After more than a decade of research, architectural historian Joan Berkey has written a book about Cape May County's historic buildings, the earliest of which dates to about 1691. The book chronicles the county's significant collection of heavy timber frame-also known as post-and-beam-buildings, and reveals the link between those who came from England to settle in the Massachusetts Bay area, then Long Island, and eventually to Cape May County. Beautifully illustrated with more than 240 photographs and carefully detailed descriptions, this intriguing journey through architectural history provides glimpses into the times, people, buildings, and builders who shaped the Jersey cape landscape before the grand Victorian era.

Early Architecture of Cape May County New Jersey The Heavy Timber Frame Legacy

BERKEY, Joan

Cape May County Historical and

Commissioned on April 1, 1943, Naval Air Station Wildwood trained thousands of U.S. Navy airmen during World War II. Located in southern New Jersey on a peninsula bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, the air station was perfectly sited to provide them with the over-water practice they needed for fighting the Japanese fleet in the western Pacific theater. Some of the war's most lethal bombers-Helldivers and TBM-3E Avengers among them-were flown by members of naval fighter, dive-bombing, and torpedo-bombing squadrons based at the station from 1943 until 1945. At least 42 airmen lost their lives while training at the station, but their deaths brought about improvements in airplane design and tactics. Today only a handful of the station's 126 original buildings remain; the largest of these, Hangar No. 1, has been restored to its original appearance and houses Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.

Naval Air Station Wildwood (Images of Aviation)

History

Salvatore M.D., Joseph E.

Americas

Arcadia Publishing

Commissioned as Navy Section Base 9 in 1917, the US Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May stands on the site of a former amusement park that bordered the Atlantic Ocean a few miles east of Cape May in southern New Jersey. Dirigibles, submarines, and minesweepers were based here during World War I. Because of its proximity to the ocean and Delaware Bay, the base was used by Coast Guard patrol boats and cutters to chase rumrunners during Prohibition in the 1920s. An airfield was established adjacent to the base in 1926, and in 1940, both combined to become Naval Air Station Cape May. The station protected the coast line from German U-boats during World War II. The Coast Guard took over the facility in 1946, and in 1948, the base became the only recruit training center in the country, today graduating more than 4,000 recruits per year.

US Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May (Images of America)

Salvatore MD, Joseph E.

Commissioned on April 1, 1943, Naval Air Station Wildwood trained thousands of U.S. Navy airmen during World War II. Located in southern New Jersey on a peninsula bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, the air station was perfectly sited to provide them with the over-water practice they needed for fighting the Japanese fleet in the western Pacific theater. Some of the war's most lethal bombers-Helldivers and TBM-3E Avengers among them-were flown by members of naval fighter, dive-bombing, and torpedo-bombing squadrons based at the station from 1943 until 1945. At least 42 airmen lost their lives while training at the station, but their deaths brought about improvements in airplane design and tactics. Today only a handful of the station's 126 original buildings remain; the largest of these, Hangar No. 1, has been restored to its original appearance and houses Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.

Naval Air Station Wildwood

Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

Commissioned as Navy Section Base 9 in 1917, the US Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May stands on the site of a former amusement park that bordered the Atlantic Ocean a few miles east of Cape May in southern New Jersey. Dirigibles, submarines, and minesweepers were based here during World War I. Because of its proximity to the ocean and Delaware Bay, the base was used by Coast Guard patrol boats and cutters to chase rumrunners during Prohibition in the 1920s. An airfield was established adjacent to the base in 1926, and in 1940, both combined to become Naval Air Station Cape May. The station protected the coast line from German U-boats during World War II. The Coast Guard took over the facility in 1946, and in 1948, the base became the only recruit training center in the country, today graduating more than 4,000 recruits per year.

US Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May

The seaside resort of Cape May was named for Dutchman Cornelis Mey, who sailed past this part of southeastern New Jersey in 1616. Originally known as Cape Island, the area was settled by a handful of English-speaking farmers and whalers in the 1690s. By 1776, it was advertised as a popular, healthy place for bathing in the ocean. The first boardinghouses were erected in the early 1800s, and by 1850, the town boasted nearly two dozen. Vacationers came from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even the Deep South, many building summer cottages along the shore. The establishment of rail service in 1863 brought a new era of growth and even more hotels. Although a devastating fire in 1878 destroyed several of the oldest, they were soon replaced by new hotels and cottages boasting broad porches and eaves lavished with gingerbread trim. Today, most of Cape May City is a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its well-preserved collection of Victorian-era buildings. Cape May showcases the rich architectural and recreational heritage of this coastal New Jersey town.

Cape May

As early as 1776, the resort of Cape May in southern New Jersey was recognized as a popular, healthy place for bathing in the Atlantic Ocean. The hotels were boarding houses erected in the early 1800s, and by 1850 the town had nearly two dozen, all built of wood. The establishment of railroad service in 1863 brought a new era of growth and more fashionable hotels. Hailed as the "queen of seaside resorts," Cape May attracted tourists from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even the Deep South, many who built summer cottages along the oceanfront. A devastating, 35-acre fire in 1878 destroyed seven hotels and more than thirty cottages in the heart of town, but they were quickly replaced with new ones adorned with broad porches and lavished with gingerbread trim. Today, most of the city is a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its well-preserved collection of Victorian-era buildings, considered the best assemblage east of the Mississippi River.

Cape May Through Time (America Through Time)

Arts & Photography

Salvatore, Joseph

Photography & Video

America Through Time

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BERKEY, Joan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by BERKEY, Joan