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    Ocean City, New Jersey
    Ocean City, New Jersey
    Ocean City, New Jersey
    Ebook171 pages50 minutes

    Ocean City, New Jersey

    By Frank J. Esposito and Robert J. Esposito

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    About this ebook

    Ocean City, which calls itself "America's Greatest Family Resort," is best known for its clean beaches and yearly bayfront celebration called the "Night in Venice."


    Founded in 1879 as a Christian seaside resort, the island community still maintains some of its early traditions including prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages--while striving to continue its long-standing reputation as a family-oriented resort. This remarkable new photographic history features such historic sites as the home of the town's first
    resident and famous old-time restaurants like Chris', Hogate's, and Watson's. Several rare pictures of the shipwrecked Sindia and its cargo are also included, as well as photographs of Ocean City's most well-known citizens, Princess Grace Kelly and author Gay Talese.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateNov 1, 1996
    ISBN9781439632451
    Ocean City, New Jersey
    Author

    Frank J. Esposito

    Authors Frank J. and Robert J. Esposito--father and son--have worked together to produce an exciting and lively trip into the past of this dynamic seashore community. Residents and visitors alike will surely cherish their enthusiasm and expertise for years to come.

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      Book preview

      Ocean City, New Jersey - Frank J. Esposito

      Senior.

      Introduction

      Founded in 1879 as a Christian seaside resort, Ocean City, New Jersey, retains its essential charm. It still captures the imagination of countless thousands of loyal vacationers who, on a cold winter’s night, dream of a sunny day on its beautiful ocean beaches. It is also a community with a fascinating history.

      Originally known as Peck’s Beach, so named after John Peck who engaged in whaling here, the 7-mile long island was also used for cattle grazing and for salvaging goods from the many shipwrecks that occurred on its coast. Its first permanent resident was Parker Miller, who lived in a house at Seventh Street and Asbury Avenue which had a kitchen fashioned from the cabin of a shipwrecked vessel. Miller served as a representative for insurance claims for lost cargo and also farmed a bit. In the early days of the community, his house also served as a kind of way station for weary visitors.

      The Methodist ministers who founded Ocean City were Reverend Ezra B. Lake, Reverend James B. Lake, Reverend S. Wesley Lake, and Reverend William H. Burrell. Through the Ocean City Association, they created a community where residents and visitors alike could enjoy life in a town governed by religious principles. That they succeeded is best evidenced by two enduring characteristics: the town’s still-present ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages and its enduring focus on serving as a family-oriented resort.

      Ocean City’s best known historic site is at Sixteenth Street and the beach, where the remains of the steel-hulled, four-masted barque Sindia still lie beneath the sands. A good part of the ship’s cargo, now valued at more than $1,000,000, remains in its buried frame.

      The Sindia came aground at 1:30 am on December 15, 1901, in a howling storm. The ship continues to grace the postcards of vacationers, as it has for most of this century, and to stir the imaginings of those who wonder what is still in its hold. One persistent legend is that the Sindia’s ill-fated voyage from Kobe, Japan, to New York City was star-crossed by the presence of a large 2-ton statue of Buddha on board. To some who believe the story, the relocation of the religious object from its native land brought with it a curse that caused the destruction of the ship. The ship’s manifest did not specifically list a large Buddha. However, more than one thousand cases of curios are still believed to exist in the buried hull of the ship.

      Ocean City is well-known both for its shipwrecks and as home for a large number of famous people. Most notable among these is the Kelly family of Philadelphia—a family still revered on the island. Actress Grace Kelly, later Princess Grace of Monaco, vacationed here as a child with her family and even visited after she became a princess. Her brothers and sisters likewise shared a love of the resort, and Kelly family members still live in the community.

      Ocean City also has in its midst one of the finest writers in America—Gay Talese, who still maintains a residence here while also living in New York City. Talese, whose parents operated an Asbury Avenue tailor shop for many years, is the author of several books that have made the New York Times’ bestseller list, including Honor Thy Father, The Kingdom and Power, Thy Neighbor’s Wife, and Unto the Sons. Five years ago, the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame inducted Talese.

      Ocean City is also a place of picturesque landmarks, a well-kept main street called Asbury Avenue, and a historic district consisting of wonderful Victorian era homes. Its city hall and the Music Pier are both important architectural and historic sites. Unfortunately, some of the best landmarks are gone: the Parker Miller House, Watson’s Restaurant, Jernee Manor, Chris’ Restaurant, and Hogate’s Restaurant. All of these are chronicled here, as well as the many remaining attractions of this unique seaside

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