Postcard. Courtesy of Rich Amole, Shawmont Hotel historian.
Notice that there were no lights on the OG Boardwalk in 1890. Edison invented the lightbulb in 1870. But, that summer in Ocean Grove, you could walk the boards at night, shuffle off to the beach, spread a blanket and count every star. And while you are at it, you could also count every firefly.
THE RIVIERAS
EDITOR’S NOTE: We have had some debate in the comments section about the pier in this postcard. We are told that the scene is from 1890, but that is not certain. We know from history that the North End pier came after the South End pier (constructed in 1891), so if this is the North End pier, where is the South End pier?
We also have a photo (below) from Rich Amole which shows both piers, and that image is dated 1904. It shows a large pavilion (? the Ross Pavilion) at the North End which isn’t visible in the postcard above. It seems like the North End pier was built between 1891 and 1904.
1904
Both piers were built in relationship to boardwalk pavilions: the Ross at the North End, and the Lillegard at the South End. The photo below shows the relationship of the north Pavilion to the north pier . It is looking south, and you can see the Embury Ave. pier in the distance.
