It was the summer of 1976. While much of the country was celebrating the United States’ Bicentennial, a certain youth subculture was committed to finding new ways of enjoying the America of concrete and asphalt. Skateboarding, which had grown in the 1960s as a way to mimic surfing, was enjoying a revolution of its own. Urethane wheels had elevated the skateboard from a toy to an essential part of aggressive boardriding that would become the foundation of action sports.

And that summer, much to the delight of the Island’s youth, the Hartmann brothers of Beach Haven decided to open a park…