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BY ERIC MODEL
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
JOURNEYS INTO NEW JERSEY
New Jersey gets much deserved attention for its shore and especially for a number of resorts boasting boardwalks and amusement areas. These days, too many places like Wildwood, Seaside Heights, Ocean City and Point Pleasant immediately come to mind. But one destination less prominently mentioned but worth consideration is that of Keansburg. It is a place of history, which till this day still offers a classic boardwalk feel.
The area now known as Keansburg first became a resort destination in the early 20th century. In fact, the amusement park at Keansburg is listed as the 45th oldest in the nation and the oldest in New Jersey, dating back to 1904. Accessible by train and increasingly William A. Gelhaus started to Keansburg Steamboat Company to transport vacationers and supplies to the area.
As a result folks flocked to the bayshore from New York, Jersey City and other population centers. Surviving even the Depression, Keansburg became known as the “Poor Man’s Rivera”.
The area itself dates back a lot further.
The land that is now Keansburg was originally home to the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. On September 3, 1609, the Half Moon, captained by Henry Hudson is said to have landed on the shores of present-day Keansburg (though some historians argue that the landing and forth-coming explained events took place at the tip of Sandy Hook). Crewmen of the ship were attacked by the Native Americans when they departed the ship, and one man, John Colman, was killed. He is reputed to be the first European to be felled by a Native American arrow. It is said that he was buried on the land, in the area that is today the intersection of Carr Avenue and Beachway. It is referred to as "Coleman's Point."In the time between 1609 and the early 18th century, the land was gradually purchased from the Lenni-Lenape with other surrounding areas. The area was inhabited by Dutch, English, and Scottish settlers. In the 18th century, farming proved to be successful on Keansburg's land, with specialties being pears, apples and corn (maize).
In this time, the town took on the name of Waackaack, pronounced "Way-kay-ack." This is a term used by Natives, originally "Wakioak" meaning "Land of Plenty." The area was also widely known as Tanner's Landing from the early 18th century until approximately 1820, so named for the pier at the end of what was Tanner's Landing Road (now Main Street). Tanner's Landing was a principal port for the area for many years.
Though the source of this information does not state exactly when, the land took on its second official name of Granville. The name originated from the importance of the Phillips Mill, and the grain producing farms in the region. The n
ame held until 1880s.
Some locals took advantage of the bay by harvesting crustaceans, earning them the not too complimentary name “clamdiggers”.
The amusement park at Keansburg houses vintage rides dating back to the 1920s. There is a spook house (where defaced statues of Hitler and Stalin were once on display) and even a palm tree among the rides, games and a water park that beckon visitors.
The boardwalk is not an actual boardwalk – it is now asphalt, but many agree that it nonetheless retains a classic New Jersey boardwalk feel.
A fishing pier can be found behind the amusement park, itself a symbol of resilience, having been destroyed by Hurricane Donna in 1960 and then rebuilt in 1987.
