The LOST Streets of North Wildwood

Why does North Wildwood have massive back bays and why were they never built on? That is what the Wildwood Video Archive was asked about.
The roots of today's North Wildwood trace back to Anglesea, a fishing village in the 1880s. Frederick Swope, with his partner, acquired undeveloped land south of Anglesea, laying the foundation for the Five Mile Beach Improvement Company and Anglesea Railroad.
Swope envisioned a thriving North Wildwood, attracting visitors through accessible transportation. His 1879 marketing map, though never filed, outlined the city's potential grid and street names, many named after states.
The map's success led to property purchases through the North Wildwood Land Company, fueled by widespread newspaper advertisements.
The island was exploding with activity and construction, but previously approved plans called for a back bay that would have houses, streets and marinas. What Happened?
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Пікірлер: 61

  • @waltereturner
    @waltereturner5 ай бұрын

    Love seeing these videos on a snowy Saturday. Can't wait for summer and those wild , wil, Wildwood days!

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    I wish it was snowing down here. All we have is rain :-(

  • @aguythatworkstoomuch4624
    @aguythatworkstoomuch46244 ай бұрын

    As a long time resident of north wildwood, I really like these videos!

  • @pointman913
    @pointman9135 ай бұрын

    Lived in N Wildwood year round in the 70's and 80's as a kid went to Margaret Mace. What a great time to be there. Just not the same today. Thanks for the info!

  • @ajw20
    @ajw205 ай бұрын

    As a history nerd and North Wildwood lover, this video was very well-made. I would've never known about any of this! Honestly there is some really fun history here. What I also find interesting is how, over near Diamond Beach in Wildwood Crest, there are still plots where the roads were never finished. Apple Maps shows housing plots and zone grids, and you can clearly see zoned grids that were planned to be finished, but never were...

  • @user-pp1ni2jy3f
    @user-pp1ni2jy3f5 ай бұрын

    Joey, like the Dutch, they were planning to infill those areas and make new land for residential development. Great trivia, you'll be the hit of the party!🤪

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    haha :-) I'm glad you liked it!! So much awesome history down here

  • @robwahl6288
    @robwahl62885 ай бұрын

    I knew quite a bit of this since I did an environmental sociological history of the entire island in the mid-1980s for an undergraduate project. What I did not know was how extensive the planning for those back bat areas was. Thanks!

  • @chrisflocco8084
    @chrisflocco80845 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the update.

  • @Cheryl-em1ed
    @Cheryl-em1ed5 ай бұрын

    Love this❤ thank you Joey I'm planning on retiring there in 1 yr.I grew up there every Summer as a child🎉 Blessed for all you show us.Much appreciation Joey.

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    I'm glad you enjoyed it!!! Happy almost retirement

  • @markanchukaitis
    @markanchukaitis5 ай бұрын

    So beautiful. My someday home. Thanks you.

  • @Cheryl-em1ed

    @Cheryl-em1ed

    5 ай бұрын

    Me too!!! Can't wait!!!

  • @ShadySideJoe
    @ShadySideJoe5 ай бұрын

    Wow I never knew that, crazy to think about since I had family who owned houses in west wildwood for years

  • @thedankos3
    @thedankos35 ай бұрын

    THe dock at the park on Delaware we use to love to walk out on. It’s shame can’t anymore

  • @johnchambers8528
    @johnchambers85285 ай бұрын

    My family vacationed in Wildwood for years but I never knew they planed to fill in areas for development. As you noted now planers know the value of wetlands in helping control flooding. I do remember riding the train into Wildwood and riding over the wetlands till the train regained firm footing in the center of town coming over from Rio Grande where it diverted from the main line to cape May.

  • @christophermirkovich7290
    @christophermirkovich72905 ай бұрын

    Interesting past

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    so much unknown in the Wildwoods!

  • @JillWaldie-tl4vx
    @JillWaldie-tl4vx5 ай бұрын

    I’m so glad you made this video. Years ago while touring the Angelsea light house I saw a map on the wall showing streets named and numbered behind Delaware ave, in the grassy area there .i was told that the EPA acts in the 70,s stopped that building. This makes more sense! I went this past summer to show some others and we couldn’t find the map! Thanks!

  • @nyguy369
    @nyguy3695 ай бұрын

    Good video and research Joey! Love watching your videos. I spent the summers at King Nummy Campground with my family in the 1970's when it was owned by the Hands'. We always had nights on the Wildwood boardwalk back then. I Remember traveling from Indian Trail off of 47 over the rickety wood bridges into wildwood. Best summers of my life.

  • @skipferguson3421
    @skipferguson34214 ай бұрын

    When we were kids back in the '50's we waterskied through those little creeks in the back bay a (great, fond memory).

  • @makeupwithvalerienotrends7961
    @makeupwithvalerienotrends79615 ай бұрын

    Brand new to me, thank you Joey for the information ❤

  • @terrymora109
    @terrymora1095 ай бұрын

    Such beautiful footage

  • @michelleinman7649
    @michelleinman76495 ай бұрын

    Very cool! I never knew this part of wildwood history!

  • @Sunsoul888
    @Sunsoul8885 ай бұрын

    Thanks Joey. Learned something new today. Great work. ❤ your videos. Pamela 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🙏🙏🙏🙏

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    You are so welcome. Happy you enjoyed it!

  • @cathylingo9521
    @cathylingo95215 ай бұрын

    Never knew about this. Those old movies were awesome!

  • @user-tu1zs4ir1x
    @user-tu1zs4ir1x5 ай бұрын

    Hey Joey, Great job as usual! Nope, we didn't know that... Keep up the awesome Wildwood journalism!

  • @JackT_Music_on_Vinyl
    @JackT_Music_on_Vinyl5 ай бұрын

    All new info to me, Joey! Thanks for all the research that went into this.

  • @Djjoeyd1167
    @Djjoeyd1167Ай бұрын

    Awesome video Joey! ❤ I remember coming to Wildwood in the late 70s into the early 80s..coming into North Wildwood, grassy sound(The old Grassy Sound Drawbridge, always felt like it was ready to come tumbling down when you drove over it 😂) and seeing all those houses to the left or right into grassy sound and what not.. where you pretty much couldn’t even get to them anymore, they were falling apart, and I used to always imagine how they looked when they were brand new❤ Who lived there ect My brother and I,always talked about trying to find a way to go into one of those houses, 😳 but it did not look like a smart idea 😂 Will always love this town.. so many fond memories! Those Wildwood days ❤❤❤ I just found this channel, was hoping to find maybe a video on the greatest game that ever was played in Wildwood. and if you were coming to Wildwood back during the 70’s,(80s 90s.. best two decades for that game in my opinion) I know people would know what I’m talking about without even saying the name..Maybe a hint or 2…”4 red” “Coverall” “Party hour, where you could win a dinner for two at the blue Hawaii” “Hour long special” “Dime games” “Marty” Anybody know what the game is I’m talking about? Awesome fantastic memories.. me and my family would usually get there for the party hour(11pm) and most nights we close the place down, which on some nights it was as late as 230 am… on a packed weekend night.. close to 3 AM sometimes..Man that’s when Wildwood, back during the days when the piers would stay open till heck, 2 AM sometimes,usually only on the weekends(Weekdays still past 1am!) I guess those days are long gone…

  • @seanconyers1558
    @seanconyers15585 ай бұрын

    Absolutely loved this! Love and naturally, miss my hometown ❤️

  • @MrVTPhil
    @MrVTPhil5 ай бұрын

    Fantastic video, as always. Any chance of doing a similar video on South Cape May video? You can still see the plats of the sunken properties on Zillow!

  • @user-yc9zm2yl4l
    @user-yc9zm2yl4l5 ай бұрын

    1:12 Very good presentation. People should visit the great museum in the center of Wildwood. The information about the Battle of Turtle Gut Bay during the Revolutionary War is especially interesting. That is down in the Crest where I stay. There’s a monument down at the end of Sunset Lake.

  • @joeycontino9601

    @joeycontino9601

    5 ай бұрын

    we have a video on this channel about the Battle of Turtle Gut Bay

  • @barbarapellettiere3356
    @barbarapellettiere33565 ай бұрын

    I never knew, how interesting.

  • @crazyman762
    @crazyman7625 ай бұрын

    There was 2 houses in my family on Hoffman's canal for 90 years. I have not been to Wildwood for about 15 years so it is difficult to place much of anything in this clip. My Wildwood is literally gone now. My Grandmoms house was torn down this year when it was sold outside the family 2 years ago.. A 3 story McMansion is being built there now. Thanks for posting though.

  • @spikeg.jr.4893
    @spikeg.jr.48935 ай бұрын

    learn something new everyday, thanks Joey!

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    You bet! Every day you have to learn something new

  • @robcschweitzer
    @robcschweitzer5 ай бұрын

    Glad it never happened… preserved land for habitats

  • @hughjass7914
    @hughjass79145 ай бұрын

    Northwest Wildwood, maybe.

  • @lautburns4829
    @lautburns48293 ай бұрын

    Good job Joe!

  • @bobwst
    @bobwst5 ай бұрын

    All new info to me. Thanks for the education.

  • @paulakauffman2153
    @paulakauffman21535 ай бұрын

    I never knew there had been any plans to build in the bay area. Thanks for this story.

  • @deborahordynowicz2077
    @deborahordynowicz20775 ай бұрын

    thanks Joey this was new to me.

  • @joestegs6921
    @joestegs69215 ай бұрын

    As a long time wildwood vacationer I never knew this information. I do have a question Joey, will you be doing a video on the potential development project behind Susquehanna ave in wildwood central?

  • @pamelasmith514
    @pamelasmith5145 ай бұрын

    Great use of older footage.

  • @TimC-in4dk
    @TimC-in4dk5 ай бұрын

    Very well done concerning the Lost Streets video. Very insightful and you thoroughly did your research. Do I hear Emmy? Thanks Joey

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    haha you never know!! Thank you Tim!

  • @marisinfarb6258
    @marisinfarb62585 ай бұрын

    Wait, there used to be a train line going down to Wildwoods?...! What happened to it????

  • @robertbrodie5183
    @robertbrodie51835 ай бұрын

    same thing in cape may my father took us kids to an entire layed out area on an extra low tide to a place his father had been scamed into buying in mid 1920s

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    that is so interesting. Do you happen to know where in Cape May?

  • @robertbrodie5183

    @robertbrodie5183

    5 ай бұрын

    @@WildwoodVideoArchive childhood memory but believe it was somewhere in lewis ferry area .....there also use to be an optics grinding factory that closed down at end off ww2 we picked up tons of partly finished lenses that had just been abandoned .....my father was a capemay native (live in octigon house) and he knew tons of local history .......

  • @nickcef
    @nickcef5 ай бұрын

    In the future, if NJ Transit ever decides to extend the rail line from Bay Head all the way down to Cape May, I bet there will be a lot of development in these now empty areas in N. Wildwood. You can see a lot of condo development going on in North Jersey nowadays along the rail line, from Matawan all the way down to Asbury Park and beyond.

  • @frankrizzo7454
    @frankrizzo74545 ай бұрын

    Wildwood needs to move the boardwalk a half mile closer to the shoreline.

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    Not in today’s climate. It’s in the perfect location.

  • @shirleynitka5030
    @shirleynitka50305 ай бұрын

    I was on 16th St. The bay changed too much yearly.

  • @palmeredwards7138
    @palmeredwards71385 ай бұрын

    My wife and I where at Hersey Park and we thought we saw you was it you ? In December

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    hey! No I wasn't in Hersey Park :-( I was sick for most of December haha

  • @user-ny7kp7og3t
    @user-ny7kp7og3t5 ай бұрын

    What is happening with Windward Motel

  • @WildwoodVideoArchive

    @WildwoodVideoArchive

    5 ай бұрын

    Nothing yet

  • @Helen-mh8mq
    @Helen-mh8mq5 ай бұрын

    Thank god it didn't happen!!!Wetlands are crucial for wildlife and protection for homes.