Breaking News! Royalty Visits! 1939
Another summer delivered excitement! News reports noted that fifty children from Highlands gathered along the road at the Highland Beach Resort to welcome the King and Queen of Britain as they went by on their way to Fort Hancock. On June 10, 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth motored from Red Bank station down Rumson Road to Sea Bright, past Highland Beach on its way into Fort Hancock to an awaiting destroyer, which took them to New York. It was the beginning of a modern era on the southern end of Sandy Hook peninsula when Highland Beach and the Highland Beach rail station were renamed North Sea Bright in a resolution adopted by the Sea Bright Council in July 1939. The Depression was in decline, and America’s neutrality in the face of World War II would vanish.
Undoubtedly, the Great Depression had a serious effect on Highlands and Highland Beach, as it did on so many businesses at the time. In the 1930s, the resort name was changed to “Sandlass Baths”, Highland Beach and the amenities and amusements began a transition in response to the popular culture of the new generation. At the core of this new trend was the popularity of jazz music and movies from Hollywood.
Despite the Depression, new forms of cultural expression flourished and both commercial and New Deal programs were funded, affecting the shore. One of those programs funded by the state of New Jersey came to Highlands and the Highland Beach area. In spite of scarce money, the state planned a new bridge between Highlands and Highland Beach. The low bridge caused a problem for boats passing underneath it, resulting in impossible traffic-delays. The nearby highway had been recently paved, resulting in an extraordinary increase in automobiles. In the 1930s, a new “Million Dollar” Bridge was built across the Highlands narrows. Today, the modern high span Joseph Azzolina Memorial Bridge has taken its place!
Learn more about Highlands and Highland Beach Resort.
Criss-Cross Railroad & Million Dollar Bridges
1930s
Stories and artifacts of a bygone era await you at the Twin Lights Museum. Read the recent book, Sandy Hook’s LOST Highland Beach Resort, found in the museum store recounting a fanciful era in a town glittering with stars from Broadway and the early years of silent film. History at its best!
Joseph Azzolina Memorial High Span Bridge
2021
CHRISTMAS IS COMING! A PERFECT GIFT FOR THE HISTORY HOUND ON YOUR LIST!
“SANDY HOOK’S LOST HIGHLAND BEACH RESORT”
TLM Museum Store Online, Order Here!
