Tag: Exploring the Jersey Shore

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).

Beach Haven Library & Museum 219 North Beach Avenue Beach Haven, NJ 08008

Beach Haven Library & Museum 219 North Beach Avenue Beach Haven, NJ 08008

The library at 219 North Beach Haven Avenue

https://www.beachhavenlibrary.org/

https://www.instagram.com/bhpl1924/

My review on TripAdvisor:

The front of the library and museum in the Fall of 2025

The historic sign

I recently visited the Beach Haven Library and Museum in Beach Haven during the holiday season and discovered a historical library with a rich history in both the community and on Long Beach Island.

The museum on the second floor

On the second floor of the library is the history room of the Beach Haven Library that contains a collection of historic artifacts and ledgers from hotels and businesses on the island. Each of the case lines tells a different story of the community from the grand hotels that once lined the shore and have since disappeared to the lives of the families that once called the island home. When I talked with one of the librarians, she told me that estates from the area donate these items to the library and this has established their collection.

The second floor fireplace

The antique kitchen equipment

The second floor of the library has another fireplace where vintage pottery and kitchen items are on display. There are also decorative pieces of pottery lining the shelves.

Historic China inside the Emily Lloyd Wilson Secretarial desk. Her father designed the Baldwin Hotel in Beach Haven.

The historic ledger from the Parry Hotel

The library has another fireplace where extensive collection of hotel ledgers and artifacts.

Letters from Elizabeth Pharo proposing the Library in 1923

Short History of the Library:

(From the library pamphlet)

Mrs. Pharo presented to the library board a proposal to build the library entirely at her own expense. She contacted Philadelphia architect, R. Brognard Okie to design the library. He chose the model of a Pennsylvania Farmhouse. The library was completed in the Fall of 1924. The museum is now over a hundred years old.

The dedication to Elizabeth Pharo, who dedicated the museum.

The Long Beach Island House Guest Ledger and historic items from the historic Bond Hotel

The records of the past resort town Long Beach Island used to be with guests coming from New York City, Philadelphia and beyond.

Historic items from the Tuckerton & Long Beach Building Land and Improvement Association

The Engleside Hotel ledger and items from the hotel

The New Jersey Declaration towards the Declaration of Independence

Historic books and periodicals

The library has an interesting collection of vintage and antique books that have been donated to the collection.

Photo display on historic sites in Beach Haven and pictures of the original library

Some of the pictures are from the old library and the artifacts come from ships ground ashore. The library has a diverse collection of items to view.

The Compass from the historic shipwreck ‘Fortuna’ that wrecked off Ship Bottom in 1910 and historic boat

The second floor museum gallery holds the diverse collection of artifacts

The second floor of the 1928 building

The first floor of the library has all sorts of historical artifacts along the walls

The Holiday Kickoff in 2025:

I visited during the library’s Holiday Open House with games, trivia and activities. There was also live music in the afternoon. It was a way that the library gives back to the community. It was a nice family event with good food and nice conversation with people from the community.

The Holiday Open House

The fireplace was going when I was talking to the librarians

It was a very nice family event where patrons families could relax, have something to eat and play games with their children. The Liberians could not have been more friendly and engaging with the public.

The Children’s Room had a holiday challenge

The museum is a rare gem tucked not just on the second floor but along the shelves and tables of the entire historic library giving visitors a chance to see all these historic artifacts mixed in with the library book collection.

The History of the Beach Haven Library:

(from the library website)

Attempts to establish a library in Beach Haven had begun as early as the 1880’s with a gift of books for the town’s children by Dr. Edward Williams. Williams, along with Charles Parry of the Parry House and the Baldwin Hotel, was a partner in the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The library collection was first housed in the home of Samuel Copperthwaite on Engleside Avenue. It was later moved into one of the Sunday School rooms of the Kynett Methodist Church, which had been built in 1890.

After the old Quaker Meeting House was donated to the town by Walter Pharo, the Reverend Alexander Corson of the Methodist Church began work, with the help of his wife, to turn the former Meeting House into a viable library. By the time they left in 1908, it was well on its way.

In 1923, Walter’s widow, Elizabeth Pharo, presented the library’s board of trustees with a proposal to build, entirely at her own expense, a new library for the town. It would be sited two blocks away from the Methodist church on a corner lot which she owned at Third Street and Beach Avenue. The library would be dedicated to the memory of her husband’s parents, Archelaus Ridgway Pharo and Louisa Willits Pharo–the founders of Beach Haven–as well as to her late husband Walter. 

Mrs. Pharo contracted R. Brognard Okie, one of Philadelphia’s finest architects, to design the new library. He chose as his model a Pennsylvania farmhouse–not an early lifesaving station, as some believed. Unlike a traditional farmhouse, however, it would be constructed entirely of brick and steel and include several stunning features: three working fireplaces, a vaulted ceiling, and an interior balcony encircling the first floor.

Tons of concrete were poured and steel girders for the new, two-story structure were already up by the spring of 1924 on the southeast corner of Beach Avenue at Third Street. Okie moved to Beach Haven to supervise every step of the construction, which was all done by local builder Floyd Cranmer. Ten railcar loads of bricks were used to build the solid outer walls and it was soon evident that the town was to have the finest library on the New Jersey coast.

As the library neared completion in the late fall of 1924, its beauty was already drawing praise. Every window in the structure was framed with long shutters of pale green, which gleamed against the white brick exterior. A sweeping, multi-dormered black roof added a grace seldom seen in a public building. Surrounded by a low, white picket fence and later, a well-kept green lawn, it added an incomparable dignity to what, in that time period, was the town’s main street, Beach Avenue.

There are two large colonial-style working fireplaces on the first floor. One is in the main room and the other is behind it in the long back room on the ocean side of the library. Today this room houses the Mystery collection and its solid, ten-foot table makes it useful as a meeting room. In the early years, however, it served a different function–it was designated as the men’s reading room, and there male patrons could sit in large comfortable chairs to read magazines and newspapers. It was well lit by two tall French windows and it opened out onto the screened porch on the north side.

The main reading room with its vaulted ceiling is encircled with a balcony reached by a spiral stone staircase, its steps topped with thick slabs of slate. The balcony flooring is of oak, as are all of the spindles in the railings. The upstairs walls are lined with books. One great window on the west side rises ten feet to the ceiling. The rest are all set into dormers. On the east wall behind the upstairs balcony there is a door where one may step down into a well-furnished little museum with high, beamed ceilings and a huge stone fireplace. It is filled with old hotel registers, deeds, diaries, photographs and other mementos of Beach Haven’s vibrant history.

The Beach Haven Public Library is a prime architectural treasure on Long Beach Island and a direct link to a colorful past that is the town’s most precious heritage. Mrs. Elizabeth Pharo’s gift to the town, itself now almost 100 years old, is as stunning as the day it was built. The taxpayers who support it are proud of its status as the only independent library in Ocean County and have chosen to keep it that way.

The Garrett Family Preserve at Cape Island Creek 801 Wilson Avenue Cape May, NJ 07204

The Garrett Family Preserve at Cape Island Creek 801 Wilson Avenue Cape May, NJ 07204

The Garrett Family Preserve at Cape Island Creek

801 Wilson Avenue

Cape May, NJ 07204

(908) 879-7262

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/garrett-family-preserve-at-cape-island-creek/

Garrett Family Preserve

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46341-d7190574-Reviews-Garrett_Family_Preserve-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

While I was searching for the Cape May Maritime Museum, I made a detour into a parking lot and came across the Garrett Family Preserve

The sign that welcomes you to the park

Visiting the Preserve:

(from the Cape May Visitor website)

The Nature Conservancy protects the 180-acre Garrett Family Preserve situated between Seashore Road and Cape Island Creek, offering a tranquil setting for walking, picnics, painting, biking, and observing nature.

The preserve offers six trails ranging from 0.2-0.5 miles in length, and a two-mile perimeter loop along the forested edge–four miles in total. Explore year-round on foot or by bicycle. Sights vary by season, with bird migration peaking in the spring and fall, and the wildflower field blooming from May through July. Beginning in late August into the fall, Monarch butterflies stop here to feed before their journey south.

Preserve amenities include a mobile bird blind, welcome kiosk, shaded pavilion with picnic tables, benches and picnic tables along the trails, and three adjustable art easels. From November 1st to March 1st, leashed dogs are welcome. Because this is a preserve, the Nature Conservancy does not provide trash receptacles. Be sure to take anything you’ve brought with you.

The size of the preserve

The history of the Garrett Family

History of the Preserve:

(From the Nature Conservatory website)

Originally slated for development, TNC acquired the property in 2000, as the preserve offered an unusual opportunity to manage a significant piece of land for migratory songbirds, whose stopover habitat, especially at the southern tip of the peninsula, has been all but wiped out.

In 2013, the generosity of the Garrett family enabled TNC to further protect Cape Island Creek for future generations by acquiring crucial land, improving and stewarding habitat, performing coastal research and installing enhanced visitor amenities.  

After reading some of the history of the preserve, I decided to take a walk down the paths. I ended up walking down several paths that took me through woods and many natural gardens. I could see by how dry everything was how the lack of rain was affecting the preserve.

The pathways leading to different parts of the preserve

Following the pathways through the preserve

My first stop was the picnic area and rest stop

The Insect Hotel

The Insect Hotel

The description of the insect hotel

I thought this was an interesting concept of creating a place for insects to have a breather. It is a place of reproduction and in helping pollinate the preserve.

The fields of plants and wildflowers that make up the preserve

The flowering plants and wildflowers in the fields

Each of the paths took me through different parts of the preserve that were wooded or with meadows or an array of wildflowers that attracted birds, butterflies and bees.

The batches of wildflowers in the meadow

The Salt Marsh part of the Preserve was filled with more wildflowers that had bees and butterflies swarming them.

The Salt Marsh Habitat

The sign for the Salt Marsh Habitat

The the pathways though the meadows

The fields of flowers and plants in the marsh area

Th e next section of the preserve I visited was the Wildflower Meadows

The Wildflower Meadows in the late summer

The Wildflower Meadows paths

As I left this part of the preserve, I took many paths around the park lands. There are all sorts of fields of flowers and woods to shade the way during touring the preserve.

Going on the different trails throughout the preserve

I walked down the paths to the Bird Habitat area

The golden rod flowers attract all sorts of bees and butterflies

Flowering Honey Suckle

Beautiful flowering plants in the woods area

The colorful paths of flowers that lined the Bird Sanctuary

This all led to the end of the trails and a wrap up of how the pollinators work. How the plants, insects and birds play a role in nature.

The last thing I saw at the preserve was this butterfly sculpture by the parking lot

The history of the Garrett family

The park changes its complexity with each season. What I noticed at the end of the summer with no rain is how dry the fields were and the trees were changing colors early because the lack of moisture.

It will be interesting to see the preserve in the Spring and early Summer in the future. It was a nice walk through the preserve.

Tuckerton Seaport Museum 120 West Main Street Tuckerton, NJ 08087

Tuckerton Seaport Museum 120 West Main Street Tuckerton, NJ 08087

Tuckerton Seaport Museum

120 West Main Street

Tuckerton, NJ 08087

(609) 296-8868

Home

Open: Sunday-Wednesday 10:00am-4:00pm/Thursday-Friday Closed/Saturday 10:00am-4:00 pm

Admission: Based on tours arranged during the season. Please check the website.

My TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46876-d271270-r1033440153-Tuckerton_Seaport-Tuckerton_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Tuckerton Museum and the Seaport at 120 West Main Street in Tuckerton, NJ

The entrance to the complex from Route 9

The entrance to the Tuckerton Seaport complex on a sunny Saturday morning

The complex was once a bustling fishing and shipping area that has now been preserved as a cultural site with tours, a series of restaurants and a museum.

The Mission of the Museum:

(from the Tuckerton Seaport Museum website)

Our mission at the Tuckerton Seaport is to preserve, present and interpret the rich maritime history, artistry, heritage and environment of the Jersey shore and the unique contributions of its baymen.

The dock area by the coffee shop

The artwork by the parking lot and coffee shop

I walked over to the main building which served as both the gift shop and museum. It was funny that the gift shop took both the first two front rooms of the museum. I had to look behind shirts to see the displays.

The docks and touring boats by the museum

The Seaport Tuckerton Museum at 120 West Main Street

The History of the Complex:

(from the Tuckerton Museum website)

Originally launched as the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen’s Museum, the Tuckerton Seaport has evolved over the past twenty-two years into a community museum and community center occupying 40 acres located along historic Tuckerton Creek in Tuckerton, New Jersey. Tuckerton Seaport benefits from a prime location at the center of the Jersey shore, easily accessible via Exit 58 on the Garden State Parkway. Tuckerton Seaport works as a coastal cultural center to bring folklife traditions of the past and present to life through programs on land and water.

The museum was just opening up as I arrived and the staff was busy getting everything ready so I just walked around the museum. It is an interesting museum on New Jersey’s nautical past and the growth of the shipping and trading that went on in the turn of the last century. The museum also showed the bustling fishing industry that still exists today.

The Giant Chicken greets you at the door

The Giant Chicken was a road stop symbol of the White Way Farm Market and a tourist attraction

I thought it was rather cute and could see why people stopped

The view from the front porch of the museum was spectacular on this sunny day

The exhibit at the museum ‘Museum in the Making’, which is a through look at Tuckerton, its past and its contributions to the growth of New Jersey

The first room also served as a bustling gift shop with the main attraction this carving of the ‘Jersey Devil’

A display of Duck Decoys

A collection of woodcarvings of fisherman

The popular businesses that once lined Route 9 up and down the shore area

Displaying life down the shore in that era with quilting and sewing

The display of wood carvings and artwork on the first floor

The artworks made of driftwood by local artists

The driftwood art display on the first floor

The rooms both on the first and second floor were displayed by themes of Lenape Indian life at the shore, the Dutch and English traders, growth of shore farming, shipping and trade and fishing industries and the development of tourism in the area with steamships and the railroads.

The first room in the museum is a detailed look at the life of the Lenape and the froth of the fishing industry

The early life at the Jersey shore

The Native American display

The first part of the early development of Tuckerton started as the fishing and hunting grounds of the Native Americans until the settlement of the Dutch

The history of the Lenape

The arrival of the Europeans started the bustling shipping and trade industries that supplied the home country

With the growth of industry and farming many people started businesses to supply the population

Some started popular businesses that lasted over a century

E. Walter Parsons Jr. had a very successful fishing business that was in the family until 1984

With the rich soil in the area, local farmers worked the land providing fruits and vegetables for the growing population

Early farming equipment on display

The second floor galleries depicted the developing life at the shore with creating of modern life saving for the shipping and fishing industries and with coming of railroads, the bustling tourism industry with the change of leisure travel after the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution.

The second floor rail transportation display

The second floor display on shipwrecks off the Jersey coast

The development of modern Life Saving procedures

With storms at sea and affecting life in the area, as it still does today, there was a growth and development of modern Live-saving procedures and rescue methods.

The Life Saving exhibit

The use of the Lyle Gun in rescues

The series of pulleys and wenches are still used today in different forms. They had to create a safe way to rescue people not just from storms but accidents as well.

The Life Saving and Rescue display

Rescue display

The railroad made its way to the Jersey shore bringing tourists from both New York and Philadelphia and bustling North Jersey. This opened the area up to tourism as leisure travel grew at the end of the nineteenth century.

One example of a visiting tourist was the Cinderella Cramer display with long distance travel to the shore.

The first female passenger of the Tuckerton Railroad

Getting the rail ticket

Tourism developing at the Jersey shore

The Cinderella Cramer display representing that eras travels to the shore with Victorian standards and use of steamer trunks

Packing the steamer trunks for the long journey

Artifacts from the shore

Life at the shore still had its perils as it does today with storms affecting development and shifting shore lines

The lighthouse light display

The museum once served as a beacon for shipping and the top level served as a lookout. Today you can walk upstairs and enjoy the views.

Traveling up the tower stairs

On this beautiful sunny and clear morning that I visited, the views were spectacular.

The view of the port area of the complex

The view of the inlet and Lake Pohatcong across from Route 9

My video of the views from the top of the lookout

The Tuckerton Seaport Museum tour was a very thorough look at the community and its development over the last three hundred years. The exhibits showed the progress the community has made and where it is headed in the future as the shore communities keep changing.

With the economy, the rise of AI, climate change and overall population growth toward the shore, it will be interesting to see the changes of the future.

Leaving the museum complex at the end of the trip

Tuckerton has an interesting past as a shipping and fishing destination and now you can tour the buildings and see what life was like back then and there it is moving in to the future today.