CITY OF SOUTH AMBOY HISTORICAL TIMELINE

1640 Dutch fisherman started village with 6 houses. South Amboy was originally known as Redman’s Ferry
1789 Incorporated as a township
1808 First store opened – owned by Samuel Gordon
1831 Colonel John Stevens brought his steam engine “John Bull” to Camden Amboy Railroad and ran its first train over the entire line
1832 First lawyer in town Charles Moore
1844 First post office was established
1850 Chris Church Parish was established
1851 St. Mary Catholic Church established
1852 Swan Hill Pottery was established
1865 First Presbyterian Church organized – Rev. G. C. Bush
1868 St. Mary School was established by Sisters of Mercy. Thomas Joseph Scully, an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district from 1911 to 1921 is born is South Amboy
1872 First Baptist Church organized – Rev. Thomas S. Snow (2nd Street)
1880 Great Beds Lighthouse was built
1882 The Citizen – Local newspaper started
1888 Borough of South Amboy was formed with Cornelius McGonigle as the first mayor
1889 Knights of Pythias Lodge founded – City’s oldest fraternal organization
1890 Biggest fire raged destroying the entire block of wooden houses on the east side of Broadway which brought about the organizing of the first fire house – On May 31, 1890 – Independence Engine and Hose Company and Enterprise Hook and Ladder Co.
1890 Protection Engine Company established
1895 Sacred Heart Catholic Church established
1895 Sacred Heart School was established
1896 Governor Harold G. Hoffman was born in South Amboy
1904 Mechanicsville Hose Company was formed
1908 City of South Amboy Charter granted – Doctor Tregonowan, Mayor
1911 South Amboy native Thomas J. Scully elected as a Democrat to the 62nd United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses.
1912 Woman’s Club was formed. New Jersey’s first air mail flight – South Amboy to Perth Amboy – Pilot O. G. Simmons passenger Mayor Fred Garretson
1914 South Amboy Public Library was established
1917 Congregation Beth Israel Mordecai Formed – Lasted approx. 1 year
1918 Mogan Explosion – Gillespie Shell Loading Plant at Morgan blew up
1921 Progressive Fire Company was formed
1924 South Amboy Hospital was built
1925 Harold G. Hoffman becomes Mayor
1927 Victory Bridge was built linking Perth Amboy to South Amboy
1930 John McKeon, former Major League Baseball manager born in South Amboy
1931 First Aid Squad was formed
1932 New York Yankee, Alfred Aloysius “Allie” Clark born in South Amboy
1933 Benjamin Franklin Howell, American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1911 interred in Christ Cemetery
1950 4 munitions barges exploded in Raritan Bay off S. Amboy coast
1953 Gregory Ralph “Greg” Evigan known for the television series “B.J. and the Bear” and “My Two Dad’s” born in South Amboy. South Amboy natives Johnny and Eddie O’Brien became the first twins in major league history to play for the same team in the same game.
1954 Harold G. Hoffman died
1972 Re-dedication of the South Amboy Public Library to Sadie Pope Dowdell Public Library
1979 B. J. and the Bear (television series), starring South Amboy native Greg Evigan premieres
1984 “Purple Rose of Cairo” (movie) written and directed by Woody Allen was filmed at the Raritan Diner starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels & Danny Aiello
1987 John T. O’Leary elected Mayor. My Two Dads (television series), starring South Amboy native Greg Evigan premieres
1991 South Amboy Sayreville Times – Local newspaper started
1993 Amboy Beacon – Local newspaper started
1998 Raritan Bay Waterfront Park opens
1999 “Coyote Ugly” (Movie) starring Piper Perabo and John Goodman was filmed. South Amboy native Jack McKeon was named National League Manager of the Year
2002 South Amboy Neighborhood Preservation (SAND) Program Started. Seastreak Ferry Service started. South Amboy Business Association founded.
2003 South Amboy native Jack McKeon wins the World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins and named National League Manager of the Year
2004 Train Station Addition opened on Broadway. Commissioner Susan Bass Levin designates the City of South Amboy to the Main Street Program.
2005 B. Judith Lecki Bridge dedication (Raritan Bay Waterfront park)
2006 Railroad crossing dedication/Newcomb-Admaecs Crossing O’Leary Blvd/Broadway
2009 Dedication of Memorial to Army Sgt. First Class Benjamin Sebban. Dowdell Library Foundation founded.
2010 YMCA and Senior Center opening. “Mercy” (television series) episode “I Did Kill You, Didn’t I?” filmed. “Crackers (movie) starting Vincent D’Onofrio filmed. Fred Henry elected mayor.
2011 South Amboy native Jack McKeon takes over as manager of the Florida Marlins at age 80, becoming the second oldest manager in major league history. 1950 Pennsylvania Railroad Explosion Marker dedicated.
2012 100th Anniversary of the first air mail flight- July 4, 1912. Superstorm Sandy devastates South Amboy/East Coast
2013 125th Anniversary of Amboy National Bank. Camden & Amboy Railroad Marker dedicated
2014 125th Anniversary of the South Amboy Fire Department. 100th Anniversary of the Sadie Pope Dowdell Library. World Trade Center Memorial dedicated. Mayor Fred Henry re-elected
2015 First Air Mail Delivery in NJ Marker dedicated. Fire destroys C-Town (Foodtown) Grocery Store. Sinkhole on Gordon Street
2016 Terra Cotta Works Marker dedicated. RollerMagic Roller Skating Rink’s roof collapsed.
2017 RollerMagic Roller Skating Rink re-opens
2018 Mayor Fred Henry re-elected. Woodmont Cove Ribbon Cutting
2019 History of the “City of South Amboy” Marker dedicated. South Amboy Historical Society Gallery dedication. Veterans Memorial Signs dedicated
2020 Covid-19 Pandemic shuts down New Jersey (USA)
2021 City reopens after COVID Pandemic. Shoregate fire displaces residents
2022 “Eileen” movie starring Anne Hathaway filmed at Lagoda’s Tavern on Broadway. First phase of Station Bay Apartments begins leasing. Ferry Terminal Project groundbreaking. Veterans Plaza (on Bordentown Avenue) groundbreaking and dedication. Allie Clark Sports Complex Baseball Field renovation and dedication. Woodmont Industrial Partners Warehouse groundbreaking. Mayor Fred Henry re-elected.
2023 225th Anniversary of South Amboy Township. Osprey platform installed at SA Waterworks. Mural unveiled at Raritan Bay Waterfront Park. Canadian wildfires smoke produced worst air quality ever seen in NJ. Ferry service to New York begins.
2024 100th Anniversary of South Amboy Memorial Hospital

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Dowdell Library is Looking for South Amboy Memorabilia

The Library would like to borrow the community’s photos, media, documents and memorabilia to scan; the material would be returned within minutes. If residents wish to donate these items, originals will be preserved using professional archival storage materials.

This project will continue the preservation of South Amboy’s history within the library’s temperature controlled, historical collection. Earlier phases of the project digitized the library’s newspaper collection and South Amboy high school yearbooks, which are available for viewing.

So, please help preserve South Amboy’s heritage! Contact us at 732.721.6060 or comments@dowdell.org