Spring Lake Heights

Historical records from Spring Lake Heights were placed on deposit in the Monmouth County Archives and Records Center on April 22, 2009, pursuant to a municipal resolution and a depository agreement which provide that Spring Lake Heights retains ownership of the records and that the Monmouth County Archives can provide access to them. Additional records were received on May 3, 2010.

The following historical narrative about Spring Lake Heights is adapted from an essay by Mary Beth McKnight, Borough Councilwoman, for the book, Town by Town: Impressions of Monmouth County (Freehold: Office of the Monmouth County Clerk, 2002):

Even with the myriad of beloved Spring Lake Heights memories, it was a simple decision as to which town event elevated itself to historical prominence.  On May 3, 1927, two small coastal communities, Lake Como and Villa Park, merged to form the Borough of Spring Lake Heights.

Residents of Lake Como and Villa Park, then the 4th voting district of Wall Township, met on October 28, 1926, in Brown’s Garage on the corner of Ludlow Avenue and 4N Highway, which is now Highway 71. These residents formed the Spring Lake Heights Improvement Association and elected William Senkel as president. This association was solely interested in seceding from Wall Township. The Spring Lake Heights Improvement Association’s first fundraiser was a barn dance at Brown’s Garage where $83.65 was collected. This was followed by our first Christmas sing in December 1926, which closed out the organizational year with high hopes of secession from Wall Township looming on the horizon.

A newspaper at the time reported:

The territory of this proposed borough has an assessed valuation, greater than that of South Belmar and considerably greater than that of any other borough that previously seceded from Wall Township, at the time of its incorporation. No other borough that has left the township is anxious to return to the township government; on the other hand, all seem to be very much pleased with the improvements that resulted there from.

The 4th Election District of Wall has 8 ½ miles of roads, 3 of which are already paved, and with the opportunity of 196 miles of roads. It is the only proposed borough that can boast of two golf courses. In the registration last Tuesday, over 650 voters registered.

The Newark House, now the Evergreen Inn Bed and Breakfast, located on the corner of Ocean Road and Highway 4N (now Highway 71), hosted spring meetings to inform townspeople of the scheduled election that would determine our status as a new borough.

On Tuesday, May 3, 1927, the residents of the 4th Election District of Wall Township voted to decide that this section of Wall Township was to become the Borough of Spring Lake Heights. Of 532 votes cast, 280 were in favor, 235 against, and 14 ballots rejected. This election took place at the Newark House.

From this moment, we have moved forward as a community, yet our community remains spirited and although change is ever present, the topics of discussion from these early years have a very familiar tone.

Spring Lake Heights’ second elected Mayor, William Senkel, stated, “The success of our administration depends on the cooperative spirit; for cooperation draws people together, and the only serious difficulty about it is, it means work. Cooperation with one another will help us do our work better, more efficiently, more economically and more satisfactorily. The integrity of our council depends on cooperation. There is a great deal to be accomplished in our borough; not losing sight of the fact that we are spending the taxpayers’ money.” — and this remains true today.

The records consist of 176 volumes and two folders, summarized as follows:

• Governing Body Minutes, 1927-1990
• Board of Health Minutes, 1927-1941
• Ordinances, 1927-1990
• Resolutions, 1948, 1959-1990
• Tax Duplicate Books (48 books), 1927-1974
• Sales Tax Book, 1930-1938
• Cash Disbursement Books (4 books), 1928-1939
• Cash Book (Collector/Treasurer), 1934-1935
• Cash Book (Water & Sewer Taxes, Capital), 1938-1963
• Tax Disbursement book (Water & Sewer Taxes, etc.), 1954-1957
• Tax Receipts book, 1936-1939
• Tax Assessment book, 1934-1944

The two folders pertain to ordinances from 1959 to 1968 and to some extent overlap with the volumes. It is possible that the ordinances for this period are incomplete, as there is no book for the years 1966-1968.

Spring Lake Heights Shelf List

I. Boxes

Box 1. Governing Body Minutes, 1927-1941

Box 2. Governing Body Minutes, 1942-1951

Box 3. Governing Body Minutes, 1952-1960

Board of Health Minutes, 1927-1941

Box 4. Governing Body Minutes, 1961-1970

Box 5. Governing Body Minutes, 1971-1978

Box 6. Governing Body Minutes, 1979-1985

Box 7. Governing Body Minutes, 1986-1990

Box 8. Ordinances, 1927-1977

Box 9. Ordinances, 1978-1990

Box 10. Resolutions, 1948-1977

Box 11. Resolutions, 1978-1987

Box 12. Resolutions, 1988-1990

II. Volumes on Shelves

Tax Duplicate Books (48 books), 1927-1974

Sales Tax Book, 1930-1938

Cash Disbursement Books (4 books), 1928-1939

Cash Book (Collector/Treasurer), 1934-1935

Cash Book (Water & Sewer Taxes, Capital), 1938-1963

Tax Disbursement book (Water & Sewer Taxes, etc.), 1954-1957

Tax Receipts book, 1936-1939

Tax Assessment book, 1934-1944

There are no restrictions on use of the material.