Avalon History Center

10/14/2026

When the Lenni Lenape summered at 7 Mile Beach, they caught fish and gathered shellfish along the coast, smoking and drying their catches over campfires and in the sun to preserve the food. Some of the only remains of the Lenape on the barrier islands are mounds of shells.

10/12/2026

We have posted this a few times and still no one has definitively identified the girl on the horse!

Tony Matalucci and his horse in the August 24, 1967 Avalon Herald, grand marshalling the Baby Parade, along with a young rider, who is listed as unidentified in the photo.

10/07/2026

Here is a 1973 aerial photo of Pelican Drive in the Fingers (aka the Lagoons). The house at the very tip is still under construction except for the dock!

10/03/2026

Pictured in black and white is Sarah McCann's boarding house at 12th and Dune Dr. circa 1920, when Dune Dr. was called Second Ave. The color image is a Google Street View from 2019. In the 2019 photo you can just about tell that the house is still in there, encased in some interesting renovations. The building was torn down in 2025.

Sarah McCann opened a boarding house for summer art students in the early part of the 20th century. She later married Gilbert Smith and they ran the Avalon Hotel together, taking over ownership in 1927.

10/02/2026

09/30/2026

Here is a rarely seen photo of the 26th Street schoolhouse under construction in 1913! 🔨

09/29/2026

📍Check out this cool StoryMaps story about African American history in the city of Cape May!
📜And join us at the Avalon History Center this Saturday, 10/3 at 1:00pm for our program African Americans During the Revolution.

National Register & Community Identified Places of African American History (1846-1948)

09/28/2026

Who remembers Reo's Restaurant at Dune Dr. and 23rd St.? Our friend, Fran Niermann, shared this with us via messenger. You can read more about it from a 1967 local business article on our website: https://avalon.quartexcollections.com/Documents/Detail/avalon-stone-harbor-herald-november-9-1967/11058?item=11096

09/27/2026

The 1991 Avalon Yacht Club yearbook features a Pictorial History of the AYC. Go flip through it here:

Avalon Yacht Club Yearbook 1991, Yearbook

09/26/2026

The Avalon History Center and the Library are closed Saturday, Sept 26 due to flooding and winds from the nor'easter. Please stay safe out there!