1888 Map of Long Beach

About this map

The narrow barrier island of Long Beach is shown here in its late-nineteenth-century state, a landscape dominated by saltwater marshes and the critical infrastructure of coastal safety. Life on the strand at this time centered around the isolated pockets of Beach Haven and Harvey Cedars, while the Long Beach Railroad provided the primary umbilical cord connecting these seaside settlements to the mainland. The interior waters of Manahawken Bay and Little Egg Harbor are filled with numerous sedges and islands, including Sloop Sedge, Marsh Elder Island, and Carvel's Island, illustrating a complex network of tidal channels like Gunning River. A notable feature of this era is the chain of Life Saving Stations, including L.S. Station Ship Bottom and L.S. Station Loveladies', positioned along the Atlantic coast to monitor the treacherous offshore waters before the advent of modern navigation.