Bizarre History of Cape May > King Cotton gambled away much of his money in Cape May

Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, May 09, 2012 10:55 am

Long ago, just before the Civil War and soon after it, people subtly tolerated gambling in Cape Island/Cape May. It wasn’t legal and it wasn’t illegal, either. The general attitude seemed to be, “Well, let it happen, but don’t tell me about it.”

It wasn’t like today’s Atlantic City, where skyscraper hotels and their casinos beckon the rich, the poor and those in between to take their money. Instead, there were innocent looking houses that belied what went on inside of them. It wasn’t always gambling either.

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Bizarre History of Cape May > Sousa’s visit in 1882 was a rousing time for Cape May

Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, May 02, 2012 11:55 am

Pretend, if you can, that you are in Cape May on the morning of August 20, 1882, the prime time for summer tourism then, a period when the ocean is usually at its warmest, when thousands flock to the seashore to escape the routine of year-round living, and when people seem to be in a festive mood from the Fourth of July to the first of September.

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Bizarre History of Cape May > Mount Vernon was ‘the largest hotel in the world,’ for three years

Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Thursday, April 26, 2012 10:43 am

History’s stories have long enriched Cape Island/Cape May in its more than three centuries, but it is doubtful that as many can be credited in successes and failures as those that emerged in the three years between 1853 and 1856.

It was during that period, as the nation struggled with the issue of slavery, that Cape Island hosted the first of several American presidents, that telegram service was started between Philadelphia and Cape Island, that a church building to become a theater today was constructed and that the county’s first newspaper was started.

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Bizarre History of Cape May >Cape May convention halls have seen wars, storms and much more

Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, April 18, 2012 12:05 pm

As war clouds were edging closer to their shores in January of 1917, the people of Cape May had local priorities that for the time being overshadowed international events. One of those priorities was to build Cape May’s first convention hall.

World War I, touted inaccurately as the war to end all wars, broke out in Europe in 1914 and the United States under the leadership of President Woodrow Wilson, a former New Jersey governor, walked a taut tightrope to stay out of it. That was until April 6, 1917 when Congress declared war against Germany.

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History > ‘French Connection’ never made it to Cape May

Last Updated on Monday, April 16, 2012 04:22 pm Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, April 11, 2012 03:14 pm

What a great idea, the editors enthused in their columns when the information landed on their desks. The newly named Cape May might soon have a French Connection to supplement the long established Dutch Connection, they thought.

The year was 1869, the guns of the Civil War having been quiet for four years. Ulysses S. Grant was the new president and Cape Island, an incorporated city by that name since 1851, was to become known hereafter as Cape May by official designation in the spring of 1869.

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History > Through the years, the show always goes on in Cape May

Last Updated on Monday, April 16, 2012 04:23 pm Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, April 04, 2012 07:30 pm

The history of stage plays in Cape May includes interesting information dating from the 1950s to the present time. Many successful theatrical productions were presented here in those days, although producers were hard pressed to live up to the adage that the show must go on, especially where it must go on. Finding a place for the actors to emote was not always that easy.

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History > Society of Forkers practiced a unique form of vigilantism in 1830’s Cape May

Last Updated on Monday, April 16, 2012 04:26 pm Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, March 28, 2012 03:00 pm

Back in the 1830’s when there was no police force in Cape Island, a group of renegades formed their own law and order team of vigilantes which they called the Society of Forkers. Anyone could become an honorary Forker as long he presented the club with a bottle of champagne. History has not made clear, however, what the requirements were to become a Forker who was not honorary.

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History > Railroads brought tourists, accidents to Cape May

Last Updated on Monday, April 16, 2012 04:29 pm Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Thursday, March 22, 2012 11:02 am

The convenience and speed of trains and automobiles brought more tourists to the southern section of Cape May County during the changing times of the 19th and 20th centuries. They also brought more accidents, some of them fatal.

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History > Mecray family has a long history in Cape May

Last Updated on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 04:25 pm Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Tuesday, March 13, 2012 04:24 pm

When researching the history of Cape May nee Cape Island the family name of the Mecrays pops up now and then without much recorded embellishment.

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History > ‘Automobilists’ once raced the beaches of Cape May

Last Updated on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 02:52 pm Written by Jacob Schaad Jr. Wednesday, March 07, 2012 02:47 pm

A few people with Cape May connections thought after the turn of the century that it would be a good idea to hold races on the beach of Cape May.

Horse races? Oh no, automobile races was the answer. Horses, once the key to land transportation, had not quite been relegated to second class status then but they were on their way to being seen only at the Kentucky Derby, on farmlands or in cowboy movies.

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