BY LARRY RAPPOPORT
Correspondent
Above: Designed by Edward Creiger, this building was the only structure to survive the fire that destroyed Shadow Lawn. It now houses the art department at Monmouth University. At left, author Helen-Chantal Pike. What do The Rolling Stones, the publisher of “Peyton Place” and President Woodrow Wilson have in common?
They’re part of the rich history and storied past of West Long Branch, illustrated and narrated in Helen-Chantal Pike’s new book, “West Long Branch Revisited.”
“I didn’t want to see any more history about the north Jersey Shore lost in this new century,” said Pike, explaining why she wrote the book.
It is the second pictorial narrative by Pike on the topic and a sequel to a book she wrote 10 years ago. While the first volume focused on the town, the people and their Colonial descendants, the second focuses on the elaborate country estates, which were the summer residences of famous publishers, well-known entertainers and even a U.S. president.
So what was the allure of West Long Branch for all these high-society folks?
“Broadway theater was closed during the summer, so many came to the Long Branch area to ride horses, play golf and play polo,” explained Pike, who has twice won the author’s award from the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance.
A member of the Long Branch Historical Society, Pike researched the history of West Long Branch by poring through historical data discovered through the Monmouth County Historical Association and a local church. She bought historical artifacts on eBay and interviewed local townspeople, especially sanitation workers. (“It’s amazing what some people will throw away.”) The book also includes information gained through research from the first book.
“I held onto the research for 10 years until the opportunity presented itself to finish telling the story of West Long Branch,” Pike said.
That research has paid off and found some unusual connections. Such as connections to one of the most famous rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time: The Rolling Stones. As it turns out, musical prodigy Julius Kachen, who lived in the area, performed with the Stones in 1968 and was part of the Stones’ “Rock and Roll Circus” album.
An image from “West Long Branch Revisited” shows graduates of Highland Manor processing in the mid-1950s, prior to its sale to Monmouth Junior College. Then there’s the connection to the publisher of “Peyton Place,” Kitty Messner, who owned a country estate in Long Branch. A controversial 1956 novel of infidelity in a small town, “Peyton Place” shocked America at a time when the hit TV series “Father Knows Best” was considered the norm for morals and values.
Kitty Messner’s publishing company, Julian Messner Inc., made publishing history when it took a chance on then unknown author Grace Metalious. Dozens of other publishers had already turned down the book. It was a hit, remaining on The New York Times best-seller list for more than a year.
President Woodrow Wilson also adds to the allure of Long Branch’s storied past. Wilson made a dramatic acceptance speech from an estate called Shadow Lawns after the Democratic Party nominated him to run for a second term in 1916.
But it wasn’t only Wilson’s presence that made this estate special. Pike dedicates a chapter to The Shadow Lawn, which, after a horrific fire in 1927, was reconstructed into a fireproof building resembling Versailles (the opulent 17th-century baroque palace designed for France’s Louis XIV).
Pike, who has worked as a photographer and a travel writer for the Boston Herald, used some of her own pictures from a trip to Versailles to depict the similarities between structures at Versailles and The Shadow Lawns. The estate was turned into the Highland Manor All Girls School and is now part of Monmouth University, a transition that she terms “from cottages to classrooms.”
Also in the book are tales of storied summer cottages, well-landscaped properties and the families that gave the town its distinctive country character.
“West Long Branch Revisited” marks the seventh book by the author, who also lectures at Rutgers University (media history and issues) and The College of New Jersey (writing).
Through writing these books, Pike has learned what it takes to get to the heart and history of a town. She offers this advice to aspiring historians:
“Whenever possible, interview people from the older generation. You’ll be surprised at what you discover about a community and a region.”