{"id":1243,"date":"2015-01-15T05:56:41","date_gmt":"2015-01-15T05:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.morgan-nj.org\/blog\/?page_id=1243"},"modified":"2018-08-19T21:39:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-19T21:39:41","slug":"cadys-before-cadys-and-after-niedermans","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.morgan-nj.org\/blog\/sample-page\/morgans-people-places\/places\/cadys-before-cadys-and-after-niedermans\/","title":{"rendered":"Cady\u2019s Before Cady\u2019s and After Niederman\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Morgan Memories \u2013 Cady\u2019s Before Cady\u2019s and After Niederman\u2019s<\/h3>\n
\"Cady\u2019s<\/a>

Landis & Alsop Bird\u2019s Eye View Picture Post Card of J. H. Cady\u2019s Restaurant, Morgan Station, NJ Cheesequake Creek Looking North, Circa Early 1920\u2019s.<\/p><\/div>\n

It was quite exciting to come across the above Landis & Alsop picture post card showing J. H. Cady\u2019s Restaurant in early 20th Century Morgan.\u00a0 No one I knew had ever seen it.\u00a0 Mr. James H. Cady, as Morgan-NJ.org readers know, would later go on to open Cady\u2019s House of Seafood which later became one of the now long gone iconic Morgan structures, The Robert E. Lee Inn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This picture post card is exciting in other ways as well which we\u2019ll discuss here.\u00a0 An important point though is trying to determine exactly what year this image likely shows. I haven\u2019t fully pin pointed the year but we can derive a range of years based on the chronology of things we have learned from this web site about other Morgan topics in this area from the early 20th<\/sup> Century.<\/p>\n

The lower bound of what year it might be can be derived by a number of these things we know.\u00a0 First, the Jersey Central Traction (JCT) trolley line with a trolley is pictured in the post card indicating the line was actually in operation.\u00a0 We know the line opened in March 1905.\u00a0 Next we see Morgan Station<\/a> of the New York and Long Branch Railroad as being located on the south bound tracks to the north of what is now Old Spye Road.\u00a0 Morgan Station was moved to this location in 1913 when the railroad bridge over Cheesequake Creek was replaced.<\/p>\n

Pictured on this card, between Cady\u2019s and the water is a building which was the Morgan Dancing Pavilion.\u00a0 Based on info from the South Amboy Citizen newspaper from May 23, 1914<\/a>, the Morgan Dancing Pavilion opened on May 30, 1914.<\/p>\n

Next let\u2019s look at the configuration of the building and compare it to the 1919 Sanborn Fire Map made available on-line by the Princeton University Library.<\/p>\n

\"1919<\/a>

1919 Sanborn Fire Map showing the Structures in the Area of Present Day Old Spye Road in Morgan, NJ.<\/p><\/div>\n

The map shows a smaller building than we see in the picture post card of Cady\u2019s.\u00a0 In fact, the building in the 1919 Sanborn Fire Map<\/a> looks very much like this image provided by Joyce Elyea from her impressive Morgan and South Amboy area post card collection.\u00a0 Note the horse drawn carriage moving away from the railroad tracks in the direction toward the Old Spye Inn!<\/p>\n

\"Morgan<\/a>

Picture Post Card of \u201cMorgan Road\u201d Looking Southwest where it Used to Cross the New York and Long Branch Railroad at Present Day Old Spye Road. Image Courtesy of Joyce Elyea.<\/p><\/div>\n

We can\u2019t tell from the above post card what the name of the restaurant was but we know that shortly afterward, it would be named Niederman\u2019s based on the following picture post card also from Joyce Elyea\u2019s post card collection.<\/p>\n

\"Niederman\u2019s<\/a>

Niederman\u2019s Restaurant on the North Side of the New York and Long Branch Railroad Tracks at Morgan Station Looking Northeast at Present Day Old Spye Road, Circa 1919. Image Courtesy of Joyce Elyea.<\/p><\/div>\n

We see that the road appears to be more than the dirt road shown in the previous picture post card and there is a beautiful classic car in the image.\u00a0 We know from the August 7, 1915 South Amboy Citizen<\/a> that road was paved<\/a> by May 1917.<\/p>\n

Beginning at the New York & Long Branch Railroad Tracks and extending to the Monmouth County Line at Whale Creek\u2014to be paved with bituminous concrete on the old macadam base.<\/em><\/p>\n

It appears as if the front of this building is a little wider than the 1919 Sanborn Fire Map and previous picture post card.\u00a0 Both of these observations would imply that this photo was taken after the previous one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The building on the water between the Morgan Dancing Hall and the road bridge does not show on the 1919 Sanborn Fire Map implying that the image is from a later date.\u00a0 Note that this building possibly eventually became Lockwood\u2019s which offered boat rentals and bait for fishing.\u00a0 An image of Lockwood\u2019s is shown in the Images of America Sayreville book on page 102.\u00a0 The Lockwood family would later open their still thriving Lockwood Boat Works marina in Morgan.<\/p>\n

Diane Norek Harrison, author of the \u201cRemembering the Past\u201d columns for the Atom Tabloid & Citizen-Gazette website, indicated that Cady\u2019s Dining Hall, located near Morgan Station, was listed as a 1922 Morgan business.\u00a0 Additionally, the South Amboy Citizen of July 29, 1922<\/a> referenced Cady\u2019s Shore Hotel:<\/p>\n

Perth Amboy Typographical Union, No. 658 will hold an outing at Morgan on Sunday. A fish dinner will be served at Cady’s Shore Hotel.<\/em><\/p>\n

Regarding the upper end of the probable time period in this card, we know that the new Cady\u2019s restaurant opened in the new location after that in April of 1926.\u00a0 We know the road across the railroad tracks was permanently closed<\/a> in July of 1925 when New Jersey State Highway Route 4 (present day north bound lanes of Route 35) was put in place of the Jersey Central Traction right of way.\u00a0 The Jersey Central Traction trolley line stopped running at the end of July in 1923 (we also know).<\/p>\n

We can therefore pretty much conclude that this picture post card of J. H. Cady\u2019s Restaurant likely represents some point in time in the time period of 1920 \u2013 1923.<\/p>\n

Please also note two other interesting things about this picture post card.<\/p>\n