Historic Map - Asbury Park, NJ - 1910

Aeroplane view of Asbury Park, N.J. showing location of "Asbury Park Estates" among the hills on Asbury Ave. Drawn by H. M. Pettit.

This reproduction aeroplane view map of Asbury Park, New Jersey was drawn by H. M. Pettit and published by Barton & Spooner Co. in 1910. Asbury Park is an Atlantic Ocean beachfront community in Monmouth County. It was developed from wilderness in the 1870's by New York brush manufacturer James A. Bradley as a resort town. Bradley built the boardwalk with a pier that led out over the ocean and an orchestral stage pavilion. In 1888, the Palace Merry-Go-Round was built on the corner of Lake Avenue and Kingsley Street by Ernest Schnitzler. The landmark amusement ride led to others including the Crystal Maze and a wooden Ferris wheel with an observation tower. The wooden wheel was later taken down and moved to Baltimore, but replaced by Schnitzler with a 74 foot Ferris wheel constructed entirely of steel. The new wheel featured twenty observation cars that seated eight passengers each. The cars were protected by a galvanized wire lattice housing that was entered through a locking gate. Above the wheel was a 24 square foot observation platform that was reached by iron stairways. The platform afforded a terrific view of the surrounding region. At night the wheel's rims were illuminated with 300 colored lights and the platform with 80. Riders were able to exit their cars onto the platform when it stopped to unload bottom cars. The Ferris wheel turned at a maximum speed of seven revolutions per minute. Several luxury hotels lined the mile and a quarter of oceanfront. More than 600,000 visitors visited Asbury Park annually. A number of Victorian mansions were built here in the 1890's. The region offered excellent swimming, boating and fishing during the day and lively clubs and amusements in the evening.

This beautifully illustrated map from 1910 shows the location of "Asbury Park Estates" among the hills on Asbury Avenue. Also shown are buildings, bridges, piers, beaches, railroad route and clearly labeled streets. There are lively scenes of active tourists, carriages and automobiles.