Ventnor

     Thursday, August 26, 2021: For years I have visited Atlantic City (AC), New Jersey, from the time I was a child when my parents used to take me there in the 1960s. Nevertheless, until the date above, I have never been to the three towns south of AC on Absecon Island in Atlantic County. The first of these towns was Ventnor, NJ, where the Boardwalk from AC extended down to this town. Unlike AC’s Boardwalk, Ventnor’s boardwalk was not commercial. I was close to this boardwalk as I stopped at the Ventnor Branch of the Atlantic County Library, 6500 Atlantic Avenue (609-823-4614). Inside one of the rooms, I entered the Ventnor City Historical Society Museum. Here, a volunteer told us about how the opening of the Carisbrooke Hotel in 1891 led to the development of the town and its official founding in 1903. I also learned about the Richards Family who helped in the growth of this town. Meanwhile, I noticed many exhibit items, mementos, pictures, and texts—all in this one-room museum! The subjects ranged from vacationing in Ventnor to the everyday lives of those in the past who lived and worked here. Afterward, a short walk on Ventnor’s boardwalk proved relaxing.