Ocean Grove. 1908.  Courtesy Rich Amole. click left for larger view.

Rich Amole is an avid history researcher. He lives in Philadelphia, but spends a great deal of time in Ocean Grove.  We have previously reported on his work digging into the past of the Shawmont Hotel on Ocean Avenue. (link:  BF Shawmont article )

Now he has discovered an old picture book of OG and AP containing a winter photo looking back from the fishing pier.  In the middle is the Ocean Avenue House which later evolved into the Shawmont.

Cover of the book where Rich found the OG winter scene. Photo by Rich Amole

This is what Rich had to say about the image seen above,

“I found the winter time beach scene and it is dated 1908.  This book appears to have come from the Library of Congress digitized files.   What is great about it is that in the center of the Ocean Grove Avenue properties is the Ocean Avenue House that many decades away will be the Shawmont.  This is the oldest “photo” I have of that lot.”

As for his ongoing Shawmont project, he said,

“I continue to seek old image’s for my Ocean Grove/Shawmont Hotel project, and that research has led me to this wintertime photograph from so long ago.

I’m really looking now for Ocean Avenue House/Hotel images in any form as they occupied the property now where the Shawmont Hotel is at 17 Ocean.

Pretty cool to see the winter time pic from the Pier. Ever run across this one?”

AMBER EDWARDS. From the Boardwalk Empire soundtrack album , Vol. 1.  The song “Alice Blue Gown” is from 1919 and was in a Broadway show called “Irene.”  —Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

EDITOR’S NOTE: We welcome comments from you OG historians out there who might have some observations about that OG skyline scene or about Rich’s quest for Shawmont info.  We have never seen this particular photograph before.

—PG