![]() ![]() This had a significant effect on the development of a close-knit community. Until Ocean Grove's municipal authority was folded into Neptune Township in 1981, it had its own set of unique laws, including one that made it illegal on Sundays to have horses, wagons, then cars on the streets of Ocean Grove. One result was that Ocean Grove became a time capsule of late Victorian and early 20th century architecture. There was a decline in these activities and there was little in the way of new construction in the town after this time. Millions of people, tourists and pilgrims both, made the trip to Ocean Grove every summer." The social disillusionment around 1920 following World War I had a profound effect on Ocean Grove and churchgoing in general. Visitors would travel miles to bask in the Victorian seaside splendor and to attend engaging, extroverted religious ceremonies. By the early 20th century, said The New York Times in 1986, it was called the "Queen of Religious Resorts. It remains Ocean Grove's most prominent structure and the centerpiece of its summer programs (see more about the Auditorium further down the page). Originally designed to accommodate crowds of as many as 10,000 people, the subsequent installation of theater-style cushioned seating in many sections reduced seating capacity to 6,250. The "North End Hotel" had 255 rooms and a saltwater poolĪ third, larger auditorium was built in 1880.Īs Ocean Grove drew more and more visitors, the facilities were outgrown, and construction of the present Great Auditorium was completed in 1894. In 1877 alone, 710,000 railroad tickets were sold for the Ocean Grove-Asbury Park train station. Tents and an open-air wooden shelter for speakers, were erected in the 1870s, for the trainloads of visitors arriving by the New York and Long Branch Railroad after 1875. ĭrawing from the major population centers of New York City and Philadelphia, Ocean Grove soon became a popular destination during the growth of the camp meeting movement in post- Civil War America. It is still in existence under a photogenic 1881 gazebo, though belatedly connected to the town water system in 1911. The first was eventually named the "Beersheba" well, for an ancient well used by the Biblical patriarchs Abraham and Isaac. Nine wells were driven in 1870 to provide fresh water. Residents were expected to follow the strict Methodist social norms of the era which included prohibitions of alcohol, tobacco, cards, dancing, the reading of novels, and even chewing gum. The lots were leased for 99 years with the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association retaining ownership. By the following year, the area was laid out into lots and roadways. About twenty tents were pitched that summer. Osborn, Reverend Stokes, and other Methodist ministers camped at a shaded, well-drained spot on New Jersey's seashore and decided to establish a permanent Christian camp meeting community called "Ocean Grove." This followed a search of the Jersey Shore for a place not infested with mosquitoes. History Ross' Pavilion in Ocean Grove, 1902 ![]() Ocean Grove remains the longest-active camp meeting site in the United States. By the early 20th century, the popular Christian meeting ground became known as the "Queen of Religious Resorts." The community's land is still owned by the camp meeting association and leased to individual homeowners and businesses. Stokes, formed the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association to develop and operate a summer camp meeting site on the New Jersey seashore. Ocean Grove was founded in 1869 as an outgrowth of the camp meeting movement in the United States, when a group of Methodist clergymen, led by William B. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Ocean Grove is noted for its abundant examples of Victorian architecture and the Great Auditorium, acclaimed as "the state’s most wondrous wooden structure, soaring and sweeping, alive with the sound of music". It is located on the Atlantic Ocean's Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to The north and Bradley Beach to the south. It had a population of 3,057 at the 2020 United States census. Ocean Grove is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) that is part of Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. ![]()
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