1888 Map of Cape May

About this map

Cape May City and the surrounding barrier islands appear here during a transformative era of Victorian-era coastal development. The southern tip of New Jersey is characterized by a complex network of tidal thoroughfares and sounds, including Jarvis Sound and Grassy Sound, which separate the mainland from the emerging resorts on Five Mile Beach and Two Mile Beach. The map illustrates the early importance of life-saving stations and maritime navigation, prominently featuring the Cape May Light and a string of coastal outposts such as L.S. Station Cold Spring and L.S. Station Holly Beach. Inland, the landscape transitions from the marshes of Cape Island Creek to small agricultural and transport hubs like Cold Spring and Bennett's Station. The infrastructure of the day is anchored by the Cape May and Sewell's Point R.R., which provided essential links between the burgeoning beachfront communities and the mainland.