Several years ago my musician husband had a gig as the keyboard player for Ronan Tynan, a member of the Irish Tenors. One of the stops on Mr. Tynan’s tour was a small town along the Jersey Shore called Ocean Grove. The performance was in the spring, before the opening of the summer season, and the town was almost eerily quiet. I remember my husband calling me and saying, “This place is wild–like stepping back in time. There are all these beautiful Victorian houses and the beach is beautiful. And you wouldn’t believe the place we’re playing–it’s incredible!”
The place where they were performing turned out to be Ocean Grove’s Great Auditorium, a truly impressive structure that serves as the focal point of the entire community and it’s fascinating history.
Reverend Osborn and the Christian Camp Movement
Ocean Grove was founded by Methodist minister Dr. William Osborn who, in the summer of 1869, sought to establish his own enclave in the Christian camp movement. Upon finding this secluded seashore spot, Osborn, along with a group of friends and other ministers, formed the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. Shortly thereafter, the group obtained a charter which permitted them to purchase the one square mile of land that would soon become Ocean Grove.
Bordered by two lakes on the north and south and by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the town was planned strategically around Founders Park where Osborn and his religious-minded friends first camped in July 1869. This swath of space would one day be the setting for the Great Auditorium which was completed in 1894 and remains the center of community activity, especially during the summer months, when it is home to a wide array of activities including religious worship, youth programs, a speaker series and an abundance of musical performances from choir festivals to big band concerts. In an effort to provide homes nearest the beach with cool ocean breezes and views of the sea, each structure was set back a bit from its neighbor as it was constructed and today’s residents and guests can be seen relaxing in rocking chairs on gingerbread porches throughout the summer.
In keeping with it’s religious mission, the town also established a series of “blue laws” and regulations including the prohibition of alcohol, closing the beach on Sundays and banning carriages and automobiles from midnight Saturday through midnight Sunday–a rule that was kept in effect until 1979 by a chain held across two stone pillars that mark the town’s western entrance. The beach now opens at 12:30 on Sunday afternoons and many restaurants are discreetly BYOB, although the town remains “dry” as alcohol is still not sold within Ocean Grove’s town limits.
Also left over from the town’s earliest days is it’s architecture. Ocean Grove boasts the largest aggregate of Victorian homes in the United States–more so even than Cape May. Each street, some of which have biblically inspired names like Zion Way and Pilgrim Pathway, is lined with beautiful, early-20th century period homes and the town’s architectural review board requires that all new structures adhere to these Victorian standards. Affectionately coined God’s Square Mile by the Camp Meeting Association, Ocean Grove is on the National Register of Historic Places and a visit here allows you to travel back to the the simple summer days of the the Victorian era.
Visiting Ocean Grove
We first visited Ocean Grove as a family over the July 4th holiday the year after my husband was there with Ronan Tynan. It was our 10th wedding anniversary and I’d read that the town is famous for having an elaborate, old-fashioned Independence Day parade that I thought we’d all enjoy.
We stayed in a small B&B called the Ocean Park Inn on the corner of Surf and Central Avenues which is owned by Julio and Eileen Echeverria along with their son Gianni to whom our girls took an immediate liking. Our hosts were absolutely lovely and accommodating and the room, while quite small for the 5 of us, was quiet and comfortable. Eileen was especially sweet to our girls and we loved just relaxing on the porches in the afternoons and evenings after our days at the beach. There are myriad inns, guesthouses and B&Bs from which to choose when visiting Ocean Grove and for a longer stay, there are plenty of private homes that rent by the week or even the month during the summer season.
Being only a square mile, Ocean Grove is easily a walking town and I don’t think we moved our car the entire time we were there. Main Avenue represents the town’s business district and leads directly from the town gates to the beach. Up and down the street visitors will find quaint shops selling crafts, housewares, beach gear, clothing and artwork along with an assortment of eateries including Nagle’s, an Ocean Grove institution that has been a combination apothecary and ice cream parlor for over a century, on the corner of Main and Central Avenues. Nagle’s serves as one of the two ice cream spots in town–the other being Day’s at the Starving Artist–and there is a long debate amongst locals as to which is the best.
A favorite pastime of Ocean Grove visitors, besides spending time at the beautiful beach, is exploring all the nooks and crannies of town. One of the best ways to do this is to join one of the walking tours offered by the Ocean Grove Historical Society. Tours are perfect for families and are offered each Wednesday and Friday at 1:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. The Historical Society’s docents are extremely knowledgeable and it’s a fantastic opportunity to see the town and to ask all of your questions. And as a special treat, tour participants have the opportunity to visit one of the 114 remaining tents nestled around the Great Auditorium in what has become known as “Tent City.”
One of the most intriguing aspects of Ocean Grove’s history for most visitors, the town’s historic tent colony was once comprised of over 600 canvas tents, giving true meaning to the concept of the Christian camp movement of the late 19th century. Most of the 114 tents that still exist today are held by fourth or fifth generation decedents of the original families who summered in Ocean Grove’s earliest days. The tents consist of a large, canvas parlor area in the front that attaches to a wooden shed-like structure behind that houses modern amenities like a kitchen and bathroom. The canvas portion of the “tent” is rolled up and stored in the wooden structure during the off-season along with other furniture and essentials that will appear again the following summer. There is something special about this part of town–the large, grassy mall of Ocean Avenue, the towering structure of the Great Auditorium, the quaint charm of the tents–all of this sets Ocean Grove apart from other shore towns.
A Day at the Beach
One of the Jersey Shore’s more beautiful beaches, Ocean Grove’s stretch of Atlantic
coastline has none of the commercial glitz along it’s boardwalk that you’ll find elsewhere. Beach badges can be purchased for $7/day (many inns either include beach badges or offer them at a discount to their guests) and children under 12 are free of charge. There are restrooms, showers, food stands and a place to rent chairs and umbrellas. There are summer band concerts at the Camp Meeting Association’s open-air Boarwalk Pavilion every Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m. and for those so inclined, Sunday morning oceanside worship services on Sunday mornings at 9:30.
A Small Dose of Vice
Just a short walk north along the boardwalk you’ll come to the neighboring Neptune Township shore town of Asbury Park. Home to the famed Stone Pony, where the legendary Bruce Springsteen has played countless times and Ocean Grove resident Southside Johnny got his start, Asbury Park is much more like many of the other towns along the Jersey Shore. It’s boardwalk is commercialized, though not at all tacky, with restaurants and watering holes, playgrounds, miniature golf, surrey bike rentals and even a splash park for kids. The boardwalk between Ocean Grove and Asbury Park is continuous and it is an easy stroll between the two towns. If you’re in the mood for a bit more mainstream boardwalk action, an oceanside lunch in Asbury Park is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Ocean Grove is only about hour and change away from both Philadelphia and New York City and is a great destination for a day trip to the beach or a weekend jaunt. A seashore treasure, it truly is a town where time seems to have stood still.
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