Historic Cape May, New Jersey

by Salvini, Emil R.

• ISBN13: 9781609499099
• ISBN10: 1609499093
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-27
• Publisher: History Pr

Summary

Cape May began as Cape May Island, where families journeyed to enjoy wide white beaches and gentle surf during the early nineteenth century. With the advent of steamships and railroads, the quiet village soon became America's first seaside resort town. Despite its charm and elegance, visitors slowed in the 1880s, as a series of mysterious fires claimed some of its most beloved structures. As the twentieth century dawned, Cape May's failure to modernize ultimately became its salvation. By the 1960s, visitors were once again flocking to this seaside destination to enjoy its quaint Victorian charm. Experience the elegant Chalfonte Hotel, stately Congress Hall and the classic Cape May Boardwalk with local historian Emil Salvini.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 9
The Origins of a Resort	p. 11
From 1850 to 1863	p. 29
The Civil War	p. 38
The Lottery of Death	p. 43
The Railroad Comes to Cape May	p. 47
The Cottage Era	p. 50
Railroad Control	p. 56
The Fire of 1869	p. 60
Depression and Reconstruction	p. 64
The Inferno	p. 73
The Road Not Taken	p. 85
Growth After the Fire	p. 93
The Republic Era	p. 101
New Jersey Newport	p. 112
Cool Cape May	p. 123
The Great Atlantic Hurricane	p. 137
Peace and Preservation	p. 143
The Winds of Change	p. 149
"Putting More Christianity in the Patriots"	p. 153
The City Is the Project: Everything Old Is New Again	p. 158
Renaissance	p. 168
Bibliography	p. 177
Index	p. 181
About the Author	p. 189
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