Category: Walking Stone Harbor, NJ

Stone Harbor (Tatham) Life Saving Station 11617 Second Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor (Tatham) Life Saving Station 11617 Second Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor (Tatham) Life Saving Station

11617 Second Avenue

Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(609) 368-2294

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Life-Saving_Station_No._35

11617 Second Avenue – American Legion Lifesaving Station

Open: (Seasonal-June-Labor Day)

Admission: Free but they ask for a donation of $5.00

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46850-d14316159-r1073429644-Tatham_Life_Saving_Station_and_Museum-Stone_Harbor_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The outside of the museum:

The Stone Harbor Life Saving Station at 11617 Second Avenue

(From the Stone Harbor Museum website)

American Legion Post 331 represents both Avalon and Stone Harbor, but also includes many members from outside the area. The Post occupies the old Tatham Life Saving Station, the oldest building in Stone Harbor, and is dedicated to the memory of PFC Stephen C. Ludlam, of Stone Harbor, New Jersey (1925-1945). Stephen was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross (our nation’s 2nd highest award) and Purple Heart for heroic action during the Battle of the Colmar Pocket in World War II (Stone Harbor Museum website).

The historic Life Saving Boat

The historic signs

The historic signs

The historic signs

The museum is open for limited hours Monday-Wednesday and on Fridays from 10:00am-2:00pm during the summer months and then by appointment only during the rest of the year. The building is used for the local Veterans VFW meeting place so the building is used all year round.

The outside painting of the rescue team on the outside of the old bay

(From the Stone Harbor Museum website)

Murals in the building depict the history of the building, use of life saving equipment during the 1900s and honor to our fallen soldiers. All murals were created by artist and member Mr. James J. Thompson. Memorabilia available includes the life saving surf boat, steering oars, historic photos of the Life Saving Service and wall panels describing in detail the various aspects of life saving operations. The murals, wall panels and surfboat restoration were funded by the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Also of interest is the view from the tower which presents an excellent panorama of Stone Harbor, the ocean, Hereford Inlet and the bay (Stone Harbor Museum website).

The second painting

I took a guided tour on a recent Friday and one of the veterans gave me a very though tour of the museum and all the displays. If you like this depth of the history of both the Coast Guard, the Jersey Shore Rescues and this history of all the wars especially WWI and WWII, this museum shows that history in depth with artifacts from both local residents and members of the military from New Jersey.

The Rescue painting from the old rescue bays

We started the tour on the first floor with the history of the building, how the Jersey Shore Rescue units worked and the early formation of the Coast Guard from the earlier Rescue Units.

The painting in the lobby is rescued

The beginnings of the US Coast Guard

The building is named after local resident , Stephen Ludham. The memorial to Private First Class Stephen Ludham is located in the first room.

The memorial Stephen Ludlam

The picture of Stephen C. Ludlam

(From the American Legion Post 331 website)

The American Legion Post 331 was chartered on March 30, 1946. At the time of our organization, we received permission from Mr. and Mrs. Jesse D. Ludlam of Stone Harbor to name the new post in honor of their son, Private First Class (PFC) Steven C. Ludlam. PFC Ludlam was killed in action at the age of 19 near Ostheim, France on January 23, 1945. For his heroic action on that date, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor. His brother, John Ludlam an Army Air Corps member, was a charter member of the new post (American Legion Post 331 website).

Post 331 is unique primarily because it is fortunate enough to have been able to purchase and restore a deactivated U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) station that was formerly an 1895 U. S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) station as its Post building. The building not only serves as a meeting place for legionnaires, but it also houses a life-saving museum on its first floor and a military museum on its second floor. The building’s tower offers a panoramic view of the southern part of Seven Mile Island (formerly Seven Mile Beach). American Legion Post 331 and Sons of The American Legion (S. A. L.) Squadron 331 members provide free tours of the historic building five days a week during the summer (American Legion Post 331 website).

Post 331 is also unique among many Posts because it services the summer resort communities of Avalon and Stone Harbor whose populations, to include active legion members, drastically fall during the off-season months. As a result, the Post is closed during the months of February and March. The Post has a membership of over 200 members. Our membership is comprised of past and present members of our nation’s military services: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force and in the future US Space Force. As members of The American Legion, they carry out our goal of veterans helping veterans and our local communities (American Legion Post 331 website).

The main room on the first room where the VFW meets, there is all sorts of artifacts and pictures along the walls.

The main meeting room of the building

The beach live Guarding stations in this part of the shore district

The Rescue Stations used to line the coastline along a certain amount of miles that could be covered by Teams with the technology of the time. As modern rescue practices were developed after WWI, we saw the formation of the current US Coast Guard.

The uniform and the award to Charles M. Wright, along with his memos.

What the site looked like in the early part of the last century before Stone Harbor grew up around it.

The next memorial was to Seaman Stephen Tieser along with his uniform.

The memorial to Stephen Tieser

Stephen Teiser’s Sailor’s uniform

The uniforms and the group shot of the ‘Manning Station’, the men of the life guarding station

As we left the first floor of the station and arrived on the second floor, the first display was on the ‘Code Talkers’, the native Americans who spoke the ‘Navajo’ language, and established a code that no one could break during WWII.

The Code Talkers display. This was the basis for the movie “Windtalkers”

The second floor landing has an interesting display of artifacts, including uniforms and art from WWII.

The second floor display

The second floor WWII display

The WWI display of the ‘Doughboy’ uniform and pictures

The full uniform

The WWII display of veterans memorabilia

The museum has an interesting display of items that were taken as spoils of the war from veterans based in Germany. The collection as a lot of Nazi war items.

The Nazi memorabilia

The second floor gallery of the station

The electronic equipment used in the war

The WWII Women’s display of factory and war support

A local couple who both members of the armed forces during WWII family donated their entire collection of their parent’s memorabilia from the war years.

The collection of family memorabilia

Jay and Rosie Hart and all awards and accolades

A Japanese bomber uniform in the WWII

The Vietnam veteran display in the second floor gallery

The war display on the second floor landing

The third floor of the building had the look out and a spectacular view of the ocean.

The third floor lookout

The view from the lookout tower

The tour takes about an hour but can go longer depending on your tour guide and the amount of time you want to spend on each exhibition. It is a fascinating look not just at the history of the Legion and of the Rescue facility but of all our foreign wars. The museum is open from 10:00am-2:00pm on selected days of the week depending on the season.

The History of the American Legion Post 331:

(From the American Legion Post 331 website)

Since being chartered in 1946, Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331 of The American Legion has been welcoming veterans from all branches of our Armed Forces. The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans (American Legion Post 331 website).

The American Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization with great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots involvement in the legislation process from local districts to Capitol Hill. Legionnaires’ sense of obligation to community, state and nation drives an honest advocacy for veterans in Washington. The Legion stands behind the issues most important to the nation’s veterans community, backed by resolutions passed by volunteer leadership (American Legion Post 331 website).

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary 11400 3rd Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary 11400 3rd Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary

11400 3rd Avenue

Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(609) 368-5102

https://www.facebook.com/p/Stone-Harbor-Bird-Sanctuary-100064916130839/

Home

Open:Sunday-Saturday 24 Hours

Admission: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

The sign welcoming you

The History of the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary:

(from the park’s website)

The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary is a wonderfully preserved microcosm of what the barrier islands of New Jersey looked like hundreds of years ago.  As you walk along Sanctuary paths, it is easy to imagine the Lenni-Lenape Indians wandering through the maritime forest, crossing wind swept sand dunes, past groves of white cedar, birch, pine, holly and sassafras trees, taking time to drink water from a spring fed freshwater pond and then, fishing in the salt water meadows surrounded by herons and songbirds.

As early as the 1870’s and 1880’s, the Sanctuary area was recognized as a “veritable paradise of birds” for ornithologists.  The primary attractions were Little Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Green Herons and egrets.  Once the 96th Street Bridge opened in 1911, those who wanted to study, hunt or collect the eggs of birds no longer had to walk across four miles of marsh.  Easy access to the heronry was a boon to birders but also a threat to birds whose plumes and eggs were valued.

In 1941, the Stone Harbor Bird Club was organized in the home of Lillian R. Leuallen.  The Bird Club was renamed in 1946 as the Witmer Stone Club to honor Witmer Stone, one of the first ornithologists to document birds in the Sanctuary area.  With considerable foresight, the Witmer Stone Club proposed early in 1947 that the Borough of Stone Harbor establish a “sanctuary”.  In October of 1947, the Borough Council passed Ordinance #208 which preserved 31 acres of land as a wildlife sanctuary.  Subsequent to expert study in 1961 which demonstrated that no birds were nesting on the beach side sanctuary acreage, the Stone Harbor Borough Council sold ten acres to the east of Second Avenue.  The remaining 21 acres bounded by Second Avenue to the East, Third Avenue to the West, 111th Street to the North and area between 116th and 117th on the South represents the Sanctuary as we know it today.  The Sanctuary remains one of the few bird sanctuaries in the world that are completely within municipal boundaries.

One can’t overstate the foresight and commitment of the residents and Borough officials to conservation as well as the preservation of open space and wildlife in 1947, 1961 and every year since.  This commitment was reinforced by the United States Park Service in 1965 when it designated the Sanctuary as a National Natural Landmark.

Over the years, the Sanctuary has been home to thousands of birds and visited by more than a million people representing all fifty states and most countries in the world.  It has been estimated that Sanctuary visitors spend more than $5 million each year, locally. Although some like the New York Times in 1960 glorify the Sanctuary, referring to it as “The Everglades of New Jersey”, Stone Harbor residents think of the Sanctuary as a symbol of the character of this quiet, single family town which respects the nature and wildlife that surrounds them while placing a premium on livability, aesthetics and serenity.

The front of the sanctuary from 3rd Avenue

I took a walk when I was in Stone Harbor through the town’s Bird Sanctuary to hopefully view some rare birds. While I did not see much, I heard a lot of singing and scrawling as I walked the path through the trees.

The front gardens in the sanctuary

The gardens were still in bloom in the late Summer and many colorful wildflowers attracted all sorts of butterflies and other insects.

The sign greeting you about the experience

The front path of the sanctuary

You head over the bridge to the paths that take you into the woods

Walking down the pathways through the woods

The path takes you into a deep wooded area in the middle of the town and by the time you get to the middle of the path, you can hear the mating calls of many birds. It’s funny to note that we are a couple of blocks from the shore.

Walking through the pathways

Reaching the middle of the beach woods

The middle of the bird sanctuary noisy with bird calls

Walking back through the pathways through the roads

Touring through the Bird Sanctuary does not take a long time, but offers relief from a busy shore town.

Video on the park:

Wetlands Institute 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Wetlands Institute 1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Wetlands Institute

1075 Stone Harbor Boulevard

Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(609) 368-1211

Home

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:30am-4:30pm

Admission: Adults $12:00/Children $10.00/Military $10.00/Members and Children under 3 Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

Entering from the highway, I was surprised at this interesting place of nature and how the Institute is not just part of the community but how it integrates itself into the fabric of helping understand how Mother Nature plays a part in benefiting everyone in this shore community from cleaning the water, sustaining wildlife and preventing flooding.

The front of the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, NJ

The back of the Institute from the salt marshes

The sign that welcomes you inside

You would almost miss the Institute without the sign

The beautiful gardens in the front during the summer months

The Institute’s gardens in the front of the building during the summer months

The History of the Wetlands Institute:

(From the Institute’s website)

The Wetlands Institute was founded by Herbert Mills in the late 1960s, thereby fulfilling his life-long vision of creating a world-class research, education and conservation center at the Jersey Shore that would educate people of all ages about the beauty and wonders of  the coastal environment, and the importance of that environment to their daily lives.  His dream was to inspire everyone to want to conserve and sustain that environment forever.

Herb loved birds and nature all his life. In fact, he joined the National Audubon Society at the age of seven.  Many of his maturing years were spent as an executive in the glass and canning industries of South Jersey.  During those years he further developed his abiding interest in conservation issues, so much so that he left the business world in 1967 to became the Executive Director of the World Wildlife Fund.  In 1969, under his leadership, the World Wildlife Fund purchased 6,000 acres of salt marsh in Middle Township.  34 of those acres  became the site of the Wetlands Institute’s facility.  The rest were held by the World Wildlife Fund until being transferred to New Jersey’s Green Acres Program. Herb also raised the funds for the design and construction of  our main building which was designed by Malcolm Wells, a world-renowned and environmentally-oriented architect.

Our building was officially dedicated on September 16, 1972.  Herb Mills’ friend and the international president of  the World Wildlife Fund, Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands was the keynote speaker (the Institute website).

The bird exhibition at the entrance of the Institute

The other bird exhibition in the hallway

Later History:

(from the Institute Website)

In its earliest years the Institute was run by Lehigh University under a dollar-a-year lease.  That relationship continued beyond Herb Mills’ untimely death at the age of 62 on October 21, 1972 while addressing an ornithology meeting at Cornell University, barely a month after the Institute’s dedication ceremony.

After a few years, however, the Institute and Lehigh parted company amicably. The late Marion Glaspey, a shy but very determined woman, succeeded Herb Mills as Chairman of the Board and guided the Institute for several difficult years as the Institute struggled to become a self-sustaining, independent entity, and garner and maintain the kind of financial support that is vital to any nonprofit organization.  In addition to being totally dedicated to the Institute, Marion was a talented artist and photographer, teaching classes in both subjects, and–most significantly–she was a passionate gardener (she’s the  “Marion” for whom our Marion’s Garden is named). She remained on our Board of Trustees until her death in 2000.

Through Marion’s leadership and that of her successors, the Institute has evolved to become a leader in coastal environmental education, research, and conservation. At present the Institute is supported almost entirely by funds from private sources, receiving only an occasional government grant for a special project.

My visit to the Institute in the Summer of 2024:

The first stop on the tour of the facility was walking up to the observation deck at the top of the building to view the salt marshes below. It gave an overview of the area that the Institute is trying to protect. The top floor observation gives a clear view of the marshes that surround the town of Stone Harbor and how these acres of area help both the natural population as well as the human population both residing in this beach community.

The view of the Wetlands between the barrier islands and the mainland

The Wetlands closer to the main road

The view of the front of the building and its colorful gardens

The Wetlands that line the highway out of Stone Harbor

When you leave the deck area and head back downstairs, there is wonderful little aquarium that houses the background of the local fish, crabs and wildlife that are part of the ecosystem that make the salt marshes such an important part of this shore community. One side of the aquarium is dedicated to the local Terrapin turtle whose habitat has long been affected by human encroachment. This conservation effort is ongoing.

The first room in the complex of rooms is the Terrapin Turtle exhibit showing the habitat of this local creature and its importance in the ecosystem.

Conservation Programs at The Wetlands Institute

(from the Institute website)

Concerns about the local terrapin population led Dr. Roger Wood, former Director of Research at The Wetlands Institute, to establish the Terrapin Conservation Project in 1989. The project has grown and broadened in scope to become the Coastal Conservation Research Program (CCRP), where undergraduate interns work closely with research scientists at The Wetlands Institute on a wide variety of research and conservation projects, including terrapin conservation. Since 1989, over 200 college and university students from more than 100 academic institutions have participated in the program.

The turtles will just stare at you as walk their display

The turtles swimming around

The turtles in a recreation of their habitat

The turtles in captivity interacting with one another in the tanks

These playful turtles are just part of the chain of ocean animals under study and conservation at the Institute and it is interesting to see to their interaction with each other and then watch us from the other side of the tank to see the human observation.

The next exhibition was the Horseshoe Crab conservation tank. The Horseshoe Crab holds a very important role in the ecology of the shore.

The Efforts with Horseshoe Crab Conservation:

(from the Institute website)

In an effort to address the Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab situation, The Wetlands Institute has embarked on a statewide partnership project to support the stewardship and conservation of Horseshoe Crab populations in New Jersey. As part of this partnership, The Wetlands Institute collects fertilized Horseshoe Crab eggs with the proper permits from spawning beaches along the Delaware Bay and rears the eggs under controlled conditions in our aquarium. After about a month, eggs hatch and newly born Horseshoe Crabs are maintained in their culture tanks. Enclosed in this cultured environment and free of predation, aquaculture dramatically increases Horseshoe Crab survival both before and after the first molts. These small crabs are kept in culture tanks until they are ready to begin feeding, and then are released at their respective egg collection locations.

The Horseshoe Crab exhibit

The Nesting exhibition

The Salt Marsh exhibition

The exhibit on how shore development is affecting wildlife and the ecosystem

The aquarium was very interesting as the exhibits were not there for amusement but to show the wildlife that lives in our oceans and how they interact with one another.

The Whale bone exhibition

The exhibit on Shore birds and their home at the shore

The Aquatic tanks are the interaction we have to the aquatic population. I am sure many of the fish in the exhibition are not native to New Jersey or the Atlantic still it was fun observing them.

The tanks showed the importance of marine life in our beaches and oceans

Some of the types of fish in our oceans: the Striped Burrfish, Permit, and Pigfish

The Striped Burrfish

The Stripped Burrfish

The Permit fish

The Pigfish

The next tank over held the very active Spider Crab, who seemed to follow my every move.

The sign at the tank of this very playful crab

This guy was following me around the tank

The aquarium was interesting because the fish seemed to be very jaded of being around humans. They seemed so used to seeing us it does not faze them.

I then toured the salt marshes outside. The Institute has a series of paths and walkways where you can view the marshes and see the cause and effects these natural areas. It was a beautiful warm sunny day when I visited and it was relaxing to just walk along the paths and just take it all in.

The view of the salt marshes from the back of the Institute

A closer view of the marshes from the paths

Coastal Sustainability and Wetland Health

(from the Institute Website)

The Coastal Sustainability and Wetland Health program began with efforts to document the impact of sea level rise on marshes and marsh-dependent species. The health of coastal bird and diamondback terrapin populations is intricately linked to the condition of coastal marsh systems; as a result, monitoring changes in the local population size, behavior, and breeding success of these animals can help us perceive changes within the salt marsh itself. Our work is also increasingly focused on the monitoring of marsh restoration and habitat creation projects. Through beneficial reuse of dredged sediments, we aim to protect the marsh platform from conversion or drowning, and to create elevated coastal bird and terrapin nesting habitat. In order to understand the response of wildlife to these projects, and to document how sea-level rise and coastal flooding are impacting local populations, we are carrying out surveys of marsh-dependent species on The Wetlands Institute property and other restoration sites (Institute website).

The Marsh Field sign

The Salt Marshes

The back of the Institute from the Salt Marshes

The Institute has a complete elevated walkway where you can walk through the marshes and observe the area.

The sign explaining your walk through the marshes

The possible animals and fish you will see on the walk

Plan to take the time to walk through the pathways on a nice day and observe the salt marshes. You will not see many animals or fish but you know they are there. It is interesting to see the town of Stone Harbor in the distance and realize how much these marshes help the human population without them knowing it. Not just are they beautiful to look at but how what an important role in the environment they play.

The beautiful view of the marshes

The elevated walkway goes through the marshes and offers excellent views

The marshes from the walkway

The effects of a healthy marsh

The breathtaking views of the marshes

When you finish the walk of the pathways and the elevated walkway, this leads you back to the Institute.

Don’t miss a trip to their terrific gift shop with all sorts of fun items and nautical gifts. I bought a delicious jar of the local beach plum jelly. That was a treat. There are all sorts of interesting gift items in the store from gifts from local farms to items dealing with conservation and nature to children’s items. This benefits the Institute and its mission.

Don’t miss one last stroll through their gardens on the way out the door.

What I liked about the Wetlands Institute was that it was engaging, entertaining and educational all at the same time. You walk out with a lesson learned of the positive efforts being made to save the environment in a way that does preach but first shows the cause and the effect and with simple efforts made can benefit everyone.

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum 500 Forrestal Road Cape May Airport, Rio Grande, NJ 08242

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum 500 Forrestal Road Cape May Airport, Rio Grande, NJ 08242

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

500 Forrestal Road

Cape May Airport

Rio Grande, NJ 08242

(609) 886-8787

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

Take Flight

https://www.facebook.com/aviationmuseum/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46341-d1881607-Reviews-Naval_Air_Station_Wildwood_Aviation_Museum-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

The front of the museum

The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is located at the back of the Cape May Airport. Just follow the road to the back of the airport at 500 Forrestal Road in Hangar #1.

The front of the museum

This interesting museum is a treasure trove of artifacts from WWII to today from jeeps to cars and trucks to airplanes. Some of the vehicles you can step into and see what it was like to ride these pieces of aviation history.

The main gallery of the Aviation Museum

There are several airplanes that with the assistance of the staff you can enter and see what air travel was like for these pilots. All the planes have been carefully restored and displayed for viewing and use by tourists. There is even a air traffic control tower you can enter and see how thing the functioning of the tower was done. These displays were interactive from the perspective of the people who once worked there.

The Hanger with plane displays

In the front of the museum as you enter, along the ways there is a display of the history of the Naval Hangar and how it developed and became part of the community. There were pictures of members walking the boardwalk in Wildwood and having a good time. There were stories of many interactions between the sailors and the locals and what an exciting time it was for everyone.

The history of the time as Wildwood Training Facility

Many local heroes stories were told all over the building of Navy personal from the area and the part that they played in the war years and when they returned. Each story board told of their early lives, how they got involved in the war, the roles that played and jobs that were accomplished and what their lives were like when they returned. The mindset of this generation is very different than from today.

The Coast Guard display

What I really enjoyed was the documentary “Boatlift”, the story of the 9/11 rescue of thousands of people off Manhattan island on 9/11 (it was around the 20th Anniversary of the event when I toured the museum) and the bravery and involvement of boaters and sailors all over the New York maritime region. Hundreds of boats were involved in getting people to safety to New Jersey and other parts of the NYC. It was a lesson in selflessness and involvement in one of the darkest days of American history.

The main gallery of the museum

Outside the hangar, there are more planes to tour and equipment that is used. Each display is carefully explained of its role in the armed forces so take the time to read the plaques as well.

The outside of the hanger of the museum

Inside the building towards the back, there is a display of commercial establishments and even the role of Coca Cola during the war and it being used in the ration boxes of the men and women fighting for our country. There were pictures of USO dances and get togethers and parties for the enlisted men.

The Coca Cola display during WWII

There is even a space shuttle piece to explore and admire showing our progression into different types of transportation over time. The museum has carefully displayed items so that there is an order to follow around the room to admire each piece. Take the time to look them over and read about them.

The MASH helicopter on display

This museum is an interesting step back in time to show the role New Jersey and Cape May County played during the war years and then going forward.

The main gallery of the Aviation Museum

The Mission of the Museum:

Restoring Hangar #1, educating the public on Cape May Country’s history during WWII and memorializing the 42 naval aviators who were training at the Naval Air Station Wildwood.

WWII Ends display

WWII Propaganda Posters

The History of the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum:

(Taken from the Museum website)

WWII:

Following the outbreak of World War II, this all wood double wide aircraft hangar was assembled by the U.S. Navy in 1942 from a kit delivered via railroad. On April 1st, 1943, NAS Wildwood was commissioned as a training facility for dive bomber squadrons that would go on to fight in the Pacific. Between 1943 and 1945, activities included night flying and target practice over the Delaware Bay, reaching a peak of almost 17.000 takeoffs and landings in the month of October 1944. Before NAS Wildwood was decommissioned, 129 crashes occurred and 42 airmen died in training exercises.

The Memorial from the WWII

Following World War II, United States Overseas Airlines was operated out of Hangar #1, offering both national and international charter flights. The airline was owned by Dr. Ralph Cox, a dentist and U.S. navy pilot during WWII. Cox also used the hanger to display his collection of early automobiles and other transportation memorabilia including a steam locomotive.

1970-1990:

Southern Jersey Airways operated a commuter airline known as the Allegheny Commuter out of the Cape May Airport. The service was started by Captain Curt Young, ho was a bomber pilot during WWII. The Allegheny Commuter offered twenty-two daily flights between Atlantic City and Philadelphia as well as eight round trips out of Cape May.

1997-Present:

After many years of neglect, Hangar #1 was rediscovered by Dr. Joseph Salvatore and his wife, Patricia Anne, who acquired the building from Cape May County for $1.00. Listed on both the state and national registers of historic places, Hangar #1 is an exhibit in and of itself. Since 1997, the Salvatore’s and the NASW Foundation have worked hard to restore the hangar to its original condition. Today, Hangar #1 is open to the public as part of the NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum.

The main gallery at the museum