Editing Seaside Park, New Jersey (section)

==History==
The first inhabitants of the barrier island were [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] who came in search of fish, crabs, clams, and scallops. They called this area "Seheyichbi," meaning land bordering the ocean. The [[Atlantic Ocean]] provided more than food; these people began using shells in place of wooden beads as their form of currency. These Native Americans, who stayed during the summer and went inland for winter, were part of the principal [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] tribe that lived mainly on and around the North American Seaboard. The Algonquians in New Jersey called themselves "Lenni Lenape", which means "original people."
[[File:Boardwalk - Seaside Park, New Jersey.JPG|thumb|left|First boardwalk in Seaside Park (early 1900s)]]

What is now Seaside Park was a section of Dover Township (now known as [[Toms River, New Jersey|Toms River Township]]) until the creation of [[Berkeley Township, New Jersey|Berkeley Township]] in 1875. The area then became known as the Sea Side Park section of Berkeley Township. Over the next 25 years, lots were sold, houses and roads were built, and the population of Seaside Park began to grow.

On March 3, 1898, [[New Jersey Senate]] President [[Foster M. Voorhees]], the acting [[governor of New Jersey]], signed a bill incorporating "Sea Side Park" as an independent borough, created from portions of Berkeley Township.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 205. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref> Originally, the town ran from 14th Avenue to North Avenue, about half its present size. An area known as the Berkeley Tract, north of the original area of the borough, was annexed on or about May 12, 1900.<ref name=History>Anderson, Andrew J.; and Anderson, D. Gail. [http://www.seasideparknj.org/history/ History], Borough of Seaside Park. Accessed September 23, 2013.</ref><ref>Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nOkkAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA255 ''Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period''], p. 255. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 2, 2015.</ref> The borough was named for its location on the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=29 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 2, 2015.</ref>

As the community grew, the name of the borough lost a space. In 1914, a newly appointed municipal clerk wrote the name of the borough as "Seaside Park" in the council minutes, combining the first two words. This practice continues to this day.<ref name=History/>

While Sea Side Park was going through the process of being incorporated, the Senate Amusement Company of Philadelphia was working on plans to build an oceanside attraction in Seaside Heights within feet of the border to Sea Side Park. Their plan was to build a covered pier to house a carousel. The structure was built in 1915 under the direction of Joseph Vanderslice of Senate Amusement Company. Budget issues caused the business to not open in 1916, and the amusement ride and building was subsequently sold to Frank Freeman. The combination of the completion of the Toms River Bridge on October 23, 1914,<ref>[http://www.discoverseasideheights.com/history/toms-river-bridge The Toms River Bridge], Discover Seaside Heights. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref> and the DuPont Avenue carousel and boardwalk are what likely led to the 219% population growth shown between the 1910 and 1920 censuses in Sea Side Park.<ref>[http://www.discoverseasideheights.com/history/boardwalk-history Boardwalk History, Some Seaside Heights' Firsts three ladies in front of the carousel, Seaside Heights, NJ This picture was taken in 1926 and is one of the earliest photos of Freeman's carousel. A Carousel on the Beach], Discover Seaside Heights. Accessed January 25, 2015.</ref>

===Disasters===
On June 9, 1955, a malfunctioning neon sign component caused a fire at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue. The fire was driven by winds estimated at {{convert|50|mph}}, blowing the fire south and engulfing the entire pier. The fire was stopped at Stockton Avenue due in part to the fact that the boardwalk and pier ended there. In what became known as Freeman's Fire, a total of 85 buildings were destroyed with an estimated $4 million in damage from the conflagration.<ref>Chang, David. [http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Boardwalk-Fire-Brings-Back-Memories-of-Devastating-Seaside-Blaze-Nearly-60-Years-Ago-223759891.html "Boardwalk Fire Brings Back Memories of Devastating Seaside Blaze Nearly 60 Years Ago"], [[WCAU]], September 16, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2013. "On June 9, 1955, a fire broke out at a shop on the corner of Ocean Terrace and DuPont Avenue in Seaside Heights. Driven by 50 mile per hour winds, the fire spread south, until it was finally placed under control at Stockton Avenue in Seaside Park..."</ref>

On March 8, 1962, Seaside Park was affected by a [[nor'easter]] that had churned offshore for two days. The storm, which destroyed a large section of the borough's boardwalk, is variously referred to as the [[Ash Wednesday Storm]], the Five High Storm and the Great March Storm of 1962.<ref>Rose, Lisa. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/50_years_later_nj_remembers_wh.html "50 years later, N.J. remembers the storm that swallowed the Jersey Shore"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', March 8, 2012. Accessed September 23, 2013.</ref><ref>Salvini, Emil R. [http://www.njtvonline.org/news/uncategorized/the-great-atlantic-storm-of-1962/ "The Great Atlantic Storm of 1962"], [[NJTV]] News, March 6, 2012. Accessed July 27, 2016.</ref>

On September 12, 2013, a [[2013 Seaside Park, New Jersey fire|ten-alarm fire]] swept from the Funtown Pier northward.<ref>Staff. [http://6abc.com/archive/9245840/ "Seaside Park Fire 100 Percent Contained; No Word on Cause"], [[WPVI-TV]], October 7, 2013. Accessed July 27, 2016. "The fire that consumed much of the Seaside Park boardwalk Thursday was contained but some hot spots flared up on early Saturday. Officials say this is to be expected and they are on top of any minor flare ups. Now, the investigation into what caused the massive inferno is about to begin."</ref> The fire is believed to have started under the boardwalk, below the Kohr's Kustard stand at the southern end of the pier. The wind pushed it northward, and fire crews were able to make a stand at Lincoln Avenue by tearing up the newly replaced boardwalk which was destroyed less than a year before by Hurricane Sandy.<ref>Rose, Lisa; and Augenstein, Seth. [http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2013/09/seaside_begins_picking_up_pieces.html#incart_maj-story-1 "Christie promises to rebuild, as firefighters continue to knock down hot spots at Seaside Boardwalk"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', September 13, 2013. Accessed July 27, 2016.</ref> Jack & Bill's Bar and Kohr's Kustard were two businesses that were destroyed in both the 1955 and 2013 fires.

On September 17, 2016, [[2016 New York and New Jersey bombings|a suspected pipe bomb]] was placed in a trashcan and detonated, causing a small explosion, but no injuries or deaths. It is currently unclear who placed the bomb and under what motivation, but it is believed the bomb's intended target was the Seaside Semper Five, a [[5K run]] taking place in the surrounding area. The run had been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances regardless, but was canceled soon after details of the explosion became clear.<ref>Miele, Christopher; Baker, Al; and Barbaro, Michael. [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/nyregion/chelsea-explosion-new-york-city.html "Powerful Blast Injures at Least 29 in Manhattan; Second Device Found"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 17, 2016. Accessed August 22, 2018. "Officials said the New York explosion was not connected to a blast that happened 11 hours before when an improvised device exploded in a garbage can near the course of a charity race that was about to start in a small town on the Jersey Shore. That device went off around 9:30 a.m. near the boardwalk in Seaside Park, N.J., according to the Ocean County sheriff, Michael G. Mastronardy."</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Simon|first=Mallory|title=New York explosion leaves dozens injured|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/17/us/new-york-explosion/|publisher=CNN|date=September 17, 2016|access-date=September 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=De Blasio: Dozens injured in Manhattan explosion|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/de-blasio-29-injured-in-explosion-in-manhattan-1.12331497|work=Newsday|date=September 17, 2016|access-date=September 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first1=Melanie|last1=Eversley|first2=Kevin|last2=McCoy|title=Explosion in N.Y.'s Chelsea neighborhood injures 29|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/09/17/explosion-new-york-chelsea-neighborhood/90605526/|newspaper=USA Today|date=September 17, 2016|access-date=September 17, 2016}}</ref>