at
Monmouth Battlefield State Park was fought on June 28, 1778 in
Allentown Etymology The naming of Monmouth County has different historical theories. It is thought that the county received its name from the Rhode Island Monmouth Society. This is likely, due to many of the county's earliest settlers originating from
Rhode Island. Another plausible theory is from a suggestion from
Colonel Lewis Morris that the county should be named after
Monmouthshire in
Wales,
Great Britain. Other suggestions include that it was named for
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (1649–1685), who had many allies among the East Jersey leadership.
Indigenous history Around the year 1000, the area of Monmouth County began to be inhabited by the
Lenape Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers. They came from the Mississippi River area. They lived along the vicinity of the
Jersey Shore, the
Raritan Bay, the
Raritan River and other areas in the
northeastern United States. The Lenape were a
hunter-gatherer society. They were largely sedentary, changing campsites seasonally. They were prolific hunters of small game and birds. They were also skilled fisherman, and were known to harvest vast amounts of clams from the bays and inlets on the Jersey Shore. They also practiced some agriculture to augment their food supply. During this time, an important crossroad of two major Lenape trails was located in the area of
Freehold Township in western Monmouth County.
Colonial era In 1609, the English navigator,
Henry Hudson, and his crew aboard the Dutch vessel
Half Moon spotted land in what is now Monmouth County, most likely off
Sandy Hook; however, some historical accounts credit this landing to present-day
Keansburg. Among the first European settlers and majority landowners in the area were Richard and
Penelope Stout. Penelope "miraculously" survived her wounds from a native attack in
Sandy Hook and lived to the age of 110. A group of
Quaker families from
Long Island settled the
Monmouth Tract, an early land grant from
Richard Nicolls issued in 1665. They were followed by a group of Scottish settlers who inhabited
Freehold Township in about 1682–1885, followed several years later by Dutch settlers. As they arrived in this area, they were greeted by Lenape people, who lived in scattered small family bands and developed a largely amicable relationship with the new arrivals.
Enslaved Africans were present in the area from at least 1680, and by 1726 made up 9% of the total population of the county. Monmouth County was established on March 7, 1683, while part of the province of
East Jersey. On October 31, 1693, the county was partitioned into the townships of
Freehold,
Middletown and
Shrewsbury. Since June 1764, the
Sandy Hook Light has guided ships safely into
New York Harbor, making it the nation's oldest operating lighthouse. The light was designated as a
National Historical Landmark in 1964, marking 200 years since it first went into use. At the June 28, 1778,
Battle of Monmouth, near
Freehold Township, General
George Washington's soldiers battled the British under Sir
Henry Clinton, in the longest land battle of the
American Revolutionary War. At Monmouth the tactics and training from
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben developed at
Valley Forge during the winter encampment were first implemented on a large scale. Other battles and massacres during the war in Monmouth County include sites such as the
Burrowes Mansion in
Matawan, and the
Allen House in
Shrewsbury. At independence, Monmouth's population included 1,640 slaves, as well as an undetermined number of
free African Americans. The number of enslaved persons fell steeply after 1820, though a small number remained until at least 1850. Monmouth's free African American population climbed from 353 in 1790 to 2,658 in 1860. In 1790 Monmouth County's population was 16,918, of whom roughly 6,600 were of
English descent and the remainder were
Welsh,
Dutch and
Swedish, as well as small amounts of
African Americans and
Northern Irish Protestants. By 2010 Monmouth County's population was 628,112 of whom 40,489 were of
English descent. Between 1890 and 1907 nearly 18 million European immigrants came to America. The region underwent massive and not unrelated economic changes, leading places like Monmouth County becoming significantly more diverse and somewhat less rural.
19th century In 1822,
James P. Allaire bought land that would be used to establish the
Howell Works Iron Foundry in what is now
Wall Township. The village was an early example of a
company town, having its workers live on site with numerous types of stores and facilities for them. The furnace had ceased to operate by 1848 as
iron and
coal production moved to
Pennsylvania. Today, the land is a
living history museum and
U.S. historic district known as
Allaire Village. On May 18, 1826, the
Navesink Twin Lights were commissioned by
Congress, and were first used in 1828. The twin lighthouses were one of only seven in the country. However, this structure deteriorated rapidly, and was in need of replacement. On May 1, 1862, the current structure was first lit at a much grander scale. Upon completion, it was the most powerful lighthouse in the United States. In 1883, it became the first lighthouse in the country to use a mineral-oil lamp. Today, the lighthouse is open to the public as a U.S. historic
landmark and
place. In 1848, one of the original Life Saving Stations was built in
Sandy Hook for the
United States Coast Guard. Between 1857 and 1867, construction began on the Fort at Sandy Hook. The fort remained nameless until 1895 when it was named
Fort Hancock after
Winfield Scott Hancock. On August 7, 1874, the
Sandy Hook Proving Ground was established as a weapons testing area, considered a separate facility from the fort. In 1890, construction began on the
artillery batteries of the fort. The Battery Porter was an early prototype of the
gun lift carriage. During the 19th century,
Keyport's Marine Park was a major shipbuilding hub, having built 55
steamships between 1807 and 1868, which was more than
Hoboken,
Jersey City, or
Camden during this period. In 1850,
Ocean County was carved out of Monmouth County. On September 19, 1881, U.S. President
James A. Garfield died in the
Elberon section of
Long Branch, a few months after being shot in a failed
assassination attempt. Garfield was one of several presidents who would vacation in Long Branch around the
Gilded Age, with other presidents who frequented the town including
Chester A. Arthur,
Ulysses S. Grant,
Benjamin Harrison,
Rutherford B. Hayes,
William McKinley, and
Woodrow Wilson. On July 5, 1886, the
Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club in
Rumson opened as the first
lawn tennis club in the United States. In 1888,
Palace Amusements opened in
Asbury Park alongside the boardwalk, and contained numerous
amusement rides and games, such as a
carousel. After years of a declining economy within the city, the palace closed in 1988, 100 years after it opened. In 2004, the building was deemed unsafe, and was ordered to be demolished, although various elements were saved such as the iconic
Tillie mural and the carousel. In 1899,
Guglielmo Marconi's first demonstration of the
wireless telegraph in the United States took place at the
Navesink Twin Lights.
20th century In 1910, the
Wright Brothers hosted an
aviation show in
Interlaken, where numerous records were broken, such as high
altitudes, longest time airborne, the first night flight, and the first
air mail delivery.
Fort Hancock in
Sandy Hook played a minor role in
World War 1 and
World War 2. The fort was intended as one of the defensive forts of New York City, and as neither war came to the area, the fort was largely unaffected. However, during World War 1, several of the artillery guns were removed for use elsewhere. In 1919, the
Sandy Hook Proving Ground was essentially abandoned in favor of a large site at the
Aberdeen Proving Ground in
Maryland. During World War 2, the fort served as a mobilization center. In 1946, the guns at the fort were considered obsolete, leading to their scrapping and subsequent decommissioning of the fort. The fort was reactivated twice, first as an antiaircraft defense and later as a Nike missile base, but was closed for good in 1974. Fort Monmouth was also where
Soviet spies Julius Rosenberg,
Joel Barr, and
Alfred Sarant operated. Numerous scientific breakthroughs occurred at Fort Monmouth, including
Project Diana in 1946;
SCORE, the world's first
communications satellite in 1958;
TIROS-1, the world's first full-scale
weather satellite in 1960, and other projects including
photography. On November 11, 1926, the Count Basie Theater opened as the Carlton Theater in
Red Bank. In 1970, the theater had closed alongside most of the other historic theaters in the town. In 1973, an anonymous donation allowed for the preservation of the theater. In 1984, it was renamed after
Count Basie, a native of Red Bank. Many well-known acts had performed at the theater, such as
Tony Bennett,
Olivia Newton-John,
Bruce Springsteen, and
Jon Bon Jovi. In 1928, the
Asbury Park Convention Hall was constructed alongside the
boardwalk. On January 1, 1930, the
Paramount Theater in
Asbury Park showed its first film,
Wings. The buildings are connected by a grand
arcade alongside the boardwalk. On September 8, 1934, the
SS Morro Castle caught fire and burned during a storm on its route from
New York City to
Havana,
Cuba. The ship drifted ashore to
Asbury Park by the
Convention Hall, where it remained until 1935 when it was towed away to be scrapped. The disaster was one of the
deadliest maritime disasters in United States history, having killed 137 people. On December 13, 1943,
Naval Weapons Station Earle was commissioned, which is designed to safely store and transport military ordinance. The 11,000 acre main facility consumes land in
Colts Neck Township,
Howell Township,
Wall Township, and
Tinton Falls, while the three-pronged pier in the
Leonardo section of
Middletown Township is connected to the main facility via Normandy Road, a military-only railroad and road that connects the facilities. The
Bell Labs complex in
Holmdel Township was a major center for scientific research throughout the 20th century. On May 4, 1933,
radio astronomy, one of the most significant achievements in the field of
astronomy, was invented by
Karl Guthe Jansky. On June 25, 1946, the
silicon solar cell was patented by
Russell S. Ohl, who operated out of Bell Labs. In 1959,
AT&T began construction on the current building, completing it in 1962, where the building acted as a research and development facility. The facility was expanded twice in 1966 and 1982. On October 17, 1978,
cosmic microwave background radiation was discovered at the site by
Arno Penzias and
Robert Wilson. On June 12, 1968, the
Garden State Arts Center opened in
Holmdel Township alongside the
Garden State Parkway, having its own exit of 116. The
amphitheater often hosted
classical and
popular music, as well as various other programs, and has a capacity of roughly 10,000 people. In 1995, on the opposite side of the parkway, the
New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial was opened. In 1996, the facility expanded heavily, adding thousands in capacity, and shifting toward general music with broader appeal to compete with other amphitheaters. In 1996, the facility was renamed to PNC Bank Arts Center. The theater is one of the most successful amphitheaters in the country. In 1970,
Asbury Park experienced a major
race riot between July 4 and July 10, one of the largest in New Jersey. The riot was largely due to high
unemployment, poor housing conditions, and lack of
recreational activities within the African American community. Over 180 people were injured during the week long riot. The largely
African American West Side of the city experienced the most damage, with an estimated $5,600,000 in damages. On February 8, 1974,
The Stone Pony opened in
Asbury Park across the street from the boardwalk. The live
music venue is small but well-known, with its most notable talents
Bruce Springsteen and the
E Street Band as well as
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes having launched their career out of the venue.
21st century In 2005,
Fort Monmouth was recommended for closure, and in 2011 the facility shut down for good. Redevelopment of the land had been in talks since 2006, and in 2021
Netflix had announced it was going to create a film studio at the facility. In 2022, a proposal to develop housing units where the fort's housing stands was approved. In 2006, Bell Labs was sold, and preservation efforts were made by residents and former employees. In 2013, a developer began site redevelopment, with the research building becoming a
New Urbanism inspired
mixed-use facility, while the surrounding land became residential housing. In 2016, Monmouth Mall in Eatontown announced that it would be redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly mixed-used development, including demolition of some of the abandoned parts of the mall, with the addition of housing, plazas and walkways, amongst many other changes. The mall, which opened in 1960, had faced lots of
vacancies and financial troubles over the years that led to the decision. The plans were finalized in 2023. On June 14, 2018,
Monmouth Park Racetrack became the first place in
New Jersey to offer
sports betting. ==Geography and climate==