Elite Americans came to Long Branch to stroll along the shore, dance in the hotel ballrooms, gamble a fortune at the casinos, build magnificent mansions and socialize with the day's most powerful players in entertainment, industry and politics.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, summers at the shore meant Long Branch, New Jersey, for seven presidents and innumerable other American celebrities. From rags-to-riches industrialists to Broadway babies, and from heirs and heiresses to world-famous poets and artists, this seaside town was the ticket to summertime rest and relaxation. Sharon Hazard's enjoyable history details the comings and goings of those who visited and those who lived in Long Branch, New Jersey, serving up the glamour of the leisurely life alongside the daily struggles of those who made such carefree pleasure possible.
Sharon Hazard is a fourth generation resident of Long Branch, New Jersey, and is active in that city's local history organizations. Her history articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including History magazine. She was photo editor for the Encyclopedia of New Jersey (2004) and New Jersey in the American Revolution (2005).