Coastal books by Margaret Thomas Buchholz

Margaret Thomas Buchholz was publisher of the Long Beach Island, New Jersey Shore, newspaper The Beachcomber from 1955 to 1987, and is still an editor. She grew up in Harvey Cedars, where her family has been coming since 1833, and currently lives year-round in her childhood home on the Island.

Three Historical Jersey Shore PowerPoint Slide Shows for Libraries, Museums and Historical Societies
The following three PowerPoint programs each last about 50 minutes, allowing for a question and answer period afterwards. For detailed descriptions and information please contact Margaret Buchholz, lbipooch@aol.com or 609-494-1263 or 609-709-4279

 “Celebrating the Jersey Shore”

PowerPoint slideshow and readings from Shore Chronicles: Diaries and Traveler's Tales from the Jersey Shore 1764-1955 and Island Album: Photographs and Memories of Long Beach Island. Travel with me “down the shore” as I illustrate the shore experience over the decades. As fresh as their experiences are to the visitors, most activities are timeless — the fundamental attractions of the seashore resonate throughout history. Yet it is stunning to see how different the landscape and environment was before development. Here are stories and pictures of sailing and fishing, of treks by horse, stagecoach, train and car, of beach camping, lifeguards and coastal rescue, of bathing beauties in rented woolen suits and flappers. And there is regret for wilderness lost and the slower pace of much of the last century.

“New Jersey Shipwrecks”

A slide show and reading from the dramatic New Jersey Shipwrecks: 350 Years in the Graveyard of the Atlantic takes us on a gripping voyage through the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” From the days of sail to steam and oil, ships (and even submarines) have been drawn to this coast. And for thousands of vessels, it became their final resting place. I explore this history, along with the development of the U.S. Coast Guard from its 1848 origin as the Lifesaving Service, through illustrations, photographs, and readings from the harrowing memories of survivors and observers. Robert M. Browning, Jr., Chief Historian of the U.S. Coast Guard, said the book will “entertain and educate readers about the dangers of seafaring and the limits of human endurance.” 

“Great Storms of the Jersey Shore”
Great Storms of the Jersey Shore is a dramatic history of the major coastal storms that have hit the Jersey Shore throughout recorded history. This slide show is adapted from the book, which is illustrated with nearly 200 photographs, engravings, and maps. I have chosen an exciting selection to fit in the one-hour format. It includes extensive narratives of the devastating 1962 northeaster and the great hurricanes of 1938 and 1944. Those who have known the power of the great storms draw us in to a time and place where survival is uncertain. Few persons living at the shore today have experienced extreme storms, but for those who have — as I describe in my readings — it is a defining moment in their lives.

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