Sea Captains in Brielle
Boats and maritime trade have been closely associated with Brielle throughout its history. Originally settled in the early 1700’s, Brielle, or The Landing or Union Landing as it was originally known, was settled by farmers who used the river to transport their produce to markets in North Jersey and New York City. Early roads consisted of sand and dirt and were poorly maintained, making land transport very difficult. As a result, the rivers and canals were the highways of their time.
The sailing vessels built in the early years in the coastal trade out of Union Landing were primarily sloops and two-masted schooners that drew between three and four feet of water. The shallow drafts of these vessels made them ideal for navigating the shallow entrance to the Manasquan River. As a result, a thriving shipping trade developed centered on the long wharf at the foot of Union Lane, making Brielle a busy seaport. Many of the founding families of Brielle combined farming with coastal trade. The Longstreet, Brown, Green, Pearce, Curtis, Osborn, and Rankin families, for example, all included sea captains as members.
John Maxon Brown was born at Union Landing in 1808. His father, William, was a leading ship builder. Captain Brown sailed the schooner “Pinta” and for many years also served as the wreckmaster for the coastal area around Manasquan. Many of Captain Brown’s sons were seaman and two of them were lost at sea. One descendant, Captain Dory Brown, sailed the “O.H. Brown” and built Brown’s Inn, a large hotel on the Brielle riverfront around 1890. The inn subsequently burned down in the 1920’s.
The Longstreet’s, another of Brielle’s original families, counted many sea captains in their family. Captain Cornelius Longstreet sailed the “Elizabeth” and the “Triton” and lived at a home that he built at 803 Riverview Drive. Captain Tabor Longstreet sailed the “James W.” and lived at 518 Longstreet Avenue, a home built by one of his forebears about 1850, and Captain Stout Longstreet sailed the “Breeze”. Another Longstreet captain built the house at 648 Park Avenue.
James Henry Green, or Captain Henry, was born in 1808. His father was also a sea captain and was lost at sea off the Manasquan Inlet during the War of 1812. Captain Henry owned and sailed three schooners, the “Glide”, the “Banner”, and the “Bound”. Captain Henry settled with his wife Sarah Jane Adelaide Leslie at the Green Homestead at 620 Green Avenue.
The Pearce family is one of the oldest in the Brielle area. During the California Gold Rush Captain Shem Pearce sailed out of New York harbor and rounded Cape Horn many times. Captain Pearce was also a builder of fine boats, and his son, Bart Pearce, followed in his footsteps. Pearce boat works was located on Green Avenue in Brielle where the current Hoffman’s Marina is located. His home was 704 Union Lane, where long-time Brielle council woman and Union Landing Historical Society of Brielle Board member Ann Scott currently lives. Captain Wynant Pearce sailed the “John D. Williams” and lived at 812 Ashley Avenue, which at one time extended to the riverfront. He also built the Crestdale House in 1877, a large riverfront hotel on Ashley Avenue that was later destroyed by fire. Captain Lewis Ellison Pearce married the daughter of Captain Henry Green and built a home next to his brother Wynant, which has since been demolished. All eight of their sons who reached adulthood became sea captains.
A major catalyst for change in Brielle was the arrival of the railroad to the shore area. The trains came to Manasquan Village in 1872 and extended to Union Landing and onto Ocean County via the Manasquan River Bridge in 1880. The railroads flourished in both passenger and freight service. The railroads’ increasing carrying of freight gradually brought about the demise of the coastal shipping trade in the area, changing the entire economy of Brielle.
- Union Landing Historical Society