The History of Lakewood, New Jersey

Lakewood, New Jersey, is a township of profound transformation, a place that has reinvented itself more dramatically than perhaps any other in the state. Its history is a unique story of three distinct eras: from a quiet industrial hamlet to a Gilded Age winter retreat for America's elite, and finally to the global center of Orthodox Jewish life it is today.

From "Bricksburg" to a Gilded Age Resort

The area's earliest European settlements in the 1700s were based on local industry, with sawmills and a bog iron furnace giving the community its early names: "Washington's Furnace" and later "Bergen Iron Works." By the mid-19th century, it was known as "Bricksburg" in honor of Joseph W. Brick, a prominent ironmaster.

The first major transformation began in 1880. A group of developers, recognizing the area's therapeutic pine forests and clear lakes, decided "Bricksburg" lacked the appeal to attract wealthy clientele. They rebranded the town as "Lakewood," marketing it as an exclusive winter health resort with a climate milder than New York's.

This move was a massive success. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lakewood became the "Newport of the Winter," one of America's most fashionable Gilded Age retreats.

• Elite Clientele: The town was a seasonal home for presidents, tycoons, and celebrities. Grover Cleveland had a winter cottage here, and Mark Twain was a frequent visitor.
• Grandiose Estates: The era's elite built magnificent estates. George Jay Gould, son of the railroad magnate, built the opulent Georgian Court, which is now Georgian Court University. John D. Rockefeller built his own sprawling estate, which is today the beautiful Ocean County Park.
• Luxury Hotels: Grand hotels like the Laurel House and the Laurel-in-the-Pines catered to this exclusive crowd, solidifying Lakewood's status as a playground for the rich.

Decline and a New Beginning

The Gilded Age glitter faded by the mid-20th century. The Great Depression, the rise of air travel to warmer climates like Florida, and the decline of the luxury hotel industry left Lakewood's economy in flux. The grand hotels closed, and the town's identity as an elite resort vanished. A local poultry farming industry briefly boomed but also eventually declined, leaving the town searching for a new purpose.

"Hometown of the Yeshiva"

The second, and most profound, transformation began in 1943. Rabbi Aharon Kotler, a revered Jewish leader who had escaped Nazi-occupied Europe, chose the quiet, then-affordable town of Lakewood as the home for his new yeshiva, or rabbinical college.

He founded Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG) with just 13 students. This single event would, over the coming decades, completely redefine the township.

• A Center of Faith: BMG grew exponentially, becoming one of the largest and most prestigious yeshivas in the world, outside of Israel.
• Explosive Population Growth: The yeshiva acted as a powerful cultural and spiritual anchor, drawing tens of thousands of Orthodox Jewish families from around the world who wished to live in a community centered on religious study.
• Modern Transformation: This massive influx of a new population, characterized by its focus on faith and large families, has driven Lakewood's explosive growth, making it one of the youngest and fastest-growing municipalities in the United States.

Today, the Gilded Age mansions of the past stand as historic landmarks in a city that is now the bustling, energetic heart of one of the world's most significant Orthodox Jewish communities.