The Iron Age: Story of a doomed Cape May pier
In 1884, the Cape May Ocean Pier Company constructed the Iron Pier at the end of Decatur Street on the site of the former wooden Denizot Pier which had again been destroyed by a storm earlier that year.
In 1884, the Cape May Ocean Pier Company constructed the Iron Pier at the end of Decatur Street on the site of the former wooden Denizot Pier which had again been destroyed by a storm earlier that year.
Dr. Robert Watson presents an in-depth look at a Founding Father Students voted him Professor of the Year three times, he is a widely sought-after media commentator, he has written over 40 books and won the gold medal in history at the Global Book Awards for his book Escape. Award-winning […]
In Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, a debate occurs in Elizabeth’s family parlor between her younger sister, Kitty, and her mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. It’s summer, the handsome young soldiers have moved on, and Kitty, as precocious as her name suggests, is bored. She wants to go […]
Cape May has plenty of allure, and much of it has been curated by local shop owners, bed and breakfasts, careful caretakers of historic structures, restaurateurs and more. But its foundational attraction is the great blue salty expanse that hugs the island, drawing people to Cape May for stunning natural […]
In Cape May, there are shops of all varieties. From crystals and soaps to local merchandise, clothing and gifts, there’s a store dedicated to just about every type of product. And while they’re all part of the fabric of Cape May’s shopping district, there are only a few venues that […]
Want to learn more about Cape May history? You’ll find much of it on the walls of the Bedford Inn. The dining room of the Italianate villa features a wraparound mural depicting the original Convention Hall, the lighthouse, and the sunken ship Atlantus (apparently, a lot less sunken when the […]
How would you like to turn back time by, say, 100-plus years? Then visit the Howell Living History Farm, near Lambertville. This isn’t a museum, a reenactment, or a historic tableau, but a working farm, where they do things the old-fashioned way: circa 1900. Visitors don’t so much witness a […]
As we navigate town during peak season, the influx of summer residents and vacationers in full effect, we are forced to come to terms with a persistent planning issue: Cape May’s parking shortage.
After 20 years of life spent exploring my hometown of Cape May, I thought I had a well-rounded understanding of what it has to offer. But by the age of 21 I became aware of the limits of what I had been exposed to: an entire nightlife undetected because of […]
Paige Cunningham and I decided to meet on the Washington Street Mall one late afternoon just after she left work. As she walked toward the bench where I was seated, I was preparing to compliment her on the brightly colored jean jacket she was wearing—a jacket that I pretty much […]
“Sit quiet by my side in the shade And not the kind that’s thrown I mean, the kind under where a tree has grown” -Taylor Swift, Paris It’s Saturday, and you’ve made it to Cape May for your summer visit. You stop at your B&B or hotel in just enough […]
If you’re familiar with Cape May, it’s almost difficult not to be familiar with Janet Payne’s work. Whether you’re already a fan of her sea glass jewelry or have seen it displayed at Cape May shops Whale’s Tale or Splash, or even dangling around the neck or from the earlobes […]
When Suzanne and Eric Krebs were looking at Cape May houses in 1978, they found a vacant, rundown house on Beach Avenue that had possibility. It needed lots of work, but it had ocean views and big rooms, so they thought, “Why not?” What the Krebs got when they purchased […]
A Dream that Almost Turned into a Nightmare My grandmother used to say, “Nothing worth doing is easy.” If you have been following the saga that is 1069 Michigan Avenue, you know she was right. Renovating the building was a project that had been estimated to take six months but […]
Tucked on the outskirts of the central shopping district of Cape May sits a quaint antique shop, Out of The Past. The owner and operator of this hidden treasure is Jeanne Hermann, a woman filled with life who cherishes yesterday’s history. It’s amazing how such an unimposing little (24’ by […]
I love to go for walks around the fields in summer, particularly before it gets too hot. The vegetation is always green in summer, and flowers change from week to week. It tends to be quiet, most tourists preferring bed, breakfast or the beach. A stroll to Hidden Valley, The […]
In an area once known as the center of a flourishing African American community, anchored by its landowners, and further developed by its business owners, a building stands as a poignant reminder of a significant time in our nation’s history. The Franklin Street School, built in 1927, was constructed as […]
Allison Valtri, of Valtri Interiors, has been in the design business a long time, and she goes deeper than simple interior design. She makes sure that the lifestyle of her clients is addressed before going into a project, and that includes permanent pieces like built-in features. “I’m the second generation […]
Cape May has come to be known as a gastronomic destination and for good reason. We are blessed with a plethora of extraordinary dining concepts, an abundance of fresh seafood, and access to local farms who supply the freshest produce. Each year we lament the closing of one or more […]
To the uninitiated, the invitation to dine at a fixed hour in an airport hangar may not be all that appealing. Imagine having 700 people, mostly adults, show up at the same time to dine together in one very large room. The idea may have echoes of a campus dining […]
The official first greeting when we visited the sylvan Fishing Creek location of Cape Island Woodworks came not from owner John Hassay, but from shop dog Gracie. We heard her excited bark before we saw her, then spotted her wagging tail as she bounded through the grass, John behind her. […]
I find it fascinating how landscapes of my youth have had a profound influence on my preferences as an adult. For instance, some of my favorite places can be found within Florida’s Everglades National Park, where slight variations in elevation result in drastic changes in vegetation. As I sit at […]
If it were not already taken, A Tale of Two Cities might be a perfect title for the life story of West Cape May resident Barbara Freels. Born in Harlem in 1923, Barbara spent her childhood between Manhattan and Cape May, often returning to the city during the summer months when […]