Cranberries had a long history in the Pine Barrens, where they were used extensively by the Lenape and early settlers, but they were not cultivated in New Jersey until 1835. In Ocean County, John Webb was credited as the first cranberry cultivator and as the person who discovered that good cranberries bounce, leading to the invention of the cranberry separator. Webb’s success in cranberry sales spurred others to cultivate their own bogs, creating a 20 year period known as the cranberry craze. At its height during the Civil War period, almost 260 bogs were in operation, but prices fell after the war and put some growers out of business, while many large producers endured until prices recovered in 1865. The Great Depression and World War II then hit the cranberry industry hard, causing many growers to dump crops, sell, or abandon their bogs, and even after the war, when prices rose, many smaller growers could not compete with larger operations. Along with new roads and development, these pressures led to the loss of cranberry bogs, and although prices continued to fluctuate in later years, the cranberry era was ending. On May 15, 1926, Penn Producing Company purchased Cedar Bridge and the surrounding forests and cranberry bogs. Formed around 1912, Penn Producing engaged in cranberry and blueberry production and owned other sites such as Howardsville and Sims Place. While working for Penn Producing, Charles Peters suffered a workplace injury, and he and his family were allowed to live at Cedar Bridge Tavern as part of the compensation. The site remained in use until Rudy Koenig purchased it from Penn Producing in 1959.