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History · Navesink

40% of Navesink’s homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1950.

1on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Navesink’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Navesink are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1998. Watch Navesink change.Old housesHalf of Navesink’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Navesink’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Navesink’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Navesink on the map, 1888 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Navesink. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Navesink on the 1888 USGS mapNavesink on the 1893 USGS mapNavesink on the 1901 USGS mapNavesink on the 1947 USGS mapNavesink on the 1954 USGS mapNavesink on the 1970 USGS mapNavesink on the 1981 USGS mapNavesink on the 1998 USGS map1888Sandy Hook sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Navesink.

The story so far

Navesink, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Navesink yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Navesink (, NAY-və-sink) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located on the northernmost stretch of the Jersey Shore in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 2,004, reflecting a decrease of 16 (-0.8%) from the 2,020 residents enumerated at the 2010 U.S. census.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,020 in 2010, 2,004 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Navesink, 1885–1923

Passages that mention Navesink, cut from the printed page as they were published.

only after a very heavy expenditure. It was at first thought feasible to build the road through the valley back of Atlantic Highlands, but if that plan had been carried out it would have deprived Highland Beach, Navesink Beach, Normandy and Rumson Beach, all facing the ocean and on the old Sandy Ho…
From Indian trail to electric rail1923Read the page →
Read the text

only after a very heavy expenditure. It was at first thought feasible to build the road through the valley back of Atlantic Highlands, but if that plan had been carried out it would have deprived Highland Beach, Navesink Beach, Normandy and Rumson Beach, all facing the ocean and on the old Sandy Hook route, of railroad facilities; so it was determined to secure the right of way for a distance of four miles along the base of the Highlands, across the Shrewsbury River on a drawbridge, and continue on as before, taking in all the established stations.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
On the south of the borough of Atlantic Highlands nestles the pretty village of Navesink, which delights sumraer visitors with its quaint attractiveness. Its long, straggling streets terminate at the post office and grocery stores.
From Indian trail to electric rail1923Read the page →
Read the text

On the south of the borough of Atlantic Highlands nestles the pretty village of Navesink, which delights sumraer visitors with its quaint attractiveness. Its long, straggling streets terminate at the post office and grocery stores.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
1685, (see also Neversmks, Nethesinks and Newasink) Navesink Baptist Church, formerly known as Second Middletown Baptist Church, had chapel at Leonardville, 1883, Navesink Bridge Company, opened bridge at Highlands, 1878, organization of, 1878,
History of Monmouth county, New Jersey ..1885 · page 153Read the page →
Read the text

1685, (see also Neversmks, Nethesinks and Newasink) Navesink Baptist Church, formerly known as Second Middletown Baptist Church, had chapel at Leonardville, 1883, Navesink Bridge Company, opened bridge at Highlands, 1878, organization of, 1878,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Navesink, 1788 to 1917

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1788Born hereWilliam Strickland is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1917Born hereAlbert N. Whiting is born here
By decade

Navesink, decade by decade

Today1 recent
View from Oceanic Bridge looking northeast near Atlantic Highlands NJ2013View from Oceanic Bridge looking northeast near Atlan…
On the National Register

1 listing protects 49 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
49
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Navesink, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001960198020002020Peak: 2,020

Between 1,085 and 2,020 people in every census since 1950.

4 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Navesink’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Navesink

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
William StricklandAmerican architect · b. 1788
A
Albert N. WhitingAmerican sociologist · b. 1917
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Middletown Township16 historic placesAAtlantic Highlands2 historic placesB

Questions about Navesink’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.