In the early part of the 1900s two well known establishments thrived along the southern shore of the Manasquan River...Ralph Borden's Inlet Pavilion and Roderick & Rosia Clark's Landing.

     Clark's Landing was started in 1872 as a boat building and rowboat-renting concern which over the next 30 years evolved into an entertainment destination known throughout the state.  Roderick Clark, a Civil War veteran, let his son manage the dance hall and ice cream saloon which was built on the bank of the river, while the elder Clark tended to the boats.  Crabbing, fishing and bathing were also a major attraction (right).

     For a time, patrons of Clark's Landing and the Inlet Pavilion could travel between the two establishments aboard the motor launch "Eagle" which made daily trips filled with excursionists through the thorofares between the Landing and the Manasquan Inlet (left).  The dock was at the north end of the Inlet Pavilion with the water there deep enough for the dock to serve as a diving platform for those who cared to bathe.

     The first Inlet Pavilion, not much more than a large shed, was erected in 1896.  In 1903 a larger building was built and the area was transformed into an entertainment spot complete with bath houses, restaurant, dance hall, bowling alley, and outdoor carousel (right).

     Unlike Clark's Landing, which was located right off busy Arnold Avenue, the Inlet Pavilion could only be reached by crossing the old Cook Farm and a rickety wagon bridge over Cook's Creek.  But under the capable management of Ralph Borden, the attraction flourished for years.

Today, the Inlet Pavilion is the site of Jenkinson's Inlet Pavilion, while Clark's Landing is the present Clark's Marina and Clark's Restaurant.

For more information about Clark's Landing, click here.