Interviews with Local Residents
March 9, 2010
Sam Leifried had a lot to share with us as we conducted our Our Community, Our History interview. He knows the history of the area up, down and sideways because he lived through it. Sammy wrote a book about the times before him, titled Remembering the People and Businesses of Tuckerton’s Past, which goes into detail about the title, including pictures, letters and was written so that generations to come will always know how the heyday of Tuckerton came to be and how it blossomed into the hustling, bustling town it is today.
Sammy was born, raised and still resides in Tuckerton NJ. As we talked with him, he explained how vastly the town has changed in the last few decades. When Sam was in high school, life as a local teenager was completely different from that of your life or mine. Tuckerton Elementary was the original school for grades Kindergarten through 12. While we spend our leisure time texting, listening to iPods or on MySpace, Sam and his pals worked and did daily chores before walking to the Sugar Bowl to listen to the jukebox, taking a refreshing swim in Lake Pohatcong or going to the roller skating rink in Manahawkin.
Whole businesses and industries have since been extinguished as the town’s population grew. Tuckerton Seaport was a safe haven for those who lived and boated on LBI before it was a museum. A railroad once ran through the town, hence Railroad Avenue. Tuckerton was a large seafood industrial area where many of the businesses were family owned and most people lived off what they caught or brought home from hunting.
Sam really loves living in Tuckerton. He has watched it grow from a small seafood town where everyone knew each other to a busy town that has new families moving in every year. When asked why Tuckerton is a good place to live, he answered, “Well, if you stop and think about it, it depends on where you were born. Tuckerton, when I was young was very laid back, very peaceful, and like I said, everybody knew everybody else. It was a very friendly place to be during hard times; I think [people in] Tuckerton had a big advantage over people who lived up in the cities.”
Brittany L, Nikki N, Shawn O, Olivia O
Sammy was born, raised and still resides in Tuckerton NJ. As we talked with him, he explained how vastly the town has changed in the last few decades. When Sam was in high school, life as a local teenager was completely different from that of your life or mine. Tuckerton Elementary was the original school for grades Kindergarten through 12. While we spend our leisure time texting, listening to iPods or on MySpace, Sam and his pals worked and did daily chores before walking to the Sugar Bowl to listen to the jukebox, taking a refreshing swim in Lake Pohatcong or going to the roller skating rink in Manahawkin.
Whole businesses and industries have since been extinguished as the town’s population grew. Tuckerton Seaport was a safe haven for those who lived and boated on LBI before it was a museum. A railroad once ran through the town, hence Railroad Avenue. Tuckerton was a large seafood industrial area where many of the businesses were family owned and most people lived off what they caught or brought home from hunting.
Sam really loves living in Tuckerton. He has watched it grow from a small seafood town where everyone knew each other to a busy town that has new families moving in every year. When asked why Tuckerton is a good place to live, he answered, “Well, if you stop and think about it, it depends on where you were born. Tuckerton, when I was young was very laid back, very peaceful, and like I said, everybody knew everybody else. It was a very friendly place to be during hard times; I think [people in] Tuckerton had a big advantage over people who lived up in the cities.”
Brittany L, Nikki N, Shawn O, Olivia O
