Gilford Park: The Wonderland of New Jersey Where the Toms River Meets the Barnegat Bay

Much can be said about Gilford Park when it was built and the transformation that has occurred there in the 80 years since the first lots were sold.  It seems most have an opinion on the subject one way or another.  But one fact remains, that cannot be changed by time or the court of public opinion and that is the basic concept of “Where is Gilford Park”.

Gilford Park: The Wonderland of New Jersey Where the Toms River Meets the Barnegat Bay

At least that’s how it was promoted in the newspapers on May 18, 1924 when the Bay Bridge Development Company, Inc. of Island Heights began selling off small portions of the old Gilford Estate.    The Gilford Estate, which covered both sides of what is now Route 37, went from Island Heights to well north of Route 37.

At the time, it was hailed as the largest collection of Jersey Shore lots available.   On  May 18th, sales began after a successful marketing campaign by the developers helped sell lots that were 40 feet by 150 feet, ranging from $150 to $300 each, depending on location.

Before the sale started, the company  already had commitments from buyers on 200 lots.

“Beautiful Gilford Park” was billed as a family getaway and the perfect place to build your summer bungalow, with easy access to downtown Toms River and Seaside Park.   Remember, at that time, there wasn’t much else in between the two destinations.

Gilford Park had everything a vacationing 20′s and 30′s family could want. “Electricity, Good Roads and Good Water”, according to later advertisements.   It was a place where “Many men of moderate means were buying lots!”.

Gilford Park Murder Sparks Border Debate

But the debate today seems to rage on about what is Gilford Park and where is Gilford Park.  It has been erroneously reported in local online blog sites that Route 37 is the “DMZ” between Gilford Park and the now “civilized” section of Toms River.

Truth is, Gilford Park, is, was and always will be on both sides of the highway.   “Gilford Park is located on the State Road between Toms River and Seaside Heights.  It fronts on the Barnegat Bay”, Colonial Land Company stated in a 1929 through 1930 marketing push to sell more land.  Lots were sold on both sides of the road.

But today, in media, facts are unimportant as stories are told and twisted to serve purpose.   A shooting a few weeks ago in the Gilford Park section of town, on Gilford Avenue reiterated claims that Gilford Park is an impoverished and crime ridden section of the township.  One might question the media’s defiance of the clearly established borders of the section of town as verified on older maps of the township.

Murder Not a Reflection of the Community

Murders happen everywhere in Toms River.   They are not based on home value or street address.   In the past 10 years, there have been murders in more affluent sections of the community, such as the magazine salesman/murderer  who committed a  grisly murder on Chestnut Street, near newly built (at the time) moderate to middle income level single family homes and in the bay side ranch and waterfront communities off of Fischer Boulevard.

Murders are not just for the poor, such is the case of the high profile Marshall Murder for hire, insurance case of 1984.

The facts are what they are.  Gilford Park, when constructed was land, which was part of the Gilford Estate, which lay on both the north and south side of Route 37.  Any media attempt to redraw the boundaries of this community serve nobody and are a misinformation of fact.

History

Gilford Park was not always what it is today. It was once a very bustling and successful vacation community. From the 1960′s through the 1970′s it was home to Dover Township’s second outdoor movie cinema, a go-cart track and plenty of places to have a quick meal or ice cream before retiring from a long day at the beach or on the bay.     Those bungalows eventually turned into low income rentals in the off-season for struggling landlords who needed occupants year round as vacationers migrated from Gilford Park to the barrier island communities as more modern resort motels, with more competitive rates were constructed across the bay.

Many residents who vacationed in the close quartered bungalows also eventually relocated to the township or elsewhere at the shore, calling home one of the many more accommodating single family home developments throughout the township that either grew from Gilford or in other sections during the 1970′s and 1980′s boom periods when Toms River itself had stopped become a tourist destination and became simply a conduit to the island.

First “Gilford Park” Murder

On March 4, 1974, the first murder of a Gilford Park resident was reported.   Susan Garden, 14, was found raped and stabbed after she was reported missing from her Gilford Park home.  Her body was found in nearby Beachwood.

The most recent shooting on Gilford Avenue

Carving Gilford Park Out of Toms River Woodlands

By 1931, the lower section of Gilford Park had been carved out of virtually untouched land in Dover Township south of Route 37.    As lots were sold, dirt roads were constructed from Gilford Avenue, east toward the bay. It was a prefabricated community where roads were built and planned before a single structure was built.

By 1940, several homes along the Toms River waterfront had been built and many dozens of bungalows had been erected throughout the southern portion of the development.

Between 1940 and 1956, the northern section of Gilford Park was carved out of the local woodlands.  It had grown north to about the point where Windsor Avenue is today.

Taking a look at any modern road map of the area, you can see the natural shape of the development which starts at Coolidge Avenue eastward to Fischer Boulevard and with a northern Boundary of Windsor Avenue which had historically always been considered “Gilford Park” and part of the original land lot sales of the 1920′s and 1930′s.

Below- An advertisement ran in 1930 for Gilford Park in the Trenton Times.

Posted by Ocean County News on Jul 24 2012. Filed under Community, Headline News, Jersey Shore. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.