Cape May is best known for its beaches, colorful Victorian homes and relaxed seaside atmosphere, but the city’s appeal is deeply connected to its history. Long before it became a Jersey Shore destination, the southern tip of New Jersey was home to Indigenous people, maritime communities, fishermen, farmers and whalers. Over several centuries, Cape May developed into one of America’s earliest seaside resorts and later became a nationally recognized center of historic preservation. Today, visitors can experience that history simply by walking past the city’s restored hotels, former summer cottages, churches and commercial buildings.
Cape May Before the Seaside Resorts
The earliest known inhabitants of the Cape May peninsula were the Kechemeche people, part of the Lenni-Lenape, who hunted, fished and made seasonal use of the coastal environment. English navigator Henry Hudson sighted the area in 1609, and Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey explored the region in 1621. The cape was eventually named for Mey. European settlement followed during the 17th century, when fishing, whaling and farming became important local industries. The Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay provided access to natural resources and trading routes, while the peninsula’s relative isolation helped preserve its distinctive coastal character.
The Beginning of Cape May Tourism
Cape May began welcoming leisure travelers well before beach vacations became an American tradition. By the mid-18th century, visitors were traveling from Philadelphia to Cape Island for sea bathing, fresh air, fishing and locally harvested seafood. Early guests arrived by stagecoach, horse-drawn wagon, schooner and sloop and stayed in simple taverns, boarding houses and private residences. Steamboat service made the journey more practical during the early 19th century, and Congress Hall traces its history to 1816, when Thomas H. Hughes opened a large oceanfront boarding house initially known as the Large House. The property was later named Congress Hall after Hughes was elected to Congress.
The Queen of the Seaside Resorts
By the 1830s and 1840s, Cape Island had become a fashionable destination for travelers from Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York and Washington. Larger hotels, music pavilions and ballrooms transformed the community into a sophisticated summer resort, while a visit by statesman Henry Clay in 1847 strengthened its national reputation. The municipality was incorporated as Cape May City in 1851, and increasingly ambitious hotels followed. The enormous but unfinished Mount Vernon Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1856, while the arrival of direct railroad service from Philadelphia in 1863 encouraged more tourism and helped begin Cape May’s cottage-building era. Many of the houses that now define the city’s historic neighborhoods originated during this period.
The Fire That Reshaped Cape May
Wood-frame hotels and houses made 19th-century Cape May particularly vulnerable to fire. The most consequential blaze occurred in 1878, when approximately 35 acres between Congress Hall and Ocean Street were destroyed. The rebuilding that followed gave central Cape May much of the architectural character visitors recognize today. Property owners constructed new hotels, businesses and residences in the popular styles of the era, incorporating Queen Anne towers, Gothic details, decorative brackets, patterned shingles, elaborate porches and colorful trim. Because so much construction occurred within a relatively concentrated period, Cape May developed an unusually cohesive collection of late-19th-century buildings.
Competition and Change in the 20th Century
Cape May faced increasing competition from Atlantic City and other growing resorts during the early 20th century. Several ambitious development projects promised to modernize the city, including the Hotel Cape May, which opened in 1908 and later served military-related purposes during both world wars. The area’s military importance also increased as the Navy established operations nearby and the Coast Guard assumed control of the base in 1925. During World War II, the Cape May Canal was constructed and military facilities expanded. The Coast Guard established its Cape May Training Center in 1948, beginning a relationship that remains an important part of the community’s identity.
Coastal storms also changed the city. A powerful hurricane in 1944 destroyed Cape May’s boardwalk and devastated neighboring South Cape May. Another major storm in March 1962 severely damaged the beachfront, Convention Hall and numerous properties. The present beachfront promenade and seawall were constructed as part of Cape May’s recovery and efforts to protect the shoreline.
Saving Cape May’s Victorian Architecture
By the mid-20th century, many of Cape May’s historic buildings faced neglect, demolition or replacement by modern development. Preservation advocates began drawing attention to the value of the city’s Victorian architecture, eventually making historic preservation an important part of Cape May’s economic and cultural revival. The Cape May Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was later recognized as a National Historic Landmark because of the exceptional concentration and architectural importance of its surviving late-19th-century buildings.
The formation of what is now Cape May MAC—Museums, Arts and Culture—also played an essential role in the preservation movement. The organization helped save the Emlen Physick Estate, an 1879 Victorian mansion that now operates as a museum. Its tours, trolley programs and cultural events demonstrated that preservation could support tourism while protecting the city’s historic character. Restored homes also found new lives as bed-and-breakfast inns, guest houses, restaurants and shops.
Historic Places to Visit in Cape May
Much of Cape May’s history can be explored on foot, but several attractions provide a closer look at the city and the surrounding region:
- Emlen Physick Estate: This restored Victorian estate offers a detailed look at late-19th-century architecture and domestic life.
- Congress Hall: The historic oceanfront hotel reflects Cape May’s long history as a fashionable seaside resort.
- Washington Street Mall: Established as a pedestrian shopping district in 1971, the mall occupies part of Cape May’s historic commercial center.
- Cape May Lighthouse: Located in nearby Cape May Point State Park, the lighthouse began operating in 1859 and remains an important regional landmark.
- Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey: The museum explores African American history in Cape May and the region’s connections to abolition and the Underground Railroad.
- Historic Cold Spring Village: Located a short drive from central Cape May, this open-air museum presents the everyday life and trades of early southern New Jersey.
Exploring Cape May’s History Today
A self-guided walk is one of the easiest ways to appreciate historic Cape May. The areas around Washington Street Mall, Columbia Avenue, Hughes Street, Ocean Street and Jackson Street contain a particularly rich mix of historic residences, hotels and guest houses. Many remain private homes and should be viewed respectfully from public sidewalks. Guided walking tours, trolley tours and museum visits can provide additional context about Cape May’s architecture, former residents, major fires and preservation efforts.
Cape May’s history is not confined to museums or individual landmarks. It remains visible in the porches, towers, hotels, streets and public spaces used by visitors every day. This combination of a living seaside community and a nationally important historic district makes Cape May one of the most distinctive destinations on the Jersey Shore.