Lifestyle

Freehold: A Charming Victorian Setting and Home of “The Boss”

By Georgiana Francisco

I was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand/Into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man/I’d sit on his lap in that big old Buick and steer as we drove through the town/He’d tousle my hair and say, “Son take a good look around/This is your hometown…”

With this hit recording of “My Hometown,” Bruce Springsteen put Freehold on the map forever. Well, it may be his hometown, but it’s also a wonderful place for a weekend or a day of exploring some of New Jersey’s fascinating past.

Full of charming Main Street storefronts, eateries, and 19th century architecture, the village is the dead center of the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania tri-state area. It’s also rife with history. Each summer at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, re-enactors stage a battle that recalls the hot day of June 28, 1778, when American and British troops clashed under Continental army general George Washington and British general Sir Henry Clinton.

There’s a well from which you can pump water. This is where, according to legend, Mary Hays, whom most of us know as Molly Pitcher, drew water for her husband and his fellow gunners firing their cannons; finding him slain, she bravely took his place as a gunner for the remainder of the fray.

First erected in 1877 and rebuilt in 1985 after it was destroyed by fire, the Freehold Raceway hosts live standard bred harness races for trotters and pacers from August through May; it is open all year for simulcast broadcasts of races from all over the county.

You’ll find some exciting attractions nearby, including the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park and the popular Jackson Outlet Village, featuring more than 70 outlet stores.

For dining, there’s the Old Court Jester on 16 Main Street (732.462.1020), considered one of the best eateries in town. They’ll offer up a hearty lunch or dinner amid book-lined walls, making for a cozy ambience. The eatery is one of Freehold’s most enduring restaurants. There’s also the Metropolitan Café at 8 East Main Street (732.780.9400), featuring a diverse menu with Pacific Rim flair and an extensive selection of martinis and wines by the glass in a hip atmosphere.

Try to overnight at Hepburn House (15 Monument Street), which was built in 1885 by William Hepburn, physician to New Jersey’s then governor, Joel Parker. This Queen Anne-style Victorian

home is now a gorgeous bed and breakfast offering gourmet breakfasts that include Eggs Benedict and Strawberry-Stuffed French Toast.

The one ”must see” in Freehold is the Metz Bicycle Museum on 54 West Main Street, which is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays (732.462.7363). The whole family will want to take in this enthralling private vintage cycle collection that includes “boneshakers," high wheelers, quadri-cycles and a “Zimmy,” built in the 1890s by freehold bicycle racing champion Arthur Zimmerman.

With all its rich American history, not to mention Springsteen’s, perhaps it was Freehold he was writing about in “Glory Days” as well!

Georgiana Francisco is a writer and the founder of ByGeorge Communications, a public relations and marketing firm. She has spent more than a decade doing public relations for the food, wine, and hospitality industries and has handled such clients as Paramount Communications, the BEverly Wilshire Hotel, and the state of Pennsylvania. She is a regular contributor to several area magazines and newsletters.

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