Historic Map - Atlantic City, NJ - 1909

Aero view of Atlantic City, New Jersey 1909.

This reproduction aero-view of Atlantic City, New Jersey was published by Hughes & Bailey in 1909. Atlantic City was the vision of Absecon resident Dr. Jonathan Pitney, who saw great potential in nearby Absecon Island. However, the marshlands that surrounded the island made visiting difficult. Pitney, along with civil engineer Richard Osborne planned a new community and brought the Camden-Atlantic City Railway to the island in 1854. Osborne named the new town Atlantic City and Pitney labeled the streets. Streets running parallel with the ocean were named after great bodies of water and streets going east and west denoted different states. The Absecon Lighthouse was completed along Pacific Avenue in 1857. Designed by George Meade, the masonry tower had 228 steps and contained a fixed Fresnel lens. The first Boardwalk in Atlantic City was built in 1870. Fancy hotels of impressive size, as well as smaller rooming houses, were built throughout town including the Traymore. The Traymore was established in 1879 on Illinois Avenue near the Boardwalk. The wooden hotel had ten rooms and was named after its steadiest customer Uncle Al Harvey's Maryland estate "Traymore". In 1884 the Traymore was destroyed in a severe winter storm. Upon rebuilding, the hotel was made much larger and stronger, with a long lawn stretching to the beach to protect the building from future storms. The new modern luxury resort was built with indoor plumbing and bathrooms. The Traymore was open all year round and by 1898 was Atlantic City's largest hotel, boasting 450 rooms. The hotel's new tower was built in 1906 extending the hotel to the Boardwalk. With the addition of the Philadelphia-Atlantic City Railroad and the Reading Railroad, 500,000 vacationers visited Atlantic City annually in the early 1900's. This panoramic view map from 1909 shows Atlantic City's lighthouse, boardwalk and beaches. It features a border illustration of the Traymore Resort Hotel.

Features numbered references to the following locations:

1. Absecon Light House.
2. "The Inlet".
3. Pennsylvania R. R. Station.
4. Phila. & Reading R. R. Station.
5. New Steel Pier.
6. Young's Pier.
7. Steeplechase Pier.
8. Steel Pier.
9. Traymore Hotel.