The First Resort: Fun, Sun, Fire and War in Cape May, America's Original Seaside Town

Cape May, at the tip of the Jersey Shore, goes from boom to bust and back again in this compelling almanac of lavishly illustrated and meticulous researched regional history. Beginning with an advertisement in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1801, city dwellers soon descended upon Cape May, introducing the concept of the American seaside vacation. Throughout the Civil War, both World Wars, and up to the modern day, the visiting population of America's evergreen travel resort has always been mixed across all social spectrums, from presidents and everyday people to renowned plantation owners and famous industrialists, all of whom are commemorated in this complete retrospective.