Week in History

Week in History: Red Bank Prepares for War

A look through Red Bank Register archives at what happened this week in Monmouth history.

The Army tapped Red Bank to help provide provisions for soldiers stationed at Sandy Hook in the week before U.S. entered World War I. The March 28, 1917 issue of the Red Bank Register detailed a preparedness meeting in which three Army officers spoke before a crowd of 500. Congress declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. During the meeting, the officers asked the town to organize a committee to catalogue resources that could be at the government's disposal. The existing railroad did not meet the Army's needs and Red Bank's proximity to Sandy Hook made it vital in the event provisions were immediately needed.  The article indicates residents had concerns the war could reach American soil: In addition to making items available for the …

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Week in History: Omar Sickles Goes Eeling

A look through Red Bank Register archives at what happened this week in Monmouth history.

Omar Sickles wasn't a bad fisherman--he just needed a proper lesson in eeling. (Hint: eels don't bite spears.) The February 10, 1904 front page the Red Bank Register recounts the eeling adventure Sickles and his valet, Cocus Reed, took in the Shrewsbury River. Sickles attempted to lure the eels by leaving his spear in the water and waiting for the eels to bite.    Reed explained to his employer that in order to spear an eel, you need to, well, actually spear the thing. This little lesson landed Sickles several hundred pounds of eels, according to the Red Bank Register. Sickles, who was a fixture in the Middletown Republican Party in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drew a comparison between the political game and the art of eeling, …

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