More or less than a century ago, one of Beach Haven’s original hotels was erected on the corner property where Buckalew’s now stands. Built in 1874 by Lloyd Jones of Tuckerton, the aptly-named Bayview House stood on the edge of the marshes at the entrance to Mud Hen Creek, the waterway that was to become Dock Road. Until the arrival of the railroad in 1886, it was through this canal that boats ferrying supplies and building materials for the resort traveled, tying up to the Bayview’s porch railings at the end of their journeys.
Bayview House was renamed the Beach Haven House in 1883 by its new owner, George Bates, whose daughter Lily, the local schoolteacher, taught Beach Haven’s children in the lobby of the hotel until the new school on Third Street opened in 1884. In 1890, Henry Mulholland bought the hotel from Bates, raising it on brick piers a full story to escape the wrath of the island’s mosquitoes. Mulholland and his wife ran the hotel for thirty years and are remembered for the wonderful Christmas parties they threw for local children. Yet the hotel remained most popular with the fishing crowd, who slumbered in the cots that lined the hallways of the upper floors for $1 a night.
Richard Lamb Sr., the owner of the Washington House in Mount Holly, became the new proprietor in 1920. Lamb ran the hotel and dining room until his son Richard Jr. took over and shifted the establishment’s focus to food. In 1937, Richard Jr. moved the Beach Haven House one hundred feet to the east – to the opposite side of the Magnolia House – and ran it as a rooming house. When the building was finally torn down in 1967, it was one of the three oldest structures in Beach Haven.
On Buckalew’s present site, Richard Jr. built Lamb’s Bar and Restaurant. With his sisters Edith and Aggie, Lamb kept the bar and restaurant open all winter long and it gained a reputation for fresh seafood and stuffed pork chops. On Friday evenings it was a favorite stop for “cottagers” (those off season weekenders) who stopped for dinner and a few drinks while waiting for their houses to warm up.
The Buckalew family bought the place from Lamb in 1949, running it much as it was – with the important 1955 addition of the huge circular bar that filled the present tavern room. The original bar ran along the north side of the dining room and, in the 1950’s, served as the anchor for the Beach Haven Life Guard’s Ball, the society event each summer. Tom and Muncie Buckalew lived upstairs in an apartment and, with the help of their children Muncie, Terry and Tom, ran this very special place, making it famous for it’s “tomato pies” and soft shell crabs.
In 1995, Beach Haven native Jay Cranmer and his wife, Lyn, after perhaps one too many nights enjoying Buckalew’s breezy Jersey Shore atmosphere, bought the place from the Buckalews. After extensive renovations to the bar and restaurant and the addition of a first-rate staff, a new chapter in the history of this storied site at the heart of Beach Haven had begun.
Buckalew’s General Manager and Partner, Allan Menegus, another South Jersey native, culinary school graduate, and ardent fisherman, with many years as our Executive Chef, established Buckalew’s high standards for fresh seafood, great tomato pies, and introduced many culinary delights of his own to the menu. Now keeping it in the family is culinary school graduate, Todd Menegus Executive Chef who is taking Buckalews to the next level, along with Sous Chef Dan Sansig who hails from Barnegat. Debbie Keeler, Directory of Marketing, handles the office and marketing.
Angelsea Urban is our bookkeeper. Annette Rutzler, our Restaurant Manager keeps the front of the house running smoothly even on those hectic summer weekends! Gary Smith, Assistant manager, is responsible for the bar operations, maintenance of the entire property and helps run the front of the house operations. And, of course, there’s Joni on the piano almost every night, a fixture at Buckalew’s for many, many years……….a rare and wonderful talent!
Our year round staff works diligently to provide exceptional cuisine and drink in this traditional Long Beach Island setting. Special thanks to the culinary team of Carlos, Miguel, Jeff and Ernesto and to our friendlyFront of House staff, Martha, Stacey, TJ, Joe, Phil, Yesica, Nancy, Eric, Nicole, Kristin, and Pete, as well as the regulars, and “never to be forgotten” Buckalew’s terrific bartenders, PJ, and Carmen.
Buckalew’s interior has been wonderfully enhanced with the original artwork photography, taken exclusively on Long Beach Island of Dave Gurtcheff. Each print, both color and monochrome, are individually printed by the photographer himself. David’s current portfolio can be seen on his website at www.modernpictorials.com featuring all local subjects and landscapes of the Jersey Shore.
