Boardwalk north of Oak Ave., Wildwood, NJ, circa 1955

About this postcard

An open-sided tram carries passengers along a wide wooden boardwalk lined with souvenir shops, a pizza counter, and a rifle range, while vacationers stroll past the storefronts and rest along the ocean rail. The printed caption places the view on the boardwalk north of Oak Avenue in Wildwood by-the-Sea, the Cape May County shore resort that drew summer crowds from Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. Wildwood's boardwalk went up in the first years of the twentieth century and was rebuilt and widened repeatedly; by mid-century it served as the town's commercial spine, packed with shops, amusements, and tram service that carried visitors the length of the beachfront. The scene catches an ordinary summer afternoon on that promenade.