Margate

      Thursday, August 26, 2021: Unlike Ventnor City, Margate City (Atlantic County), New Jersey, didn’t have a boardwalk, but it has had other attractions: a giant elephant-shaped building named “Lucy,” some majestic homes along a certain part of Ventnor Avenue, and colorful homes in an area called Marvin Gardens. These and other facts I learned in the Margate Historical Society Museum, 1 South Washington Avenue, Margate (609-823-6546). Housed in the town’s historic city hall, this one-room museum presented its share of history in the form of pictures, texts, and many memorabilia exhibit items! Originally called South Atlantic City during its founding in 1885, the town later changed its name to Margate in 1909 because of Ventnor’s founding just north of Margate. (Before 1891, there was no town between Atlantic City and Margate. Ventnor was just an area of sand dunes.) In addition to this museum, Margate had what looked like a lively downtown with different shops, and like the other towns around here, the town also provided opportunities to fish—both on shore and in a boat, swim, or just relax on the beach. They also have a farmers’ market on Thursdays in summer and its share of nightlife, including Memories nightclub, owned by disk jockey Jerry Blavat.