The Excursion House, Ocean City’s first amusement park
A Look Back at Ocean City All the amusement centers on the boardwalk trace their roots to the Excursion House. It was built in the spring of 1886 by Anderson Bourgeois for the Ocean City Excursion Company. The company was headed by Ezra B. Lake, S. Wesley Lake, Parker...
‘Dangerous When Wet’
Esther Williams’ big splash in Atlantic City By 1958, the film career of actress/swimmer Esther Williams was winding down. Originally an award-winning competitive swimmer, Williams was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer around 1942. After several less-than-impressive small...
Remembering when Barry Manilow brought ‘Copacabana’ to the Boardwalk
Remembering When When pop-music titan Barry Manilow decided to bring his 1978 hit single, “Copacabana,” to life as a book musical, he certainly could have staged the show about “music and passion” at what was arguably the most-famous American nightclub of the mid-20th...
Remembering the old Rickety Bridge
Few people today remember the old “Rickety Bridge” on the Somers Point-Longport Boulevard, but those who do can still hear the rumblings of the timber planks when a vehicle drove over them, especially late at night when all else was quiet. Originally built in 1916,...
A short history of gay nightlife in Atlantic City
Since the inception of this column several seasons ago, a good deal of the history of Atlantic City’s colorful nightlife has been detailed. However, there has been one substantial omission: the LGBTQ clubs and nightlife in the city through the ages. According to the...
