The Bluffs
Bay Head, New Jersey

~ The Story Of A Hotel At The Jersey Shore ~

by Francine LaVance Robertshaw

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Contents

Foreword — 7
by Missy Iams Kittredge

Introduction — 11
by Francine LaVance Robertshaw

Chapter One: The Hotel — 17
The Early Years — 18
The Modern Era — 28

Chapter Two: The Bar — 51

Chapter Three: The Memories — 85

Epilogue — 109

Appendix — 111

Acknowledgements — 149

Photograph and Document Credits — 151

About the Author - 152

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Appendix

A: Facsimile Reproduction of 1936 Map of the Barnegat Bay Region
by Harry Tower, Jr.
B: 1907 Bay Head Article and 1903 Article About The Bluffs
C: The Bluffs' Ownership Tree
D: Facsimile Reproduction of circa 1910 Bluffs Hotel Brochure
E: Original Hotel Floor Plans, circa 1950
F: Hotel Floor Plan, Post-1953 Storm
G: 1928 – 1939 Guest Mailing Lists
H: 1938 – 1986 Guest Solicitation Letters
I: Facsimile Reproductions of 1942 – 1952 Dining Menus
J: Facsimile Reproduction of circa 1940 Bar Menu;
The Bluffs’ Bloody Mary Recipe; 1971 Bar Price List
K: 1946 – 1961 Employee Lists
L: 1948 – 1986 Employee Letters, Schedules, and Rules
M: Facsimile Reproductions of 1955 – 1980 Hotel Rate Schedules
N: 1943 Hotel Revenues
O: Facsimile Reproductions of Historic Bluffs Postcards
P: "Old Bay Head" Sheet Music

The Paintings

"Bluffs" by Ludlow Thorston — 6
"The Bluffs" by Ludlow Thorston — 10
"Bay Head Dunes" by Gerald Rutgers Hardenbergh — 14
"Temperature 62­" by Dick LaBonte — 16
"The Lobby" by E. D. Meeker — 18
"The Bluffs" by E. D. Meeker — 20
"The Dining Room" by E. D. Meeker — 21
"The Bluffs Porch" by M. E. Whitehill — 39
"Storm Brewing South of The Bluffs" by M. E. Whitehill — 40
"The Bluffs Bar" by Dick LaBonte — 50
"Bluffs Beach" by Dick LaBonte — 84
"The Bluffs" by Robert Loder Jr. — 108
"Bluffs Bar II" by Rodell C. Johnson - 110
"The Bluffs" by Al Barker — 148