Projects for Middletown, Fair Haven and Atlantic Highlands recieve funding.
By Stephen Appezzato
MONMOUTH COUNTY – County officials unveiled the winners of this year’s historic preservation grants. In the Two River area, special projects in Middletown, Fair Haven and Atlantic Highlands will receive funding.
Twelve organizations across Monmouth County will receive a portion of a $109,035 pool of matching grants. The funds, awarded by the Monmouth County Historical Commission, will contribute to historic restoration projects in an effort to highlight local history.
Middletown
Among the Two River recipients is Middletown, which will apply its funding to repairs to its train station.
“The historic train station was built in 1876. It is one of the few remaining original structures of the New York and Long Branch Railroad (today’s North Jersey Coast Line) and the only one of its style,” said Thomas Valenti, president of the Middletown Township Historical Society and member of the town’s Landmarks Commission and Historic Preservation Committee.
The historical society leases the station, located by the Middletown Arts Center and commuter parking lot, and is in the process of creating a history museum at the site, which is slated to open next year.
“In its early days, before Middletown became a commuter hub after World War II, the railroad was primarily used by local farmers sending their produce to New York City and North Jersey cities,” Valenti said.
With the funds, the historical society plans to install a new roof resembling the original slate and new period-correct copper gutters.
With America’s 250th anniversary around the corner, Mayor Tony Perry said the township is proud the Monmouth County Historical Commission recognizes the importance of preserving the train station as a museum to showcase Middletown’s heritage.
“We look forward to restoring this landmark and providing a place for both residents and visitors alike to learn more about Middletown’s role before, during, and after the Revolutionary War,” Perry said.
Valenti also expressed the township historical society’s appreciation for the award.
Fair Haven
Also receiving funding this year is Fair Haven for work on Bicentennial Hall (Historic Fisk Chapel). According to council member Tracy Cole, who serves as liaison to the town’s Historic Commission, the borough is currently making ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) improvements to the chapel and will un-dertake other needed improvements to the site in the future.
“A part of that will be painting Bicentennial Hall, which it’s in desperate need of,” Cole said.
The chapel was originally built in 1882. “Essentially, it was the center of African American social, cultural and religious life” on the peninsula until 1975, when the congregation donated the building to the borough, said Elise Casey, president of the Historic Association of Fair Haven. “Right now, it survives really as a link to the origins of the early African American community in Fair Haven,” as well as a link to General Clinton B. Fisk, a soldier and political figure during the post-Civil War period.
Casey said Fisk was a very notable figure during the Civil War and a wealthy businessman who moved to a country estate in Rumson in 1878. After learning his workers had to walk to Red Bank to attend church, Fisk donated the land and $3,000 to construct the chapel.
“It has enormous historical importance, not only for the town of Fair Haven but for Monmouth County, as it’s the oldest religious building on the Rumson neck of Eastern Monmouth,” Casey said.
Alongside these improvements, the borough has big plans for Bicentennial Hall (Historic Fisk Chapel). In September, Fair Haven was awarded $38,600 from the Preserve New Jersey Historic Trust Preser vation Fund to develop a plan for historic programming at the site, such as displays, tours, docents and other possibilities.
The money will go toward planning and design work and “engaging the community in a conversation about what should actually happen here at Bicentennial Hall,” Cole said.
“The idea is we figure it out together as a community,” she added.
According to borough administrator Christopher York the borough is awaiting the funding so it can begin the project.
Atlantic Highlands
The Atlantic Highlands Historical Society is the third local group receiving county funding and will use the money to make repairs to a tower in the Strauss Mansion, a historic home built in 1893 that now serves as a museum.
According to Atlantic Highlands Historical Society president Lynne Petillo, the 1893 Queen Anne-style shore “cottage” was built by Adolph and Jeannette Strauss as a summer residence to entertain family and friends in the up- and-coming resort town of Atlantic Highlands, which was just a short commute by railroad or steamship from their year-round residence in Manhattan. After years of private ownership, the mansion was rescued from demolition by the historical society in 1980 and restored into a museum in 1986.
“The mansion has two towers, which gives it a distinctive profile,” Petillo said. “The tower which received the grant funding from the county for repairs this year is open to the public and is one of the most popular spots in the mansion,” she added. Those who visit the museum can climb the tower for a prime panoramic view of the area.
Petillo noted the Monmouth County Historical Commission has “consistently championed all of the wonderful and varied historic sites in our county,” and the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society is “privileged to be supported by the commission and to be part of the vibrant community of historic sites in our area.”
The museum will open for the coming season from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays from April 6 until mid-December, as well as for special events and programming.
In addition to these three projects, nine other organizations across the county will receive matching grants for similar restoration projects, while a separate $50,908 in regrants from the New Jersey Historic Commission will be doled out to 17 groups for operational support.
In a press statement, Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said it was an honor for the county to recognize the efforts of the many individuals and groups who expend significant time and effort to help preserve the county’s history.
“We are thankful for the important work done by these individuals, organizations and municipalities in safeguarding these historic landmarks, enabling residents and visitors alike the opportunity to connect with the county’s past,” said county commissioner Erik Anderson.
The article originally appeared in the March 13 – March 19, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
