Described by explorer Henry Hudson’s first mate in 1609 as “a pleasant land to see,” this high point of the eastern seaboard has witnessed the full sweep of American history from its steep wooded slopes. From the permanent settlements of the Navesink band of Lenape Indians through the passing of the Dutch and the founding of the second English town in New Jersey here in 1667, Atlantic Highlands became a prime Victorian resort during the Golden Age of the Jersey Shore. Later, as the axis of an extensive bootlegging operation during Prohibition with ties to big-city mobsters, the town’s heritage grew as flamboyant as it was rich.