Cape May in 1964

This rare home video gives viewers a glance into America's original resort city (the island's first hotel opened in 1786) and National Historic Landmark, Cape May, NJ. Visitors have graced these shores since the days of our founding fathers, escaping to Cape May, or Cape Island as it was then known, for the soothing ocean breezes, hospitality of friendly locals, and the unrivaled beauty of the Cape.
Two devastating fires roared through the heart of the city in 1869 and 1878, destroying the colonial town origins. The buildings were replaced by Victorian structures that still stand today, thanks to the foresight and dedication of Cape May's preservation pioneers, who refused to back down to the bulldozers and wrecking balls of Urban Renewal "progress."
Cape May in 1964, looks very different from the city we all know and recognize today. Some of the buildings are gone, others have been altered, and nearly every structure has undergone extensive restorations. This is your chance to see the city as it was, prior to the battle between Urban Rewal and Preservation.
Video created by Ben Miller, Historical Editor for Exit Zero Publishing
Footage shot by Lynn Zettlemoyer

[@Noonecares3203]

Wow. This is great. My best childhood memories are at Cape May in the 70’s. My first stay was at the beautiful Colonial Hotel.

[@kendrach3314]

I will always remember goieeng under the deck of the hot dog stand at beach and broadway to look for dropped change and digging for clams in the sand.

[@youtubeuploads7208]

Thank you so much for sharing this!!!

[@sharingtherealworld]

Keep the history alive!

[@chrismcdermott7766]

The best childhood memories there. I was there in 64. Thank you for sharing this

[@gmonet46]

I worked at the Stockton '63. Great people to work for, and when at the front desk,met lots of cute "visitors" that way.

[@uileagmacamhairghin5333]

This is the Cape May I grew up in, and remember so fondly. Almost every house was white, with the shutters and roofs being the only things painted, the summer filled with things like the antique car show at the beginning, and everything was just somehow slower, yet also so much faster. It was such a great place to be a kid. Today, it's garish colours (that NEVER existed in Cape May until the town became the massively-fake tourist trap it is today, the "painted lady" look wasn't Victorian Cape May, that was San Francisco), people who only know the history from books because they didn't live there and have family who lived through the time the books talk about, and overpricing that's been killing the town for years.

[@joemancini327]

Actually I quite enjoy the town itself. In the 1960s specifically when this footage was taken, Cape May was in a serious decline. It was a dated and delapitated city that couldn't modernize and was severely less popular then cities like Atlantic City. This is when the Cape May revitalization period of the late 60s and early 70s begun. This is how you got the city of Cape May looking the way it is today.

[@uileagmacamhairghin5333]

@@joemancini327 I do know Cape May's history, and the people responsible for the revitalization that turned Cape May around. My father was one of the most instrumental people in restoring the city, and largely responsible for getting the city designated as a National Historic Landmark. But today, except for those of us who were there as kids to witness the town beginning to flourish again, nobody remembers who those instrumental people were.

[@Warthog71]

An old client of mine owns a nice hotel in the cape. love the nostalgia

[@stoggyreturns]

Ben you can up-res this with an AI upscale software and it could come out in a much higher resolution with a lot more clarity. Thanks for sharing!

[@jond5925]

None of these cars are from the era of 1964, their must be a parade of antique cars although its awsome,to see this i personally would rather see more of the 64 or 60' & 50's cars,at least, thats for real..🤩🤩🤩🤩😘😍😍😍😘😘😂🤣🤣😎😎😎

[@dennisfay1835]

Agreed. Maybe’54. There are cars from 20’s-50’s.

[@brianpkeane4173]

The Christian Admiral I remember it back in the late 70's It had a large glassed atrium hallway dome just like the doomed Ocean Line Titanic 1912.

[@ElementofKindness]

For some reason, that building was very interesting to me when I was a kid. I guess it was just the sheer size of it that fascinated me. I think the last time I was in Cape May, it was being demolished. :-(

[@sharingtherealworld]

@@ElementofKindness I felt the same way about it as a kid.

[@faithford9143]

I hear the waves you go there now there's no waves sound. The waves of the ocean sounds good. I remember being in that Ocean with those waves

[@BillyLapTop]

Our family had a summer home near the big water tower from 1956 to 1969. I spent my summers there. We would bicycle all over the place. Frankie's Playland was a big attraction on the little boardwalk and the Taylor Ham place across from the Ocean Theatre was a real treat and there was fishing off the pier. I remember how the breezes would shift as the day would come to an end and feel good on my sunburn from the Philadelphia Ave beach. TV reception was interesting as one could watch the NYC stations as well as the Philadelphia and Delaware ones. I used to explore the abandoned Admiral Hotel, visit the concrete ship at Cape May Pt and look for Cape May diamonds. One really felt they were out at sea when staying in Cape May. Such wonderful times.

[@leegruver4718]

Those are the days I remember!

[@oldyeller6518]

This is wonderful!!!!!!

[@clautamiralves712]

😍😍😍