Point Pleasant Borough Branch

Around 1500, the area that included the future Point Pleasant was the ceremonial meeting place of the Lenape Native Americans, who called it the "Land of Tall Timber." First settled in the seventeenth century by fishermen and farmers, the entire area was once part of Shrewsbury Township in Monmouth County.

On February 15, 1850, Governor Daniel Haines and the New Jersey Legislature separated Ocean County from Monmouth County, and created Brick Township, including the Point Pleasant area. Later in 1886, Point Pleasant Beach incorporated, and the present Point Pleasant Borough then incorporated independently in 1920. Until that time, the two towns were joined and shared a common community life. The town was initially a logging town, although logging was never a significant part of the local economy.

Point Pleasant had remained underdeveloped compared to some of its neighboring communities, because the Manasquan Inlet tended to silt up and did not provide a reliable harbor. It was difficult to reach the area by stage, and, until the railroad arrived in 1870, the main visitors were from the Philadelphia area.

The life of the town remained seasonal until a canal between the Manasquan River and Barnegat Bay was opened 1926. The inlet, which led from the river to the Atlantic Ocean, was bulkheaded in 1935. This made the area attractive to small boat owners and to the boat building industry. The final factor was the arrival of access to the shore by the Garden State Parkway in 1954. The area then became one of the numerous bedroom communities which sprang up along the Garden State Parkway’s route. In 1964, Senator Case introduced legislation that changed the canal's name to the Point Pleasant Canal.

Point Pleasant Borough has grown tremendously since its incorporation in 1920. Originally regarded as a summer resort community, it is now a bustling, year round community of approximately 19,000 residents, with two elementary schools, a middle school, and the Point Pleasant Borough High School.

Community interest in a library located in the Borough of Point Pleasant was strong enough in 1973 to make a facility the topic of newspaper editorials and Borough council meetings. The debates ranged over several locations and alternate ways of financing the project. A referendum to withdraw the Borough from the County Library and form a municipal library was among the considerations.

The Point Pleasant Council had joined the Beach Council in 1923, in making annual contributions to the Point Pleasant Library Association for the maintenance and operation of the library located in Point Pleasant Beach. Growth in both communities through the early 1970s was making it apparent that this facility was becoming overburdened.

The State Library was consulted, but unfortunately federal funding for construction was not available in 1973. Five years later, efforts were resumed. Based on recommendations in the Master Plan which was being developed for Point Pleasant Borough, Councilman Marshall Boggio contacted the Ocean County Library and the State Library in pursuit of grant funds for construction.

The venerable Library Association had been appealing to both councils for their cooperation in extending library services. A study, commissioned by the Point Pleasant Borough and the Association in 1979, determined a municipal library would not be in the town’s best interest. A joint meeting of the councils was held in March 1980 to discuss additional library facilities in the Boroughs. Shortly after his election as Mayor in 1983, Mr. Boggio formed a Library Committee to study the feasibility of a community library. Mayor Boggio contributed fees for performing marriages to a Library Building Fund.

The Facility Development Phase of the Ocean County Library’s Master Plan was adopted in 1986. Under this plan costs for construction of a new building would be split between the county and the municipality. A site on Beaver Dam Road was selected, and a contract was signed between the County, the Council, and the Ocean County Library Commission. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on October 29, 1987 for the first building to be constructed as part of the Master Plan’s development program.

A large number of pleased residents attended the grand opening ceremonies on January 15, 1989. The building has been enhanced by the installation of a stained glass rendering of a merry-go-round formerly located at Clark’s Landing. Patron complaints about the walk from the rear parking lot to the front entrance led to a decision to reconfigure the facility in 1994 to add an entrance on the side. At this same time, the branch was reconfigured, with the circulation desk and the children’s sections switching locations and many stacks moved throughout the branch.

In more recent years, a storage room has been converted to allow a work space for young adult and reference librarians. The reference desk was updated, and a book drop was added to the circulation desk. In 2005, an area being the library that had been covered in trees was cleared to create what is now Campbell Park. A closet has been converted to an ongoing Book Sale Room. In 2010 new carpet and tile were installed.

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