Ocean CIty Origins

To start out this blog I wanted to share some facts and history on the town of Ocean City, which was first known as Pecks Beach. In 1700 a man named John Peck started using the land to store his whale catches. Just as “seasonals” come down for only the summers, this town used to be a place only visited, not lived in. It was frequented by people coming to fish, picnic, and hunt. It was not until 1879 that the land was purchased to open a seaside resort for Christians, which gave Ocean City its name.  Even today, the island committee makes its decisions trying to maintain the Christian values Ocean City was founded on. Ocean City has been and still is a dry town, alcohol cannot be bought or sold. Ocean City even keeps the “resort” aspect alive, with the title “Americas Greatest Family Resort”. 

Something that many people do not know is that there was actually a large fire that burned down most of historic Ocean City. They called it “The Great Boardwalk Fire of 1927” and to this day they do not know how it was started. The boardwalk was rebuilt into the one that residents and visitors know and love today. Also, many of the businesses devasted by the fire, such as Shrivers Taffy and Johnsons Popcorn, are still running strong today.  Ocean City is a place that thousands of visitors enjoy. It has won the title of best Jersey beach for the past five years by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. Ocean City has certainly established itself in American History and continues to grow strong in numbers each year, both residential and visitors.