A town police office saw my activity with the camera and the GPSr and came out to investigate. Seeing my Semitic good looks, I can only assume I was a terrorist up to no good. After giving him a quick lesson on Waymarking and Geocaching, like only I can, he said thanks and went back inside the building.
This structure is located just off of South Central Avenue. A Google Earth check reveals that it would be impossible to get closer coordinates.
About the Structure
Construction on a “modern” Life Saving Station on the oceanfront began about the time of the incorporation of Sea Side Park, and was completed for the summer of 1900. In 1915 the Life Saving Service merged with Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard; the station was redesignated the Toms River Coast Guard Station No. 109. It closed in July 1964; the building was sold to the Borough of Seaside Park in 1966. After the completion of a major restoration project on the old station, the borough offices were moved there in October 1996. The garage behind the building is used for storing lifeguard equipment, continuing the goals of the original Life Saving Service.
A Brief History
The Borough of Seaside Park, located on the Barnegat Barrier Island in Ocean County, New Jersey, was first permanently settled in 1874. The area was called “Park City,” as the settlers wanted to build a sea side park. Unfortunately, the non-native trees from the mainland would not grow in the harsh barrier beach sand. Although there was to be no central park in the town, the name remained.
Seaside Park was a section of Dover Township until the creation of Berkeley Township in 1875. The area then became known as the “Sea Side Park” section of Berkeley Township.
The area north of Sea Side Park, then known as the Berkeley Tract, was annexed by the Borough of Sea Side Park on or about May 12, 1900. As the town grew, the name of the borough lost a space. In 1914, a newly appointed town clerk wrote the name of the town as “Seaside Park” in the council minutes. This practice continues to this day.