Bradley Beach Historical Society
BBHS was founded as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization for the purpose of collecting and preserving local historical data and artifacts for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Celebration Gallery
What A Great Day!
Chinatown-By-The-Sea Reunion
On Saturday, August 26, the Bradley Beach Historical Society & Museum hosted a multi-generational celebration of the Chinese-American experience in Bradley Beach that dates back a century.
Beginning in the 1920s, families from New York’s Chinatown came to Bradley Beach every summer. They came for a few days or a few weeks to stay at Cliff Villa, which was owned by the Church of All Nations, a Methodist settlement house on the Lower East Side.
Stay Up To Date
BBHS Events
Save the Date: Chinatown-by-the-Sea Celebration
Join us on Saturday, August 26, 2023 for a multi-generational celebration of the Chinese-American experience in Bradley Beach that dates back almost a century.
Virtual Stroll Down Main Street in Bradley Beach
Join the Bradley Beach Historical Society for a virtual stroll down Main Street in Bradley Beach, Monday, June 26, 2023 from 4 – 5:30pm. Register now to participate.
Guided Tour of Bradley’s Early Beachfront
Travel across the sands of time with historian Robert Flood and his wife Susan, in a fun, fact-filled virtual tour of the early Bradley Beachfront from the 1870s thru the 1920s.
PLEASE NOTE
Important Update
In light of recent developments regarding the Coronavirus, the Bradley Beach Historical Society has postponed all events including the Salute to The Bradley Beach Police Department scheduled to open on March 24, 2020. The Bradley Beach Historical Museum will also be closed to the public until further notice.
Bradley Beach, NJ
Celebrating the heritage of Bradley Beach by keeping its history a part of daily life.
Welcome to the Bradley Beach Historical Society (BBHS) web site. Here you can find out about events (past and future) as well as exhibitions hosted at our Museum, which is located in the Carmen Biase Center, 719 Main Street next to Borough Hall. If you want to learn fascinating facts about our coastal town, you will be able to search through our collection as our online archives expand.
Our Story
Captain Kidd’s Treasure
The earliest accounts of Bradley Beach can be traced back to 1679 when it is said that Captain William Kidd anchored his vessel off Duck Creek, now known as Sylvan Lake. By 1927, Bradley Beach had become a popular resort town.
Explore
Learn about the history of Bradley Beach, how it got its name and how the BBHS is collecting and preserving local historical data and artifacts for future generations.
Events
See what’s happening in and around Bradley Beach and add our events to your calendar. View photos and reviews of our past events.
Love Stories
“Under the Boardwalk,
Over the Moon”
The history of Bradley is full of sweet, salty, and sentimental stories of young love.
Gallery
See a visual history of New Jersey shore images; from vintage postcards to current day photos.
Membership
Join & Give
Join BBHS to ensure that all our cherished stories and those of early day-trippers, weekenders and seasonal residents are passed on to future generations.
Shop
BBHS Memorabilia
If you love Bradley Beach, you will want to add some of these fine items to your collection!
Don’t Miss
Bradley Love Stories
True Love in Bradley Beach
Fourteen years after they met, Howard and Wendy began dating. They fell in love and two years later got married at the Berkeley Carteret in Asbury Park.
The Good; The Bad; The Crush
I have been married for 50 years. Lucky me, my wife loves to dance and listen to “oldies but goodies.” And, I still have the old but new and improved moves.
Neptune City Girl Meets Bradley Beach Boy
Bobby was so interesting to talk with and he was really cute. I thought he was wonderful! A few weeks later we went on our first real date to see “West Side Story” at the Palace Theater in Bradley Beach.