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Atlantic Highlands Condos
 Search
for Atlantic Highlands Houses For Sale
Graph below showing Number of house sold in Atlantic Highlands from 1997 to
2007
Graph below showing Average house price SOLD in Atlantic Highlands from 1998
to 2007
History Of Atlantic Highlands
The Borough
of Atlantic Highlands, once known as Portland Pointe, was originally
part of Middletown Township. During the late 1800’s, the pleasant climate
together wit the rolling hills bordering on the Raritan Bay appealed to a
number of investors.
In 1879, a surveyor was engaged to lay our roads and lots for a permanent
community. The Atlantic Highlands Association was formed by prominent members of
the Methodist Church. This organization developed the community of Atlantic
Highlands.
Individuals and groups came from New York City and the surrounding vicinity to
camp along the water in tent colonies. An outdoor amphitheater was created with
a large seating capacity and outstanding acoustics. An indoor auditorium was
built, which was utilized for entertaining visitors at the camp meetings. In
1887, Atlantic Highlands was incorporated as a Borough, containing 1.2 square
miles of prime real estate bordering on the Raritan Bay.
The major construction occurred from the 1880’s trough 1900. It included
hotels, cottages, rooming houses, and private homes. A substantial pier was
built extending well into the bay to accommodate steamboats from New York City
The next twenty years saw rapid development within the community A water and
sewer system was constructed, cottages were erected, and the road system was
completed. During this period of development a strong and effective fire
department was organized, which is today a well-respected organization within
the Borough.
A number of churches saw their beginning in the 1880’s: the Central Baptist,
First Presbyterian, Saint Agnes Roman Catholic, First Methodist, and Saint Paul’s
Baptist Church.
Steamer service was a major source of transportation during the formation of
the Borough, through the 1940’s. The Central Railroad of New Jersey built a
major pier at the end of First Avenue. Several trains at a time could continue
to the end of’ the pier to off load steamboat passengers. From the teens
through the forties, the steamers “Sandy Hook” and the “Monmouth”
navigated the waters bringing businessmen and vacationers to Atlantic Highlands.
In the 1890’s, rail service came to Atlantic Highlands. This opened up
Highlands and points south to vacationers. The 1920’s saw twenty-six passenger
trains daily passing through the Borough.
Some of the names that played a major part in the development of Atlantic
Highlands were: Thomas Henry Leonard (businessman developer, first mayor), E.G.
Martin (builder), Nimrod Woodward (master mason, builder of the Stone Bridge),
George F Laurie (businessman), and Rev. James E. Lake (Pastor of Atlantic
Highlands First Methodist Church, promoter of Atlantic Highlands).
Many famous people lived in Atlantic Highlands or were associated with the
Borough. Simon Lake, considered by some to be the father of the submarine,
tested his craft the ‘Argonaut Jr.” in Atlantic Highlands. The New York
Herald reported the testing in the January 8, 1895 issue. In the 1890’s,
Charles Payne Sears, a prominent watercolor artist, resided in the Borough. His
works were exhibited in the national portrait gallery in Washington D.C. Corwin
Knapp Linson, an artist and illustrator also resided in the borough from the
twenties through the fifties. The scene at the baptismal within the Central
Baptist Church is a Linson rendering. And, anyone who bought the Sunday Daily
News in the forties and fifties recalls a full page of cartoons in the comic
section created for many years by resident artist, Reamer Keller.
The creation of our municipal harbor took place from 1938 through 1940. This
harbor was built with municipal, state, and federal funds; the Atlantic Highland’s
Lions Club supplied the vision and determination. Today, the municipal harbor
is the largest on the East Coast, home to 715 craft including high-speed ferry
service to New York City In 1962, the existing Central Railroad of New Jersey
pier was destroyed by fire. In 1992 high-speed ferry service was introduced into
our Borough. Today, eleven runs a day leave Atlantic Highlands for the “city.”
It is interesting to note the names that appear in the directories of the 1890’s.
These same names populate the Borough and run businesses m the community today.
The bungalows on the East Side of the Borough, which in the twenties were summer
bungalows, are now year- round homes. The Victorian homes remain a reminder of
our glorious past. The waterfront is alive with activity as it was in the 1890’s,
welcoming the recreational boater.
Today Portland Pointe, a five-story senior citizen building, provides housing
for our elderly. The business community just as at the turn of the century
provides for our town and the visitor as well. An array of great restaurants,
unique shops, theaters (from a great 5- screen movie house to live theater),
provides the residents and the visitor with a reason to spend dine in our unique
community A little bit of Victorian America tucked away at the Jersey Shore,
Atlantic Highlands is truly the Jewel of the Bayshore
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