A crowd gathered at the Oceanside Library as residents took a step back in time during a presentation titled “Lost Oceanside,” an evening dedicated to uncovering stories, landmarks and memories from the community’s past.
The program, held on March 8, featured author and former teacher Richard Woods alongside Oceanside local history librarian Erin McCauley, who guided attendees through decades of local history while inviting audience members to share their own recollections of the town’s earlier days.
McCauley, who is currently pursuing a certificate in archives, spends much of her time documenting and preserving Oceanside’s past. Her work includes visiting historic sites, collecting stories from longtime residents, organizing historical documents and helping community members research local history.
She said her fascination with the past began long before she took on her current role.
“[I would] always find the historic house [on vacation] and it would be the hottest day of the summer,” McCauley said. “I just loved it, looking at the woodwork and the architecture and the stories from people who used to live there. I think I was probably born with it, the bug.”
The evening traced Oceanside’s history back to its earliest inhabitants. The Lenape people were the first to live in the area, followed by Dutch settlers in the 1640s. English settlers arrived later and established Parsonage Farm in 1682, one of the earliest documented settlements in the region.
Among the places that sparked memories for longtime residents was Peace Farm, once owned by Percy Peace. Students walking to School No. 3 would often stop there to purchase fruits and vegetables.
Audience member Thomas Capone recalled visiting the farm as a child.
“The owner of Peace Farm was an old man sitting in a rocking chair with chickens running around,” Capone said. “It was such a different time back then. I can’t imagine students today having an opportunity to experience that kind of rural life in a community that we lived in.”
Woods also highlighted a unique religious landmark built in the 1920s by Robert Barrett of the Brooklyn Diocese. Using papier-mâché to mimic rock formations, Barrett constructed an underground church designed to resemble a grotto. Above ground, visitors walked through a rose garden and along a path lined with flowers.
“It was known internationally but people came from all over our country to this church like a Mecca,” Woods said.
The grotto was destroyed in a 1960 fire caused by an electrical issue with the organ, an event Woods said deeply saddened residents at the time.
The presentation also touched on some of the town’s once-popular gathering places. Woods shared memories of visiting Kiddieland, a small amusement park with sand-covered floors and rolls of ride and game tickets. Nearby stood the Roadside Rest, later Nathan’s, a restaurant that became known for its lively crowds and dancing.
Elene Schuss, who has lived in Oceanside since the 1960s, said she worked at Nathan’s as a teenager.
“When you worked Tuesday night and the motorcycle guys came up and they wanted beer, it didn’t matter what age you were — you served them,” Schuss said.
While many of the sites discussed during the presentation no longer exist, pieces of Oceanside’s history can still be found throughout the community. Several older homes remain along Silver Lane, though most are now private residences, and the First Presbyterian Church still features stained-glass windows honoring its founding families.
For many in attendance, the program served as both a history lesson and a reminder that the stories of Oceanside live on through the people who remember them and the efforts to preserve them.
