USA > New Jersey > Cape May County > Ocean City > Ocean City [N.J] guide book and directory 1895 > Part 2
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In 1750 John Somers bought five hundred acres in the northern part; this tract remained in the possession of the Somers family for one hundred and thirty years, or until the entire island was bought by the Ocean City Association, in 1880. The first houses known to be built and occupied by white settlers were those of the Kittles and Robinsons. Joseph Robinson, now living on the island, is a descendant of the first named family. For over twenty years Parker Miller and family
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were the only residents of the island. He built his first resi- dence on the site of what is now Thorn's hardware store. He soon afterwards built the house No. 730 Asbury avenue, using for a kitchen the cabin of a wrecked steamer.
The Origin of Ocean City.
Three Christian ministers, brothers by the ties of blood, Revs. S. Wesley, James E. and Ezra B. Lake, sons of Hon. S. Lake, had for some time directed their attention toward the establishing of a seaside resort where the sanctity of the Sabbath should be preserved and the sale of alcoholic liquors prohibited. In the summer of 1879, while sailing across Great Egg Harbor Bay, they were impressed with the location and altitude of the well timbered island lying to the eastward of their course. September roth following they met at the home of their father, at Pleasantville, and in company with another clergyman proceeded from thence to the place designated. Landing close to where large and commodious steamers now sweep up to a magnificent pier they mnoored their little craft and waded through the mud to shore. Several hours were spent in following the tortuous windings of the cowpath through the otherwise impenetrable brush until weary and footsore they arrived at the northern point upon a wooded knoll overlooking the island. To the east lay the oceanl in its never-ending wonder of infinitude. The line marked by the command, "Hitherto shalt thou come and 110 fur- ther," was strewn with shells, seaweed and drift-wood as far as the eye could reach. To the north the ebbing tide laid bare the shining sands of the Inlet, to the west Great Egg Harbor Bay stretched away for miles into the main land a quiet silver sheet. The sun in its decline was casting long quivering beams of red light over the broken swirl of waters on Great Egg Harbor bar and piling banks of crimson and gold and purple vapor in the western sky in the peculiar
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RESIDENCE OF COUNCILMAN S. B. SAMPSON.
CROSSCUP.& WCGT.END,POIS
RESIDENCE OF REV. E. B. LAKE.
-
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W. E. MASSEY & CO., REAL ESTATE OFFICES.
E. BURLEIGH'S COTTAGES, CENTRAL AVE., BELOW 11th ST.
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OCEAN CITY GUIDE BOOK.
beauty of an ocean sunset. Here, impressed with the grandeur of nature in hier primeval condition, the quartette bowed beneath one of the patriarchal cedars* which had kept watch upon the shore for centuries, and in a service of prayer and song dedicated to Almighty God the projected work.
Ocean City Association.
The fine executive ability of these inen was shown by the fact that October 20th following a company had been formed with the above name, with Dr. W. B. Wood, of Philadelphia, as President. Active operations towards the fulfillment of its object were immediately begun by securing the land and issuing stock. The first topographical survey was made by W. Lake, February 13, 1880. The part known as Section A was staked off into avenues, streets and lots. This was rapidly cleared of brushwood and timber, thou- sands of feet of ditching were dug for drainage and hundreds of loads of brushwood were placed at the north point of the island for the purpose of gathering the moving sand and extending the ocean front. The first public sale of lots took place in May, 1880; these sold for about $50.00 each. The first deed was made to S. T. Champion. Lots to the value of $85,000 were soon disposed of and another portion of land, Section B, survey- ed and laid out. A wharf one hundred and twenty-five feet long and seventy-two feet wide was built at an enormous cost ; this was connected with the city by a good road over the meadows and a board walk running parallel with it the entire distance. A board walk was also built along the ocean front. The first building erected was the little Pioneer Cottage on the rear of the lot now occupied by the Association offices. It was used as a boarding-house for the mechanics then at work on the island, and was sometimes occupied by forty men. The first building
*This landmark now occupies a position at the west corner of the public park.
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of any considerable size was that of the Bellevue, erected by I. B. Smith. It was upon the site of this house, at the corner of Seventh street and Asbury avenue, that the first funeral services ever held on the island were conducted, those of Harry McCann, a boy killed by falling from a cart while hauling sand. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. W. H. Burrell to an all- dience of fifty mechanics and laborers seated in the open air on piles of lumber and building materials. The first hotel, the Ocean House, now Hotel Brighton, was also built by I. B. Smith. A railroad was built from Pleasantville to Somers Point ; this was formally opened October 26, 1880. A steam- boat was purchased to ply between Somers Point and Ocean City, thus completing connection with the outside world. A turnpike company was organized to build a road from Beasley's Point to Ocean City, which, together with a bridge over Thor- oughfare Sound, was completed the following Spring. Thus, in an incredibly short time, was the foundation laid and the work advanced of a most brilliant enterprise. Rev. E. B. Lake was appointed Superintendent when the Association was organ- ized and has held the position ever since. Nature endowed him with the talents necessary for the work. He is associated with every movement of advancement in the city, few of which he is not the projector as well. There is not an acquired advantage of any resort upon the New Jersey coast that he has not thor- oughly investigated, and when found practicable directed all his energy toward securing the same object in Ocean City. The present officers and managers are : President, Rev. S. W. Lake ; Vice President, Rev. J. B. Graw ; Secretary and Superintendent, Rev. E. B. Lake; Treasurer, Dr. G. E. Palen ; Directors, G. L. Horn, G. B. Langley, H. B. Howell, Rev. J. E. Lake, Rev. W. B. Wood.
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Ocean City.
HE wildest imagination of the company of four clergymen as they sailed back over Great Egg Harbor Bay from their first tour of investigation could not have conjured up visions of the result of the coming four years when an incorpor- ated city should stand as a monument of their enterprise. When vested with municipal powers, the officers carried forward with the same energy and determination the work of growth and de- velopment. Ocean City has ever maintained her precedence, not escaping vicissitudes and discouragements, but never yield-
ing to defeat or disaster. Standing to-day upon the threshold of a second decade, so brief a period in the life of a city, its phenomenal growth is but accentuated in every line of review we trace. Miles of paved and graded streets, electric railway and lights, steam railway, water works, beautiful homes of every description are the result of judicious and well-directed labor. The environments of Ocean City are such as irresisti- bly tend to the promotion of the city's growthi, to the beauty of its location, to the inspiring of unbounded confidence in the future. The ideal of a seaside resort is here revealed. There are no manufactories with ceaseless hum of machinery suggest- ing toil and weariness. No furnaces poisoning the air with smoke and gas. No restless hurrying to and fro of weary feet. An undefined sense of contentment and rest is borne upon the salt breezes and heard in the never-ending roll of the breakers along the shore. It is a noticeable fact that people who have once resided here for a full year and enjoyed the beauty of each
2
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season are seldom satisfied to take up the old routine of life again.
Health.
An extended reputation as a health resort is being rapidly acquired. Hardly any form of disease originates in Ocean City, while upon many diseases acquired elsewhere, simple residence and the use of salt waters in the bathing season, together with hot sand baths, are more beneficial than ordinary medical treatment. There is no malaria. Asthma and lung diseases
are unknown. There are but few of the many complaints to which humanity is subject that are not reduced to a minimum by the climatic forces. A glimpse of the army of tourists which annually gather here when they are returning to their homes in the fall, confirms this statement in the rounded limbs and rosy cheeks of once exhausted school children, the spring- ing step of former invalids and the sparkling light and happy flush on faces that such a short time before were wan and hag- gard.
Bathing.
Surf bathing can be indulged in with the most beneficial results from the last of May or first of June till late in October. Owing to the wide shelving strand and the absence of quick- sands or dangerous ground, this luxury is permissible at either high or low tide, while the exhaustion caused by heavy breakers is never experienced. To those who prefer deep water bathing the bay affords every facility.
Water.
The most potent factor in the inatter of health is fresh pure water. Nearly eight hundred feet below the surface courses have been tapped and Ocean City is supplied with cold sparkling water in an unlimited quantity, the purity of which has been tested by the noted chemist, Dr. Henry Leffinan, of
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Philadelphia, in the following analysis. Dr. Leffman also says, in a personal interview, "the water is absolutely pure and healthy and far ahead of any artesian water known.
Parts
1,000,000
Condition
Clear
Color
None
Reaction . Alkaline
Total solids (on evaporation) 7.00
Ammonia by alk. perinang. (albumnoid aminonia)
Trace
Aminonia (free aminonia)
0.12
Nitrites
None
Nitrates
None
Poisonous metals
None
This is pure water, suitable for drinking and all household purposes. It remains clear and without odor on standing."
Yours,
HENRY LEFFMAN.
Sewer Drainage and Garbage Restrictions.
Evidences of sanitary precaution are found in the entire absence of accumulations of an unhealthy character at any point. Arrangements have been completed for the introduc- tion of a system of drainage which fills the best scientific demand. It is already in operation in the hotels and will be extended throughout the city. There is not an alley that is not pure and clean. The Board of Healthi have adopted such measures as restrict the exposure of garbage in open vessels at cottages or hotels. The closed vessels are cleansed daily or seini-daily, as the temperature or condition of the weather demands, and the garbage disposed of according to the best sanitary regulations.
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Fire.
Fire plugs are placed at suitable distances apart throughout the city. A company of fifty inembers is ready to respond to calls at any moment. There have been but three destructive fires ever known on the island. Those of two houses located at the corner of Sixth street and Wesley avenne, September 15, 1883; Patterson's drug store, Asbury avenue, below Sixth street, October 12, 1884, and the Adams' Casino, along the boardwalk, at Ninth street, June 12, 1893. The residence of A. B. Thomas, Fifteenth street and Wesley avenue, was dam- aged to the extent of about $800 in 1893.
Lights.
The city is brilliantly lighted by electricity. Lights of 2,000 candle power, elevated twenty feet above the ground, illu- ininate the streets at the intersections. The latest improved ap- pliances of every kind are used in controlling this magical and mysterious agent. Incandescent lights are used in the business houses and cottages.
Railroad Facilities.
An electric railroad went into operation July 4, 1893. The tracks extend along the beach from Seventeenth street and Cen- tral avenne to First street ; tlience across the island, in full view of the Inlet, to the opposite side, where they terminate at the pier of the Steamboat Company, at Second street, on Great Egg Harbor Bay. Several routes by steam railway are avail- able in reaching Ocean City from Philadelphia and New York. The West Jersey Railroad, before mentioned, and the Reading Railroad, by way of Atlantic City and Longport, thence by steamer across the bay, and the South Jersey, by way of Sea Isle City.
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Steamboats.
The large pier on the Bay between First and Second streets is constantly thronged with visitors, from the opening till the close of the season. Large and commodious steamers are con- stantly plying between Ocean City, Somers Point and Long- port, and from these points out on the ocean to the fishing banks, ten iniles distant. A fleet of handsome yachts is always riding at anchor in waiting for parties desirous of a sail.
A ride over Great Egg Harbor Bay is a source of constant delight. The invigorating, health-giving salt breezes may be enjoyed by the most timid and delicate as well as the strong and fearless. The quiet waters and the almost entire absence of the "swell " render mal de mer an impossibility. The pier at Longport is visible far out at sea. This beautiful resort is situated on a point of land extending between the bay and the ocean, and was founded by M. Simpson Mccullough, in 1882. The place is laid out on a scale of singular magnificence, and the care with which the purchasers of lots are chosen will serve to keep it a home-retreat of the highest grade. A quiet air of refinement pervades everything, and there is an entire absence of the rush and bustle which characterize so many seaside resorts. A short ride on the electric cars, in full view of the ocean, brings one to Atlantic City, where every means of amuse- ilent and the finest markets in the State may be found. The architecture of Longport is imposing and beautiful, and is in harmony with the plan of the city, which promises to rise to a degree of refined elegance not excelled on the New Jersey coast.
Hotels.
The hotels have always been noted for their convenience and comfort, and but one fact has remained a drawback-there were not enough to accommodate the would-be guests. Again
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and again has nearly if not quite every hostlerie in the city turned people away from its doors. The fault will now be remedied by a large number of new and beautiful hotels located at very desirable points.
Hotel Brighton, the oldest hotel on the island will retain its precedence in every line of improvement while under the management of R. R. Sooy. A new story has been added and towers and turrets thrown out, producing a charming and picturesque result.
The Illinois, under the management of Mrs. H. D. Canfield, is open all the year round. A large new wing has been added, and guests throng the house before the season is fairly opened. This fact alone speaks volumes.
The Emmett, conducted by Miss M. A. Boyle, is an ideal seaside home for those in quest of rest and comfort. A new wing has been added, and the fine appointments and excel- lent service not only retain the old permanent patronage, but render it widely popular with new and transient guests.
The Wesley House will be open all the year. This hotel became very popular in 1894 under the first year's man- agement of Mrs. V. S. Robinson, who will also conduct it this season. The location is central and less than a square from the ocean1.
The Vandalia, Mrs. Joseph Burley proprietress, is very widely known ; the guests engage rooms one year for the next ; a happy throng may always be seen on the verandalis throughout the season.
The Strand, R. W. Edwards proprietor. The demands of one season only have necessitated the building of a large ad- dition to this hotel. The location gives an unobstructed view of the ocean. Spacious verandahs, large airy rooms and elec- tric lights are among its inany attractions. Miss H. Heisler, forinerly of the Aldine, is the manager.
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The Lafayette. Just far enough back from the high water line on the ocean strand to admit of convenience, stands this charming hostlerie, which, under the management of the genial host Daniel Gallagher, is crowded to its utinost capacity. The structure has been so arranged by the architect's skill that nearly every room has a view of both bay and ocean. It is sur- rounded by broad varandahs and is finely appointed in every respect. Electric lights, excellent service, the inost careful at- tention to the cuisine and perfect drainage inust place it among the first rank of seaside hotels.
The Traymore. Located immediately upon the strand, with grounds for croquet and lawn tennis, this hotel is admir- ably adapted for the entertainment of guests. Miss A. C. Creth, the manager, has won an enviable reputation as a hostess and is ever on the alert to administer to the pleasure as well as the needs of her many patrons.
The Excursion House, on the boardwalk at the foot of Eleventh street, is one of the 111ost attractive points of the city. The new proprietors, Messrs. Champion and Brown, have thoroughly remodeled the building and made many new changes. It has a seating capacity for five hundred, and is fur- nished with comfortable chairs throughout. A carrousel, candy kitchen, dining rooms, ice cream parlors, shooting gallery, shuffle boards and bath houses are all to be found within its walls.
The Adams Casino. This large building on the boardwalk, at the foot of Ninth street, is constantly undergoing improvements between seasons. The seating capacity is five hundred, and the place is always thronged. Shuffle boards, a carrousel, candy kitchen, etc., are among its attractions.
Public Schools.
The Public School Building, three stories high, is centrally located. The course of instruction is that taught in cities
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where graded schools have long been established. Prof. L. R. Thomas, the principal, is a native of Chester county, Pa., and is possessed of high scholastic acquirements. He was graduated from the Keystone State Normal School, in 1870, with honors, and has since kept constantly abreast of the times in matters pertaining to educational advancement and reform in the public schools. His work as an instructor had but commenced when the late rebellion called his attention to his country's need. He served throughout the entire war, held a captain's rank, and was twice breveted for gallantry. Prof. Thomas was en- gaged for fourteen consecutive years in academic and public school work at West Chester, Pa. He was called to Ocean City in 1890 to fill the position he now occupies, and immediately introduced into the curriculum of the public schools those branchies necessary to raise the standard of the educational sys- tein to a grade equal to that of any in the State. This has been most successfully achieved. The first class was graduated in 1892. The first sessions of the schools of Ocean City were held in the rooms of the Association Building. The following teacli- ers have engaged in the work since then : Annie Bartine, Mattie Boyle, Emma Corson, Carlton Godfrey, Emma Veale, Luther Corson, Hattie Smith, F. Spaulding, Amy Miller, Eva Moore, C. Pryor, Roxanna Corson, Julia Morton, L. R. Thomas and Gertrude Price.
First M. E. Church.
This building was dedicated August 31, 1891. A beautiful parsonage adjoining the Church was completed shortly after- wards. The first marriage solemnized after the organization of the Society-first known as St. Peter's-was that of Alida S. Goodrich and Thomas H. Tunnison, November 30, 1882, and the first person to whom the rite of baptism was administered was S. B. Miller, May 3, 1882.
The following pastors have been in charge : Revs. E. B.
PROF. L. R. THOMAS, PRINCIPAL OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
REV. L. O. MANCHESTER.
CFOGACUP & WIET FIO PO
FIRST M. E. CHURCH.
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Lake, W. E. Boyle, W. H. Hoag, C. K. Fleming, N. J. Wright, S. Townsend, W. A. Massey and L. O. Manchester.
The latter pastor, now in charge, is a New Englander by birth and education, a native of Litchfield, Conn., and educated at Wilbraham Academy, Mass. His ancestry dates back to the first settlers of the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut. He came to New Jersey in the twenty-first year of his age and en- gaged for a short time in teaching, subsequently entering the Christian ministry. His wide popularity is constantly growing and his faithful work in the cause he has so earnestly espoused has won a warm place for him in the hearts of his parishioners and those of the outside world as well.
St. Augustine's Catholic Chapel.
This beautiful new building was erected this year on Asbury avenue above Fourteenth street, through the enterprise of Mr. and Mrs. John McAleese, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Myers, Daniel Gallagher, Henry Gerlach and others. The need of a place of worship has long been felt by the summer as well as the permanent residents, and their efforts have been rewarded in a neat and commodious structure. The dedicatory services were held June 16, 1895. A resident priest will conduct ser- vices throughout the year.
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The Press
In less than one year after the first sale of lots took place a marked degree of enterprise was shown by W. H. Boyle & Bros., in issuing from their office in the Pioneer Cottage the first copy of a newspaper edited or printed in the city, the Ocean City Sentinel, April 21, 1881.
July 4, 1884, the Ocean City Standard, R. Fisher, editor and proprietor, made its first appearance.
Following these came another weekly, The South Jersey Review and Ocean City Spray, W. H. Fenton, editor and proprietor.
1892, the first OCEAN CITY GUIDE BOOK AND DIRECTORY was published by M. T. Rush.
December 13, 1892, the initial copy of the Weekly News, H. B. Adams, editor and proprietor, was welcomed by the public.
The first daily, and the latest newspaper, was issued from the present office of the Ocean City Sentinel, July 1, 1893, the Ocean City Daily Reporter, R. C. Robinson, editor and proprietor.
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Spirituous Liquors.
The liquor traffic is forever prohibited. A clause in all deeds calls for forfeiture of title if the vice is allowed to flourish on the premises. It is doubtless owing to this fact to a great extent that the population of Ocean City is drawn from the mnost refined and elevated classes.
Improvements.
Art must now build upon the foundation which nature has so substantially and lavishly laid. The hotels are large and numerous, the churches neat and beautiful ; but the chief glory of Ocean City is that it is a place of summer homes, and every year the cottage contingent grows larger. The number and beauty of its private dwellings, both of the permanent and summiner residents, are a matter of wonder and surprise. There is not a broken-down or dilapidated house in the city, and they number hundreds. Upon the greater portion good taste and ample means have been lavished with the best results. The variety is great, and stretches from the tiny cottage to the stately inansion, and includes all that is comfortable, picturesque and elegant. All the main streets are graveled and the side- walks well paved. The building lots are of ample size to build one large house or two small ones, allowing alley-ways between called for by the authorities to avoid solidly built streets. The general aspect of the city is permanence and stability, and as the tide of progress flows in capitalists are investing with a feeling of security never before known at the seashore. Street railways, bus lines, electric lights, pure water, perfect sewerage, fine piers, life guards and government signal stations add to the necessity and pleasure of a city overflowing with health, enter- prise and activity, and to its life at once buoyant, attractive and popular thousands are drawn to enjoy its hospitalities.
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Biographical Sketches.
Mayor Robert Fisher.
Ocean City is favored in the fact that her highest office is filled by one well adapted by nature and education for the posi- tion. Mayor Fisher has travelled extensively in Europe and the United States, is broad and cosmopolitan in his views and quick in his perceptions of the needs of a city which has reached that period in its development when every move exerts a telling influence on the future, and all his energies are directed toward the consummation of a success which can only arise from wise administration. The characteristics of his parentage are shown in a happy blending of the versatility of the wit and genius of the land of the shamrock and the shrewd economy of fore- thought of that of the thistle. He was one of the first real estate agents to locate in the city and is now one of the heaviest dealers. He has been connected with the largest sales of lots that have ever taken place on the island ; his business interests are therefore very closely interwoven with the history of the city while his knowledge of locations and values is of vast bene- fit to purchasers. Mayor. Fisher's real estate and insuranc- offices are centrally located on Asbury avenue, above Seventh street, and his beautiful residence, at the corner of Seventh street and Wesley avenue.
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