In 1896, Jamesburg, New Jersey, became an independent borough, and it is now considered to be the "hole in the doughnut" of surrounding Monroe Township. Jamesburg and Monroe Township have a shared history dating back to 1734, when the first mill appeared on the shores of Lake Manalapan. Early settler James Buckelew settled on the lake's banks in 1832, and he became the namesake of Jamesburg. Today, the area consists of .877 square miles and is home to approximately 6,000 residents. While Monroe Township's first settler dates back to 1685, the township's namesake, James Monroe (the fifth president), served as a captain of George Washington's Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. In the last 30 years, more changes occurred within Monroe Township than since its creation 181 years ago. The establishment of Leisure World retirement community, now Rossmoor, in 1965 marked the beginnings of major development within the town. Today, Monroe Township is 43.7 square miles with a population of approximately 50,000 residents.

Within these pages, Monroe Township and Jamesburg in Middlesex County are uniquely displayed by juxtaposing rare vintage images with contemporary views taken by the author. These comparisons illustrates the commercial and residential growth over the last burgeoning decade.

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With the help of enchanted sticks, an old man vanquishes a band of vicious robbers.

Allaire traces the history and culture of the village from its days as a famous nineteenth-century industrial community to one of today's most popular living history museums in New Jersey. In 1822, James P. Allaire established the Howell Works, one of many bog-iron furnaces that once dotted the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Explored are the rise and fall of the industrial community, as well as the village's transition from the Allaire family to Arthur Brisbane, a famous Hearst newspaper editor. Also included are the early restoration efforts of Allaire Village and some familiar sites on the outskirts of Allaire, including Kessler Farms, Thompson's Dairy Farm, the Pine Creek Railroad, DeLisle's French Restaurant, and Allaire Airport. In 1836, more than three hundred people lived and worked at Howell Works, a self-sufficient community once complete with thirty buildings. The collapse of the bog-iron industry in the late 1840s left the village crumbling and nearly deserted by 1900. In 1907, on a leisurely drive from his Lakewood mansion, Arthur Brisbane bought Allaire Village. Revitalizing it, he created a luxurious country estate. Allaire contains images of the Allaire Inn, Brisbane's model farm, and the Boy Scouts' Camp Burton. During the 1900s, Allaire was home to the legendary Indian Joe, the Pennsylvania Railroad's doodlebugs, and Brisbane's full-time staff-the Macauley, Frostick, Service, and Reynold families.