This post is for one of my new followers- Sandi- who loves Victorian homes. I've been telling her about Cape May, NJ which has been a favorite place for Jeff and I over the years. This shot was taken last June when we went there to celebrate our anniversary. Here's a little more history on Cape May:
The town is named for 1620 Dutch captain named Cornelius Jacobsen Mey who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614, and established a claim for the province of New Netherland. It was later settled by New Englanders from the New Haven Colony. What is now Cape May was originally formed as the borough of Cape Island by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1848, from portions of Lower Township. It was reincorporated as Cape Island city on March 10, 1851, and finally became Cape May city as of March 9, 1869.
Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid 18th century and is recognized as the country's oldest seaside resort. It became increasingly popular in the 18th century and was considered one of the finest resorts in America by the 19th century. In 1878 a five-day-long fire destroyed square blocks of the town center and as part of the reconstruction efforts replacement homes were almost uniformly of Victorian style. As a result of this and of more recent preservation efforts, Cape May is noted for its large number of well-maintained Victorian houses — the second largest collection of such homes in the nation after San Francisco. In 1976, the entire city of Cape May was officially designated a National Historic Landmark as the Cape May Historic District, making Cape May the only city in the United States wholly designated as such. That designation is intended to ensure the architectural preservation of these buildings.
Neat processing--the high key effect is so summery. Pretty old house. My husband spent several months working in Cape May years ago--I was jealous and wanted to join him, but I had chidlren at home so never got there.
@maggiemae Thank you Maggie! There is actually a science to the way they paint these beauties. @henrir Thank you Henri! Each house is completely different in the way that it's painted. For the 100s of homes they have there, there are no two alike (with one exception- a pair of houses called the Twin Sisters- or something like that- they were built to be identical but mirror each other).
@eudora Thank you Diane. Oh, I'm so sorry it didn't work out for you to get there. Maybe on your 50th anniversary. @mrssmith203 Thank you Carla. You would love this place! There are all sorts of cultural events, lovely porches to sit on and chat or read and of course wonderful tree lined streets to take a walk with your camera. And then there's the beach... @kerristephens Thank you Kerri! @daisy Thanks Kathryn! Yes, they are truly a work of art.
@olivetreeann Oh my, this is so beautiful! What a joyful shot. :) The yellow and coral details look so cheerful, and are a wonderful color scheme. The fence is truly one-of-a-kind--I love it! I can't imagine what a nice vacation you must have had celebrating your anniversary in Cape May. It's just amazing to me that it is the only town designated wholly as a historical district, making the entire town a National Historic Landmark! I'm so glad they did that, because I think it's important to preserve these beautiful buildings. Thank you so much for your very well-written historical narrative! How kind of you to share your expertise on Cape May and its historic Victorian homes. I like architecture, and I especially love Victorian houses, but unfortunately I'm only just beginning to learn about them. They're such wonderful subjects to photograph! I can't wait to look back through you photos to see how you've captured some of the Victorian architecture of Cape May. What a special place, I can understand why you love it! Thank you so much for sharing it with me, it really made my day!!! That was so kind of you, and of course I absolutely had to fav your shot....Thank you for your kindness! :)
@gratefulness Thank you Sandi! I'm glad you enjoyed it. On this particular trip we did not stay, but we have in the past. Not in one of the B&Bs (they are a little out of our price range!) but a nice place nonetheless. Thankfully we are not too far away from this lovely place, although we lived closer when we lived in NJ. I must confess the historical info that was added in came from Wikipedia and I usually give credit for that but I forgot this time! Although I do know some bits and pieces about the town and did know that it was the entire town which had been made a historical site. Not surprisingly, when Jeff and I go, we tend to do more of the nature trail type things because he prefers that (I like it all!). But a few years back, my friend Sue and I went to celebrate her 50th birthday and on that trip we did a house tour, had tea at the Physick Estate and all the other "girlie" things associated with Victorian homes. I think I did take a few shots of homes on that trip but I hadn't joined 365 yet so I didn't take too many. Sigh...! I'm glad you liked the shot- thanks for the fav! It was just fun to pull up the picture and play with it. I've got another one to post too- It will probably appear in a few days when I'm pressed for time. There may be a shot of a house somewhere around June 17th last year- but I can't remember if I posted it. Will have to check that one out! Being that I'm 2 1/2 yrs. on 365 now, all the pictures are blending into 1 year! Thanks again for the fav! That was sweet and totally unnecessary!
@sangwann Thank you Dione! I think this one has been turned into a restaurant- but many of them are still lived in or rented. It's a dream vacation for me to stay in one.
@henrir Thank you Henri! Each house is completely different in the way that it's painted. For the 100s of homes they have there, there are no two alike (with one exception- a pair of houses called the Twin Sisters- or something like that- they were built to be identical but mirror each other).
@eudora Thank you Diane. Oh, I'm so sorry it didn't work out for you to get there. Maybe on your 50th anniversary.
@mrssmith203 Thank you Carla. You would love this place! There are all sorts of cultural events, lovely porches to sit on and chat or read and of course wonderful tree lined streets to take a walk with your camera. And then there's the beach...
@kerristephens Thank you Kerri!
@daisy Thanks Kathryn! Yes, they are truly a work of art.
@gratefulness Thank you Sandi! I'm glad you enjoyed it. On this particular trip we did not stay, but we have in the past. Not in one of the B&Bs (they are a little out of our price range!) but a nice place nonetheless. Thankfully we are not too far away from this lovely place, although we lived closer when we lived in NJ. I must confess the historical info that was added in came from Wikipedia and I usually give credit for that but I forgot this time! Although I do know some bits and pieces about the town and did know that it was the entire town which had been made a historical site. Not surprisingly, when Jeff and I go, we tend to do more of the nature trail type things because he prefers that (I like it all!). But a few years back, my friend Sue and I went to celebrate her 50th birthday and on that trip we did a house tour, had tea at the Physick Estate and all the other "girlie" things associated with Victorian homes. I think I did take a few shots of homes on that trip but I hadn't joined 365 yet so I didn't take too many. Sigh...! I'm glad you liked the shot- thanks for the fav! It was just fun to pull up the picture and play with it. I've got another one to post too- It will probably appear in a few days when I'm pressed for time. There may be a shot of a house somewhere around June 17th last year- but I can't remember if I posted it. Will have to check that one out! Being that I'm 2 1/2 yrs. on 365 now, all the pictures are blending into 1 year! Thanks again for the fav! That was sweet and totally unnecessary!
@sangwann Thank you Dione! I think this one has been turned into a restaurant- but many of them are still lived in or rented. It's a dream vacation for me to stay in one.