On September 10, 1879, four Methodist Ministers, Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake, and William Burrell chose an island south of Atlantic City, as a suitable spot to establish a Christian retreat and camp meeting on the same order of Ocean Grove.
They met under a tall cedar tree and decided to call the area Ocean City; the tree now 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 the following summer and continue uninterrupted to this day.
Ocean City has not allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages within its limits since its founding in 1879.
Map dated 1903.
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Credit: Real Brigantine
