Mystic Island, New Jersey - Waterfront Homes and Chunks of History!
Mystic Island is a section of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey...Ocean County's southernmost municipality.
It's main road, from Great Bay Boulevard to Mystic Beach at the Great Bay, used to be known as Shore Road. It winds through Mystic Island, Hickory Island and Osborn Island. This thoroughfare is now known as Radio Road.
That name came about in the early 1900's with the construction of the Tuckerton Wireless Tower, the tallest and strongest radio tower in 1912. Its guide wire foundations are still visible, though the tower is long gone.
.The tower was built by the German company known as HOMAG, The High Frequency Machine Corporation for Wireless Telegraphy. This tower was used to communicate with an identical station in Eilvese, Germany beginning in 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I.
Though taken over by the US Navy to assure the messages sent and received did not violate America's Declaration of Neutrality, the tower was still manned by German nationals employed by HOMAG. It's rumored that this tower was used to send the message ordering the attack on the Lusitania!
When the US entered the WW I, all radio stations were taken over and shut down by Executive Order. All the German employees of HOMAG were taken as prisoners of war and the Tuckerton Tower was assigned to the US Navy. They used it as a back up for the Navy's main transatlantic wireless station north of here in New Brunswick, NJ.
After the war, the Tuckerton Wireless Tower was included in German war reparations paid to America.
When the US entered the WW I, all radio stations were taken over and shut down by Executive Order. All the German employees of HOMAG were taken as prisoners of war and the Tuckerton Tower was assigned to the US Navy. They used it as a back up for the Navy's main transatlantic wireless station north of here in New Brunswick, NJ.
After the war, the Tuckerton Wireless Tower was included in German war reparations paid to America.
The government then sold the tower to RCA which used it as a backup a facility in Rocky Point, NY. It operated until 1948. The Tuckerton Wireless Tower was demolished in 1955 and that's when the single family homes in Mystic Island began cropping up
This 820 foot wireless tower was anchored by 3 huge blocks that exist today; one is in the backyard of a home on North Ensign Drive, one in the middle of the street on South Ensign Drive, and the other in the middle of Staysail.
This 820 foot wireless tower was anchored by 3 huge blocks that exist today; one is in the backyard of a home on North Ensign Drive, one in the middle of the street on South Ensign Drive, and the other in the middle of Staysail.
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South Ensign Drive, Little Egg Harbor, NJ
.South Ensign Drive, Little Egg Harbor, NJ
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Staysail, Little Egg Harbor, NJ
.Staysail, Little Egg Harbor, NJ
Many smaller foundations for supporting towers are still visible in the lagoons of Mystic Island. If you'd like to see some great photos of the Tuckerton Wireless Tower, its construction and demolition, visit the Giffordtown Schoolhouse Museum, home of the Tuckerton Historical Society.
If you'd like information on the real estate market or homes for sale in Mystic Island, Little Egg Harbor or Tuckerton, give me a call!
Keller Williams Realty - Atlantic Shore
Laura Giannotta
609-384-6121
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
GET YOUR OWN JERSEY SHORE VIEWS!
Laura Giannotta
609-384-6121
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
GET YOUR OWN JERSEY SHORE VIEWS!
Need a REALTOR® Down the Shore?
Little Egg Harbor REALTOR® Laura Giannotta
Your Jersey Shore real estate resource!
609.384.6121
www.JerseyShoreViews.com
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
Little Egg Harbor REALTOR® Laura Giannotta
Your Jersey Shore real estate resource!
609.384.6121
www.JerseyShoreViews.com
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
Laura...I just love this type of history lesson, So much of our nation began its humble beginnings on the east coast I find there is always something to learn about our past and much happened with in 10 miles of the ocean.
Laura - That is a very cool study of your local history. Those foundations are fascinating.
What an interesting piece of local history! The photos are great. So is this the same Mystic that was used as the setting for the movie Mystic Pizza with Julia Roberts??
Betina
I agree Steve, I can't get enough of these little history lessons!
Thanks Wendy...they can be a little scary if you're not paying attention!!
Nope Betina, I think Mystic Pizza is Rhode Island, or some place north of me!
Hi Laura:
This is great!
It's amazing how much history our area has...
Laura...that was an interesting bit of information. I suppose it would cost more than it is worth to remove the old anchors.
Well this a neat bit of local history that I had never heard about. Thanks for sharing it with us Laura.
Thank you for the local history. I will look for it next time I am in the area.
Does anyone remember a small restaurant near where Cumberland Farms is called Quick Cook,i used to remember walking by it with my mom on the way to get on the bus for school in the 1970's?
Is that on Main Street (Route 9) or Radio Rd?
Quick Cook was on Radio Road down past the Mystic Island Shopping Center,I think Vesuvio's Italian Restaurant is now where the Quick Cook restaurant was,i hope that helps and i would like to see photos of it if anyone has some,thanks.