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CLUE #1: The Hollisters lived next to a lake called Pine Lake. I presume the lake was named due to the presence of pine trees.
CLUE #2: In the middle of Pine Lake was a island called Blackberry Island. Blackberries were plentiful there.
CLUE #3: Ricky once found an arrowhead, which indicates that Indians once inhabitated the area.
CLUE #4: There is farmland nearby as evidenced by stories such as The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Golden Witch (as well as others.) There are also apple trees as evidenced by the same story.
CLUE #5: A park with amusement rides is near Shoreham. You'll also find a park (possibly the same one and possibly a different one) which has pavilions that the Hollisters picnic at.
CLUE #6: There is a quarry nearby.
CLUE #7: One of the roads in the town is named Shoreham Road.
CLUE #8: A church with a large steeple and large clock is present in the stories.
CLUE #9: Andrew Svenson lived in Bloomfield NJ, and many of the stories were based on adventures and travels that he and his family shared while living there. For example: The Happy Hollisters and The Secret Fort was based on the building of Garden State Parkway just blocks from their home.
CLUE #10: There are two definate US towns in existence named Shoreham. The first is Shoreham, NY and the second is Shoreham, VT. There is also a Shoreham in Minnesota with a population of 17! Rhode Island has a New Shoreham, and there is a Shoreham by the Sea in the UK.
Deduction #1: The Shoreham in the books has to be based on the East Coast. Pine trees, blackberry bushes, quarries, islands in the middle of lakes, older towns in the East Coast often have streets named after the town, amusement parks abound here, older churches often have both steeples and clocks...and finally, since the area was very populated with Indians who used arrowheads, it makes sense that an arrowhead would have been found by a main character in the book.
Deduction #2: Since Andrew Svenson and his family lived in NJ, it makes sense that he would base the books on an area familiar to him. It It is entirely plausible that he invented Shoreham and based it on Bloomfield, NJ. However; it also makes sense that he would base it on a town that he was personally familiar with...such as Shoreham, NY or Shoreham, VT. The question remains as to whether he was familiar enough with either of these towns to immortalize one of them in this series.
Deduction #3: I believe that Shoreham, NY would be a more plausible explanation than Shoreham, VT...for the main reason that it was closer to where the author actually lived. Shoreham, NY is on Long Island and would have been more accesible.
Deduction #4: In conclusion, I believe that there are two main possibilities as to the location of Shoreham in the series. Shoreham, NY is the first...and the second that Shoreham was based upon Bloomfield, NJ. Other facts in the books support either of these scenarios (such as distances traveled to other areas, etc.).
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