[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E237-E238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PINE BEACH

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 21, 2025

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey.  Mr. Speaker, nestled along the southern 
shore of the Toms River, in Ocean County, New Jersey, just near the 
mouth of the beautiful Barnegat Bay, is the Borough of Pine Beach.
  This picturesque Jersey town boasts of a warm and robust community 
where residents cherish American values, dependable, friendly neighbors 
and a storied history with a limitless future, full of promise.
  On March 25, 2025, Pine Beach will mark its 100th anniversary of its 
founding with celebrations, dedications, contests and great fanfare.
  Dubbed ``The Pearl of the Toms River,'' the Borough's beginnings are 
rooted in the work and vision of two retail merchants from 
Philadelphia, Robert M. Horter and George Kelly, who launched a small 
summer colony along the coast of New Jersey by acquiring land in 1908 
under the name of the Pine Beach Improvement Company. To fulfill their 
dream of a home away from home--at no better place than the remarkable 
Jersey coastal area--they borrowed many street names from the 
Philadelphia area that soon saw construction workers raise sturdy 
attractive summer and retirement homes. By 1910, 109 deeds were 
recorded and 22 homes built, with groundbreakings for new homes 
continuing each year.
  As this small desirable community began to grow, local leaders looked 
towards establishing a stand-alone borough. On March 25, 1925, a 
majority of electors residing in the Pine Beach area voted to 
incorporate the borough of Pine Beach in the County of Ocean. Residents 
of the newly minted Borough of Pine Beach voted on April 21, 1925, for 
their first Mayor, Council, Assessor, and Collector.
  We are grateful to the members of the Pine Beach Preservation Society 
Historical Committee, who led the research and preservation work that 
has helped secure and share the history of the Borough's founding. 
President George Roksvaag and Vice President Justine Saxton, are 
credited with pouring through Borough and Berkeley Township archives, 
as well as documents of the Ocean County Historical Society and the New 
Jersey State Library. The Committee's efforts culminated in its strong 
recommendation that the current Mayor and Council celebrate and adopt 
the date of March 25, 1925, as the Borough's official Founders Day.
  And celebrate they will. The official kick-off begins on Monday, 
March 24, 2025, with Mayor Lawrence Cuneo, and the Borough's Council 
Members James Keesling, Lori McGee, Raymond Newman, Richard Polhemus, 
James Saxton, and Barry Wieck at a town hall ceremony where they will 
proclaim the official date of Pine Beach Founders Day.
  Day-long ceremonies will follow on Tuesday, March 25, led by the Pine 
Beach Preservation Society's Events Committee at Borough Hall. 
Additionally, delightful artwork depicting scenes of Pine Beach life 
composed by local artists will be on display at the nearby Pine Beach 
Elementary School, home to the Pine Beach ``Panthers'' and its 400 
students.
  To cap off the day, Borough celebrations continue with a Pine Beach 
Founder's Day Reception at the Pine Beach Yacht Club. Older than the 
Borough itself, the Yacht Club has been a true ``anchor'' of the 
community since 1916, hosting social and civic activities like dinners, 
dances, skits, fairs, auctions, moonlight cruises, and teas. Its Junior 
Sailing Program helps train, shape and prepare New Jersey's next 
generation of sailors. The evening will include a presentation by 
Gretchen Coyle, a writer and member of the New Jersey Maritime Museum 
who has written about Pine Beach.
  A landmark in the midst of Pine Beach's history is the Pine Beach 
Volunteer Fire Company No. 1. The original members--including Howard 
Hutchinson, LeRoy Hutchinson and Charles Creamer, Jr.--answered the 
first calls nearly 100 years ago and today's Company President, John 
Kubilewicz, Chief David McKay and all the dedicated Executive Officers 
Line Officers carry the same first responder attributes of courage, 
selflessness dedication to their community. Fire Company No. 1 is known 
for also hosting great community events and it too will celebrate its 
100th anniversary on December 11, 2025.
  The heart of the community, Mr. Speaker, may be its historic chapel, 
a ``summer church'' built in 1910 by the Reverend August Pohlman, who 
is believed to have built the first summer home in Pine Beach in 1909. 
Then a pastor of the Temple Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, he became 
the first pastor of the chapel. Initially used by both Protestants and 
Catholics and even doubling as a schoolhouse for a time, it was put to 
year-round use in 1932 with a resident pastor. Today, Pine Beach Chapel 
continues its inspiring worship traditions with Sunday services, Bible 
studies and other faith activities.
  When recapping Pine Beach landmarks, we must also highlight the 
original home of the Admiral Farragut Academy, named after the Civil 
War naval hero who famously declared in battle ``Damn the torpedoes, 
full speed ahead!'' For six decades, between 1933 and 1994, the school 
operated as one of only two Naval Honor Schools in tha Nation. Future 
Navy aviator and astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. once attended the 
school. The history of the academy lives on today at its southern 
campus in St. Petersburg, Fla.
  It's been a remarkable, impressive 100 years for Pine Beach. Today, 
the Borough has more than 900 households and more than 2,100 people, 
according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures. As the 
congressman for Pine Beach, it is my pleasure to congratulate the 
entire community and join you in celebrating this important milestone. 
You are truly blessed to call Pine Beach your hometown, an amazing 
place to visit, live, and raise a family.

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