New Jersey

Beach Haven, founded in 1874, was designed as one of the first summer seashore resorts in New Jersey for wealthy Philadelphians. Beach Haven's boardwalk extended from Seventh Street to Holyoke Avenue, one and a quarter miles long. Wool bathing costumes were the rage: women "fanny dunked" while men and children swam in the Atlantic. An 1883 Philadelphia Inquirer advertisement stated that the hotel opened for the season "with thorough sanitary arrangements." A steamboat, connected with the Tuckerton Railroad, carried many visitors to the island. Robert Barclay Engle, with financial help from his cousin Samuel Engle, built the Engleside Hotel with materials barged across Little Egg Harbor Bay from the mainland by wide catboats, and the majestic hotel opened in 1876. It had room to accommodate 350 guests and offered numerous amenities, such as running fresh and salt water, tennis courts, and fresh milk.

Ocean City, New Jersey, was founded as a "Christian seaside resort" in 1879. Soon thereafter, it became a vibrant year-round community and a highly desirable summer retreat. Hotels were integral to the city's success. The most famous of these was the Flanders Hotel, which opened to much fanfare in 1923. It was built in the Spanish Mission Revival style and named after Belgium's Flanders Field; today, it is in the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to other stately hotels, such as the Brighton, the Biscayne, and the Bellevue, many smaller hotels and guesthouses, like Jernee Manor, the Castle Inn, Locksley Hall, and the Scarborough Inn, were also established. Ocean City's Historic Hotels features the rich architectural and recreational history of this New Jersey coastal town and its many hotels.

The Jersey Shore evokes images of boardwalks and beach resorts, but its beginnings were far different. In the mid-nineteenth century, visionary entrepreneurs transformed the sleepy agrarian and maritime communities of the Garden State coast with a series of energetic new visitors and venues. Artists, politicians, athletes, entertainers and ordinary residents all played a hand in revitalizing the region. Major development of resorts began in Atlantic City in 1854, and it grew into "America's Favorite Playground." Joel Hayward was principally responsible for the formation of Ocean County, and the Albert brothers popularized Pinelands folk music. In the twentieth century, construction became more residential, and beloved businesses like the Smithville Inn started to cater to long-term patrons. New Jersey historian Randall Gabrielan traces the stories of the people who turned the Jersey Shore into the summer and residential destination that it is today.

What was once a whale-processing center in the 1700s emerged as a destination for sun and fun by drawing the biggest names and the classic American families of the early twentieth century.

Nestled along the New Jersey coastline and built to be one of the original seaside tourist destinations, Ocean City still sets the standard for resort living along the mid-Atlantic. As our country's search for the ideal vacation grew, this 7-mile stretch of beach cultivated a rich history and a reputation as one of the most alluring communities on the East Coast.

In the mid-1800s, a quaint fishing village, called Nauvoo at the time, was the largest fishery on the New Jersey seacoast. By the end of the 19th century, this fishing village had grown into the flourishing seaside resort of Sea Bright. Luxurious hotels like the Normandie-by-the-Sea, Sea Bright Inn, and the Octagon House were built, transforming the town into a haven for the wealthy, who built elegant cottages along its coast. The famous Pannaci Hotel and Restaurant became known as the "Delmonico of Sea Bright." Today Sea Bright continues to draw vacationers and residents alike with its glistening water and beautiful sandy beaches.

Before Disneyland, Hunt's Pier was the premier destination for vacationing families and fun-seekers alike.

With the completion of the Garden State Parkway and a prospering society's increased mobility in the years following World War II, the Wildwoods transitioned from a remote barrier island along the southern New Jersey coast to a vacation mecca. Featuring free bathing beaches, state-of-the-art motels, endless nightlife, and a honky-tonk boardwalk lined with entertainment options of all kinds, the resort would thrive for the better part of the 20th century. During that golden era, Hunt's Pier became known as a fun-lover's paradise of themed custom attractions; whether it was a child challenging the Flyer roller coaster's intimidating plunge or a child-at-heart exploring the dark caverns of the Golden Nugget and the haunted decks of the pirate ship Skua, anyone who visited the Oceanic Wonderland wouldn't forget it. Hunt's Pier captures the magic of the famed seaside amusement park through historical photographs, many published here for the first time.