History of Pioneer Cottage
PIONEER COTTAGE was in built in 1870, the first permanent cottage in Ocean Grove. H.Y. Lazear of Warsaw, New York had the cottage built at the corner of Asbury Avenue and Wesley Place. PIONEER COTTAGE was a sprawling frame, shingle, two-story structure built on an odd lot. The configuration of Asbury Avenue, Wesley Place and later Kingsley Place, made it necessary for the early land planners to draw a lot with five sides shaped not unlike home plate of a baseball diamond. In other words, it was not one of Ocean Grove’s usual 30 by 60 foot building lots. It measured only 1,500 square feet as compared to the usual 1800 square feet. However, the Lazear’s made the best of it. We think the picture is from the 1890’s is of the Lazear family (above right).
When the Lazear family moved to the Midwest, family members apparently made plans to convert PIONEER COTTAGE into a rooming house. Such plans did not site well with the executive committee of the Camp Meeting Association, so it arranged to purchase the home for $2,000 dollars.
In 1890 the, executive committee arranged to have the cottage moved to the front of the lot and took title from the Lazear’s. This made it possible to open tent line along Kingsley Place west to Wesley Place. From there followed a succession of seasonal rentals.
In the days of World War I, John and Alice Gibbons (Steph’s great grandparents) were residing at 63 Asbury Avenue, almost across the street from PIONEER COTTAGE. Their family had grown to include three boys and needed more room.
Alice Gibbons father (Milo C. Griffin-see picture right) asked the association if PIONEER COTTAGE was for rent. A deal was struck and the Gibbons family rented the cottage and moved across the street. When they moved into PIONEER COTTAGE, the house consisted of 2 (more or less) year-round apartments, with a summer apartment attached.
The family builders moved in soon with their carpenters, plumbers and electricians and the two year round apartments became one house. Gifted hardworking Chester Megill brought shovels, a wheel barrel and bricks and built a cellar under the main house. PIONEER COTTAGE finally was a home large enough for a growing family! In 1921, John and Alice purchased PIONEER COTTAGE from the Camp Meeting association. It has been in our family ever since.
Fairy Island
This picture was taken from a drawing around 1880. Fairy island was a the western end of Wesley Lake. When our ancestors were young, the bridge shown in the picture no longer existed. They would row a small boat over to it and play Huck Finn.
Pioneer Cottage
Woodcut Sketch from a book written in 1919 identified Pioneer Cottage as it was in the late 1900 century.
