Historical Photos

1918 - The Year The Bay Froze Over

1918 - The Year the Bay Froze Over - Henry Nickenig, the driver of this car, lived in Sewaren on the southwest corner of East Avenue and Holton Street. Besides having one of the most beautifully decorated Christmas trees each year, he delighted many Sewaren children by slowly towing them behind his car on sleds over the snow. Each child lay down on their sled and hooked their feet into the handle of the sled behind them. Sometimes there were as many as twenty or thirty sleds lined up.

Bamboo Slide

The Bamboo Slide in Boynton Beach, NJ - The kids probably had a lot of fun sliding down the bamboo slide.

Boat Rental

This is the boat rental where you can rent boats all day for just 50¢ and in later years 75¢ for all day.

The dock

The dock is where people would get on their boats.

Dance Pavillion

The Dancing Pavillion in Boynton Beach, NJ.

Ferris Wheel

The ferris wheel in Boynton Beach, NJ.

Picnic Grove from Road

Picnic Grove From Road - Boynton Beach, NJ - People would eat their lunches here and then go dancing in the Pavilion.

The Park

Boynton Beach, NJ - The Park. The ticket booth for the park in the center and people would line up to go on rides. It was an amusement park, children were able to get in free on Thursdays.

An Ideal Summer Resort

Boynton Beach, NJ - An ideal summer resort. This was an advertisement to get people to visit Boynton beach.

The Good Old Days

Boynton Beach, NJ - The people enjoying Boynton beach in the good old days. In the background the carriages are parked with the horses in the stalls. After going to the beach the people would come back here and eat their lunch.

Cliff Road

Cliff Road Sewaren, NJ - The streets back then were beautifully lined with trees, the streets and walkways were dirt.

House on Cliff Road

An old house along Cliff Road

Central Railroad of New Jersey Bridge

Central Avenue Sewaren, now know as Debra Place. This was before Public Service (PSE&G) and Hess were even there, as you can tell by looking at the background.

Excursion Landing

Excursion Landing - Boynton Beach, NJ. These people are waiting for the ferry.

The Hotel

A View of the hotel from the water.

Standing on the dock

Here is a photo of ladies standing by the water's side.

Bath Houses

Bath houses lined Boynton Beach

House

This house is along the water's edge.

Sewaren House Postcard

This is a post card from the Sewaren House in Sewaren, New Jersey.

1890s Parking Lot

A parking lot in the 1890's for their buggies.

Overlooking Pavilion

Overlooking the grove and dance pavilion.

Train Station

Central Rail Road Station Sewaren, NJ post card, It contained (from left to right) a newspaper stand, post office, and a freight station. It was destroyed by a fire in 1957. In 1873, John Taylor Johnston purchased stock in the Rail Lines between Elizabeth and Perth Amboy. It became known as Central Rail Road of New Jersey. In 1874 the station was built in Sewaren for $6,500. It was landscaped with numerous pine trees and elaborate gardens. The depot was completed in 1876. It was Johnston who named the town after his friend S. E. Waren. If you look in the bottom left hand corner you will see Fink's Pharmacy. That was the local drugstore in Sewaren.

Marsh House

A house on West Avenue called the Marsh House. It originally came from Port Reading.

Hot Dog Stand

The Merry Go Round and Hot Dog Stand at Sewaren Beach.

Sewaren Peninsula

The Sewaren Water Front postcard, the peninsula extended out further, but years of erosion had warn it away.

Hotel from water

A view of the hotel from the Water.

The Hotel

This is a view of the Hotel from the road side.

The Sewaren House

This would be on a post card or an ad to attract people to Sewaren.

Sewaren Library

Sewaren Public Library

Land & Water Club

The Sewaren Land & Water Club

Streets of Sewaren

The Woodbridge Historical Society had put together a map to tell the people that are taking the tour of the houses, which homes they are.

Peninsula Development

This is the plans for the Peninsula back in the early 1900s - Not just today they wanted to start building the peninsula they wanted to do it back then too!

Smith Creek

Here you see the creek and to the left is the Peninsula.

St. John's Church

St. John's Chruch, Sewaren NJ

Turner House

The Turner house along West Avenue.

View along the Smith's Creek

This is a view along the creek in Sewaren, NJ. It shows Smith's Creek and the Peninsula behind it. If you were to look there today you would see Public Service (PSE&G).

Corner of West & Woodbridge Aveues

The Corner of West & Woodbridge Avenues. The building on the northwest corner of Woodbridge and West Avenues was a general store owned and opperated by John Whitaker, who came to Sewaren in 1875. He was also the first postmaster, with the postal equiptment located within the store. He served in this capasity until May 7, 1877 when Thomas Zettlemeyer was appointed postmaster and the postal equipment was moved to the new Central Railroad Depot which was completed in July, 1876. The general store was later moved to the corner of Meade Street and Woodbridge Avenue and made into an apartment house.

Old Brochure

This is an old brochure from the Sewaren Improvement Company trying to persuade people to move to Sewaren and buy lots.

Hurricane of '39

Boats were tossed a shore like toothpicks in the Hurricane of '39.

Hurricane of '39

The Sewaren Republican Club Incorperated was knocked to the ground during the Hurricane of '39. Note the pilings are still there today.

Hurricane of '39

The boats came up to the hill from the Hurricane of '39.

Ferry

This is a picture of the Ferry in the bay.

Ship

This is a ship in the Auther Kill, it could be delivering goods.

A bathing suit ad.

Terra Cotta Works & Scene at Boynton Beach

The Terra Cotta Works of C. W. Boynton, Scene at Boynton Beach - Looking towards Sewaren from the bridge from Perth Amboy, you would see to your left the Boynton Terracotta Works. To your right the Boynton Beach - Staten Island is on the far right. The beach area extened around the eastern corners and northward to Ferry Street. All of what is now Shell and Royal was the 'beach area'.

Along the Shore in Sewaren.

Along the Shore Sewaren, NJ. If you can't read the sign on top of the dock it says 'BOATS TO LET 25¢ PER DAY'.

Acker's Boat House

Acker's Boat House from the water.

Boat House

Boat House and Fleet of the Boynton Beach Boat Company.

The Sewaren House

The Sewaren House - The Sewaren Hotel in the 1890s. It was burned down in the early 1900s. It was a resort for movie stars and other rich and famous people.

News Article

Sewaren House article

Sewaren Land & Water Club

The Sewaren Land & Water CLub

Boynton Beach Post Card

Shows the Bath Houses and the people bathing.

Swimming Dock

This was the Swiming Dock & Boat Landing - Sewaren beach, NJ

Acker's Boat House

Acker's Boat House - A view from the land. *Note the people are not real in the photograph.

An ad for Boynton Beach. Children get in free on Thursdays.

R. O. Acker's Boat House

R. O. Acker's Boat House - View from the water.

The Bath Houses

F. A. Sollace Residence

F.A Sollace, Van Syckle, Piatkowski Home.

Jersey Central Rail Road

Jersey Central R. R. (Looking North to Port Reading)Sewaren, NJ.

Frank Chamberlin

Frank Chamberlin of Holton Street (Manager of PSE&G Glen Station) Traveling South on West Avenue, July 1913. (This was before the Rail Road Overpass).

An Advertisement to sell new lots.

Article

The opening of a library.

The Marsh house

The Marsh house.

Sewaren Hotel

An ad to buy empty lots in Sewaren.

Acker's Boat House

R.O Acker was a boat builder who was under contract to supply the government with boats. He also constructed his own 119 row boats for rental to fisherman who paid .50 per day (In later days .75 a day) to catch weakfish, porgies, flounder, oysters, crabs, and at times bluefish.

Sewaren Realty

Post Office

When The Post Office Moved Into The Station.

Map showing New York and Sewaren

A map showing the waterways of New York and Sewaren.

The view of Cliff Road from Woodbridge Avenue

Here you can see the trolley tracks in the ground. Today they have the same road surface but the tracks are gone.