Then and Now

Historical Images: The DuBois Estate on Battersea Road

A weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then and Now" features a home that was demolished in May 2011 at 647 Battersea Road that was know as the DuBois estate. The first photo shows the home, which was built in 1924, circa 1930. The second photo shows the home as it stood for the last 87 years and as many will remember it. The third image shows the home as it was being demolished on May 16, 2011. The final image shows one of multiple new homes that will be built on the lot. For more information about the home, see this article. To see more historical photos of Ocean City, visit the Ocean City Historical Museum in the Community Center at 1735 Simpson Ave. _____________________ See also: Fred Miller's " History" photos, which run every Sunday.

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Eric

8:37 pm on Sunday, April 21, 2013

Dana, build a nice home in a nice neighborhood and let your family enjoy it. " Preservationist" love to tell others what to do with their own property but are unwilling to pay for it. House looks great. Hopefully you are in by the summer   more ›

Hurricane Sandy

December 11, 1992: Nor'Easter Wreaks Havoc at the Shore

The Jersey Shore was declared a disaster area; before Sandy, many considered it the "worst" in the region's history

It wasn't the last great storm. But, over the past five decades, and before Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, it was probably the biggest. On December 11, 1992, an intense nor’easter came ashore along New Jersey's coastline and remained there for three days. Strong winds hit upward to 80 miles per hour, and massive amounts of snow overwhelmed businesses and schools.  Flooding ravaged coastal towns. Toms River schools were closed a week due to the snowfall. Much of Long Beach Island, and nearly all of Sea Bright, was under water. Losing a car in the storm wasn't a freak accident; for some, it was part of the routine. Abnormally high tides resulted in severe beach erosion.  After the storm left, hundreds of millions of dollars of damage had been …

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Then and Now

Historical Images: Yacht Club Rebuilt After Hurricane

A weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then an Now" features the Ocean City Yacht Club. The club was officially incorporated in 1901 and originally was located at Sixth Street and Bay Avenue. The building featured in the first picture was the original clubhouse constructed at Bay Road and Battersea Road. According to the club's website, the cornerstone for the "Grand Dame Club House" was laid on June 13, 1912. It was severely damaged in a hurricane that struck Ocean City in September 1944. As a result of the lack of material and manpower during World War II, the building was not rebuilt until 1947. The current clubhouse was a basic cinder-block building with a flat roof when it was originally constructed in 1947. It underwent a major renovation and addition in the …

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Fred Miller

9:52 am on Saturday, June 11, 2011

Thanks Michael McMahon for making Ocean City's history very interesting!   more ›

Historical Images: View of Bayfront from 9th Street Bridge

Our weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then and Now" features the view of Ocean City's bayfront looking south from the 9th Street Bridge. The first image, taken circa 1940, shows a frozen bay taken from the bridge tenders building on the now demolished Beach Thorofare Bridge on Route 52. The second image, taken in November 2011, shows the view from the mixed use walkway on the new Beach Thorofare Bridge.  To see more historical photos of Ocean City, visit the Ocean City Historical Museum in the Community Center at 1735 Simpson Ave.

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Richard Jacoby

4:55 pm on Saturday, May 12, 2012

I must be getting old because I love these old pictures.   more ›

Then and Now

Historical Images: Eighth Street and Central Avenue

Our weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then and Now" features a view of the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Central Avenue from circa 1920. 801 Central Avenue was built in the 1890s and was home to Ralph Chester Real Estate in the first image.   The second image show the building as it now appears. Matthew Davidson's Law Office is located on the ground floor and apartments are located upstairs. The property is listed as owned by Raab Family LLC, according to tax records.  To see more historical photos of Ocean City, visit the Ocean City Historical Museum in the Community Center, located at 1735 Simpson Ave.

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Then and Now

Historical Images: The Port-O-Call Hotel

Our weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then and Now" features the Port-O-Call Hotel, located at 1510 Boardwalk. The first image show the iconic hotel in 1964 in the early stages of construction. The hotel opened on May 22, 1966. The second image show the hotel as it appears today. To see more historical photos of Ocean City, visit the Ocean City Historical Museum in the Community Center, located at 1735 Simpson Ave.  

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Historical Images: Fire Destroys Home at 13th and Asbury

Our weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then and Now" features the building located on the northeast corner of 13th Street and Asbury Avenue. The home shown in the first image was known as the Rutherford House and was taken circa 1895. The sign on the front of the home has: Jos. G. Champion- Architect.   The second image shows the fire that destroyed the home on April 3, 2005. Due to the damage sustained, it was torn down. It is currently an empty lot as seen in the third image. To see more historical photos of Ocean City, visit the Ocean City Historical Museum in the Community Center, located at 1735 Simpson Ave.

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Historical Museum Lecture Series Begins on Thursday

Learn how Jersey Shore places got their names in a free presentation on July 7.

Did you know that Longport is named for its founder and not its shape? Or that Stone Harbor describes the Stone family and not the characteristics of its port? These facts are pointed out in the promotional material for "Place Names of the Jersey Shore," and the book's author will kick off the Ocean City Historical Museum's summer lecture series on Thursday. Lee Ireland will explain how towns and landmarks got their names in a free presentation 7 p.m. July 7 at the Ocean City Free Public Library (1735 Simpson Ave.) The free lecture series continues 7 p.m. every Thursday through August 25. The schedule includes: The lecture series is made possible through an outreach funding grant provided by the Ocean City Free Public Library Board of …

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OCBP History

Beach History: World Record Holder Worked the Beach Patrol

Ocean City High School graduate Archie Harris set a 1941 world record in discus.

“HARRIS SHATTERS DISCUS STANDARD” was the headline in the June 21, 1941, New York Times. A smaller banner reported “Toss of 174 feet 8 ¾ inches in N.C.A.A. Meet on Coast Breaks World Record.” Archie Harris, a 1937 graduate of Ocean City High School, was a senior at Indiana University when he broke the world record at the NCAA track and field championships in Palo Alto, CA. Harris spent his summers during high school and college working as a lifeguard on the Ocean City Beach Patrol. He left the OCBP to fight in World War II. After graduating from Tuskegee Flight School, Harris chalked up 10,000 hours as a bomber pilot with the much-decorated 617th Bombardment Squadron. He was posthumously inducted into the OCBP Hall of Fame in 1998. …

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Then and Now

Historical Images: Many Uses for Building at Eighth and Asbury

A weekly feature includes photographs from the Ocean City Historical Museum collection and from the modern era.

This week's "Then and Now" features the building on the southwest corner of Eighth Street and Asbury Avenue, across the street from the building featured in last week's Then & Now.  The first photo shows the building shortly after it was built in 1910 as the original home for Ocean City Title & Trust Company. The company remained headquartered here until they constructed what is now the Crown Bank building across Asbury Avenue in 1925. It was later home to Atlantic City Electric for many years. One sign on the front of the of the building describes the services provided: general banking, title insurance, searches trusts and safe deposit boxes. Another sign touts that it was a Designated United States Postal Savings Depository. The sign on …

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