As stated in the Historic Preservation Section by the NJ Office of Cultural and Environmental Services; "This house was one of the principle remaining 19th Century residences associated with Shark River Village, an early settlement in Neptune which developed along an old Indian route (now known as Old Corlies Avenue) that ran along the north side of Shark River to the sea. This 164 year old Victorian style home was built by brothers Charles and James Tilton in 1846, long before the Civil War. Its features included a parlor with an ornate ceiling and fireplace, a living room, seven good sized bedrooms, a front porch, side porch, three chimneys, bay windows, two staircases, and gingerbread detailing in its six roof peaks. It was located next door to the Dewitt Shafto house - the oldest home in Neptune Township dating back to 1790. Because of its historic significance to the community, the 1019 Old Corlies Avenue home was awarded Century Home status by Neptune Township at the time of the Bicentennial. Despite its good repair, it was razed on October 2, 2007 to make room for a car wash and lube facility. The Old Corlies Avenue Preservation Alliance is presently in litigation to prevent further commercial development of the property.

OLD CORLIES AVENUE: A CRITICAL JUNCTURE

January 24th, 2010

Click below to view an excerpt from the documentary Old Corlies Avenue: A Critical Juncture:

Hamilton: The Birthplace of Ocean Grove

In viewing this documentary clip, it is important to note that what is known as the Hamilton section of West Neptune today was known as “Greenville” in earlier years.

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Historic Hamilton, The Birthplace of Neptune Township

December 8th, 2009

View photographs from OCAPA’s collection:

To learn more about these images and the history of Hamilton, the birthplace of Neptune Township, please accept our invitation to view the documentary Old Corlies Avenue: A Critical Juncture at our next fundraiser.

If you represent an organization that would be interested in hosting an OCAPA screening, please email the date and time of your event to ocapa@oldcorlies.com.

OCAPA welcomes your participation.  If you have images of historic Hamilton and Neptune Township including Ocean Grove that you would like to share, please forward your jpegs with descriptions to ocapa@oldcorlies.com.

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THE HISTORY OF OLD CORLIES AVENUE

October 13th, 2008

While the creation of the Old Corlies Avenue Preservation Alliance, also known as “OCAPA” was precipitated by an approved application by the Neptune Township Zoning Board to build a car wash / oil change / quick lube facility along the oldest roadway in the greater Neptune Township / Wall Township area, the need for a residents driven organization to stand in advocacy of the significant historical character and charm of the Avenue, once known as the “Old Indian Pass”, had gone unaddressed for far too long. The road was born of the migratory habits of the Lenape Indians, known as the“Sand Hill Lot”, who summered in Shark River Hills and wintered in Tinton Falls along Shafto Road on the site of the current Monmouth County Land Fill. That area of Tinton Falls is still known as “Reevytown”, which commemorates, honors, and signifies the intermarriages of members of the Reevy and Richardson families into the Lenape Tribe.

The above mentioned application approved on July 18th, 2007 and memorialized in September of 2007, sets the stage for a car wash / oil change / quick lube automobile facility proposed to be built on the site of one of the oldest homes in Neptune Township. Prior to its demolition  on October 2nd, 2007, the residential structure had stood in good repair and in continuous use for over 160 years since before the township of Neptune existed. This house had been built by the brothers Charles and James Tilton long  before the Civil War.  The property, now void of its historic home due to the highly questionable actions of the Neptune Board of Adjustment, is just under an acre with  centennial growth walnut trees  and protective greenery which provides a significant buffer to the Hamilton community from the bustling noise and lights caused by the traffic of Route 33. Serving as the gateway to the westerly entrance of Old Corlies Avenue, the 1019 property is located next door to the oldest house in the township (the DeWitt Shafto House built in 1790) on a stretch of road that includes a number of houses well over 150 years old. It  rests just a stone’s throw from the old Greenville Cemetery which dates back to when the area was known as Shark River Village. The Village at one time included the area’s original silversmith, stores, a blacksmith’s shop, the old Stout Farm, and the Trap Tavern famous for its role at the time of the Revolutionary War. At the time of the Civil War the town, then named Greenville, which then included the 1019 house, was where troops from the area mustered and drilled in preparation to enter the fray.

Along the road just to the east are the historic and still operating Hamilton Methodist Cemetery.  It was  here from the Hamilton Methodist Church that Reverend W.B. Osborn began the effort to create and build Ocean Grove. Further east are the historic Greenville Cemetery and more Century Homes that are well over 100 years of age. These homes as well as others along the corridor were once owned by the Newmans, the Hendricksons, the Eversons, and the Tiltons to name a few.  The Plantation House located beside the entrance to the Bert Willis ball field is also an historic property of note.

The intersection of Old Corlies Avenue and Jumping Brook Road, before Route 33 was constructed, was an important “crossroads” of the area, providing for stage coaches, horse drawn work wagons, and various other traffic. This intersection, originally Shark River Village, and later Greenville, and now Hamilton, and the community that grew up around it is the “birthplace” of what many years later became Neptune Township.

Thus our township grew from a rest stop for stage coach travelers from Ocean Port and Little Silver headed for Manasquan, Sea Girt, and Brielle. The New York City Ferry would drop them off just north of the location of the east gate of Fort Monmouth and they would travel by stage coach to the beach resorts along the Jersey Shore. Additionally, many horse drawn carts and wagons would pick up tons of iron ore at the Allaire Village production plant. Old Corlies Avenue, Gully Road, and Jumping Brook Road would then be used to freight that material back to New York City. Much of the iron that built New York City through the post Civil War period was mined and prepared in Allaire and traveled along this roadway. Later, after the advent of the railroad, the Village was on the main thoroughfare between Shark River Station and the Shore.

Easterly along the roadway is the site of the old Wardell’s Dairy. This dairy, established in 1900 and known more recently as the “Welsh Farms Property”, was one of the oldest working dairies on record in the area. The Township is currently in the process of purchasing the property and attaining resources to remediate it for Open Space as it is ideally situated situated between a tract of Green Acres and Shark River Park.

If one takes the time to travel down this road for a quiet drive, bike ride, or pleasant walk, it won’t take a lot of imagination to picture the activities of yesteryear and how they seem to haunt the neighborhood by instilling a sense of our ancestor’s courage and tenacity to forge out a meaningful life in an area where there existed nothing prior. There is an intangible value gained by embracing that very drive for individual self-reliance and shared sacrifice. The preservation of those values and ideals is as much in the cross hairs here as any of the structures that symbolize that time. There can be no question that what we create in the future increases and improves our lifestyle. However, what we bring forward from the past gives us culture and heritage. It blossoms in the form of humility and self-respect, and returns to our neighbors and friends who have passed on a measure of well deserved honor and dignity.

The Old Corlies Avenue Preservation Alliance endeavors to protect and guard the historic fiber that has been woven into the community by generations of people who understood the value and advantages of residing in Neptune Township. We hope to amplify the faint voices of the past so that they are heard by the residents of today.

If you are like-minded and wish to assist the community in empowering itself, join us in our quest to honor the past, acknowledge the present, and embrace the future, TOGETHER!

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