A Very Vintage and Historic Tour of New Jersey During the 1940s
The Garden State has changed a lot over the decades.
Thanks to this gem I found on YouTube, we get to tour Jersey from Newark to Atlantic City to Asbury Park and beyond and see what it looked like in the 1940s.
It's amazing that all of the footage in this video is in color given its age.
Click the times to skip around to different parts of the video.
Watch from the beginning below.
This film is called "New Jersey Journey" and was produced for the Esso Standard Oil Company. Take a look at shipyards, (1:36), industrial areas (1:38), oil refineries (1:40), trunk line railroads (1:45), manufacturers (1:52), commuter trains (1:58), shipping (2:01), trucking (2:07), the Newark Airport (2:11), aerial skyways (2:21) of the New Jersey Turnpike, and the Camden Bridge spanning the Delaware River (2:38) and the Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River (2:51). Trout fly fishing (4:05-5:45) is maintained by fish hatcheries (5:49-6:42). Scenic byways wind through the Delaware Water Gap (6:49) and the rocky Palisades overlooking the Hudson River (6:59). The High Point Monument is on the highest peak of the Kittatinny Mountains (7:18). The Verdant Hills (7:59) overlook lakes (8:06) with beachgoers, swimmers (8:16), speed boaters (8:24), sailboats full of women in 1940s bathing suits (8:31), and sailboat racing (8:40-9:10). New Jersey’s nickname is “the Garden State” (9:20-9:59). A 1940 GMC 1 ton pickup is shown with a radiotelephone (9:45). Lima beans are processed and packed within an hour (10:00-10:25), such as Seabrook Farms (10:27). Tomatoes go from field to cannery (10:30-11:00). At Plainsboro’s dairy farms (11:08), pedigreed bulls (11:20) use an electric exercise machine (11:30). Fruit trees include apples (11:50) and peaches (12:06). Flowers are an agricultural crop (12:13), including zinnias (12:31), roses (12:40), and orchids (12:49). Beachgoers lounge at Asbury Park (13:35). The annual baby parade attracts thousands (14:06-14:33). Red Bank hosts an annual inboard and outboard motorboat regatta (14:34-16-20). Take a scenic ocean drive (16:21) to Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island (16:44). Women in 1940s bikinis (17:04) visit the Cape May Lighthouse (17:09) at the southern tip of the state. Yachts take the structured waterways (17:15-17:57). Oyster farmers (18:01) collect and sell their finds from Delaware Bay (18:27). Eating a raw oyster is shown (18:46-19:02). Deep-sea fishing is available (19:11-20:55). Ruins from the Revolutionary War dot the drive through the Pine Barrens region (21:09-21:49). Visit where George Washington crossed the Delaware in 1776 and the McConkey Ferry Inn (21:49-22:32). The Trenton Battle Monument (22:38) marks where Washington placed his artillery. The Princeton Battle Monument commemorates Washington’s victory there on January 3, 1777 (22:58). In Morristown National Historical Park, Jockey Hollow housed the Continental Army for two winters (23:11). The Wick House (23:32) has been accurately restored. Morristown has a statue of Washington (23:50) that stands opposite his headquarters at the Ford House (23:52). Nassau Hall and Blair Hall still stand at Princeton University (23:58-24:23), as does the Memorial Chapel (24:23). There’s also Drew University (24:40), Saint Elizabeth’s Girls College (23:45), New Jersey State College for Women (24:50), and Rutgers (24:54), where agriculture is studied (25:15-25:46). Activities include golfing (25:50-26:10) and the annual field trials with Irish Setter dogs (26:13-28:12). The fall color is beautiful (28:14). Atlantic City’s boardwalk is a major attraction (28:32), as is the Miss America parade (29:07-30:20). Happy motoring from Esso Standard Oil Company (30:55), founded in 1912, is commonly known as ExxonMobil in the US.