curator

Fowler, David J. (David Joseph)

curator

Perrone, Fernanda.

project manager

Radick, Caryn.

metadata contact

De Fino, Melissa.

Exhibition case

Forms part of

By the Beautiful Sea

By the early 19th century New Jersey already had famous resorts, such as Cape May, Long Beach, and Tucker’s Beach, that offered makeshift accommodations, but were relatively difficult to reach. Railroads revolutionized the tourist business and also helped to democratize what were formerly the haunts of the genteel. A growing middle class provided the basis for this market. From New York City, steamboats owned by railroad companies brought travelers to landings where they could board trains to destinations such as Long Branch, a fashionable resort that could boast that seven U.S. presidents had vacationed there. “Excursion Houses” that catered to large groups at discounted rates were popular at both Atlantic City and Cape May. In some instances, trains discharged passengers virtually at water’s edge. Sleepy, economically backward shore towns were transformed as they provided for the needs of their seasonal guests. Larger resorts could offer a choice of grand hotels, boarding houses, or cottages for rent. Perhaps the greatest metamorphosis occurred after 1854 when the Camden and Atlantic Railroad blazed a route across the pines and created Atlantic City. It was destined to become “the queen of American watering places”: from Philadelphia, railroads advertised “only 54 miles from river to ocean” on “seventy minute flyers.” Development, both at the shore and along the route, went hand-in-hand with tourism. Gradually, waterways were bridged, making shore points such as Beach Haven even more accessible. Illustrated guidebooks described “jaunts by rail” to mountain resorts and the Delaware Water Gap in the northwestern part of the state. Overall, the success of New Jersey’s modern billion-dollar tourism industry owes a debt to patterns established by railroads in the 19th century.

Exhibition caption

Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Summer Excursion Routes. Pennsylvania Railroad Co. 1892. From the 1870s onward, the company issued an annual excursion route guide.