The Cliffwood House was a resort hotel built in the 1850’s in Matavan Township by New York City lawyer and land baron Henry L Clarke. He bought many acres of land along the Bayshore between Whale Creek and Keyport Harbor, put up a luxury hotel, and began to advertise it as a summer getaway in New York. He built a long dock for steamboats to deliver city dwellers, but the currents were too strong for the steamboat captains to land the ships. And there was a fire in June 1873, which destroyed the resort. Clarke resided on and off at his nearby mansion and died in Brooklyn in 1888. The mansion itself was burned by fire in 1952.
Do not confuse the Cliffwood House with the Cliffwood Hotel, which Watson L Stillwaggon was operating on Cliffwood Avenue near the Cliffwood railroad station when it burned to the ground in January 1893. Much more is yet to be written about each of these 19th century hostelries.
Timeline
“Albert Porter has leased the Cliffwood House, a splendid hotel situated at Mantaven, opposite Keyport. He will be prepared to receive guests as of 20 June 1856. Transport from NYC via the steamer Keyport, Captain Arrowsmith. (1)
“The hotels of Keyport are making preparations [May 1857] for the reception of city boarders [for the summer season]. . . . The Cliffwood House, at Cliffwood, kept last season by Mr. A. Porter, was reopened for the present season, a few days since, by Mrs. Caroline Green, of New York, who, as we understand, is well acquainted with the business and will no doubt make the house a popular one.” (2)
Cliffwood House was advertised in July 1860 in the New York City newspapers under Summer Resorts. Steamer Matteawan provided service from NYC to Keyport. (3)
Cliffwood House, under H W Abbott, Proprietor, appeared on the 1861 map of Matavan (above). The home of Henry L Clarke is indicated nearby. (4)
Cliffwood House advertised in May 1862 under Summer Resorts in the New York City newspapers. “Will be opened June 1, for the reception of permanent and transient guests.” Transportation via the Keyport boat. (5)
Henry L Clarke and his wife sold a block of land adjoining Whale Creek to Clarkson Bowne et al in December 1863. 45 acres of the property was seized for sheriff’s sale in December 1875. (6)
As of October 1865, Alfred Walling of Keyport and H L Clarke of Cliffwood offered the Cliffwood House as available for lease or sale, furnished, containing 52 rooms. Available were 25 to 100 acres with two houses well calculated for boarders, as they were situated near a steamboat landing and pleasantly located near the bay. One building contained 21 rooms and would be leased furnished. There were building lots for sale, as well, plots of 1 to 3 acres each. (7)
Cliffwood House was advertised (above) under Summer Resorts. Spendid sea bathing, rowing, sailing, fishing, drives, groves, and iron-impregnated (Chalybeate) springs. Transportation via the Steamer Matteawan from NYC to Keyport. (8)
Cliffwood House was advertised under Summer Resorts. “Those who desire to pass a few days or the season in quiet on the seashore would do well to select the Cliffwood House, a favorite resort. . . .” (9)
Cliffwood House was advertised under Summer Resorts. Transportation via the Steamer Matteawan (above) from NYC to Keyport. (10)
Cliffwood House was totally consumed by fire “last Friday night”. The fire reportedly began in the attic and worked its way down. Most of the furniture was able to be removed, if somewhat damaged. It was built by Henry L Clarke Esq and was owned by Doctor Kent of New York. It was situated on Matawan Heights, opposite Keyport. (11)
Cliffwood House experienced a fire on its third floor “on Friday night of last week” [13 Jun 1873]. Keyport citizens could see the fire immediately and used small boats to get to the site to remove furniture from the lower floors. Water was unavailable to fight the fire, so the fire raged out of control. The Washington Fire Company of Matawan claimed that the resort had not subscribed to their fire protection, but they were too late to be of much assistance by the time they arrived. New furniture on the third floor was lost. The building was fully insured but would never be rebuilt. The summer boarding house had one resident at the time of the fire. (12)
The 1873 Map of Cliffwood (above) showed buildings belonging to Dr H R Kent and H L Clarke near a new steamboat dock. The Matawan House is not named and might have already burned. (13)
The furniture rescued from the fire was to be sold at auction on 26 Oct 1874. (14)
Henry L Clarke advertised a large sale of personal household goods scheduled for 17 November 1875 at the Cliffwood Mansion. The land Clarke sold to Clarkson Bowne et al in 1863 was seized for Sheriff’s Sale in October 1875. (15)
In May 1877, Mrs. Brower leased the Henry L Clarke property at Cliffwood. (16)
His November 1888 obituary in Brooklyn seem to refer to his Cliffwood Beach property as being many acres near Sandy Hook:
“He also bought a tract, embracing many acres, near Sandy Hook, on the Highlands, where he erected a fine country residence, where he resided for some years and which he still owned at the time of his death.” (17)
The 1889 Map of Cliffwood (above) showed Dr H R Kent and Mr H Clarke still owned property near the steamboat dock at Cliffwood Beach at that time. (18)
The Matawan Journal published an article in 1940 providing a brief history of Henry L Clarke’s resort at Cliffwood. The article said, in part:
“About 1858, Henry Lynsson Clarke, a prominent New York attorney, while on a journey from Long Branch to New York via Keyport, was struck with the attractiveness of the shorefront west of Keyport.
“Noting the high, heavily wooded bluff which jutted out into the bay, , Mr. Clarke foresaw the possibility of converting the tract into a summer resort. He purchased the property, had it mapped as a village site and at the suggestion of his daughter named the prospective community Cliffwood.
“Streets were laid out, a long dock built, and a hotel erected. Arrangements were made with the steamboat company running boats between Keyport and New York to make a stop at Cliffwood. Difficulties encountered in navigation forced the steamboats to forego the stop and this was a blow to Mr. Clarke’s plans.” (19)
The mansion of the late Henry L Clarke homestead was burned Tuesday morning 13 February 1912. (20)
SOURCES
- New York Daily Herald, 20 Jun 1856
- Monmouth Inquirer, 2 Jul 1857, citing The Standard
- New York Daily Herald, 21 Jul 1860
- 1861 Monmouth County Map
- New York Times, 31 May 1862
- Matawan Journal, 18 Dec 1875; Monmouth County Deed Book 172, pp 409 ff
- Monmouth Democrat, 30 Nov 1865
- New York Daily Herald, 23 Jun 1867
- New York Daily Herald, 30 Jun 1868
- New York Daily Herald, 30 Aug 1872
- Monmouth Democrat, 12 Jun 1873
- Matawan Journal, 21 Jun 1873
- Matawan Journal, 24 Oct 1874
- 1873 Monmouth County Atlas
- Matawan Journal, 14 Nov 1875
- Matawan Journal, 26 May 1877
- Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 22 Nov 1888
- 1889 Monmouth County Atlas
- Matawan Journal, 17 Oct 1940
- Keyport Weekly, 16 Feb 1912; Matawan Journal, 15 Feb 1912, 7 Feb 1952
Cliffwood House Notes
References to Cliffwood Hotel, instead of Cliffwood House, may or may not be to the same place. Research on this is continuing. (Pat Noble, Feb 2024)
Cliffwood House is not to be confused with enterprises with the same name but in other locations, including in Sea Cliff, Hempstead, Long Island, as well as Massachusetts, Wisconsin, etc.
The firm of Woodward and Walton, of the Cliffwood House, has been dissolved, Mr Woodward continuing the business.
Source: Keyport Weekly, 2 Jul 1881
Dobson Brothers of Cliffwood House to give a grand reception before they close the house and depart for the road with their troupe. (unclear)
Source: Monmouth Inquirer, 9 Aug 1883
Servant girls working at the Matawan House were robbed of their money from a trunk kept in building where they were housed adjacent to the work place. Culprits were subsequently caught in New York and returned to Freehold for trial. They reportedly had planned to return to the hotel to murder the proprietor.
Source: Monmouth Inquirer, 7 Aug 1884; Monmouth Democrat, 14 Aug 1884
Cliffwood House was advertised under Summer Resorts. Quiet summer board in Cliffwood, NJ. Boats and trains daily. Season began 28 May 1885.
Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 21 Jun 1885
Management of Cliffwood House will be taken over this season by Mrs Wiehle, of New York, as of 1 Jun 1887.
Source: Keyport Enterprise, 14 May 1887
Mrs. Octavia Jennings has been managing Cliffwood House for the past year or so. She approached a judge and charged her husband with adultery. William J Jennings and Ellen Copeland were charged and jailed.
Source: Keyport Weekly, 9 Jul 1892
— Pat Noble
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