5Founded in 1850, but with roots dating to before the American Revolution, Manchester Township is a community of many faces. Springing from the sawmills and bog iron operations that once dotted the Pine Barrens, the village of Manchester began life as a railroad town founded by William Torrey. By the early 20th century, the village had become the borough of Lakehurst, while the surrounding community broke off into Manchester Township, a sleepy region made up of distinct areas like Whiting, Ridgeway, and Pine Lake. As Lakehurst evolved into a vacation retreat for the wealthy (thanks to the luxurious Pine Tree Inn), Manchester welcomed the naval base that would become the site of the infamous Hindenburg disaster. By the 1950s, the community began to shift again, and it eventually became one of New Jersey's great retirement destinations.