The year was 1609. Henry Hudson, the English navigator, was exploring for the Dutch East India Company looking for a new route to China when his ship went into the mouth of the Delaware Bay on August 28^th. Confronted with shoals, and certain that the route was not the northwest passage he sought, Hudson and his crew turned about, rounded Cape May Point, and Robert Juet, a member of Hudson’s crew, saw the white sand beach  of Five Mile Beach, and wrote in his journal, “A very good land to fall in with – a pleasant land to see.” 

   Five Mile Beach would become the home of Wildwood, and its sister communities North Wildwood, West Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach (governed by Lower Township).

   Long before Henry Hudson and his crew saw Five Mile Beach, the Lenni Lenape native Americans, a branch of the Algonquins, or Delawares, visited Five Mile Beach regularly. They made two trails through the forest of the island.

   When the Lenni Lenapes left, off-shore farmers grazed their horses and cattle, ferrying the animals from the mainland on flatboats. About 1870 a few fishermen became the first settlers to build shacks at the north end of the island. They named their settlement Anglesea. A lighthouse was built at Hereford Inlet in 1874.

   The first settlers reached the island by boat, and in 1884 the West Jersey Railroad ran a line from Cape May Court House to Anglesea. A crude log bridge was built at what became Rio Grande Avenue, it was destroyed by fire, and in 1885 another was built. It was replaced in 1902 by a bridge to carry autos.

   Sarah Andrews became ill in Vineland and the doctor advised her husband, Aaron, to take her to Townsend's Inlet to recuperate in 1880. They became friends of the Joseph Taylor family of Philadelphia. John Burke, a real estate salesman from Vineland, brought them to look at a tract of land in the center of Five Mile Beach. Impressed, they joined with Nelson Robert, Latimer Baker, and Robert Young to form the Holly Beach City Improvement Co., and in 1885 Holly Beach Borough was incorporated.

   Philip Pontius Baker, his brother, Latimer, and a third brother, J. Thompson Baker, organized the Wildwood Beach Improvement Co., to develop the Wales-Physick Tract, north of Holly Beach. The Borough of Wildwood was incorporated in 1895. Seventeen years later, in 1912, Holly Beach and Wildwood consolidated as the City of Wildwood.

   In 1905, after Wildwood began to grow, Philip Baker purchased the land south of Holly Beach and named it Wildwood Crest. The community was incorporated as a borough in 1910. West Wildwood, the "baby" of the four sister communities, was incorporated as a borough in 1920.

   The off-season population of Wildwood is over 5,400 according to the 2000 census, but 250,000 or more visit the island during peak vacation time.

   In the off-season Wildwood is like any small New Jersey town, but from the spring until late autumn the town is ready for fun. Local residents and vacationers enjoy the beaches, the boardwalk, salt water taffy, funnel cakes, popcorn, suntan lotion, fresh breezes, and the amusement piers and water attractions.

   There are no boardwalks in either Avalon or Stone Harbor, but the Wildwood boardwalk is world-famous for many reasons. It is over 2.5 miles long and runs for 38 city blocks.

  The Wildwood boardwalk was built at the turn of the last century, and its claim-to-fame is well-founded because it has more rides than Disneyland, is bigger than Coney Island, and first-time visitors will discover no less than five amusement piers, including the world-renowned Morey’s Piers amusement complex and Raging Waters water park (owned and operated by Morey’s Piers),  arcade games, carousels,  world-class roller coasters, restaurants,  fudge from the kettle, funnel cakes, ice cream, saltwater taffy, a movie theater, souvenir shops, carnival games, the convention center and the Boardwalk Chapel.

   In the summer trams run the boards from sunrise to sunset, and the old-fashioned trolley runs all year long.  Add to this the fabulous Doo-Wop architecture of the hotels, motels and other buildings, and you may be moved to take the Doo-Wop trolley tour to see all the sights. After all, you’re in the Doo-Wop Capital of the World, and you shouldn’t miss seeing why this area is a living tribute to the time when Rock and Roll was King.

   Speaking of Rock ‘N Roll and Doo Wop, where will you find the Waikiki, the Tahiti, and the Royal Hawaiian? If you guessed the Pacific Ocean, you would be half right. They’re actually in the Doo Wop capital of America, better known as the Wildwoods, home to at least 300 hotels and motels, including the three we just mentioned, built in the Doo Wop era of the 1960’s and 1970’s, when American Bandstand with Dick Clark was still in Philadelphia, Jerry Blavat  (The    “Geator with the Heater”) was doing his TV show, and there was a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.

   How do you know you’ve arrived? When Smithsonian Magazine does an article on you, you’ve made the grade in the shade, my man. Today, the Doo Wop capital is even featured in such unlikely places as German and Chinese travel magazines, and if you talk to Dan MacElrevey, the man who heads the efforts behind Doo Wop, he’ll tell you what’s going on.

   The Doo Wop Museum, Wildwood concert band shell and fantastic Neon Garden is the newest cultural and recreational attraction in the Wildwoods across from the Wildwoods Convention Center. The pinwheel-shaped Surfside Restaurant building is the model for the new center housing the historic display devoted to the 1960’s Doo Wop era.

   The impact of Doo Wop is island-wide: the historic Doo Wop district itself, with the hotels and motels gleaming in their Doo Wop colors, architectural features and designs, where the focus is on the family for fun at the beach, in that kidney shaped pool, or in the countless rooms where summertime visitors sleep away the night to get back to the fun each morning.

   The Wildwoods and Doo Wop were recognized by preservationist Steve Eisner some years ago as something unique in American culture, and he had graduate students from schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, and Penn State research the architecture and document  how special it is. A documentary was made about this wonderful area, and it has been shown on        television a number of times.

   Other commercial enterprises also get into the act. Where else will you find a Wawa, a Commerce Bank and a McDonalds with architectural features made in the image of the Doo Wop style? The Commerce Bank office is probably the only Doo Wop bank in America.

   When Philly’s favorite son, Bobby Rydell, South Jersey’s favorite son, Fabian Forte’ (known simply as “Fabian”), and Frankie Avalon were making the girls scream, the Wildwoods were rocking at the Starlite Ballroom. The original Starlite is gone, but even the Starlite name has been memorialized in the Convention Center.

   The great thing about The Wildwoods and Doo Wop is everybody gets into the act, and they support each other to make it a great destination for family fun at the Jersey shore. With the beach, the boardwalk, the new amphitheater, free concerts and family fun, it really doesn’t get any better than this. To get more of the flavor of the area, check out the website: www.doowopusa.com. You can also call the Chamber of Commerce at 609-729-4000.

   There is still more in the Wildwoods story for visitors. Although the 1874 historic Hereford Inlet lighthouse was decommissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1970’s, and slated for demolition, local citizens came together and raised the $1.1 million dollars necessary to restore the lighthouse to its original glory. The restoration project took 7 years, and the lighthouse is open daily in the summer for visitors. There is a small admission fee. The Hereford Inlet lighthouse is located at First and Central Avenues in North Wildwood.

   Improvement doesn’t stop there. The $2 million revitalization and repaving of Rio Grande Avenue’s entry corridor to the City of Wildwood is bringing a “boulevard” feel to the area that involves its Doo Wop style, as well.

There’s fun, sun, and more at the Jersey shore in the “Wildwoods-by-the-Sea!”

For more information call 609-729-9000, or go online to www.wildwoodsnj.com