Nancy Patterson—artist and author—has been falling in love with lighthouses since she was a child. Her earliest memories involve visiting the Cape May Lighthouse, and dreaming about one day climbing to the top. When her granddaughter was three, Nancy retraced her childhood steps. She took little Ella to see the […]
Seldom do I write a feature in which I am a key player. It was a moment of mixed reaction when I was assigned to write a piece on GABLES of Cape May County, a nonprofit LGBT community group celebrating its 23rd year. Having been an active member of GABLES […]
The history of the Franklin Street School, built in 1928 for the African American grade school children of Cape May.
Cape May earned its National Historic Landmark status in 1976 for its singular large collection of more than 600 late 18th to 19th century frame buildings, many architecturally important. Let’s take a walk and enjoy what makes them special.
“They rode on in silence, gradually leaving the countryside behind them, along with the mingled smell of hay and honeysuckle, which would soon be replaced by the scent of salty air mixed with coconut oil.” It All Started with a Bicycle In this passage from It All Started With a […]
At the end of the 19th century, Cape May Point was a thriving little community established as a religious retreat by prominent ministers and businessmen. Here, on July 10, 1885, a baby girl was born to the Reverend and Mrs. Reese Alsop. They called their daughter Mary O’Hara, after her […]
So, you want to get married in Cape May, do you? That’s an excellent notion. The quaint beauty and charms of America’s oldest seaside resort provide not just the perfect backdrop for a summer vacation, but also an ideal setting for tying the knot—ask me, I know. I was a […]
A year ago, Ron Goldstein, then president of Cape May’s Chamber of Commerce, knew little about Stephen Smith and the summer home he built on Lafayette Street in 1846. And whenever Goldstein passed it on his way downtown, he could barely see the building behind the shrubs and trees that […]
The first sign that something unusual was happening on a freezing day in late January, deep into Cape May’s off season, was that there was nowhere to park within blocks of Convention Hall. Outside, latecomers were streaming in twos and threes up the steps, and unlike many events in town […]
You’ve probably walked past the unimposing pale yellow house at 645 Lafayette Street many times, and perhaps you read the historical marker out front—the one saying that Stephen Smith was a businessman, philanthropist, abolitionist and founder of Cape May’s AME Church. But what you didn’t know is that Smith, who […]
On an ordinary afternoon in March, Cape May resident Linda Portewig was standing outside with her son when she witnessed a fierce battle suddenly erupt in the sky. To her great surprise, two Bald Eagles had forcefully collided and appeared to be stuck in a deadly embrace as they spiraled […]
Many people have seen the movie Twelve Years a Slave, the true story of a free black man from New York, lured to Washington, D.C. by slave traders and sold into bondage in 1841. But few people know that such things happened right here in Cape May. In the years […]
Cape May—in its heyday as the first and most popular seaside resort—attracted all sorts of VIPs. Lured by the restorative powers of the sea and the status of socializing at the beach were United States presidents, southern plantation owners, entrepreneurs, inventors, industrialists, military heroes, architects, artists and—the Quinine King. William […]
In the early part of the 20th century, when the Wildwoods weren’t so wild yet, dreamers came to the shores here with a little money, rolled up their sleeves and built the place we know today. They were men like Sebastian Ramagosa, the “King of the Boardwalk,” who ushered in […]
Add simple syrup, Beach Plum purée, mint, and lime to pint glass. Muddle. Add rum and top with ice. Fill glass with club soda and stir with a bar spoon. Serve with a lime wheel and mint leaf. Tips for a great mojito:
Create your own flight of wine for the holidays! The Washington Inn serves Stag Leap Petite Syrah, Reserve de la Sayrine Rosé, and Ancilla Lugana Ella—a non-sparkling Italian white wine. Flight glass holders, similar to shown, are available on Etsy.
Forty-two years ago, God visited the Mainstay Inn. Well, it wasn’t actually the Supreme Being, and it wasn’t quite the Mainstay Inn, at least not the one that stands proudly on the intersection of Columbia Avenue and Stockton Place now. But back in the early 1970s, the self-appointed deity of […]
It’s a system of loyalty and trust. Loyalty to those who visit Cape May beaches, and trust among the lifeguards themselves. No occupation seems to embody the all-American summer like that of a well-tanned, able-bodied, vigilant and attentive lifeguard. Lifeguards sit upon their chair, constantly scanning the horizon looking for […]
It was an innovative idea at the time. A first-of-its-kind floating cocktail lounge. Wally Laudeman and his wife Marijane, side by side, opened The Marine Bar in 1954 as a small restaurant primarily specializing in seafood and burgers. A devastating fire in 1964 changed the course of dining in Cape […]
Recipe courtesy of the Mad Batter 1/2 oz London dry gin 1/2 oz brandy 1/2 oz pear vodka 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice 3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1 ratio) 1 drop cinnamon tincture 1 drop clove tincture 6 drops chamomile tincture 1 fresh sage leaf (garnish) Freshly ground nutmeg (for […]
People like to go to the top of things. Don’t ask me why. And it’s no good asking them, either, because they don’t know. Nearly a century ago, a reporter from the New York Times asked George Mallory why he wanted to go to the summit of Mount Everest, and […]
Ed Wuerker likes classic planes so much, he bought one: a vintage TBM Avenger, built in the waning days of World War II. The single-prop torpedo bomber, one of the few that remain from a fleet of 10,000, still flies out of Cape May County Airport.
