Local Author Brings History to Life

Ocean County's past comes to life with a new book on the history of Berkeley Township.

Author Al Stokley is a past president of the Berkeley Township Historical Society, and he says that provided a treasure trove of material for the latest installment in Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series.

"We get a lot of donations from people, donating their old photographs and artifacts," Stokley said.  "And we have quite an assortment, and almost all the pictures in the book were taken from the museum."

From its humble beginnings as a "wide spot in the road" between Toms River and Forked River to the home of Dino the Dinosaur, Stokley says Berkeley Township offers a rich reward for any history buff.  But when it came to writing this book, he says he really had no choice.

"Every time I would ride down Rte. 9, it would bring back old memories of some of the buildings and offices and little fruit stands that used to be there after World War II," Stokley said.

Stokley recently joined us on Townsquare Tonight.  Hear the full interview here.