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The Lights Go Out in the Electric City: South Lakewood Park by Robert DeSando
Ocean County Historical Society 26 Hadley Ave, Toms RiverSunday, December 4th, 2022, at 2:00 pm - "The Lights Go Out in the Electric City: South Lakewood Park, An Exclusive Enclave for Socialites and Scientists, Reduced to Burning Embers and Forgotten by History," by Robert DeSando Please join the Ocean County Historical Society at 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River, NJ for the following program: The subject of this talk is a forgotten "city" in New Jersey known alternately as South Lakewood Park and Electric City. During the late 19th Century, Lakewood NJ was a winter resort for the rich and famous, including John Rockefeller and Jay Gould. It had grand hotels that entertained the elite of New York and Philadelphia society. Led by a visionary scientist and inventor with a knack for getting entangled in scandals, investors from New York and Philadelphia proposed to build a lavish rival resort in the pines three miles away, on the border of Lakewood, Jackson, and Toms River. Their goal was two-fold: creation of a posh playground for the wealthy and a gathering place for inventors, scientists and engineers who were experts in power generation and electricity. Work was well underway. In the 1890s, a luxury hotel, The Casino was built, a 150-foot arc light [...]