Stone Harbor

Book excerpt: On a barrier island near the southern tip of the Jersey shore lies the borough of Stone Harbor. Resting between the shore and the salt marshes, Stone Harbor was recognized in the early 1900s as a natural summer retreat. Stone Harbor presents the development of this popular vacation destination with historical pictures and the previously unpublished photographs of Percy J. Cole. As seen through the lens of this talented photographer, Stone Harbor in the 1930s through the 1970s represents days remembered as those of ideal summers at the shore. Stone Harbor has the distinction of being one of the earliest planned resorts. The Risley brothers were responsible for transforming idyllic dunes into broad avenues for a town that boasted all the modern utilities. Photographs of the construction scenes that brought about this change, architectural overviews of the first "cottages," other scenes from the then sparsely populated town, and wildlife photographs from the only town-supported heronry in the United States are just part of what make up this beautiful collection. Stone Harbor includes a look at the nautical life of this seaside resort, which is home to the Comet class sailboat.