Early records indicate that a band of peace loving Lenni Lenape Indians sought relief from the summer heat on Cape Island's shores. Also Kochemeche Indians inhabited Cape Island. The tribes found the climate most pleasant and an abundance of wildlife to sustain them. Both tribes were there when the first white men sailed their ships along the coast and into the bay.
Cape May was actually discovered in 1609 by Sir Henry Hudson. However, in 1620, the same year the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey explored New Jersey and the Delaware Bay area. He declared the climate of these fruitful lands as good as his homeland of Holland and named Cape May for himself.
Many of the first settlers were whalers from New England and it has been reputed that more descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims lived in Cape May than anywhere else! Over a century later Cape May became the first seashore resort in America.
Historians point to 1766 as the first year local residents mentioned "visitors" who came to Cape May, called Cape Island then, to bathe in the ocean waters, relax strolling the sandy beaches, go fishing or just get away from city life in colonial Philadelphia.
Ellis Hughes, one of Cape May's first innkeepers, described what Cape Island had to offer the tourist in 1801 when he advertised "Seashore Entertainment at Cape May" in the Philadelphia Aurora and General Advertiser. Hughes said, "The situation is beautiful, just on the confluence of Delaware Bay with the Ocean in sight of the lighthouse, and affords a view of shipping which enters and leaves the Delaware. Carriages may be driven along the margin of the Ocean for miles; and the wheels will scarcely make any impression upon the sand, the slope of the shore is so regular that persons rnay wade out a great distance. It is the most beautiful spot that citizens can retire to in the hot season."
It was not until the early 1800's that visitors would be drawn in great numbers from Philadelphia, as well as from other cities in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Cape May was also a great attraction for rich plantation owners and other members of "Southem Society". Interestingly, the Cape was considered part of the South and actually fell below the projected Mason-Dixon line. The Civil War put and end to this tourist market, and Cape May became the summer destination of Philadelphia's and Pittsburgh's industrial elite, bankers and real estate tycoons.
The Victorian Era occurred from 1837 to 1901 when Queen Victoria ruled over England. The impact of her reign was felt throughout the world and in Cape May which was then considered to be among the top vacation resorts in the United States.
The earliest travelers from Philadelphia came by stagecoach and took as long as two days to traverse the sandy roads of South Jersey. Others came by sailing sloops, steamboats, and packet boats. By the mid-1800's, steamboat lines offered a daily run from Philadelphia to Cape May for $6 round trip including meals. Steam trains soon took care of the overland joumey and carried passengers from Philadelphia and points further south by way of Baltimore.
Right from the start, there seemed to be an abundance of visitors and a shortage of accommodations. Private boarding houses soon gave way to licensed "public houses" which were little more than barn-like dormitories, partitioned with curtains for sleeping: men on one side, women on the other.
The segregation of ladies and gents also extended to their swimming hours: a red flag signaled the men to the water; a white flag, the ladies. Bathers of this era wore an abundance of clothing into the ocean - tunics, pants, skirts, white collars and wristbands, stockings, bathing shoes and even straw hats! All this for "modesty's sake" and to avoid the sun.Tanned skin was an indication of the lower class who had to work outside during daytime hours.
Members of this fashionable elite strolled along the avenues or went for carriage rides on the hard packed sand. While ladies played ten-pin or cooled themselves on the open verandas, the men gambled in clubs, sharpened their skills in shooting galleries, or bet on horse races on the beach.
Cape May of the mid-nineteenth century saw a procession of presidents and statesmen visiting the resort. Franklin Pierce being the first president, followed by Chester A Arthur, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Harrison were all honored guests at Cape May while they were serving their respective terms as presidents of the United States between 1855 and 1889. Senator Henry Clay came in 1847 seeking solace following the death of his son. A few years prior Mr. Clay had run unsuccessfully for the presidency against James Polk. Twelve years before he was to become our 16th president, Congressman Abraham Lincoln, on a Whig campaign tour, checked into The Mansion House with his wife. Cape May also saw the likes of John Phillip Sousa, as he played a newly-composed march called "Congress Hall" on the lawn of that famous hotel which still stands today. The list of dignitaries grew with visits from Empress Carlotta, British actress Lily Langtry, writer Bret Harte and Clara Barton.
The golden age of grandeur reached ultimate heights with the heralded opening of The Mount Vernon, billed in The Illustrated London News on September 17, 1853 as a "palatial building far exceeding any hotel in England." When completed, it would accommodate 3,500 guests and hold place-settings for 2,500. The four story hotel had miles of balconies and verandas that wrapped around its exterior and was entirely lit by gas manufactured on its premises. On September 5, 1856, with only the final wing to be completed, the grand structure was found to be on fire. Within an hour and a half, it had burned to the ground.
Understandably, with prevailing high winds and little fire-fighting equipment on hand blazes led to disastrous results, often destroying large sections of the town. The largest of these, in 1878, took with it the entire hotel district and substantially reduced the town's capacity to accommodate the vast number of visitors to Cape May. Although, unfortunate, the fires provided fresh opportunities of new construction. During the 1860's, 70's and 80's, hundreds of buildings were fabricated in every major architectural style of the Victorian era.
Contributing to this building boom were the wealthy Philadelphia "Main Iiners", the owners of the excursion steamboats and railroads, rich merchants, banker and the like, who were all displeased with overflowing hotels and crowds. They secured the best architects, builders and carpenters and commissioned them to create private summer residences as large and as fashionable as money could buy! These new wooden structures exuberantly competed with each other for the most lavish ornamentation-latticework, scrolls and frets, brackets and bargeboards. Each architectural detail was painted a different color, to accentuate the skillful craftsmanship.
During the summers of 1890-91, President Benjamin Harrison and his wife spent much time in a private cottage at Cape May Point, owned by his Postmaster General John Wanamaker (the Philadelphia department store magnate.) Wanamaker was one of the founders of Cape May Point. The President set up his working headquarters in Congress Hall (which was the resort's most famous hotel of that time), thus establishing the Summer White House concept.
At the turn of the century (1903), crowds of 20,000 waited all week to witness Henry Ford's Beach Skimmer compete with the world's top race car drivers in a week-long racing event.
Fires continued sporadically and the town still had no appreciable fire-fighting equipment. Tourists grew apprehensive as they were packed into overflowing wooden hotels. Soon, newly installed train lines and the advent of the automobile lured society to vacation at some of the more modern resorts, such as Atlantic City, further north. Cape May's golden age declined, with a brief revival during Prohibition with its bootlegging and rum-running. Following the roar of the 20's the seaside town evolved into another sleepy South Jersey community with the yet-unrecognized distinction of having the greatest collection of 19th century buildings in the United States today.
Today, Cape May is an often cited example of the benefits of preservation both economic and cultural. The city functions as a resort which combines charming bed & breakfast inns, modern hotels and motels as well as historic hotels and guest houses. Cultural and recreational events are featured on a calendar which spans over ten months of the year. Birding, fishing, bicycling, relaxing, dining, touring and shopping are just some of the pleasant diversions which historic Cape May offers the visitor.
The Easter Stroll, Discover Cape May Weekend, Tulip Festival, Music Festival, Footrace, Seafood Festival, Independence Day Celebration, Founder's Weekend, Victorian Week, Halloween Party, Sherlock Holmes Weekend and Christmas in Cape May give anyone a reason to "retire" to Cape May as travellers have done for over 200 years. Cape May is America's first and oldest seashore resort.