Today’s Ledger has a piece about private islands along (or near) the Shore, including Rumson’s Barley Point Island, on the Navesink. That’s an aerial view above, courtesy of the Monmouth County Tax Board, with houses outlined in green.
Barley Point is just one of two such islands north of Brigantine, the other being Middle Sedge Island in Barnegat Bay, according to the story.
Reporter Judy Peet frames the story as a balancing act for residents who get to enjoy idyllic “Robinson Crusoe” getaways most New Jerseyans are unaware of, but have to haul their own garbage back to shore and regularly swat away developers looking to buy them out.
“We always kept our eyes open for people who wanted to take our island away from us,” said (Gerry) Boswell, 62, who has been coming to Barley Point Island in Rumson since infancy. “The only way we can stay simple is by design.”
Peet also gives a compact rundown of Barley Point’s history.