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Barnegat Lighthouse
Standing at 172 feet tall, and having a total of 217 steps, the Barnegat Lighthouse is the second tallest lighthouse in the United States! Locals refer to the lighthouse as "Old Barney", in 2009 it was relit after being off since 1944! -
Cape May Lighthouse
Although there were 3 documented light houses in cape may one in 1823, and the other in 1846 but have eroded and are now underwater. The one that is still standing today, was built under the supervision of Army engineer William F. Raynolds in 1859. -
Fire in Cape May
There was a fire in the center of town, which lasted 5 days straight, and destroyed tons of homes and shops. Firefighters from other cities including Philadelphia, came by train to try and help tame the fire. More than 30 acres of the old victorian Cape May was destroyed and left many townies with nothing. -
Atlantic City Electric Co.
What is now known as Atlantic Energy Inc. (AEI) or Atlantic City Electric Company (ACE) was founded in 1886. The demand was high for electricity, seeing that Atlantic City became a "hub" for many "out of towers" to vacation, especially for mill and factory workers. -
Steel Pier
This family owned amusement park on the Atlantic City Boardwalk is one of the most popular attractions for other families! The Steel pier is 1,000 feet long, but it was once 2,298 feet, and it is built into the Atlantic City Pier. -
Seaside Heights Boardwalk
in 1915 the senate decided that they wanted to build a boardwalk, and also include an inhumed carousel, loss of budget, put a hold on the project. The leader of this project was Joseph Vanderslice, but after budget was lost, he decided to sell it to Frank Freeman, and this is what lead to the 159 % growth in the population. -
Miss America Pageant
The Miss America Pageant is a beauty pageant for females from the age of 17-25. The first show took place in 1921 and the years following, people from all over such as Baltimore and Philadelphia came to watch. The winner was Margret Gorman from Washington D.C. and she was only 16 years old. Financial struggles during the Great Depression caused a temporary shut down from 1928-1932. -
Boardwalk
The first boardwalk was built in Atlantic City in 1870, to help hotels keep sand out of their lobbies. It was only built in one portion of the beach, near where most hotels were located. The boardwalk was a also removed after each peak season came to an end. Before being destroyed by the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane, the historic boardwalk was measured at 7 miles and went from Atlantic City to Longport, through Vintner and Margate. -
Gambling
Gambling was voted against in 1974 by NJ voters statewide, not in most peoples favor, two years later it became legal, but it was restricted to Atlantic City. Resorts Atlantic City was the first casino to open in 1978