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TORREYA • 



Vol. 45 June 1945 No. 2 



Island Beach* 



John A. Small 



Some comments may be of interest to readers in view of the Resolution 

 about Island Beach appearing in this issue. Located in Ocean County, New- 

 Jersey, within the so-called Torrey Range, Island Beach is a sand bar nine 

 miles long. It is less than half a mile across except for two places where its 

 width approaches three quarters of a mile. It is separated two and one half 

 to four and one half miles from the mainland by Barnegat Bay. At the present 

 time it is not an island but a peninsula joining the mainland at Point Pleasant, 

 several miles to the north. The part of the peninsula, above Island Beach has 

 been developed to varying degrees as summer resort areas, the adjacent one 

 being Seaside Park. Barnegat inlet forms the southern boundary. One very 

 old map shows an inlet just north of Island Beach. This has been closed 

 certainly well over a century. 



Politically, Island Beach is a borough, though almost unpopulated. Orig- 

 inally it was a part of three townships, though always as a small, disconnected 

 remnant across the bay. This made fire protection and policing almost non- 

 existent. Vandalism and the fire hazard discouraged owners and retarded 

 real estate development. When the Barnegat Bay and Beach Company ac- 

 quired almost exclusive ownership some years ago they petitioned the Legis- 

 lature to make it a borough for its own protection. This was done. The area 

 has since been held as a real estate investment. The only means of access, 

 other than boat, is from Seaside Park via a service road which extended half 

 the length of the Borough until completed by the army as a defense measure. 



With the successful development of a state park program, the develop- 

 ment of such a park at the seashore was an obvious suggestion. The Division 

 of Forests and Parks of the State Department of Conservation and Develop- 

 ment was interested. A recommendation for such use of the land was made 

 later by the State Planning Board. 



In the spring of 1940 legislation was introduced to disincorporate the 

 Borough and return the land to the three townships. Faced with the pos- 

 sibility of having its property without adequate protection, the Barnegat Bay 

 and Beach Company advertised that should the legislation be enacted the 



* See the resolution, adopted by the Club, March 21, 1945, on p. 60, and letters in 

 reply, pp. 62, 63. 



Torreya for June (Vol. 45, 33-64) was issued June 29, 1945. 



33 



