Steppin' Out in 1908? Fair Haven's Atlantic Hotel 'Register' Tells All

If your distant relative was stepping out in 1908, the pages of the old Atlantic Hotel Register just might tell the story.

More than 100 years later, it's a safe bet to say this, too, has passed and any statute of limitations is pretty much up. What happened in the Atlantic — formerly Lock Stock and Barrel and now Navoo Grill Club — presumably stayed in the Atlantic, or its registry ... until now.

Officials joked about it all at Monday night's Borough Council meeting as Administrator Theresa Casagrande told all on the dais and in the audience that the registry had somehow been unearthed — more like just found — and it was theirs.

Held together by a rubber band and some solid stitching, a flip through the yellowed, fraying pages of the thick registry showed some interesting finds and artful signatures, as was the case in those days with many taking requisite caligraphy classes.

As is known about Fair Haven, it was a host town for summering Hollywood and especially Vaudevillian actors. And a look at a few pages told that story pretty well.

For instance, we now know that on July 4, 1908, the Long Acre Quartette was either entertaining in Fair Haven or visiting for some riverside suburban festivities. The group went through the trouble of registering boldly in a block-lettered announcement of their arrival. It was signed by all. Note how every single signature is the man's followed by "and wife."

The hotel was very popular back in the day. Well, Fair Haven was popular, especially among showfolk. As the signatures show, many were here from New York City. Some came from as far as Boston and others were from Fair Haven.

In fact, we'll be looking up some of the names in the quartette along with some others in the book. It should produce an interesting find or two.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the pages. Officials are going to store the registry safely in likely a historic place and they plan on doing something to protect the fragile pages as well as digitalizing the entire book.

Tell us what you remember about the history of the Atlantic Hotel and its incarnation as Lock Stock.