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Saint Lawrence Church History: Until the early 1600’s, The area we know now as Laurence Harbor was inhabited by Native Americans of the Lenni Lenape tribe, who came down from their northern settlements each summer to be near the water. When European colonization began, the region was first controlled by the Dutch. In 1664, the English gained control.
In 1684, the region became incorporated as part of South Amboy Township (which at that time also included the land of modern day Sayreville, Old Bridge and Monroe Townships). During the 18th Century, the area of Laurence Harbor was the private estate of the Provost family. Major General Provost, who had been an officer in the British Army, built a house on the bluff. His son, James Provost, had a disagreement with his father, and so the land and holdings were willed to James' only sister, who was married to Colonel John Travers (tax assessment records list Col. Travers as the owner of the estate in the 1830s). The Travers family were Episcopalians, and funded the building of Trinity Episcopal Church on Main Street in Matawan in 1850. In 1869, forty-two square miles of the Township broke off to become Madison Township. In 1975, residents of Madison Township voted to rename itself Old Bridge Township.
The Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township owes its name to land developer Laurence Lamb. At the turn of the 20th century, Lamb bought property in the area and built a 400-acre shorefront golf and country club. The country club was luxurious, with eighteen rooms and sixteen fireplaces. For years, celebrities such as Clark Gable, bandleader Guy Lombardo, the future King Edward VIII of England, and members of the Vanderbilt family visited to feast on the famous Chingarora Oysters that grew in the bay. In 1928, the golf course was sold to the developers, Morrisey and Walker, who parceled the land into 25x100 lots, the perfect size for summertime bungalows! A boardwalk, casino, band shell, concession stands and a merry-go-round provided entertainment every summer. Sadly, much of the waterfront entertainment site was destroyed by hurricanes in 1953, 1954, and 1960. As early as 1923, priests from St. Mary parish in South Amboy were attending to the spiritual needs of Catholics in Laurence Harbor. In October 1926, Bishop Thomas Walsh of Trenton established St. Lawrence as a mission church of St. Mary’s. The early residents set up chairs and attended Mass in the outdoor casino where dances were held on Saturday night. When the weather was bad, Masses were held inside local stores. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused many families to lose their primary homes and move into their smaller summer bungalows year-round. With a year-round population beginning to take root in Laurence Harbor, Diocese of Trenton Bishop William Griffin became aware of the need for a parish, and not just a mission church. Ground was broken for the church on May 26, 1941, with the first Mass in the new building offered on Christmas Eve, 1942. On June 25, 1943, Father Thomas Carney was transferred from St. Anthony's parish in Trenton and became St. Lawrence's first resident pastor (Fr. Carney was also responsible for the construction of the rectory in 1947). Father Walter Slattery, Father Melvin Stanczewski, Father Vincent Nebus, Father Raymond Attanasio, Father Joseph Szulwach, and (currently) Father Jonathan Toborowsky succeeded him in subsequent years. |
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Copyright
Roman Catholic Church of Saint Lawrence
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