Bay Head

Bay Head — Where the Barnegat Peninsula Begins

Bay Head marks the northern tip of the long Ocean County barrier that runs south to Island Beach — a narrow peninsula separating Barnegat Bay from the ocean. The 1920 aerial shows Bay Head at its elegant pre-Depression peak: the exclusive beach clubs and neat grid of summer cottages and year-round homes behind a natural dune system. By 1933, the hurricane had pushed surge across the low spots of the barrier. The 1962 aerial was taken shortly after the Ash Wednesday Storm — one of the worst disasters in Bay Head's history — which overwashed the barrier and flooded numerous homes to the eaves.