Characters wanted: apply within; bring detailed dossier

The greatest of stories on the fiction shelf, whichever book that may be to you, is great for multiple reasons:  a well-developed plot, an impactful theme, realistic descriptions of setting, etc.  However all of it means nothing if there is no one in the story to move the plot forward, realize the lesson of the story, or describe the idyllic scene .  A character drives the plot and makes the book what it is.  A character is what helps the reader connect to the story and implant the experience of reading the book in their minds as if what they just read actually happened to them.   So how does an author develop such great characters?  With imagination, experience, and a few tricks of the trade.

Begin at the beginning, and when you reach the end—Stop!

                Most characters are born out a single thought.  This thought can be founded on a certain article of clothing, a personality trait, an experience, or simply from physical trait that stands out in your mind.  Often times, whatever the original inspiration was, a character will pop into your mind.  You see this person standing before, perhaps even in a specific location.  You must ask yourself the first crucial question:  Why is this person there?

                I was tempted to write ‘who is this person, and why are they there’, but thought better of it.  You see, why they are there is more important than who they are.  Who is important, and comes soon after, but understanding why that character is in that location is what drives the plot forward.  Are they there to rob a bank or stop a robbery?  Are they meeting someone?  Did that person show up, or stand them up?  After ‘why’ comes the reaction: how are they feeling about that?  It’s possible to ponder these questions too much, of course, which is why we need to eventually stop designing our character at some point and begin to write the story.  In the development of the character, however, you need to have your bases covered.

Building Blocks

                Conflict builds character.  It’s true in real life and in your story.  The plot, as you write out the details of the book, will produce a need for your character to have a certain skill set, personality trait, fear, weakness, strength, physical characteristic, or hobby.  Whatever need arises, the more you have planned out before you start to write the better.

                Some authors will have a very short description of their character.  It may consist of a paragraph or two and cover the basics.  Some might even keep it as short as a Tweet; reducing your character description to 140 characters or less does force you to focus on the most important elements of your characters dossier.  It’s the little things, I think you’ll find, whether in your story or another, that make the character seem realistic.  The more you have on them, the better you know them, the better you can write their life.

                Building a character can be tricky, which is why there are certain helps out there to jumpstart creativity such as the character generator websites that are listed below.  Using something like this is a good foundation for a character if you need a visual to help you shape that character.  I want to tell you, though, don’t rely on these.  It’s just a beginning to a character profile that you need to build on.  The more complex your character the better; just don’t spend so much time on character development that you forget about the book!

Don’t I know you from somewhere?

                If character generators aren’t for you, here’s an alternate suggestion—one that comes with a warning: be careful when using this technique!  Too little development will cause you some trouble, and probably some broken relationships.

                I’m a naturally curious person, one who is not shy in asking questions to understand another person.  I think we sometimes forget that the people who pop in and out of our lives (grocery store clerk while on vacation, person waiting at the doctor’s office the same time as us) are just as complex as we are ourselves.  Learning about people through communicating and connecting with them can build relationships, but also reveal good character spots for stories.

                Once my wife and I went to a restaurant up state; the waitress there had her arm in a temporary cast.  Being the curious (and potentially rude person I am) I asked her about it.  To some people “she must have broken her arm is enough.  Not for me, though.  I’m weird like that.  Turns out this particular waitress was working through medical school, but on the side she participates in roller derby and was knocked down by an opposing teammate; she sprained her arm when she fell.  Now roller-derby playing medical school students who waitress at restaurants don’t come along every day, and I may never use this person in a story.  However, having that type of real world example might make one of my characters seem more realistic.  We just have to be careful not to go too over the top or the character will seem too unrealistic and you will lose your reader’s interest.

                These days most of us are into our techno-gadgets.  Everywhere you go you see people either immersed in them, carrying them, using them for a quick “emergency”; some people even get so engrossed in using them they are not aware of what’s going on around them.  Still, moments in real life can capture your attention and give you a jumpstart on your character.  In other words, one of the best ways to make your character seem realistic is to start with a real person.  You can use relatives, acquaintances, friends, whomever!  The only proviso I have for this:  when you place them into your novel keep the character traits that you fell will move your plot forward, but don’t make an exact copy of them.  Some people will get offended by your “interpretation” of them, even if you captured their real essence.

                Some of you may be thinking: isn’t that a bit on the creepy side?  Yes, if you stalk them, dig through their trash, try to hack into their email to see what they discuss with family and friends—that’s creepy.  Someone who catches your eye because of their physical characteristics, someone who has an interesting speech pattern you want to duplicate; these are things that you can jot down in a notebook or on scrap paper and flush out the idea later when you are ready to write.

                Back to the techno-gadgets for a moment: cell phones are everywhere.  People have gotten so used to using them anywhere they go that most people don’t think about the others around them and just start talking.  These can be great moments for character research.  The other day, for example, I was sitting in my local library when a young man came in and proceeded to talk on the phone to a friend about his life, his job, what it was like to work there, how the routine of the job went, how the manager kept everyone focused using a gift card reward system, etc.  Now I didn’t ask this guy any questions about his job he just sat down and began speaking loud enough for everyone to hear his business.  What he talked about in reference to his job was intriguing to me.  I could’ve read a book on his particular line of work, but here was a real life example of insider information—something I may not be able to have captured from a book.

                Characterization is the back bone of your story.  Without it, all other parts of the book are static.  There is nothing to support the story, nothing to drive it forward.  Don’t skimp on this because you have a great plot or theme.  All great things in life are best enjoyed when you they are happening to someone.

 

Character Generators:

http://www.littlewondercompany.com/charactercreator.aspx

http://www.archetypewriting.com/muse/generators/character.htm

http://selfpublishingteam.com/chargen/ya/

 

Note:  A good resource on further character development is Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress.  It’s one of my steady standby reads on all things writing.

The Original Atlantic County Casino town

On the border of Burlington and Atlantic County Beck and his buddies found themselves travelling one day near a small town surrounded by towns of greater notoriety.  The town was known as Sweetwater, NJ.  When Beck was there the brush scratching the body of the car was very abundant.  The name of the town was Pleasant Mills for a bit of time, but has since changed back to Sweetwater, which it is known by today.

Family Business is a dangerous business to be in

                After a bitter family feud in early 1700s Scotland several families found themselves exiled and sought refuge in the Pine Barrens.  After completing a rude log cabin chapel and a few makeshift cottages form local materials the families settle din to their hometown.

                The town was further developed a few decades later by a man named Reid, who had a very attractive daughter every man was pining for, and every woman jealous of.  Her name, Honoria Reid, was changed to Kate Aylesford, as she was used in a story written by an author surnamed Peterson.  While fame and fortune came to his daughter Reid continued to watch his little town grow.   A new stage coach road was added connecting with the bigger highways which led into Hammonton.  Families, buildings, businesses, and churches soon came along and Sweetwater became filled with religious activity.  When Methodists rolled into town they would set up grand tent meetings held outside with audiences that the small houses of Sweetwater could not have contained.

Dropping Names like lead balloons

                 Sweetwater citizens of notoriety are worthy of their own section today!  Many fine folks have come from the small town, but some that New Jersey history fans might be familiar with are listed below:

Joseph Fralinger – glass blower from Atlantic City, and one of the earliest baseball promoters

Gen. St. Clair Mulholland – whose family battled at Bunker Hill also originated in Sweetwater, NJ

Captain Jack van Dyke – American Privateer (of sorts) who was proficient in profanity and in capturing British Merchant vessels in the early days of our nation’s history.

Gone, baby, Gone

                In more recent times the big claim to fame for Sweetwater was the Sweetwater Casino Bar and Restaurant.  A huge hangout for bikers and weekend road warriors the Casino had a long history of existence, and several signature dishes.  Even people who’ve never heard of the surround hamlets of Sweetwater Casino knew of the Casino itself.  While there was no gambling going on it was still called a Casino, as the original meaning of this word means a club, as in a place to hang out.

                Having lived up there for a few years myself I had frequented the Casino on more than one occasion.  My favorite food item:  Sweetwater Casino cheese, a dip cheese with a secret recipe, was a coveted prize at many parties I attended just a few short years ago.  Sadly, the Casino was lost to a raging fire which consumed the bar, restaurant, and surrounding stores.   There has been no attempt to rebuild to this day.

Deepwater: last exit before toll

                For a lot of New Jerseyeans crossing the Delaware Bridge is old hat.  Most people work on that side of the bridge, but heading for the Christiana Mall, a Blue Rocks game, or any one of a dozen recreational reasons is not unheard of.  By quick glance it seems the last exit before crossing the bridge into Delaware is Pennsville, but in fact there is a small unincorporated community nestled on the very edge of Salem County—the last town in New Jersey before crossing into Delaware.

Deep waters run still.  Wait, that’s not right, is it?

                Deepwater, New Jersey has quite  a claim to fame being the last sign of New Jersey before plunging into the Delaware.  Being in Deepwater is the closest you can get to Delaware as it sits right on the tip of the big, fat belly of the state.  Unfortunately sales tax is still required.  Despite being a small town with a population not even breaking 400 by the last U.S. Census report there’s a lot of character to Deepwater.  Chances are you know someone who has either lived there at one point, or worked there, most likely at DuPont’s Jersey side facility.

Who turned off the lights?

                Like many coastal towns Deepwater had a lighthouse.  Actually, it had two.  Both of these lighthouse were completed in 1876.  They stood where the Delaware Bridge currently stands.  Unlike most lighthouses in Southern New Jersey these two didn’t make the preservation list.  Despite years of faithful service both lighthouses were decommissioned and demolished.

                The first of the two lighthouses, known as the Front Range stood in Deepwater to the north of the Salem Canal.  Both ranges were controlled by a lighthouse keeper until becoming automated in 1937.  The front range lasted longer than the rear range lighthouse as the latter was torn down not long after being automated.  DuPont Chemical Company bought up the land in surrounding the front range after its being decommissioned in 1952.  In its place is the DuPont factory.  The rear range was torn down to make way for the Delaware Bridge.

Don’t I know you from somewhere?

                Sadly, this part of New Jersey history has been lost for good.  Despite a couple photos and some scant information on file at the New Jersey Historical Society little is known about the lighthouses of Deepwater, New Jersey.   However, if you wish, and have the time to take the field trip, head on out to Pennsville near Fort Mott to check out the Finns Point Rear Range Lighthouse.  Now on the national register of historic places, thanks to an enthusiastic Save the Lighthouse committee during the ‘70s, this structure is identical to that of the Deepwater rear range lighthouse which is no longer there.  The Finns Point front range lighthouse has been demolished, but parts of it can still be seen, namely the oil house and some shingles from the original roof.  Some history is better than none at all I suppose.

Ocean City's Forgotten Landmarks

               Ocean City, NJ is not a forgotten town, but a bustling seashore town that is open all year round.  It has beaches, homes, grocery stores and charming bed and breakfasts.  All these things were made and established as time went past.  However, the charm of this island town has been around longer than any of its current residence can remember, and some of its history has been completely forgotten by most of its residents.

            The original purpose of the town lies with the foundings of towns such as: Ocean Grove, Sea Grove at Cape May Point, Island Heights and Seaside Park which were founded as Christian communities with two main purposes: to free those enslaved to the addictions of promiscuous sex and rampant drinking and help them get their lives back together, and to save the statewide community from being dominated by these unhealthy lifestyles.  A land surveyor named William Lake told his cousins, all three of them Reverends, about the open property known as Peck’s Beach.  The Reverends had been to Ocean Grove and were amazed by the success of the town and the way that it was run.  They felt called of God to do the same, but were unsure of where to locate their town.  The three brothers: James, Wesley and Ezra and their colleague and friend William Burrell rowed out to Peck’s Beach in 1879.

            The first lost landmark began when these four gentlemen examined the land at length from atop a high hill that overlooked much of the island.  After thought and discussion, they knelt near a cedar tree and prayed, seeking God’s guidance and direction in the matter.  Feeling sure that this is where God wanted them to be, they set about buying the land.  Today, the cedar tree they knelt under (though it is dead) can be seen standing at the corner of 6^th and Asbury Avenue with a plaque commemorating the founding of the company and the town inside the Ocean City Tabernacle Lobby.

The three brothers with William Burrell, and later two other ministers, named the town “New Brighton” only to change it one month later to “Ocean City” to associate it with Ocean Grove, the town which partially inspired them to seek out this project.  To ensure their town would be setting off on the right foot, the new town owners agreed to sell the owners back their land (who would be allowed to keep their land), provided they follow the terms of the new deed: temperance and Sunday observance, which would become the fundamental principles of Ocean City which still exist today.

            As homes, businesses and hotels moved into town, families began settling just as the founders had hoped they would.  With the coming families to Ocean City, the first school was built in 1881 between 8^th and 9^th street on Central Avenue.  The building no longer stands, another lost landmark, but was on the spot where the Public Safety headquarters is currently located.  In 1906, the elementary school was replaced with Ocean City’s first high school (which in now Public Safety HQ).  The island’s first bridge, built in 1883, brought more families to this resort that fell in love with it and made it their home.  The elementary school, previously held in the high school was relocated in 1913 to sit between 4^th and 5^th Street, but became a car park until 1988.

            People all over New Jersey became interested in this family-style resort.  In 1903 Steamboat Wharf was opened to shuttle people in from the mainland.  Steamboats ran from: Longport, Avalon, Wildwood and Somers Point.  In 1907, the flood of visitors to Ocean City created a necessity for the resort island’s first trolley line, Shore Fast Trolley Line that ran from Steamboat Wharf on 2^nd Street and Bay and could take you all over Ocean City.  Trolley Tracks ran down Atlantic Wesley and Central Avenue all the way to 59^th Street.  Passengers could even ride from Atlantic City all the way to the Ocean City Boardwalk (a one hour ride at that time).  With the invention of the automobile and the opening of bridges into Ocean City the trolley company dwindled in income going out of business in the early 1940s.  All trolley bridges were removed in 1946.

            Ocean City was growing rapidly and had stores and hotels going up, more and more every year.  One of the grandest hotels built was the Flanders Hotel.  A group of New Jersey businessmen got together with the intent of building a grand, first class hotel that could compete with the best hotels in the rest of the continental United States.  The Ocean Front Hotel Corporation met at the Atlantic Country Club in Northfield for its first meeting and hired famed designer and Ocean City native Vivian Smith to design the hotel.  Smith is also credited with the Ocean City Music Pier, Ocean City Hall and Ocean City High School.  The Flanders Hotel, though not completely finished, had its grand opening on July 28^th, 1923.  The hotel survived fires, terrible storms and the Stock Market crash of 1929, was purchased by James M. Dwyer in 1996 and still stands today.

            Ocean City has had its fair share of famous and noteworthy residents.  Some of particular note that had an impact on either the community and/or the world at large deserve special mention.  Some not-so-often-heard-of residents are: T. John Carey, a coach at OCHS and a pioneer of East Coast surfing, Marcia V. Smith who was the first female physician in Ocean City and has a memorial dedicated to her (1960) for her assistance in the creation of the nation of Israel, Hobo the town’s mascot, who has his own fountain erected to him in 1936 and is now located at the OC Historical Seashore Cottage at 12^th Avenue and Wesley Avenue, and of course, Ocean City’s most famous resident Grace Kelly, star of stage and screen.  Grace Kelly’s family had a summer home in Ocean City (which still stands), and which she even frequented after becoming Princess Grace of Monaco.

            Other landmarks, like the Revolutionary War Cannon taken off a sunken British ship in 1779, were stolen (the cannon in the 60s), never to be recovered.  Even the famous saltwater pools of the Flanders Hotel were removed back in the late 70s after having been around for decades. 

            By the 1940s, though much of Ocean City had changed, having gone from “a rugged sandy clump of earth jutting out into the Atlantic, overgrown with bayberry, Cedar trees and shrubs, and hosting wild cattle and hogs” to a bustling Ocean resort town founded on religious principles; some things stayed the same.  Ocean City and its citizens were survivors.  They hadn’t let anything ruin them.  Over the decades they’d survived floods, torrential downpours, hurricanes and fires, all of which laid waste to stores, the Boardwalk, homes, cars and bridges.  Still people were drawn to this small seaside town.  Not even two World Wars could keep away the tourists or chase off the residents.  During World War II, Ocean City took a very active part in the war effort.  Many of Ocean City’s women served with the Cape May County branch of the American Red Cross.  Local men collected paper and scrap metal to be used for various necessities of the military, a Ford truck was driven around town carrying a liberty bell and people on it were selling war bonds.  Even the historical buildings themselves were used in the war effort:  the Music Pier held a “spotter’s tower” atop its roof where regular watch was kept to warn of air and sea attacks.  And during the war, at the Music Pier, flag raising was a daily event attended by many.  Ocean City also became one of the first towns to raise a World War II memorial, which was done by 1944.

            The 1950s were a high time for Ocean City.  With World War II long over, large families in abundance and the economy being relatively stable, parents were looking for a solid family resort to spend the summer at with the kids.  Ocean City offered many family attractions by this time.  Playland Amusement Pier, located at 6^th Street and Boardwalk was popular with children and grownups alike, offering: a skating rink, bowling and other wonderful attractions.  Gillian’s Fun Deck had opened (c. 1950), but the popular attraction to top them all was Captain Chris’ Seafood Restaurant.  The restaurant, that was so much more, was owned by Christ Montagna, husband of Dr. Marcia V. Smith (who helped found the nation of Israel).  At the height of its popularity this restaurant and fish market developed into Ocean City’s most popular tourist attraction.  Chris Montagna was a modern day John Young.  Everyday at his restaurant you’d get the finest seafood, you could watch them cook big fish, crabs, shrimp and lobster.  There was a fish aquarium (by the 1960s) and Captain Chris built speedboats for people to ride on daily out into the Atlantic Ocean.  There were four boats to choose from:  The Flying Cloud, took 50 people out for fishing, but the ride to the fishing spot was a quick one clocked at 75 mph.  The Flying Cloud left at 10:30, returned at 3:30, and it only took fifteen minutes to get where you wanted to go.  The Flying Pony was a slower, smaller boat for those tourists not wanting a fast ride.  There was also Sweetheart, named for his wife: a 62-foot auxiliary sailboat that took tourists on a 2-hour ride around the Atlantic Ocean.  Captain Chris’ pride and joy, however, was a converted WW II patrol boat that he piloted personally.  Flying Saucer was clocked at 90 mph and could hold 125 passengers.

            Whereas the 50s were good to Ocean City, the 60s took their toll on the family seaside resort.  In 1961, one of the town’s biggest attractions Playland (where Wonderland Pier is now located on the Boardwalk) was completely destroyed by fire costing an estimated 3 million dollars in damage. 

Ocean City has adapted and changed over the years, but still remains a strong seaside resort geared toward families.  It still has a reminiscence of the religious principles upon which it was founded.  It’s still a big draw for sun-bathing tourists, but even more so than all of these, Ocean City holds a charm and quaint, not too outstanding historical past that gives it the feel of a good old fashioned American hometown.  To South Jersey residents enamored by Ocean City (of which I am one), not even the chills of February can keep them away.  This Christian resort, settled on one of the most beautiful stretches of land in New Jersey, is rich with memories, history, culture and an undying sense of self that is unique to it only. A community of which it can be truly said, as the saying goes about Ocean City, “Once you get sand in your shoes, you are destined to return”.

Leeds Point and the First Author South of New York

                I like to think that, as a librarian, I have a lot of books in my own personal collection.  Don’t get me wrong: my house is not a private library with thousands of copies (just hundreds).  Lots of people have more than I do, but most of the books we collect these days have been printed within our lifetime.  Only collectors who have a permanent seat at Sotheby’s collect really old books, right?  Well, maybe not.

Daniel’s trip to the New World

                One of the oldest books on record here in the United States is an almanac written by Englishman Daniel Leeds in 1687.  He wrote it right here in New Jersey.  The Leeds family have been Jerseyeans since the late 1670s, sailing in on The Shield[1], a full century before the American Revolution.  Daniel Leeds quickly became an important man in Burlington County as a member of the Assembly, a British representative body in New Jersey, and later on he became an advisor on Lord Cornbury’s Council in 1704.  When Leeds settled he actually owned quite a bit of land.  His property extended from a strip of land adjacent to present-day Smithville all the way to Lower Island (which you and I now call Atlantic City).

Bill, Ben, and Dan

                Daniel Leeds, founder of Leeds Point, was originally the first Surveyor General of West New Jersey.   Leeds used his land surveying details to piece together an Almanac, the first edition coming out in 1687, but editions continuing until 1716.  The editions continued on but under the watchful eyes of his sons Felix and Titan.  Daniel Leeds almanacs were published by William Bradford (the American Revolutionary leader, not the Plymouth Rock Pilgrim leader).  Interestingly enough the almanac was most likely one of Bradford’s first printings.  Ben Franklin, in Poor Richard’s Almanac, also makes mention of Leeds bestowing upon the title of “First Author South of New York”.

The Old Homestead

                When Beck visited Leeds point back in 1963 he stated that: “The Leeds Point of today reveals nothing of this colorful past”.  I thought this was a fascinating statement, one that shows why he chose this city for his book.  It got me wondering how Leeds point would compare to today.  Outside of Jimmie Leeds Road on the road to Stockton College I’d never even heard the name Leeds before.  These days the houses aren’t as rundown as when Beck visited, and there is a Senior Living residence or two, but is mostly a small Pine Barrens town, quaint and quiet as most of them tend to be.  Leeds Point is currently not listed as an unincorporated community, and to be honest, probably wasn’t when Beck wrote the book, but the reason he chose to write about it is that a part of its history had been forgotten.  Though information about Daniel Leeds and family may be prominent on certain parts of the Internet his history is not as easy to come by on Jersey history sites as it should be.

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[1] The Shield was the first ship to sail up the Delaware River for New Jersey

Finding yourself in the stacks: how to use the library for all its worth

                Authors and Writers are two different people who do a lot of the same things.  An author is usually someone who has written a work of fiction, something to be entertaining for a group of readers.  Writers also entertain readers, but simultaneously they inform.  So what I’m blogging about today is most likely not going to be anything earth-shattering for nonfiction writers.  Instead they would be inclined to agree with me (or at least they should in this case).  Authors on the other hand, of which I am closer to being labeled as) tend to avoid and ignore this advice—unless of course they want to be a good one.

Is this where they keep all the books?

                Authors, and I include my past self in this statement, tend to rely largely upon imagination and personal experience to weave their tale from start to finish.  These two components are definitely major spokes on the wheel, but a good relationship with your local library needs to be a spoke as well.  Authors and writers alike who don’t spend a lot of time in their local library are like tourists who book the flight with no fore-planning, and no travel agent.  Honestly, we just don’t want to look like we have no idea what we are doing.  Unfortunately, this particular vanity can be dangerous to your book, article, short story, and writing career.

Know the tools in your toolbox

                These days everyone has access to a world full of information from the comfort of the tablet, home computer, and television.   The chances that your readers are educated on whichever subject you may be discussing in your narrative or nonfiction piece is pretty likely.   That means if you’re wrong, confused or misinformed on something they’ll probably call you on it!  Thus, using your local library to its fullest potential is an absolute must!

                With a bit of research and professional assistance you can sound like the smartest person on the planet!  You can sound like a Nobel Laureate for Advanced Physics, a first-hand eyewitness of the Hindenburg disaster, like a teacher of the geography of Glovania!  So what are these tools that can impart to you the wisdom of the ages?  Let’s take a quick look.

In addition to the catalog available in the library itself, there is the Reference Librarian.  If you’re looking for a book or source of information this is a good place to start.  For those like myself who prefer the old fashioned way of doing things talking to a real-live person is just the ticket.  This may be a bit slower than the instantaneous barrage of information available via the Internet, but the quality of information will be more accurate and more compact.  Another good place for information is the OCLC – this is the online computer library center, a collection of information from thousands of different libraries in North America.

Another good source is your local libraries ILL feature.  This is not borrowing books from other local libraries.  This is a separate source which looks for books on your subject from everywhere in the United States, and then lists them so you can order them (for a small fee) and have them sent to your local library.  Just be sure to ask about how long you’re allowed to keep that particular periodical.  The sending library may not have the same borrowing rules you’re used to.

Databases, diaries, and digital media…oh my!

                While there are many good resources available to us this day and age sometimes the best source of information can come straight from the horse’s mouth.  Interviewing is a skill that takes pre-planning and practice.  Once you get good at it, though, a whole world of information, history, and background details open up to you.  But what to do if you are looking for a piece of information old enough to where the first-hand eyewitnesses are deceased but not old or popular enough to be found in the 900s of the nonfiction section?  My suggestion is to go ask your librarian what microfiche is.  If they don’t know try the local libraries at your colleges and universities.

Did you get yourself a card?

                Accuracy leads to believability, and isn’t that what all writers and authors are striving for?  We want to create for our readers the illusion of being somewhere they have never been, doing something they have never done, and being able to relive those moments from our piece like the cherished memories they’ve built up in their own lives.  If all it takes to give them that is humbling ourselves enough to get help from the local librarian and do a bit of research offline and online, than in my opinion it’s totally worth it.

Beesley’s Point:  Less travelled, but not forgotten

Dear Shore Runners:

Like most of us here in South Jersey I’ve driven down to the shore more times than I can count.  I usually head down to Ocean City, my favorite shore town, and each time I pass a sign that I’ve always been curious about:

 

I admit I have never taken this route anyway, like so many others who are forced to u-turn at the bridge entrance, so I did my homework about the history behind this sign and found a great contestant for Forgotten Towns 2.0!  Beesley’s point has a great history, one that would’ve intrigued Beck if this had been going on during his time.

On Goldin’s Pond

                When William Goldin settled on a strip of land on the Great Egg Harbor Bay he started the momentum that would rise like a roller coaster, and eventually the descent that would change a once popular beach community.  Founded in mid to late 1600s by the Goldin family Beesley’s point changed names over the years eventually naming this unincorporated town after one of the early owners of the Tuckahoe Inn.  For a long time it connected Cape May to the rest of the country via ferry until 1927 when the local auto club petitioned to put in a toll bridge.

Roar to the Shore

                With The Beesley Point Bridge in place the small shore town turned into a thriving summer shore town!  However, as the sign above indicates, the bridge is closed.  In fact it has been since 2004 when one of the concrete support pillars collapsed.  The estimated cost of the repairs was more than the revenue the bridge was bringing in.  The bridge was demolished earlier this year (2013) despite efforts by certain interest groups to save it.  Beesley’s Point is now NJ’s largest cul-de-sac.

The Survival-Spirit!

 Town citizens and officials have mixed feelings about the now missing bridge.  Some think that it’s a benefit that the bridge is gone as it will free up available wetlands area.  Others, like the local anglers and the Tuckahoe Inn, who benefited from the bridge’s existence, are feeling the loss of the bridge, not to mention those in town who now have to drive a few extra miles to get to Somers Point.                  Nonetheless, the neighbors along Route 9 who used to have motorcycles and cars rushing past their house are content with the quietness they now have on their street.  As for the Tuckahoe Inn and other local businesses, they are staying afloat financially even those business might isn’t as strong as it was a decade ago.  Beesley’s Point is still one of the flagship towns on Upper Township because of the old homes, including the still standing residence of the town’s namesake.  For visitors there are antique shops, restaurants, and a beach that stretches only half as wide as other nearby shore towns, but still enough to enjoy the ocean and soak up some sun!

 

Next Post:  Writer’s Junction Rest Stop!

Marshallville--an identity lost

Dear Ramblers and Readers:

                Beck’s journey into the cobweb-coated corners of Southern New Jersey took him on trips where stories abounded.  I trust that you as well are finding great stories to share on your journeys through the southern half of the Garden State.  Often times the stories Beck found were funny, or thought provoking, but once in a while he ran across a tragedy.  The story of Marshallville, New Jersey is one of those stories.

From Top to Bottom

                Marshallville was a city Beck found on an old yellowed map, one that showed cities that were no longer there.  These missing towns gave Beck itchy feet, and off he went!  Marshallville, however, showed on both the yellowed map and the maps of Beck’s day and age.  The only difference was that Marshallville, once part of Cumberland County, was now part of Cape May County.  This forming booming industry town was, as Beck found it, a shadow of its former self.  Marshallville industry was concentrated in the glass works and the shipyards pulling in roughly 100, 000 dollars per year.  Enough ships went out to fill a fleet averaging fourteen ships a day. 

Sinking fast

As the shipbuilding industry grew the demand for smaller ships decreased.  As the river went unused it quickly turned into a marsh and the shipbuilding industry of Marshallville dried up.  No one, not even in Beck’s time, knew why the glass-making industry stopped.  Most likely it was a correlation of the town losing half its business, several families had to move away to find work elsewhere, and the rest was a domino effect.

Left in the dust, sadly

                History marches on, and often the wounded fall behind.  The world can push forward into greater and greater efforts of progress and never look back at those who might need a helping hand.  As society changed around Marshallville no one bothered to help them weather the storm, not even themselves.  When Beck arrived the town showed little evidence of having once been a capital of industry.  The world changed around Marshallville, and as it changed it did not take Marshallville with it, instead leaving it behind to be forgotten.

Marshallville these days…

                Marshallville as a town still exists, though it is made up of a dozen houses (down from 40) with only remnants left of its industry days.  Many of the areas of Marshallville have been placed on the Historic Preservation list, and while a few families still reside it is another forgotten town absorbed into a much larger township.

                As we travel these places together I keep thinking:  which cities, alive with industry and people now will become the forgotten towns of tomorrow?  Is there anything that can be done now to save them, or is merely part of history that these things happen?

 

Next Post:  Beesley’s Point:  Less travelled, but not forgotten

 

Weekstown: hidden in the pines

Dear Fellow Trekkers:

    I’m rarely accused of being a Mensa candidate; I’d even go so far as to say many of you are smarter than I am.  Until recently I didn’t really know the definition for the word “unincorporated” when it makes reference to a city or town.  At first I thought it was based on the population of the town and I had a vague idea that it might be some sort of licensing issue.  Turns out I was close to almost being kind of right, in a roundabout way.  The only criteria for your town to be unincorporated is for it to: “exists only by tradition and does not have elected officials at the town level”[1].  So I got to thinking about this definition and decided that this would be a good criteria to guide, but not decide, which towns would be best to classify as “Forgotten towns.”

Here’s the problem...

     Beck was searching for forgotten towns, places where no one lived anymore because the town had dried up, dissolved, and at best been absorbed into another city or township.  While this may still happen these days, I want to expand the definition of a “forgotten town” to one that may still exist, but few people have heard of.  So, dear reader, I have decided to include these hidden gems of Southern New Jersey in our search.  While it may not be the original intention of what a forgotten town should be (he outlines this in the foreword of his second book) Beck had in mind the idea to get New Jerseyeans excited about their states culture and history.  Guiding you to these places honors the spirit of all Beck’s journeys.

And to begin…

     One town that is a good example of this idea of mine is Weekstown, NJ.  I had the privilege of living in Weekstown for five years during the very early part of this century. I’ve always described it as a blink-and-miss-it town.  Weekstown completely fits the definition of an unincorporated town:  they have no direct elected officials, as they are part of Mullica Township, and have no official charter from the state of New Jersey, which means the only reason Weekstown exists is because the people of Weekstown, by tradition, says it exists.

You know what we need?

            Weekstown was founded by a family named Weeks.  It’s largely a collection of a few houses, a firehall, a church almost as old as the town itself, and cranberry bog run by a nice couple but owned by Ocean Spray.  The church, pretty much the original landmark of Weekstown, was built as a result of one of those “uphill both ways” kind of stories.  The original settlers were attending church in Green Bank which required them to ride or walk to the local river, cross it, then ride or walk some more until they reached the church in Green Bank.  Well it didn’t take long before someone decided they should just build their own church and hire their own preacher, a church building which still stands today, and is a source of pride for the members of the founding family.

Quaint and Calm:

Weekstown is one of those quiet towns with an interesting history that makes travelling their worth the trip.  Chances are, if you’re the type to stop and talk with the locals, you’ll find someone willing to share.  Weekstown if a hidden gem of a South Jersey town full of related neighboring families deep in the pine barrens.  It’s biggest claim to fame is found down a dirt road just half a mile up from the church.  Down the lane, back amongst the trees, and past the church parsonage hidden back there lies the cranberry bogs where my kids and I spent many a day during the five years that we lived in Weekstown.  The stories the locals can tell about what’s gone on in their town is a trip truly worthy of following Beck’s quest for forgotten towns.

 

Next Post:  Beck’s trip to Marshallville from “More Forgotten towns of Southern New Jersey”

 

---

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporated_town (first paragraph under ”United States”)

 

Below: Weekstown Cranberry Bogs

Ong's Hat: Fact or Fiction?

Dear Road Warriors:

    What better place to begin following Beck around South Jersey than to head to the same town where the legacy of Forgotten Towns started?  The town that started a newspaper reporter off on a quest that would later spawn a piece of cultural history has a classic South Jersey name.  What makes a classic South Jersey name, you ask?  It has to be either:  (1) named after someone [Hammonton, Pemberton Township], (2) named something natural [Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel], (3) or has a name that describes a key physical feature of the town [Bridgeton, Millville].  Today we're looking at "Ong' Hat, N.J."

A journey of a thousand miles...

     Beck's journey into the forgotten towns that fill our state began with a simple question: "Who would name a town 'Ong's Hat'?"  Setting out to write an article for his Camden newspaper Beck took off to locate the small town and interview its inhabitants.  With the founders, long since dead, no one knew the entire story of the town's origin.  Many versions of the same story are told, but which one is accurate remains a mystery.  Beck had the benefit of speaking with citizens of Ong's Hat--people no longer alive for us to speak to, unfortunately.  Citizens of Ong's hat have vanished along with the town--now nothing more than a ramshackle shed and a name on a sign.  Though Ong's Hat was found on a map in 2006, finding it at all these days can be tricky.  Mapquest will get you close using Route 206, as you get off at Southhampton Township, N.J, but the town is easy to miss!

Where'd everybody go?

     Though Ong' Hat has faded into the past the history remains alive through Beck's words and the historical accounts read and re-read by students each year. Through talking with the locals Beck records the following story as the origin of the town's name.

    One of the original settlers, Jacob Ong, was known for his silk hats, a common site in town which was a bit of a party town (dances and bootlegging were two fixtures in the town).  One man, the attention Jacob Ong was getting from the ladies, grabbed the silk hat he was wearing and stomped on it.  Frustrated, Ong flung his hat on a high branch of a tree, where it remained for years.  Later Beck would state that further research indicated that the town's name was a misprinting of the phrase "Ong's Hut" and that the town was really a stop over for a farmer travelling from Little Egg Harbor.

Forgotten towns 2.0

     Reading Beck's account of Ong's Hat, NJ made me wonder if there a modern day example of Ong's Hat here in 21st century Southern New Jersey.  The point of Beck's book is that a once prominent or busy town has  fallen on hard times and all but vanished from sight.  Considering the economy, the shifting of industry from here to overseas, it's conceivable that at least one town (most likely more) would have fallen on hard times.  How does this town comparre to those in Beck's book?  What towns would Beck, if he were writing this book today, include?  I encourage you, Weekend Road Warriors, to go out and find Ong's Hat, and to follow Beck as we see where he might head nowadays.

Next Post:  Weekstown—hidden among the Pines

Somewhere no longer there

Road trips are old fashioned things.  Even back in the 1930s, as the Great Depression ravaged the United States, a guy could climb into his car with his buddies and drive off in search of adventure, the open road, or (as in the case of Henry Charlton Beck) forgotten towns that permeate the South Jersey landscape.  Road trips are taken for many reasons, but none more common than simply for the love of the destination.  Whether your ending point is a town, a landmark, or a particular person road trips with friends can be a great way to explore the world around you.

Horizons: broad and flat

                Thankfully curiosity only kills cats, not reporters for the Camden Courier Post who decide to satisfy their own wonderings. For if it did, Henry Charlton Beck would have perished when he and some friends (who happen to be newspaper photographers and reporters) travelled to small towns of Southern New Jersey of which no one has ever heard.  What started out as a simple question turned into a quest:  “Who would name their town Ong’s Hat?”  What resulted was a series of articles that captivate readers even today.  The journeys of Henry Charlton Beck and his associates document a part of South Jersey history that has been ignored, paved over, and disappeared into history.

So what?

                I’ll spare you, dear reader, from the oft too repeated line about people who are ignorant of history; instead I will replace it with another from historian and author Philip Howard “The black hole in [history] is the way of life of mute, inglorious men and women who made no nuisance of themselves in the world”.   Many centuries of human civilization have seen people and towns disappear into history.  Beck’s series of articles and books rescued some of those people and towns and preserved them for the ages.

South Jersey past and present

                So how is this blog different from just another book review?  How will it recall the historical elements without being another history lesson and nothing more?  The essence of Beck’s articles and books were written to capture the culture and heritage of Southern Jersey.  They were also meant to ignite the passion for South Jersey history in the hearts of those of us who live in South Jersey in the 21^st century.  These towns are hidden amongst pine trees, down dirt roads, and scattered to the winds from one end of South Jersey to the next.  They are meant to be searched for, found and explored.  They are part of our shared identity.

Purpose and Intent
                Every guy who grew up in the 1980s has (at some point) wanted to be Indiana Jones.  Some *ahem* still do.  While being crushed by a huge boulder and shot at with poison tip darts is not on my bucket list, seeking a bit more adventure through exploring vast areas of the world is.  Beck and his buddies traipsed all over South Jersey tracking down these towns, the people who remember them, the people who lived in them, and the buildings and landmarks that were left of them.  How could a wannabe explorer/adventurer do anything less?  Just as Beck brought along friends, I encourage you to go with me on these journeys.  Read about the towns, their histories—do a little research of your own, then (to paraphrase) Indiana Jones: If you want to be a good explorer, you’ve got to get out of the library.  As we follow Beck and friends through 1930s South Jersey, and follow our GPS to locate it almost 80 years later I leave you some words of wisdom from Beck himself from the foreward to the 1961 printing: “At last [I have been] persuaded more than ever that the people of New Jersey should become more keenly aware of all their heritage, not just around their homes but all over the state—in the mountains, in the flatlands, on the seacoast, and in the forest fastnesses—”.