Joshua Huddy Park (Toms River)

Joshua Huddy was a privateer, one of a number of mariners who harassed British supply lines along the New Jersey coast. He was eventually captured by Loyalist forces at the end of the Revolutionary War and hanged. He commanded a small fort (blockade) in Toms River built to protect the local salt works. A replica of the blockade stands near the spot today.

It’s a pleasant spot, probably more so in the summer than it was on this November day. It’s next to a maritime museum, which I did not visit, as I was just passing by on the Parkway and only had a short amount of time to spend. You can also head up the street to the municipal building to find the marker where the original blockhouse actually stood.

Not a spot to go for its own sake, but if there is an outdoor concert scheduled or you are passing by on your way down the shore, it’s worth a detour. It's easy to find, right in the center of downtown Toms River. It would be nice to link this site as part of a coastal itinerary with other privateer-related sites (such as Chestnut Neck) and the site of Huddy's hanging in Monmouth County's Navesink Highlands.