New Bike Path Coming To Elberon Section Of Long Branch

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A new bike path is planned to be built in the Elberon section of Long Branch.

The bike path will start at the Elberon train station and run along Lincoln Avenue, ending at the beach. It will be a dedicated bike lane.

The bike path is meant to follow the historic route down Lincoln Avenue that was used by President James Garfield after he was shot in an assassination attempt in Washington, D.C. in July of 1881.

At the time, a new railroad spur was even built along Lincoln Avenue to take the president to his Elberon cottage overlooking the sea at the foot of Lincoln Avenue. Garfield intended to recuperate there and escape the oppressive D.C. summer heat; however, he died two and a half months later due to sepsis from the gunshot wound. He died at his summer home in Elberon, so that is why the area is marked today.

The bike path will be built using $500,000 in federal funding Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) secured. Rep. Pallone, a Democrat, is the Congressman who represents Long Branch in Washington, D.C. and he is the brother of Long Branch Mayor John Pallone.

The bike path is part of a larger project to improve the area between the Elberon library and train station.

Also part of the project is doing a redesign and resurfacing of the Elberon train station public parking lot. A small park will be built next to the library; the park will have benches and wooden swings, bike racks and new ornate lighting.

The Garfield Tea House will also be moving from the Church of the Seven Presidents to the new library park. The Garfield Tea House was built using the railroad ties that were used to transport Garfield from the Elberon train station.

The city of Long Branch will be working with NJ Transit to create a new exhibit space inside the Elberon train station with historical references and artifacts from the time when Garfield lived (and died) in Long Branch.

"A quiet, peaceful piece of land in the city where residents come to read at the library or grab a train will be uplifted with a concentration of its historical roots, becoming more accessible with a bike path and a larger park," said Mayor Pallone.

Throughout the 1800s, Long Branch was the premier summer seaside vacation spot for Garfield and many other U.S. presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Chester Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Woodrow Wilson.

All seven of those presidents worshiped at the Christian church located in that area (“Church of the Presidents”), and that is where “Seven Presidents Beach” gets its name. The Church of the Seven Presidents is about to undergo a major restoration funded with a combination of state and federal grants.