From Squatters to Leaseholders: A History of Island Beach Sportsmen’s Shacks
By Emma Connolly
The Judges Shack: A Family’s Legacy Preserved
Scattered throughout Island Beach State Park are a handful of shacks built by sports-fishermen over a century-ago. While only a handful remain, they offer a valuable glimpse of what Coastal New Jersey was like long before the iconic boardwalks and ferris wheels were build.
Perhaps the most recognizable of the remaining lease-sites is known as “The Judges Shack.”
Built around 1911 and located in the dunes of the ocean side of Island Beach State Park, this shack serves as an important landmark for modern surf fisherman, just as it has since its relocation in 1952. Leased by Federal Judge Richard Hartshorne and his family beginning in 1942, the shack served as a summer weekend home for the Newark, NJ family. After the Judge’s death in 1975, his children and grandchildren continued to enjoy this iconic shack until the early 2000’s.
In 2016, the lease was transferred from John F. Hartshorne to Island Beach State Park, to be preserved as a historic site. This effort was spearheaded by Historic Preservation Architect, Penelope Hartshorne Batcheler, daughter of the Judge, and resulted in the creation of the Friends of the Judge’s Shack preservation group. Made up of family friends of the Hartshorne’s, Historic Preservation experts, and other dedicated citizens, this group works tirelessly to preserve the shack against shifting sand, dangerous weather, and the relentless march of time.
Information compiled and adapted from the IBSP Archives, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and Ocean County Historical Society.