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 Wildwood Historical Museum 
Newsletter #26
It’s about that time ⏰ the Wildwood Historical Museum reopened Friday April 1! Our spring hours are Fridays 10-3, Saturdays 10-3 and Sundays 12-5 until Memorial Day. Whether you’ve been here before or not, you’ll definitely want to stop in because there’s always something new. 3907 Pacific Ave in #wildwoodnj, learn more at wildwoodhistoricalmuseum.com

“Motels of Wildwood: Postwar to Present is out NOW! Despite a brief snafu with the supply chain that made the book unavailable online for a few days, you can order a copy now at tinyurl.com/wildwood-motel! I'm so excited for this book to be out there in the world, and I can't wait to hear what people think! - author Jackson Betz

Save the date: Book Release Party at Wildwood Historical Museum Apr 30, 2022,12 - 3pm at 3907 Pacific Ave, Wildwood NJ Meet the author Jackson Betz and get your book autographed! If you don’t have a copy, they will be available for purchase at the event. Admission is free, but we have a donation box. The book retails for $24.99 plus tax. Jackson Betz, a longtime aficionado of the midcentury modern architecture of the Wildwoods, studied this community as an architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Philadelphia. RSVP to the event on our Facebook to get important updates! https://fb.me/e/54gj3onEl 

#MotelsofWildwood: Postwar to Present by Jackson Betz
This architectural diary tells the story of the incredible concentration of midcentury modern motels of Wildwood, New Jersey, from their origin in the Doo Wop decade of Elvis Presley to their whereabouts today. Not many people know that it was local contractors, not architects, who created this trove of asymmetrical, neon-encrusted motels with swooping rooflines and pink pylons, meant to attract vacationing families. This book chronicles their architectural significance and preserves memories of what many of these cheerful, flamboyant buildings looked like before they were demolished by developers, depriving motel neighborhoods of the chance to become landmarked historic districts. In addition to over 200 photos, many never before published, maps pinpoint the location of the motels, some long gone and others stops on today's architecture tours. https://www.instagram.com/p/CbiGRVfg4fp/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Dr. Bruce Harris visited today to hand deliver a written history and copies of photos from the Elfra Court, the Green Book motel founded in 1950 by Dr. Harris’ grandparents, Frank and Ella Foster. The motel was famous for hosting black musicians who were performing in Wildwood, including Fats Domino, Sammy Davis Junior and Chuck Berry. Today the motel still stands as the Bright Inn at 119 W Roberts. To learn more and read the written history on the Elfra Court, visit the Wildwood Historical Museum during our spring hours. Fridays and Saturdays 10-3 and Sundays 12-5. https://www.instagram.com/p/CcJBvxVObgb/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

In the spirit of it nearly being time to get ready for trips to Wildwood…
 
Be Prepared!
By Rob Ascough  
Although the family’s annual Wildwood vacation lasted but a week, preparation began months before we departed our driveway in Morristown, New Jersey. I had no problem with this, because that week in Wildwood was preferred to the other fifty-one comprising any given year, and getting ready for the big event made it feel so much closer when the calendar on the wall insisted it was still far off in the distance.
 
The kid version of me spent years filling a shoe box with Wildwood memorabilia (which I still have, by the way). There were postcards procured by scouring every boardwalk gift shop and motel lobby I could find, back when people must have felt compelled to write to loved ones with boasts of what they were doing while on vacation: See that roller coaster on the front of this postcard? I rode that roller coaster! I also collected brochures, vacation guides, coupon books, paper restaurant placemats, rearview mirror motel hang tags, and miniature golf scorecards – dated, of course, in case someone in the family later attempted to falsely claim a 1987 win at Duffer’s Challenge. Later this shoe box would come close to betraying its cardboard’s humble structural limits with a plastic bag full of beach sand that I felt guilty for swiping from between the dunes. The treasure collection was necessary, though – back when the island evolved at a glacial pace, it reminded me of all the things we’d soon be experiencing.
 
That’s not to say it was all fun and games, because there was legitimate business to be completed. This meant deciding selecting beach toys, including a plastic vehicle for when my father and I constructed our usual oceanfront highway by mounding a bunch of sand and molding it into a spiraling overpass-underpass. For some reason, one stands out in my mind to this day – a jet black Pontiac Trans Am (no doubt styled after Kit from Knight Rider) I repainted in vivid colors with metallic model paint. Something so dour and depressing had no place on the happy sands of the beach at the end of Sweetbriar Road – my beach vehicle needed to look joyous and friendly, or at least as joyous and friendly as could be expected of a Pontiac Trans Am.

Continue Reading Here
This Months Picture Collage.......
Bobby Rydell
We continue to pay tribute to the legendary Rydell, “Mr. Wildwood Days,” who passed away at age 79 earlier this week. This early 1970’s publicity photo was snapped as the tram passed the Casino Arcade at Oak Avenue. Boardwalk landmarks visible in the background include Playland’s Carousel building and Grandma’s Restaurant. Seated behind Rydell in the tram is Joe Stamile, music impresario and nightclub owner who was instrumental in bringing big-name entertainment to the island during the 60’s and 70’s. He is the namesake of the Joe Stamile Amphitheater at Fox Park, which also features a mural that celebrates his storied career. 
This Months Featured Video
Bobby Rydell Music Video
 

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