The following is taken from a publication by the Monmouth County Bi-centennial Committee. Although the history does not change, keep in mind that this was written in the present tense, and is history itself. There are numerous homes with "Century House" plaques these days, and saddest of all, is that the town no longer has "Quiet Sundays". But Hurrah! Tent City Lives On!
Ocean Grove- A Way of Life Preserved
To the south is Asbury Park, named for Bishop Francis Asbury, the first Methodist bishop in America.
The city's Main Street leads to Ocean Grove, a Christian seaside summer resort and Methodist camp meeting ground which has played host to many distinguished visitors, including five presidents, since it was founded in 1869.
Other celebrated visitors have included Will Rogers, who entertained 10,000 people here in July of 1928; Enrico Caruso, Billy Graham and Booker T. Washington.
Ocean Grove was also the home of the famous Mrs. Wagner's Pies. Mr. and Mrs. William Wagner lived here in the early 1870's when Mrs. Wagner began making fruit pies. She later opened other bakeries, and the business continued until 1966.
The main attraction of this small community is its auditorium, which was opened July 1, 1894. It has a seating capacity of about 8,000 and houses the Hope-Jones organ, which was for many years the largest organ in the world.
Another attraction is the Centennial Cottage, one of the oldest houses in Ocean Grove, Now moved from its original Cookman Avenue site to the corner of Ventral Avenue and McClintock Street, it has been completely restored and furnished with pieces that reflect the period around 1869.
The quaint community retains much of its early charm, with only a few modern buildings to suggest that the 20th century is outside the gates.
It is perhaps the only community which bans vehicular traffic on Sundays, except for emergency vehicles.
During the summer, tents are erected along several blocks for the many summer residents who are attracted to the relaxed conservative life of the town.
The site for Ocean Grove was chosen by a group of Methodist preachers who were looking for a plave to establish a camp meeting ground. They wanted a place near the sea, where tired ministers could congregate and rest from their busy lives.
The community derived its name from its proximity to the ocean and from the many trees on the land.
It was founded by the Reverend William B. Osborn of Farmingdale, and its first meeting was led by Dr. Ellwood Stokes of Red Band who was its spiritual leader and president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association from 1869 to 1897.
President Ulysses S. Grant (a distant cousin of your webmaster* :) ), who had a summer cottage in Long Branch, was a frequent visitor. William McKinley was the first President to speak in the auditorium, and he was followed successively by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft and Richard M. Nixon
(another distant cousin of your webmaster* :) ).
Richard and Kathleen Pettys
Please report any errors so that they may be corrected. Thanks
* The documented kinship between Richard and Presidents Grant and Nixon (which includes both President Bush 41 and President Bush 43) is through Mayflower lineage.