Plumsted Branch

The Township of Plumsted was incorporated in 1845 and covers New Egypt and Cream Ridge. By 1908, New Egypt had become a summer resort. People came from Philadelphia and New York to spend their summer by Oakford Lake in New Egypt. During the winter the lake became a source of ice for the town. Cranberry bogs provided berries for Mrs. King’s “Bog Sweet” canning factory, which eventually grew, moved back to Bordentown and became known as Ocean Spray. In 1868 the railroad came to New Egypt. Passengers as well as freight kept the railroad busy. However in 1959, as trucks became a more popular mode of transportation, the railroad in New Egypt ceased to exist. The historic district in town consists of 114 structures. Most of the structures are found in the downtown area of New Egypt and along Evergreen road. They are representative of several architectural styles found in the late 18^th and 19^th centuries. They trace the development of New Egypt from the original mill town to its emergence as a popular market place. All of this adds to the charm and character found today in the village of New Egypt.

April 23, 1974: Friends of the Plumsted Township Library form with a fifteen member Board of Trustees to gain local interest and financial support for a township library.

August 1, 1974: Plumsted Township Library opens in Municipal Building with contract signed between Plumsted Township (providing space in Municipal Building), Friends of the Library (providing labor, books, shelving and furniture) and Ocean County Library Commission (providing books, materials and a Library Assistant to manage the new branch of the system).

September 10, 1975: After outgrowing the space in the Municipal Building, the library opens in two rented storefronts on Main St. in New Egypt. A Branch Librarian is added to staff the following spring.

March 22, 1981: A third grand opening of the library was held after the Friends raised money to purchase the old telephone company building on Evergreen Road. Throughout the 1980s, the Friends continued to develop this facility by enlarging the parking lot, adding a small room for a children’s area and purchasing a micro-computer for staff and public use.

November 1990: The Friends leased the library building to the Ocean County Library Commission. Under this contract, the Ocean County Library assumed maintenance and operating costs and provided personnel and materials.

April 20, 1998: A groundbreaking was held at the library’s new location, 119 Evergreen Road.

March 13, 1999: Dedication and grand opening of the current library.

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