Electric 1935 ‘Monaghan’ Won Trophy; Siblings Give Cherished Item to Museum

WILDWOOD – It was an “electric moment” for three Monaghan siblings on the city’s Boardwalk Aug. 16, 1935. Decades before Tesla or Chevrolet’s Volt connected the hearts of drivers to electric vehicles, the youngsters, William, 10, John, 7, and Barbara, 6, won a silver trophy they cherished for decades for driving their “Red Bug” over the boards in the 1935 Wildwood Baby Parade.
On the 80th anniversary of that sun-drenched, happy occasion, John Monaghan, Barbara Monaghan (Lacey), and their “post-parade brother,” James, born in 1940, presented that trophy to the Wildwood Historical Society’s George F. Boyer Museum.
They did so in memory of their late brother William, who died in 2010, their parents, William and Marguerite Monaghan and grandparents, Edward and Mary Monaghan.
In the museum, 3901 Pacific Ave., the cherished trophy from so many summers ago was placed among artifacts of earlier times for all visitors to behold.
As John Monaghan told the Herald, in preparation for that parade, the family crafted a bright red electric-powered cart. Theme of the cart was “Out for a Sunday Drive.”
That humble horseless carriage was made of two automobile batteries that powered a 6-volt motor. When fully charged, the vehicle could travel two miles, he said.
Its body was made of six wooden slats suspended on four large bicycle tires with wire spokes. It sported a steering wheel, accelerator and brake pedals, horn, headlights and even two upholstered bucket seats.