Columns
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•October 31, 2013
James Wall Freed, But No Explanation
The news spread quickly on Sept. 27, 1861, that James Wall, 42, a former mayor of Burlington, N.J., had been released from his cell at Fort Lafayette, in New York Harbor. Wall had been held at the…
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•October 24, 2013
Fight for Habeas Corpus Continues
Known as “the great writ,” habeas corpus is the keystone of all civil liberties protected by the Constitution. It is a court order demanding the government must divulge why a person is being held –…
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•October 24, 2013
Death of a Mi’kmaq Moose; Having Fun Fearing the Forecasts
This is a sad and troubling segment about a murdered white moose in Nova Scotia. Perhaps you’ve read about this hunting travesty, a clear-cut case of discrimination against all albinos.
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•October 17, 2013
Was James Wall in Prison or Hotel?
In September 1861, James W. Wall, 42-year-old former mayor of Burlington, N.J., a lawyer and prominent member of the Democratic Party, sat under heavy guard on an island in New York Harbor. Wall…
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•October 10, 2013
What Did James Wall Do Wrong?
On Sept. 11, 1861, James W. Wall, a 42-year-old lawyer and former mayor of Burlington, N.J., sat down to dinner with his wife and family. Wall had recently written an open letter to the postmaster…
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•October 10, 2013
It’s Time to Think LBI Figs; ‘Classic’ Moves Into Position
So far, fall is peeling away in a weird way. The mullet run died before it was born, the fishing is epically bad, and my favorite football teams are stinkin’ up the place.
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•October 2, 2013
Former Mayor’s Letter Leads to Arrest
Today it’s hard to believe that many U.S. citizens from both North and South considered Abraham Lincoln a tyrant and dictator. But with the advantage of more than 150 years having passed, their…
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•September 26, 2013
Lincoln Administration Stifles the Press
Following the Union rout at Bull Run in July 1861, the Lincoln administration began a campaign to silence any newspaper that was critical of the government’s policies. One of the targets of this…
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•September 26, 2013
Surely, You’re Plugging Wrong And Don’t Call Me Surely
I gotta go neck-deep into angling this week, heavens forbid.
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•September 20, 2013
Natural Patterns on the Beach Inspire Affina Brand Designs
A simple walk on the beach led accomplished designer and New Jersey native Mary Ellen Putignano to create Affina, a nature-inspired, eco-friendly home brand based on a philosophy of wellness and…
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•September 19, 2013
Postmaster General Stifles Democrats’ Dissent
The American Civil War today is portrayed as a great moral crusade led by a nearly saint-like figure, Abraham Lincoln. But in our hurry to justify and deify, many of the facts seem to have fallen…
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•September 12, 2013
The End of the Tuckerton Tower
On April 7, 1917, just hours after President Woodrow Wilson had signed the declaration of war, Secret Service agents entered Tuckerton, N.J., with the purpose of arresting all German employees…
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•September 12, 2013
I Don’t See No Stinkin’ Baby; Bean, the Loco-est Chihuahua
LOUSY LAWS – AND ONE THAT SHOULD BE: Growing up I was an odd kid. Who woulda guessed, right? I hated comics. They were far too complicated, with one glowing exception: an oft-hidden comical gem…
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•September 8, 2013
1960: The Majestic Baldwin, Gone in Smoke
In August 1947, fire destroyed one wing of Beach Haven’s Baldwin Hotel, facing the ocean between Pearl and Marine streets since 1883. Beryl Yocum kept a diary during the years she and her husband…
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•September 7, 2013
Love the Shore, Love to Eat
Full disclosure: I wrote the Foreword to Jersey Shore Food History: Victorian Feasts to Boardwalk Treats (historypress.com or online sellers, 2012) so I can’t write a critical review. But I can tell…
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•September 5, 2013
Did Tuckerton Tower Help German U-boats?
Following the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, American newspapers carried stories of German atrocities and editorials calling for war. President Woodrow Wilson, who had secretly received a…
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•September 4, 2013
Famine’s Ship of Mercy
Between 1845 and 1852, the Irish potato famine killed over one million people. In an attempt to escape starvation, almost a quarter of the Irish population emigrated – about two million souls – a…
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•September 1, 2013
‘Soaring Into Summer’
The Superstorm Sandy disaster and recovery on Long Beach Island, as was chronicled for seven months by the staff of The SandPaper. Part 10.
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•August 29, 2013
Did Tuckerton Tower Cause Loss of Lusitania?
Most histories of the Tuckerton wireless tower include the sensational accusation that from the tower, in May 1915, the message “get Lucy” was sent, meaning sink the Lusitania, and usually followed…
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•August 29, 2013
Bad Guys, Good Guys Grapple in World Chaos
In the prologue to Easy Squeezy, (Paul D’Ambrosio, Down The Shore Publishing, 2013) the year is 1974. Eight-year-old Barry watches as his Mafioso father is slain in a Toms River courtroom; he and his…
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•August 25, 2013
LBI Is Alive!
The Superstorm Sandy disaster and recovery on Long Beach Island, as was chronicled for seven months by the staff of The SandPaper. Part 9.
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•August 24, 2013
1958: Causeway Rising; Litterbug Infestation; $11,000 Cottages
A half-century ago plus five years, a new causeway was arching over the bay. By Memorial Day weekend there was only one section to go. Until it was complete and open, visitors still had to sit and…
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•August 22, 2013
Tuckerton Tower Pawn in European War
Ninety-nine years ago this month, the battle of the Tuckerton Wireless tower raged. While this battle isn’t mentioned in any history of World War I, its results would have a major impact on the war’s…
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•August 22, 2013
A Minor Mink Stink in BL; Beaches, Buggies, More
LBI Thoughts: It’s been a god-awful summer for some businesses and an ass-kickin’ godsend for others. Here’s to the many shops and businesses kicking tourist butt, so to speak. A slew of shop owners…
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•August 18, 2013
Beach Easement Holdouts
The Superstorm Sandy disaster and recovery on Long Beach Island, as was chronicled for seven months by the staff of The SandPaper. Part 8.
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•August 18, 2013
Historic Shore Impressionists
Lambertville gallery-owner Roy Pedersen grew up by the sea in Point Pleasant Beach. A child of the shore, he had many adventures in his small boat, “looking for turtles and sea horses and fish among…
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•August 17, 2013
‘Perfect Fish Consumer’ Needs Consumer Wisdom
Is that white tuna sushi you ordered really tuna or is it escolar, banned in Japan and known as the ex-lax fish for its digestive effect? Would you feel guilty ordering Patagonian toothfish? What if…
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•August 15, 2013
Tuckerton Tower’s Message Crosses the Atlantic
One hundred years ago, the name “Tuckerton” was at the center of the world’s wireless communications revolution. On the marshes that are today Mystic Island in Little Egg Harbor Township, a German…
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•August 11, 2013
2013: Gain With Pain
The Superstorm Sandy disaster and recovery on Long Beach Island, as was chronicled for seven months by the staff of The SandPaper. Part 7.
