history
History of Ocean City
Ocean City’s history is a rich tapestry of events stretching back to the late 19th century. Years before the first European settlers dubbed it “Peck’s Beach,” the island was a summer fishing camp for native LeniLenape people and also served as a grazing land for cattle driven from the mainland. The barrier island of dunes, meadows, beach and cedar swamps took its first name from John Peck, who used the island as a staging area for his shore-based whaling operation. Original ownership of the land is traced to the family of Richard Somers, one of America’s first naval heroes. Only an intrepid few made their homes here, as getting on and off the island was exclusively by water. The seeds of a future city were sown in 1879, when four Methodist ministers saw in Peck’s Beach the ideal place to establish a Christian retreat and camp meeting. Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake and William Burrell coined the name “Ocean City,” laid out a street grid, built utilities and sold lots for cottages, hotels and businesses.
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The first building of what would become the Tabernacle was finished in 1881, along with the island’s first school. The first bridge went up in 1883 and the railroad soon followed, bringing both the devout in search of religious retreat and vacationers seeking solace from the noise of the city. Since those early days, Ocean City has transformed itself into “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” a top-rated vacation destination. The Tabernacle is still a dynamic place for praise and worship. The legacy of the founders also remains in the absence of liquor sales within the city limits. Its status as a “dry” town is one important reason Ocean City has become a family favorite. To learn more, visit the Historical Museum at 17th Street & Simpson Ave. OC’s timeline is cataloged and preserved there: the growth of the early city and Boardwalk, the 1901 wreck of the four masted Sindia, the 1927 fire and the battle over “Blue Laws.” Ocean City has remained a sought-after vacation destination through all the economic and political changes Americans have seen over the past 134 years.
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