Beach Haven's LBI Historical Museum Marks 50 Years of Preserving Island History

BEACH HAVEN, NJ — The Long Beach Island Historical Museum in Beach Haven is marking its 50th anniversary, celebrating five decades of preserving and presenting the island's past.

The museum is in the former Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church, an 1882 building in the Beach Haven Historic District that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Since its founding in 1976, the museum has documented Long Beach Island's shift from what the museum describes as a wilderness of whalers and lifesavers to a major summer destination. Its exhibits focus on the maritime and social history that shaped the barrier island and the communities that grew there.

Permanent and rotating exhibits cover several chapters of that history. Among them are displays on the Golden Age of Hotels, with rare photographs and salvaged architectural elements from the Engleside and the Baldwin. Another exhibit looks at maritime and lifesaving history, including equipment from the United States Life-Saving Service and accounts of shipwrecks tied to the island's early identity.

The museum also features an exhibit on the 1916 shark attacks, with newspaper archives and historical context tied to the events in nearby Matawan Creek and Beach Haven.

Visitors can also learn about the Tuckerton Railroad, known as the "Short Line to the Sea," and its role in bringing early tourists from Philadelphia and other areas. Other artifacts include vintage bathing suits, boardwalk memorabilia and antique fishing gear that trace daily life on the island over roughly 150 years.

Beyond the exhibit space, the museum also serves as a community gathering place for education programs and local history events. It hosts guest speakers, walking tours of historic Beach Haven and educational programs for local students.

"Our mission is not just to store objects, but to tell the stories of the people who built this community," said the museum's President, Denise Cleveland. "As we look toward the next 50 years, we remain committed to ensuring that the unique spirit of LBI is never forgotten."

The museum is at the corner of Engleside and Beach Avenues in Beach Haven. It is open seasonally from June through September, with special events held throughout the year as the organization marks its anniversary.