Fred and Ethel Noyes of Smithville, New Jersey: The Artist and the Entrepreneur

by Judy Courter

Overview

Thousands of visitors each year flock to the Historic Smithville Inn and Village to enjoy restaurants, shops and festivals. The story behind Smithville—the remarkable efforts of its founders, Fred and Ethel Noyes—is as colorful as the village itself. Fred was a World War II veteran and artist with a rambunctious personality. Ethel was an unstoppable visionary and self-made businesswoman. Together, they restored the Smithville Inn and, over the years, added the historic village. Ethel ran the enterprise with a notoriously tight grip, while the garrulous Fred painted, collected decoys and was the mainstay. They went on to build the Ram's Head Inn and the Noyes Museum of Art. Fred and Ethel left a lasting legacy for the people of New Jersey. Author Judy Courter tells the story of this fascinating couple through the memories of family, friends and employees.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626190320
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	05/01/2013
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Judy Courter is on the board of The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton College, a lifetime member of the Atlantic County Historical Society and a member of the Absecon Historical Society. She lives in Absecon with her husband and owns a large collection of Fred Noyes paintings.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 9

Acknowledgements 11

Introduction 13

1 The Heyday 15

2 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 19

3 The Beginnings of a Woman Ahead of Her Time 27

4 The War Years 35

5 Partners in Arts and Antiques 49

6 Ethel Leads, Fred Balances the Act 57

7 Catapulting into the Sixties: Quail Hill and Creditors 73

8 How It Worked and Who Made It Happen 87

9 The Artistic Pursuit 93

10 The Crescendo: The Old Village 103

11 Storm Clouds Gather: Trouble in Paradise 131

12 And the Beat Goes On 139

13 ABC Buyout: The End of a Dream 145

14 A Most Elegant Enterprise: The Ram's Head Inn 153

15 The Ironic Start of a Legacy: The Noyes Museum 161

16 "The Stump Jumper Who Made a Million" 181

17 The Legacy Becomes Reality 191

18 Art Comes to the Pines 203

19 Of Fish and Forever 207

Epilogue 213

Bibliography 217

Index 221

About the Author 224