Elberon

Elberon — Where President Garfield Spent His Last Days

Elberon is the exclusive enclave within Long Branch where President James Garfield was brought by train to recuperate after being shot in 1881 — he died here on September 19th, just yards from the ocean. The 1920 aerial shows the quiet lanes and large summer estates set behind the bluffs, a world of privilege removed from the carnival atmosphere of the boardwalk areas to the north. The 1933 view shows the community largely unchanged, the estates intact despite the summer hurricane. By 1962, the Ash Wednesday Storm drove enormous seas against Elberon's oceanfront — the beach eroded significantly and the contrast with the generous strand of 1920 is striking.