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Preserving our Past, Planning our Future

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Absecon has an interesting historic past dating back before 1716 when Kings Highway was constructed along an Indian trail now known as Shore Road.  Before 1774,  Absecum as it was called, was a small village in Gloucester County inland of Absecum Beach in the Province of West New Jersey. This was before Galloway was created by King George III in 1774, before the United States of America declared its independence in 1776, before Atlantic County was created with the help of our Dr. Pitney in 1837 and before the Town of Absecom separated from Galloway in 1872.

In 1902 Absecon was incorporated as a city. A lot has changed in Absecon over the last 100 years or so. Teddy Roosevelt was President in 1902. Telephones in the home were considered a luxury. The majority of the estimated 600 residents of Absecon still traveled by horse back or buggy. Henry Ford’s first automobile was rolled out of his workshop in Detroit only 6 years before. His assembly line model T with more affordable price tag of $310 would not be available until 1926. Most homes had few or no closets because most people of the time had few suits of clothes. Homes were more modest than today, costing as little as $1,000 to $2,500 and house blueprints ran roughly $5 to $12 each. The ice man would provide an ice block for the ice box if you could afford daily delivery. Fresh meat and vegetables were ether purchased each day or harvested from the property.

Looking back, most of Absecon roads in the early part of last century were dirt. Absecon Estates didn’t exist. A majority of the development adjoined Shore Road, Church Street, New Jersey Avenue, and Station Avenue. The typical land uses included a blacksmith shop, general store, the shipyard on Absecon Creek, local taverns, the Rockingham Hotel on Station Avenue, and of course the at-grade railroad station at Station Avenue. We also had the Martin Spiekerman Hardware Store on Station Avenue. This area, commonly known as “Downtown Absecon” still exists today. At the time, Absecon was only a small village. In 1902, the railroad was only forty-eight years old, and before the railroad, places like Port Republic were actually larger than Absecon in terms of population and development. With the coming of the railroad, and the success of Atlantic City by 1902, Absecon was growing. Absecon’s growth is synonymous with Atlantic City. Case in point, Dr. Jonathan Pitney, of the village of Absecon in Galloway Township in the nineteenth century, had a vision for a health resort on Absecon Island, prior to it becoming Atlantic City; and with his vision for Atlantic City, he also had the vision of the railroad coming from Camden going through his village. It didn’t have to go through Absecon, but Dr. Pitney made sure that it did. Indeed, Absecon would not be the place it was in 1902 without the vision of Dr. Pitney, one that led to Atlantic City becoming a well-known resort nation wide.

In terms of transportation at the time, things were much different than today. In earlier years, Church Street was the main stagecoach route through Absecon to Samuel Cooper’s Ferry in Camden. Church Street, at one time, connected directly into what is now New Jersey Avenue at the intersection of Mill Road. As development expanded, the road to Camden was changed to New Jersey Avenue, and as development continued in town, US Route 30 became the main road through Absecon to Atlantic City. Noteworthy, is the fact that before we had a White Horse Pike, the only way for people to get to Atlantic City from Absecon was to travel south on Shore Road to Old Turnpike Road in Pleasantville. Many people also took the railroad via the Camden and Atlantic Railroad to venture into Atlantic City at that time.

In the 1920’s the now less expensive automobile was making a major impact on the regions transportation system. People were using their automobiles and frequenting the train less and less. With the freedom the individual automobile gave, travelers were no longer willing to wait for the train. You could just hop in your car and head to the shore whenever you felt like it. By 1932, Absecon had an extremely successful resort nearby called Atlantic City. As a result, there was a need for a state highway to go through Absecon to find another automobile route to Atlantic City. Thus, US Route 30 was constructed through quiet Absecon.

Now having a state highway through Absecon, more commercial growth was spurred, with restaurants and hotels popping up along the roadway. Around the time when US Route 30 was constructed, the Great Depression hit the nation, subsequently slowing down development, with Atlantic City still prospering because people with influence and money still flocking to the “World’s Playground”.

Then, World War II would hit, and that slowed down tourism, but it brought the military to the area. They actually took over many of Atlantic City’s large hotels to be used as hospitals. They had training in Convention Hall and on the beach. Wounded soldiers were sent to Atlantic City for recuperation, and that really sustained the area’s economy because soldiers would spend their dollars in the area, thus affecting Absecon as well.

Following the war and into the 50’s and 60’s, there was a period of great expansion for the entire country, including Absecon. With everybody now owning a car, new hotels and motels sprung up all over the place, Atlantic City, Absecon.

The 1960’s would bring much change to Absecon. This was a time when the nation was introduced to air conditioning and low airfares to take people to exotic vacation spots, the decline of Atlantic City came about. Prior to this phenomenon, well-to-do families would spend their summers in Atlantic City to escape the heat of nearby cities, including New York City and Philadelphia, something very commonplace. With the advent of air conditioning and the ability of these people to send their families to exotic places around the world via airplanes, Atlantic City was a changed place.

The region’s decline was in full swing by the early 1970’s. Talk began at this time of legalized gaming to bring Atlantic City back. The referendum to legalize gaming in the entire state failed in 1974. The proposal was rewritten in 1976 to only include Atlantic City for legalized gaming. The first casino opened in May of 78’, which started the economic rebirth of the region. With the economic rebirth of the region, came population, jobs and congestion from the late 70’s to the present.

Through the advent of legalized gaming, Absecon would continually grow as well. Today, Absecon, a town encompassing roughly 3 ½ buildable square miles, is a city of just under 8,000 residents, which is approximately 1,200 percent increase since 1903.

Before the massive growth in the 80’s and 90’s of neighboring Galloway Township in terms of residential population and commercial expansion, New Jersey Avenue (Absecon’s Downtown Main Street) was the commercial shopping area for eastern Galloway residents. Absecon’s Downtown Main Street once included Acme Market, Howlett Hardware, Sica Drug Store, Bartlett Chevrolet, City Hall, Marsh School, and Post Office. The list can go on. These establishments are now gone or have moved from Absecon’s Downtown Main Street.

Due to this tremendous growth of the region, the need for infrastructure improvements in Absecon became vital, especially in the late 90’s. By 2002, the widening of US Route 30 through Absecon began, with an additional lane in each direction to handle more traffic and a concrete divider required for public safety and efficient movement through Absecon. It is obvious that this six lane state highway with the concrete divider, in particular, has changed the character of downtown Absecon forever. Now, residents question how Absecon’s downtown will survive in the future, especially in terms of competition brought on by large, regional discount stores.

Now people on longer casually shop in retail stores. Presently, Absecon’s downtown consists of mostly service-oriented establishments, with only a small percentage of retail establishments. That is how our downtown has survived thus far. Our Downtown Main Street is missing much needed pedestrian activity that would attract more activity. As a community we have taken steps to bring more life to New Jersey Avenue. In 1999, with the help of the vision of Mayor Elco and the effort of the Absecon Business and Commercial Development, Corp. Inc. (ABCD) we have a Downtown Clock Plaza. The purpose was to create a sense of place to attract pedestrian activity. In 2000 Leo and Margie Howlett donated the former First National Bank of Absecon building at the corner of Station Avenue and New Jersey Avenue to the City to be used as the Howlett Hall Historical Museum. How it is going to continue survive and grow, will require vision. In relation, the 1999 and the 2005 Absecon Master Plan prepared and Adopted by the Planning Board did recommend the revitalization of New Jersey Avenue, including age-restricted housing to put residents in close proximity to this vital area. Recommendations also included the erection of a pedestrian bridge from the Downtown Clock Plaza across the White Horse Pike to the existing train station platform. In 2007 the Absecon Planning Board recommended and the City adopted an ordinance to allow residential units over commercial establishments in the Train Station Overlay District. This ordinance allows for mixed uses with greater density to encourage economic growth for our Downtown Business Area. The ordinance also included architectural requirements to maintain Absecon’s traditional / historical character.

Possible solutions to saving downtown and its character include linking the existing train station and existing commuter parking with downtown New Jersey Avenue, via a pedestrian bridge from the Downtown Clock Plaza to the existing train platform. This would link New Jersey Avenue and the train station with a 2 minute walk. The commuter would only be a 9 minute train ride away from Atlantic City. What created Absecon was the railroad going through it to Atlantic City, and the railroad is still the viable link to economic growth in the city. Absecon should take advantage of its existence as a transit village with close proximity to Atlantic City, and its train station with commuter parking to create commuter convenience center with retail shops, additional parking and even a convention hotel. Existing historic landmarks like the Pitney House, United Methodist Church, Absecon Presbyterian Church, Odd Fellows Hall and Absecon’s Historical Society Museum Howlett Hall should be promoted to encourage a viable downtown. Absecon should publicize the fact that the State of Hew Jersey Historic Preservation Office in 1996 designated a sizeable portion of Absecon as a Historic District. The Historic District includes most properties fronting on Shore Road, properties fronting on Church Street from Shore Road to School Street, a portion of Ohio Avenue from Shore Road to the Absecon Mannor, and Sooy Lane from Shore Road to Kesler Drive. Historic sites include the Camden and Atlantic Railroad Historic District (ID # 3862), Captain Francis Babcock House (ID # 172), John Doughty House (ID # 3970), Dr. Jonathon Pitney House (ID # 1830), North Shore Road Historic District (ID # 3570), and the South Shore Road Historic District (ID #2935). With the interesting history of Absecon dating back before 1716, cultural tourism should be promoted to encourage economic growth while preserving our past.

(Rob Reid was the Absecon City planner for five years from 1997 to 2002 and has served the city’s Planning Board as Planner from 1997 to the present. He is also President of the Absecon Historical Society.)