenape waterways to today’s environmental challenges, Dr. Adolf will explore how these lakes have changed over time and what those changes mean for our local ecosystems.

✨ Light refreshments provided
👋 Open to all! Members and non-members welcome!

Address

508 4th Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ
07712

Opening Hours

12pm - 2pm

Telephone

+17323595355

Website

http://www.aphistoricalsociety.org/

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