By Kathy Arlt, contributing writer @Blogfinger
Captain W.T. Sweet operated the first bathing facilities in Ocean Grove; he also held a patent on the system of ropes that bathers used to keep from drowning in the ocean. But in 1876 the Camp Meeting Association purchased both Captain Sweet’s buildings and his “life-line” patents, and gave a lease for the operation of the North End bathing facilities to George W. Evans, who subsequently transferred this lease to Joseph Ross. And so this announcement greeted readers of the Ocean Grove Record on May 12, 1877:
This arrangement continued for many years, and Joseph Ross did indeed enlarge the North End facilities: he built a two-story pavilion that could accommodate between 1,800 and 2,000 people. In 1906, Ross’s pavilion looked like this:
After looking at this picture, I’ve vowed never to complain about how crowded the beach is on the weekends. That pavilion is packed! But an even more interesting view of turn-of-the-century Ocean Grove is in the picture below. Notice the tents along Wesley Lake, and, at the upper left-hand corner of the photo, the steeple of the Great Auditorium.
Next time: The North End gets a hotel.