Doug Gelbert

How New Jersey Happened: A Story of the Garden State in 100 Buildings Doug Gelbert

Imagine a group of settlers arriving in an undeveloped location. First come shelters in which to live and then structures in which to work and shop. There are buildings for worship and education. As the community grows government buildings are required. With prosperity comes places in which to spend leisure time. And each step along the way builds a story only New Jersey can call its own.



That story is all around you in the work of those who came before you. In these pages you'll learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make New Jersey uniquely New Jersey. Jersey barriers? Solved. Doo-wop motels? A mystery no more. The first drive-in movie theater in America? Identified. The origins of blueberry propagation? Revealed.



Jersey tomatoes... Sears kit houses...trolley parks...gambling...diners...camp meetings...defensive forts...lighthouses...beer...boardwalks...silk...super highways...octagonal farm buildings...horses... Negro League baseball... German POWs... Miss America...dirigibles...life-altering inventions...the Fifth Avenue of New Jersey...rock and roll. This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.



Almost all of the selections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So, if you haven't seen these landmarks in person, fire up your GPS and get out and see the story of the Garden State standing in plain sight on New Jersey streets!