Ocean City History PDF

   Ocean City is an island that is 7.5 miles long and 1 mile wide.  On the West and Northwest side of the island is Great Egg Harbor Bay and  Thoroughfare Sound.  Traveling South, Ocean City borders Corson's Inlet and to the east it is boarded by the Atlantic Ocean.       In the early days, Ocean c...

   Ocean City is an island that is 7.5 miles long and 1 mile wide.  On the West and Northwest side of the island is Great Egg Harbor Bay and  Thoroughfare Sound.  Traveling South, Ocean City borders Corson's Inlet and to the east it is boarded by the Atlantic Ocean.       In the early days, Ocean city was heavily wooded.  A map dated as far back as 1698 showed a large grove of trees at the North end of the island, then about 4^th^ street. In fact, from one end of the island to the other, wild trees could be found everywhere.  Trees types include Red Cedar, Holly, Willow, Magnolia, Sassafras, Persimmon, Pine, and Gum trees.  In the 1700s, there were large areas of tall grass on **[Peck's Beach]**, which used to be the name of the island.  Cattle (cows) were brought here by cattle drivers who have the cows swim across the narrow channels separating the island from the mainland.  At low tide they could sometimes wade across.  Here the cows could munch on the lush grass that covered the island.        One island in the Back Bay is still known as Cowpens Island.  It is now the small island near the 9^th^ street Bridge.   Peck's Beach was important for another reason at  this time also.  In the early 1700s and even up to the Civil War period, this section of the New Jersey coast was an outstanding whaling site.        The island was often used by whalers as a spot where they dragged whale carcasses ashore and cut them up.  They then boiled down the blubber for whale oil, used in lamps and for other purposes.           Many of the earliest settlers in the vicinity of Ocean City were whalers. John Peck was a whale man who had a whaling industry on the Ocean City beach. In the 1800s, however, the whales became less numerous and finally could not be found at all.      The land that was to eventually  be called 'Cape May County' was originally purchased from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. These natives were tricked into selling their land by settlers  for a bottle of rum and a few worthless trinkets.         The Lenni Lenape lived here for many years and thrived by hunting and farming.  They also enjoyed fishing in the streams and coastal waters.   During the Revolutionary War between the British and the Americans, this area was again an important location.        Both the British and Americans found that Great Egg Harbor Bay, lying between Peck's Beach and the mainland, provided a safe haven for ships. It was deep enough for these big warships to hide out of the sight of any enemy ship in the open waters.      Naval battles were fought right off the coast of the island.  One British brig (ship), the HMS Delight, was driven ashore by the Americans and her crew was captured  in 1779.      Although Ocean City was founded in 1879, there was one family who lived here some twenty years before then. Parker Miller moved here in the early 1850's with his wife and four children.       Miller's job was an agent for marine insurance companies. His job was to protect the interest of insurers in stranded and wrecked vessels (boats).        He also was involved in farming and cattle raising. He purchased property on the island in 1867 on what later became Asbury Avenue, in between 7^th^ and 8^th^ streets.   The actual founding of Ocean City took place in 1879. The Lake family played an important role in this founding when they agreed to create a summer resort founded on Christian principles.       On September 10, 1897, Ezra B. Lake, James E. Lake, S. Wesley Lake, and William Burrell accompanied by four clergymen (priests)  sailed over to Peck's Beach on an inspection trip. Landing on the bay side, they made their way up a cow path to the bluff on the north point of the island.       Here they held a conference, opened by prayer for divine guidance and blessing. The decisions they made that day are shown in concrete on the west corner or the camp meeting square. The Lake brother's father, the Honorable Simon Lake, placed a \$10,000 mortgage on his farm and orchard to support their idea. William Lake, cousin to the Lake brothers, was the surveyor who laid out the resort's streets. The island was named Ocean City.  The most famous and best known wreck on the island of Ocean City was that of the four masted bark *Sindia*. The ship was blown ashore during a howling gale on the early morning of December 15, 1902, near 16^th^ street.       The entire hull and most of the valuable cargo (estimated to be worth \$200,000- \$1,000,000) still lies buried beneath the sand and water.       The Sindia was owned by the Anglo- American Oil Company and had sailed from Kobe, Japan in July, heading for New York City. On the ship were Japanese novelties (gifts), silks, satins, oil, and assorted knick knacks  for the Christmas trade.       Much of the cargo was taken out by divers and sold at the Sindia store on the boardwalk, but the expense was too great and a large part of the ship's valuable freight remains undisturbed. In recent years, divers have made attempts to recover the cargo, but were not successful.