Rumrunners The annual Historical Society History Cruise on a vintage paddle wheel boat enabling an interactive tour of the waterfront along Raritan Bay and the Shrewsbury River is just one of the advantages of supporting the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society and one of the Society’s unique ways to raise funds for maintenance of their historic beloved Strauss Mansion, Society President Lynne Petillo said, in announcing the August 11 three hour cruise..
Now serving her second term as president of the Society, Petillo thinks the three hour cruise aboard the Navesink Queen gives guests the opportunity to see how the area surrounding Atlantic Highlands has been important and a true part of history in many eras, from when the Leni Lenape first settled there, through Henry Hudson landing here with the Half Moon and every important era of history after that from the Revolution to the present.
The Strauss House itself holds stories of interest about the borough, its founders, and the people who lived here, from the hardworking seamen to the famous, including Robert Mantell, the most famous Shakespearean actor of his time.
The Society has preserved the Strauss House which is its meeting place as well as a museum highlighting life in the Bayshore in the 19th century. The Strauss House is the site for outdoor teas, cocktail parties, as well as historic talks, music and numerous cultural events.
“The paddle wheel boat cruises simply add to the entire experience,’ the president said, “while at the same time enabling us to raise funds to continue to preserve the Strauss Mansion and keep it in excellent condition and repair.”
Since the Society was founded in 1973, and incorporated three years later as a non-profit organization, it has played an important role in the borough. It was a key factor in the area’s bicentennial program including the Tall Ships during the Bicentennial of the country and is planning programs and activities to celebrate the 250th anniversary in 2026.
Through the years the Society focused attention on the history and restoration of homes in the borough through 25 town-wide house tours, hosted over 200 expert speakers, helped to define the historic district, published several books, and reprinted “From Indian Trail to Electric Rail”,.
Making their restored Strauss House their headquarters, the Society keeps alive the memory of millionaire importer and businessman Adolf Strauss who constructed the mansion as a “summer cottage” for him and his family. The Strauss Mansion is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places and has the support of the New Jersey Historic Trust and the 1772 Foundation, whose matching grants have enabled the Society to replace several deteriorating features over the years.
Cruises aboard the Navesink Queen raise funds to continue that work, the president said.
Local historian and author Muriel J. Smith will be the speaker on the next Society cruise aboard the paddle-wheeler, set for Sunday, Aug. 11, leaving the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Harbor at noon for a cruise and luncheon down the Shrewsbury River and Sandy Hook Bay.
With each of the speakers on Society trips accenting a different era in which the town gained fame, Smith will speak on Prohibition, how and by whom the law was created, and how the hard working but quick thinking local seamen turned it into a profitable side business at the onset of the 14 years the “social experiment “ was in effect.
Smith will highlight famed names of the era, from Bill McCoy at the onset of Prohibition to the gangsters that later turned it into a lucrative illegal business that included murder, theft, and brawls. Smith will talk about the 20th century Mayor who found a sophisticated still in the basement of his own home, the mayor whose auto shop was a storehouse for illegal booze and how he got away with it under the eye of the police.
She will define the difference between a rumrunner and a Bootlegger, a Blind Pig and a speakeasy, and cite many other words that came into the language because of the Social Experiment. She will speak on the boat works that made the sea skiffs right alongside the Coast Guard vessels that chased them during the Prohibition era. Many of the names in Prohibition history are still well known and respected names in the borough today.
Tickets are still available for the cruise, and reservations can be purchased at www.ahhistory.org/gift-shop
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This is a great cruise, and a great way to spend the afternoon! Muriel provides interesting commentary and local historical facts during the cruise. Also, a cruise is great way to view the Bayshore area. The lunch is good too!
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