Horse Sense

Real Horse Sense …

With the nearby Monmouth Park racetrack set to open on May 11, Monmouth Beach residents might like to know that Warren “Jimmy” Croll, Jr., a Hall-of-Fame horse trainer, was a borough home-owner since 1946. The Pennsylvania-born horseman had many talents, producing champion turf, dirt and sprinter horses over 60 years.

In 1994, he trained an Eclipse Horse-of-the-Year winner, Holy Bull (who won his first race at Monmouth Park and later the Haskell Invitational). In 1987, he trained Bet Twice to a Triple Crown victory, the Belmont Stakes. Mr. Croll died in June 2008.

Did You Know

The Monmouth Beach Gas Station marked 100 years of business in 2024.

Auto service at Ocean and Riverdale Avenues (near the Long Branch border) dates to October 1924 when property owner, J. William Jones, installed two 20,000-gallon above-ground gas tanks. Despite major opposition, then Mayor A.O. Johnson did not object to the plan.

Jones, a savvy city politico (serving 30 years on the Long Branch Commission including two terms as mayor), was used to getting his way. Although the area is zoned for business, the snooty Monmouth Beach Association fought the project so Jones obtained a NJ Superior Court order to operate.

Andy Zeim, longtime head janitor at the borough school, was an owner in the 1940s and 50s. Edward Wade owned the Getty Service Station franchise there beginning in 1960. A Newark native and 50-year Little Silver resident, he died in July 1995.

Customers will recall the colorful gas pumper, Malcolm “Shorty” Kirby, who died in 1994 and longtime auto mechanic, Arthur Jensen, who died in 1983. The station endured major gas rationing periods in the 1940s and 1970s.

Damaged in Superstorm Sandy and renovated, it’s now a Liberty Petroleum fuel station; open 7 days from 6 am to 9 pm. The mechanic-in-charge is Doug King who runs All Shore Auto Repair.

Did You Know

Monmouth Beach was once home for two of the world’s most renowned musical talents — Albert Spalding (America’s first great solo violinist) and André Benoist (the famous piano accompanist) were borough residents during the first half of the 20th century.

    The skilled musical-team began their association in 1909, frequently touring the USA and the world to perform (Albert himself made 200+ transatlantic crossings before WWII). They also invited some of the world’s elite musical talent to rehearse in  Monmouth Beach — including George Gershwin, Enrico Caruso, Sergei Rachmaninoff, John Phillip Sousa, Oscar Hammerstein, Pablo Casals, and Jascha Heifetz. Lifelong friends, Spalding and Benoist died within weeks of each other in 1953.

    Albert’s family, uncle Albert G. and father James W. Spalding, founded the fabulously successful A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company in 1876. Andre’s son, Albert Benoist, an Ivy League-trained architect, designed Wharfside condos and Monmouth Commons as well as the borough’s library, bathing pavilion and fire company addition. He died in his dad’s Valentine Street home in 2012.

Did You Know

The Monmouth Beach Cultural Center – was once home to the remarkable US Life-Saving Service. Dating back to 1848, these men were revered as the heroes of the Atlantic Coast, routinely risking their lives in grand maritime rescues.

Located on Ocean Avenue in the borough’s Galilee section, it’s the town’s oldest public structure. The Duluth-Style building – first opened as Station #4 in 1894 -- also served as base for other “shore sentinels” like the US Coast Guard (from 1915-1963) and NJ State Marine Police (from 1964-1992).

Thanks to the philanthropy of Jay W. Ross and an ongoing band of true-believers, the building was spared the wrecking ball and endures. Converted into the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, it marks 25 years of service in May 2025.

The town’s ultimate “Pride of Place” it’s much more than a borough landmark — its compelling history and incomparable location demand that it be protected and promoted. That’s a mission of the new Historical Committee.