Editing Ocean City, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Before Ocean City was established, local [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] set up camps on the island for fishing in the summer months.<ref name="och">[http://www.ocnj.us/History/ A Brief History of Ocean City New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223042900/http://www.ocnj.us/History/ |date=December 23, 2017 }}, Ocean City, New Jersey. Accessed December 23, 2017.</ref> In 1633, [[Dutch (ethnic group)|Dutch]] navigator [[David Pietersz. de Vries]] referred to "flat sand beaches with low hills between Cape May and [[Great Egg Harbor Bay|Egg Harbor]]", possibly the earliest reference to the island that became Ocean City. In 1695, Thomas Budd [[Surveying|surveyed]] the land on behalf of the [[West Jersey]] Society.

Originally purchased by the Somers family, the island was named [[Pecks Beach|Peck's Beach]], believed to have been given the name for a whaler named John Peck.<ref>Staff. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-of-atlantic-city-profile-of-ocean/167086449/ "Ocean City's Birthday / The Perfect Gift"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', September 10, 2009. Accessed March 2, 2025, via [[Newspapers.com]].</ref> Around 1700, Peck began using the barrier island as a base of operation and storage place for freshly caught whales. The island was also used as a cattle-grazing area, and mainlanders would boat over for a picnic or to hunt.<ref>[http://www.oceancityvacation.com/about-the-island/history.html History of Ocean City] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220003051/http://www.oceancityvacation.com/about-the-island/history.html |date=February 20, 2014 }}, OceanCityVacation.com. Accessed April 7, 2015.</ref>

The first record of a house on Peck's Beach was in 1752. During the 18th century, cattle grazers brought cows to the island, where plentiful trees, weeds, brush, and seagrass provided suitable conditions. Parker Miller was the first permanent resident of Peck's Beach in 1859.<ref name=miller/>

On September 10, 1879, four [[Methodist]] ministers—Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake, and William Burrell—chose the island as a suitable spot to establish a [[Christianity|Christian]] retreat and camp meeting on the order of [[Ocean Grove, New Jersey|Ocean Grove]]. They met under a tall cedar tree, which stands today in the lobby of the Ocean City Tabernacle. Having chosen the name Ocean City, the founders incorporated the Ocean City Association and laid out streets and lots for cottages, hotels, and businesses. The Ocean City Tabernacle was built between Wesley and Asbury Avenues and between 5th and 6th Streets. Camp meetings were held by the following summer and continue uninterrupted to this day.<ref>[http://octabernacle.org/about/history/ History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405073639/http://octabernacle.org/about/history/ |date=April 5, 2017 }}, Ocean City Tabernacle. Accessed June 22, 2017.</ref>

In 1881, the first school on the island opened.<ref name="och"/> The first bridge to the island was built in 1883, and the [[West Jersey and Seashore Railroad#West Jersey Railroad|West Jersey Railroad]] opened in 1884.<ref>{{cite book|title=The History of Cape May County, New Jersey: From the Aboriginal Times to the Present Day|year=1897|publisher=Star of the Cape Publishing Co.|page=446|location=Cape May, New Jersey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5UvAAAAYAAJ&q=%22ocean+city%22+%22new+jersey%22+mayor+gainer+moore&pg=PA446|access-date=October 19, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127160659/https://books.google.com/books?id=e5UvAAAAYAAJ&q=%22ocean+city%22+%22new+jersey%22+mayor+gainer+moore&pg=PA446|url-status=live}}</ref> Based on a referendum on April&nbsp;30, 1884, the [[borough (New Jersey)|borough]] of Ocean City was formed from portions of [[Upper Township, New Jersey|Upper Township]], following an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on May 3, 1884.<ref name=Story/>

The ship ''Sindia'' joined other shipwrecks on the beach on December 15, 1901, on its way to [[New York City]] from [[Kobe]], [[Japan]], but has since sunk below the sand. A salvage attempt to retrieve treasures believed to have been on the ship was most recently launched in the 1970s, all of which have been unsuccessful.<ref>[http://www.thesindia.com/main.html The Sindia: The Mystery Continues] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629221258/http://www.thesindia.com/main.html |date=June 29, 2007 }}, The Sindia. Accessed June 4, 2007.</ref> In 1920, the [[Chamber of commerce|Chamber of Commerce]] adopted the slogan "America's Greatest Family Resort".<ref>Longo, Brandon. [http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/07/21/summerfest-ocean-city/ "SummerFest: Ocean City Is All About Families"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222104842/http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/07/21/summerfest-ocean-city/ |date=December 22, 2017 }}, [[KYW-TV]], July 21, 2017. Accessed December 19, 2017. "'The motto of the town since 1920 has been, "America's Greatest Family Resort,"' says Fred Miller, author and Ocean City historian."</ref><ref name="miller">Miller, Fred; and Miller, Susan. [https://books.google.co.com/books?id=hsF8bQDMimwC&pg=PA7 ''Legendary Locals of Ocean City'']{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, p. 7. [[Arcadia Publishing]], 2012. {{ISBN|9781467100045}}. Accessed December 19, 2017. "In 1920, the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce adopted the slogan 'America's Greatest Family Resort.' and that is the city's motto today."</ref>

In 1927, a large fire broke out and caused $1.5 million in damage (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=1.5|start_year=1927}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}). This led the city to move the boardwalk closer to the ocean, which resulted in a greater potential for damage from saltwater.<ref>Johnston, David. [http://articles.philly.com/1991-08-12/news/25804661_1_new-boardwalk-city-garage-blaze "In Ocean City, The Expensive Legacy Of A Fire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419152910/http://articles.philly.com/1991-08-12/news/25804661_1_new-boardwalk-city-garage-blaze |date=April 19, 2016 }}, ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', August 12, 1991. Accessed September 13, 2015. "The popular Music Pier needs those renovations because of the city fathers' action after the 1927 inferno. They used the fire as an excuse to move the boardwalk much closer to the ocean. That, in turn, led the Music Pier to be built over the water - making it much more susceptible to the damaging effects of saltwater."</ref>

===Alcohol prohibition===
As a result of its religious origins, the sale or public drinking of alcoholic beverages in Ocean City was prohibited.<ref>[http://www.oceancityvacation.com/about-the-island/history.html History of Ocean City] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220003051/http://www.oceancityvacation.com/about-the-island/history.html |date=February 20, 2014 }}, Ocean City Chamber of Commerce. Accessed September 13, 2015. "Part of the original four's wish, that Ocean City remain a pure retreat that exemplified the Christian mindset, still remains today as strong as the cedar tree they first met under. Historically, Ocean City is a dry town—there is no public drinking anywhere on the island."</ref> In 1881, the Ocean City Association passed a set of [[Blue laws in the United States#New Jersey|blue laws]], which were designed to enforce religious standards. The town banned the manufacturing or sale of alcohol in 1909.<ref name="sen216"/>

Promoting water instead of drinking alcohol, the [[Woman's Christian Temperance Union]] donated a public fountain, dedicated on [[Memorial Day]] in 1915.<ref>Lowe, Claire. [http://www.shorenewstoday.com/ocean_city/temperance-fountain-rededicated-in-front-of-city-hall/article_e79dabd6-047b-11e5-835f-5be8f7af4290.html "Temperance fountain rededicated in front of City Hall"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052809/http://www.shorenewstoday.com/ocean_city/temperance-fountain-rededicated-in-front-of-city-hall/article_e79dabd6-047b-11e5-835f-5be8f7af4290.html |date=December 22, 2017 }}, ''The Gazette of Ocean City'', May 27, 2015. Accessed December 23, 2017. "Steelman was on the corner of Ninth Street and Central Avenue Monday, May 25 for the rededication of the Women's Christian Temperance Union water fountain outside of City Hall. This year marks a century since Mayor Joseph G. Champion dedicated the fountain on Memorial Day 1915."</ref> Despite the prohibition of alcohol within the municipality, illegal saloons operated within Ocean City, and in 1929, prosecutors raided 27 [[speakeasy|speakeasies]].<ref>Miller, Michael. [https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/upper_capemay/ocean-city-s-byob-debate-brings-city-s-history-with/article_7c8f4242-b5aa-11e0-9087-001cc4c002e0.html "Ocean City's BYOB debate brings city's history with alcohol to forefront"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028052532/https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/upper_capemay/ocean-city-s-byob-debate-brings-city-s-history-with/article_7c8f4242-b5aa-11e0-9087-001cc4c002e0.html |date=October 28, 2019 }}, ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', July 24, 2011. Accessed October 27, 2019.</ref>

In 1951, the town banned the consumption of alcohol on the beach. All public alcohol consumption was banned in 1958. During the campaign for a 1986 referendum to repeal the blue laws, ads in the local paper suggested that the repeal could be next.<ref name="sen216">Avedissiian, Eric. [http://www.ocsentinel.com/news/blue-laws-and-byob/article_ba6c2975-ccc3-5976-9e6a-5932bf691ab4.html "Blue laws and BYOB; Fight over city's blue laws in mid-1980s included subtext over alcohol"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608200946/http://www.ocsentinel.com/news/blue-laws-and-byob/article_ba6c2975-ccc3-5976-9e6a-5932bf691ab4.html |date=June 8, 2019 }}, ''Ocean County Sentinel'', February 16, 2011. Accessed October 27, 2019.</ref> In May 2012, 68.8% of voters rejected a ballot initiative for [[BYOB]]—bring your own bottle.<ref>Sherman, Ted. [https://www.nj.com/news/2012/05/ocean_city_voters_say_no_to_al.html "Ocean City voters decide: No shirts, no booze, no problem"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028052518/https://www.nj.com/news/2012/05/ocean_city_voters_say_no_to_al.html |date=October 28, 2019 }}, NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], May 9, 2012, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed October 27, 2019.</ref> As of 2016, Ocean City was one of 32&nbsp;[[List of dry communities by U.S. state#New Jersey|dry towns]] in New Jersey.<ref>O'Brien, Kathleen. [https://www.nj.com/news/2016/12/dont_hold_your_office_party_here_njs_32_dry_towns.html "What it means to be one of N.J.'s 32 'dry' towns"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028052515/https://www.nj.com/news/2016/12/dont_hold_your_office_party_here_njs_32_dry_towns.html |date=October 28, 2019 }}, ''[[Inside Jersey]]'', December 21, 2016, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed October 27, 2019. "Some towns, like Ocean City, vote to stay dry and not serve alcohol in restaurants or bars, other towns are dry because there are simply no restaurants or bars within their borders."</ref> Despite the prohibition in the city, 18.3% of adults in the Ocean City [[metropolitan statistical area]] (which includes all of Cape May County) drink alcohol heavily or [[binge drinking|binge drink]], the highest percentage of any metro area in the state. ''[[USA Today]]'' listed Ocean City as the state's most drunken city on its 2017 list of "The drunkest city in every state".<ref>Stebbins, Samuel; and Comen, Evan. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/11/21/alcohol-abuse-drunkest-city-every-state/884359001/ "Alcohol abuse: The drunkest city in every state"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222060943/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/11/21/alcohol-abuse-drunkest-city-every-state/884359001/ |date=December 22, 2017 }}, ''[[USA Today]]'', November 21, 2017. Accessed December 23, 2017. "In the Ocean City metro area, some 18.3% of adults drink heavily, a larger share than the 17.6% of adults across New Jersey as a whole and a slightly larger than the 18.0% national rate."</ref> Additionally, a loophole in the law allows private dining clubs adjacent to restaurants to serve alcohol to members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/the-secret-spots-to-get-a-stiff-drink-in-dry/article_a298ba11-1030-5b09-853c-78b8ba8194df.html|title=The secret spots to get a stiff drink in dry Ocean City|last=Writer|first=CLAIRE LOWE Staff|website=Press of Atlantic City|date=February 2017 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-18|archive-date=December 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218010040/https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/the-secret-spots-to-get-a-stiff-drink-in-dry/article_a298ba11-1030-5b09-853c-78b8ba8194df.html|url-status=live}}</ref>