Alan’s TTIM Stories #8

 “America’s Original Seaside Resort” boasts of ocean, beach, wildlife, historic buildings, boardwalk, dining, shopping, fishing, boating, events and festivals. Cape May occupies the southern end of New Jersey where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The town is an architectural wonderland with the second largest collection of Victorian homes after San Francisco, noted for elaborate wood and metal gingerbread decor with a variety of colors under high pitched roofs.

Affluence affected lifestyles in the growing cities of the 1800’s with an yearning to escape crowds, heat, and disease in a time before public health standards and air conditioning. Wealth allowed for vacations. Philadelphia elite and Washington officials traveled to the Jersey Shore. Today the 3,000 population of Cape May explodes to 50,000 in the summer.

Through its impressive history as a seaside resort, two names stand out for special mention for the community of Cape May, both connected with the color yellow: Thomas H. Hughes and Alexander Wilson. One an intentional visionary and the other a beneficiary of a chance discovery.

Before railroads made tourism profitable, one resident had a vision. Thomas H. Hughes imagined a resort long before the start of the tourism industry. Hughes built an L-shaped, three-story building in 1816 to house an expected surge of vacationers. Large enough to cover a city block, townsfolk called it Tommy’s Folly. Hughes was elected to the House of Representatives, explaining the resort’s name – Congress Hall. A fire in 1878 did not destroy the vision. The once wooden structure rose again constructed as a four-story building of brick and painted in the traditional yellow. President Benjamin Harrison used the hotel as his summer White House. It inspired the Congress Hall March by John Philip Sousa and U.S. Marine Band in 1882.

“A stay at Congress Hall is designed around the simple pleasures of a classic American Seaside vacation. Here, we believe that hospitality means more than just a room for the night. It means complimentary chairs, towels and umbrellas waiting for you down on the beach; delicious on-property dining for you to treat yourself to; health and wellness classes like yoga every morning; and family activities from sunup to sundown – all to create new memories and traditions with the ones you love.”

The small topic of the story belongs to a tiny yellow bird with a chestnut color cheek patch. Cape May draws birdwatchers for waterfowl and shore birds and, especially, migrating birds in the spring. Enter the Cape May Warbler.

Named by Alexander Wilson, a Scottish-American ornithologist, who was an inspiration for the better-known John James Audubon. He made numerous expeditions in the early 1800’s to discover native birds. His study reached across the continent when he examined species brought back to the East by Lewis and Clark. Every new discovery allowed Wilson to name the bird: Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Wilson’s Phalarope, Wilson’s Snipe, Wilson’s Warbler. His scientific abilities were matched by his ego.

On a collecting expedition, somewhere between 1809 and 1812, his collaborator, George Ord, shot a small warbler in Cape May County (shooting not a preferred method of bird study today). Since “Wilson’s Warbler” name was taken, many bird names came from the place first discovered. Thus – the Cape May Warbler. Small and elusive, the town’s namesake bird is a challenge to spot, even during spring migration. The bird spends half of the year in northern spruce forests and the other half around tropical flowers in the Caribbean. The name remains as a marketing tool promoting the town including the draw of birdwatching.

Two yellow references remind us of a special community with much to offer. Take a walk along the beach, enjoy the carnival atmosphere of the Washington Street pedestrian mall, spend a weekend at a historic inn, and look for birds at Cape May Point State Natural Area. Toast with a glass of local wine with binoculars handy.

Resources:
All About Birds – The Cornell Lab
Cape May Magazine
Wikipedia
Cape Resorts
Cape May.com
Cape May County NJ.com
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Follow Alan’s TTIM Stories at Facebook.com/alan.vandervoort or Instagram & Treads vandervoort_author or www.alanvandervoort.com. Novels: Sandhills – A Novel and Key Largo Summer are found at Booklocker.com and other online booksellers.