Once Know As
Long-A-Coming
There are many stories of how Berlin, New Jersey, came to be. The following seems to be the accepted one.
The main travel route between the New Jersey shore and the Delaware River ran through what is now Berlin. It was a Native American trail called Lonaconing Trail. Travelers who walked the path would stop at a stream here. This stream was the head of the Great Egg Harbor River. The weary travelers knowing the trail name would refer to the spot as “long a coming”. The name stuck.
The first man settled here in 1714 and more followed, but the town grew slowly. By the early 1800’s there were several iron forges and glass works (Waterford and Jackson) built in the area and more people started to settle in here. Travel was increasing along the route and 3 taverns and 2 hotels were opened.
It was the Victorian era and folks started traveling for recreation. Atlantic City, even then, was a popular spot. Long-A-Coming was about halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, so it became a stopping point on the stagecoach routes.
Then, in 1853, a rail line was laid. Three years later, the Long-A-Coming Railroad Station was built. In February of 1867, the station was renamed “Magnolia”. This caused some confusion because there was a town called Magnolia near by. So, about three months later, the station’s name was changed to The Berlin Station and the town then became know as Berlin. Still a popular spot since there was the hotel within walking distance of the station. It’s Funny but nobody knows why the name Berlin was chosen.
Today, the Lonaconing Trail is actually Route 30, or The White Horse Pike. It has shifted here and there but it is still basically the same route and it is still a main route between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. If you look at a map today you can see many roads come into and go through Berlin connecting it to many places.
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