The First Resort: Fun, Sun, Fire and War in Cape May, America's Original Seaside Town

by Ben Miller

Cape May, NJ in America's oldest seaside resort and in fact, America's First Resort. It began with an advertisement in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1801. Soon, city dwellers were descending on Cape May, at the tip of the Jersey Shore, and the American seaside vacation was born. Presidents stayed in Cape May, and famous industrialists from the north mixed with renowned plantation owners from the south. But the Civil War and an inferno that destroyed forty acres of majestic beachfront hotels sent Cape May lurching toward oblivion. During two world wars, the town hosted a huge garrison of soldiers and sailors, and the city was front-page news when a German U-boat surrendered off its coast in 1945. It took a bitter battle between the city and preservationists for Cape May to be reborn. Ben Miller tells the compelling story of how Cape May went from boom to bust and back again in this lavishly illustrated, meticulously researched book.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Elizabeth Ziegenfus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a local independent bookstore during a recent weekend getaway to Cape May. As a local history afficianado, I love learning all the details of how places develop over time. This book delivers up an extensive retelling of Cape May from it's earliest days to the present along with an absolutely astonishing number of photographs. I had no idea how early Cape May was founded. The book really shines in its retelling of the early days of Cape May as a resort.

In fact, my only quibble with the book is that sometimes I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of detail which sometimes slowed down the narrative. The author also includes lengthy excerpts newspaper articles. While these primary sources do lend historical authenticity, I found myself skimming those the further I read into the book. But they do make for a treasure trove of information. Anyone who grew up going "down the shore" will enjoy this wonderful walk down memory lane.