• Remains of the shack. Bonnet Island, NJ. December 2012.

The “shack” was an iconic landmark along the Jersey Shore. It was located on the eastbound side of the Route 72 Causeway to Long Beach Island. It was built sometime in the 1920s and was an old hunting shanty used by baymen of Barnegat Bay. It was admired and documented by many people; locals and tourists. The shack stood for over 80 years until the storm surge with Superstorm Sandy washed it away.

After the storm a very large debris pile was located along the south side of the Route 72 Causeway, which was around 400 feet from where the shack once stood on the nearby saltmarsh. In the debris pile was the remains of the shack. I had no intention of finding the shack when the site was first visited in early December 2012.

I only went to check out the area after being asked to do a piece with a student from Columbia University School of Journalism on debris created by Sandy and what people were doing with it. At the time, it was easy to tell the difference between the 80+ year old wood and the new boards that were used to keep it standing over the past decade. The harsh environment of the coastal salt marsh caused much of the wood to decay, but a good amount of it was in really good condition.

I managed to salvage a decent amount of wood that used to be the shack, mostly tongue & groove yellow (yellow) pine siding, cedar shakes, a beam, floor boards, and a few joists. I even found a couple whole sections of wall, one from the front of the shack where the American flag was once nailed on the siding… (I sold a large piece of the shack to Ship Bottom Brewery, Beach Haven, NJ).

I collected wood on December 7th and again on December 22nd. On the 22nd I could tell that debris removal crews had targeted the area for removal (a deck was being cut up with chainsaws) so I made plans to go back after Christmas. When I returned on the 26th with my Dad, all the remains of the shack were gone.

Shack blog posts:

The fourth and final batch of limited edition jersey cutouts made from the shack are sold out!

From the sales of these limited edition Jersey cutouts and other items made from reclaimed shack wood (and other items made from Sandy debris) I’ve donated over 50% of the proceeds to Sandy relief efforts and local non-profit organizations, including Clean Ocean Action, Jetty Rock Foundation, and New Jersey Organizing Project. More recently, I have made awards using pieces or scraps to craft awards, large mosaic pieces and now small ornaments, so the shack continues to live on! A huge thank you to everyone who purchased one of these to help local recovery efforts.

When I found the remains of the shack, which was mostly in pieces, I knew I had to try and salvaged as much as possible. It was a piece of history that deserved to be saved. So, along with pine wallboards, I also salvaged as many cedar shakes as I could.

From these, I made a small jersey cutout ornament in late 2013. They were not easy to make, as the wood was very brittle. Out of every four, at least half snapped. After being cutout, the edges were sanded and a 1/8″ hole was drilled near the top for easy hanging. Wood was left with its natural patina. Size was ~ 4 ½ x2″. I made around 75 of them.

Fast forward to fall 2025, I am finally getting back into my woodworking groove after relocating to Manahawkin. I decided to break out the many scraps of the “shack” (from making larger jersey cutouts post-Sandy) to make a very limited run of ornaments for this holiday/gift giving season. Each will include a note about the wood and will be numbered.

These are made to order and can be shipped or picked up in downtown ‘hawkin. Use the button below to purchase.

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