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A news cart that was used to deliver copies of the Asbury Park Evening Press and the Sunday Press to homes and business in Asbury Park around 1897 will soon be returned to the city it served over a century ago.

Originally owned by J. Lyle Kinmouth, the publications later became the Asbury Park Press.

The wooden, horse-drawn news cart was stored in a garage on Summerfield Avenue for years until it was brought to the Asbury Park Press building in Tinton Falls where it has been kept since. A recent move out of the Tinton Falls building forced the company to decide where the cart should be moved next. Returning it to the city it served near the turn of the century was their answer.

Don Stine, president of the Asbury Park Historical Society, informed members of the city council Wednesday that Asbury Park Press publisher Tom Donovan was willing to gift the historical society with the old news cart, “no strings attached,” he said.

“This is obviously something that belongs here, it  is a great piece of Americana,” Stine said to the city council. “Historically, it is invaluable to the city of Asbury Park.”

The only place suitable Stine could think to display the cart was in main lobby of the James J. Howard Transportation Center next to City Hall, which a majority of city council members agreed was a suitable location. Councilman John Moor is a member of the historical society and abstained himself from the decision. A small fence will be placed around the cart to ward off anyone who may be interested in climbing on the old artifact and the historical society will keep ownership rights of it. Mayor Myra Campbell suggested a plaque be added to inform passers-by of the cart’s historical significance to the city.

Logistics of moving the wooden cart are a bit tricky, since the transportation center doors can accommodate the width of the cart, but not its height, Stine said. In order to get the job done, the wheels of the cart may have to be removed so they have enlisted the help of City Engineer Joe Cunha to help complete the task.

Stine said a February time frame is scheduled for the move. The Asbury Park Press offices will be out of the Tinton Falls location by March, said Kathi Abatemarco, who works in human resources for the Gannett, the newspaper’s parent company. Abatemarco and Stine both made the request.

The old news cart will share its home with a the 14-foot metal and neon Rainbow Room sign that adorned the Albion Hotel on the corner of First and Ocean avenues. The sign was removed when the hotel was demolished in 2001 for beachfront redevelopment, stored very briefly at the Stone Pony, and then for many years on the floor at the Public Works garage before Stine had it restored, he said.

Stine also recently acquired the sign from the old Turf Club which was located on Springwood Avenue. It is currently being held in storage and he would like to have it renovated and put into the transportation center at some point. Leo Karp, who owned the old jazz club where Stine said many old jazz artists like Count Basie would come for some down time after a night playing in New York City, was inducted as one of the Asbury Angels last year.

[Photo at right courtesy of Don Stine.]

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