How Stone Harbor, NJ Got Its Name

Stone Harbor, New Jersey** (incorporated 1914) takes its name from the **abundant glacial stones and boulders** found on its beaches and in its dunes.

Geologic Origin

• During the **Last Glacial Maximum (~20,000 years ago)**, the Laurentide Ice Sheet terminus pushed south to central NJ.
• As it retreated, it deposited **terminal moraine** — unsorted till (clay, sand, gravel, **cobbles, boulders**) — forming the backbone of the barrier islands.
• Wave action winnowed finer sediments, **concentrating rounded quartzite, gneiss, and sandstone cobbles** on the oceanfront.

Early Use

• **Lenape** gathered shells, fished; stones used for tools, hearths.
• 17th–19th c.: Whalers, fishermen, lifesaving stations used stones for foundations, ballast, markers.
• 1880s–1910s: Developers (Risley brothers) noted the **stone-strewn harbor/beach** — named the planned resort **"Stone Harbor"** for its distinctive, rugged shore.

Today

The stones remain: **stone jetties, groins, seawalls, landscaping**. The name reflects a **real geologic feature** — not marketing invention. Nearby **Avalon** (named for Arthurian myth) contrasts with Stone Harbor's literal stony shore.