1898 Map of Barnegat

About this map

Barnegat Bay dominates this coastal landscape, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the narrow ribbon of Island Beach. At the southern tip of this barrier island, Barnegat Light stands sentinel over the treacherous Barnegat Inlet. The late nineteenth-century economy is visible in the complex rail network, including the Philadelphia and Long Branch Railroad crossing the bay to reach emerging seaside resorts like Seaside Park, Lavallette, and Chadwick. Inland, the map captures the transition from cedar swamps and tidal creeks to established mainland settlements. Significant infrastructure such as the Toms River and Waretown Branch and the Tuckerton Railroad connect towns like Barnegat, Waretown, and Forked River, providing insight into the timber and maritime transport routes of the era before coastal development reached its modern density.