Township of Ocean Historical Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Township of Ocean Historical Museum was established in 1984 and is now located in the historic Eden Woolley house, which was built sometime in the 1700s. The museum was founded by the Township of Ocean Historical Society, which formed in 1970, and contains numerous historical items related to the county including photographs, books, personal belongings and other items.
Images
The Township of Ocean Historical Museum
Backstory and Context
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The Woolley family has a long history in Ocean. Emmanuel Woolley, one of the first settlers here, bought some property in Monmouth County in 1667. One of his descendants, Thomas Woolley, built the east portion of the house in the 1700s. Eden Woolley built an addition to increase his standing in the town as he was the first elected councilman. The house remained in the Woolley family until 1926. It was bought by William Henderson in 1939 who renovated it and made the property an estate; he also added a tennis court. The society bought the house in 2001 and moved it to its current location, saving it from demolition. It finished restoration in 2009.
Sources
http://www.oceanmuseum.org/woolleyhouse.html
http://www.oceanmuseum.org/MUSEUM.html