Plumber in Spring Lake, Monmouth County, NJ

Spring Lake was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1892, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum held on March 8, 1892. On February 24, 1903, the borough of North Spring Lake was annexed to Spring Lake. The borough was named for a clear spring-fed lake.

During the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Spring Lake developed into a coastal resort for members of New York City and Philadelphia high society, in similar fashion to the settlements of Newport, Rhode Island, and Bar Harbor, Maine. A surviving example of architecture constructed during this era is the Martin Maloney Cottage on Morris Avenue next to the tycoon’s former and no longer existent Ballingarry Estate. Another fine example of period architecture listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the Audenried Cottage on Tuttle Avenue.

The owner of the Ballingarry Estate, Marquis Martin Maloney, built St. Catharine Roman Catholic Church on a knoll overlooking the eponymous Spring Lake. The cornerstone of the church was laid on St. Patrick’s Day in 1901.