Have you ever wondered why there is an E. Bergen Place but no W. Bergen Place? The answer may lie in past racial prejudice.  During last week's installment of week in history, which detailed Red Bank parking woes nearly 100 years ago, Boris Kofman delved deeper into the April 3, 1918 issue of the Red Bank Register: What actually caught my eye is the part of the article about renaming Beech St. and especially the explanation why it wasn't called Bergen. Rather than track down a piece of Monmouth County history from the week of April 10, let's continue with April 3 and Boris' fascinating find…

Parking and traffic issues aren't only a 21st Century issue for Red Bank. The Borough Council considered an ordinance that would limit parking on narrow streets, according to the April 3, 1918 issue of the Red Bank Register. The Borough Council debated the regulations, which would have prevented motorists from parking on both sides of Mechanic, White and Monmouth streets and within 25 feet of street corners. At least one councilman expressed concern: Councilman David C. Hance opposed the change, stating that it would drive autoists from Red Bank. Modern "autoists" seem to find their way to …

The Army tapped Red Bank to help provide provisions for soldiers stationed at Sandy Hook in the week before U.S. entered World War I. The March 28, 1917 issue of the Red Bank Register detailed a preparedness meeting in which three Army officers spoke before a crowd of 500. Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. During the meeting, the officers asked the town to organize a committee to catalogue resources that could be at the government's disposal. The existing railroad did not meet the Army's needs and Red Bank's proximity to Sandy Hook made it vital in the event provisions were …

The investigation into the lynching of Eatontown resident Samuel Johnson dominated the front page of the March 17, 1886 issue of the Red Bank Register. The death of Johnson, an African American and former slave known in the area as "Mingo Jack," is the only documented lynching in New Jersey in the 19th century. Johnson was accused of beating and raping a white woman named Angeline Herbert. A group of white residents dragged him from jail and beat him to death before hanging him, according to report in The Atlanticville. During the inquest described in the Red Bank Register, prosecutors …

A fire on a cold, windy night 98 years ago nearly wiped out the then-most densely populated section of Eatontown, according to the March 10, 1915 issue of the Red Bank Register. The Eatontown firefighters threw a dinner and party that drew much of the town the evening of the fire. When two barns and properties on Railroad Avenue went up in flames, the firefighters and the party attendants flocked to the scene. Soon, some 10 buildings had caught fire. As firefighters from Oceanport and Red Bank helped Eatontown with the blaze, J. Lee VanSchoick was forced onto the roof of his home, where the …

What do you do when you're fresh out of jail? You might just head to Red Bank and attack a grocer with scale weights. The front page of the Feb. 24, 1892 issue of the Red Bank Register details Joseph Moran's misadventure in Frank Supp's grocery store. Moran had been released from a month-long stint in jail and celebrated by "getting what the boys called a glorious jag on," according to the article. Moran approached Supp, who was in no mood to tango:  Mr. Supp did not want to fight. It wasn't his night for fighting and he did not have his fighting clothes on, anyway. After approaching Supp …

When you take in a runaway, you may want to hide your money. Capt. John Skidmore learned this lesson the hard way. The Feb. 21, 1900 issue of the Red Bank Register chronicles Willie Hendrickson's adventure on Skidmore's $170. Fresh off a "runaway trip to Georgia," the 19-year-old Navesink man found himself homeless with no money. Skidmore, who the Red Bank Register described as being "noted for his bigheartedness," took in Hendrickson and spent $21 on new clothes for the man. The good deed did not go unpunished. Hendrickson discovered Skidmore's stash of $170 and went on a spending spree, …

Omar Sickles wasn't a bad fisherman--he just needed a proper lesson in eeling. (Hint: eels don't bite spears.) The February 10, 1904 front page the Red Bank Register recounts the eeling adventure Sickles and his valet, Cocus Reed, took in the Shrewsbury River. Sickles attempted to lure the eels by leaving his spear in the water and waiting for the eels to bite.  Reed explained to his employer that in order to spear an eel, you need to, well, actually spear the thing. This little lesson landed Sickles several hundred pounds of eels, according to the Red Bank Register. Sickles, who was a …