Ferry’s First Bicyclist Celebrates 1964 Trip

NORTH CAPE MAY — On July 14, 1964, 14-year old Neil Jackson was the first person to take a bicycle on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and on Tuesday July 14, 2009, he recreated the trip.
He arrived here at 10:40 a.m. from Lewes, Del. and spoke with reporters before hopping on the 11 a.m. departing ferry.
In 1964, young Jackson set out from his home in Barrington N.J., in Camden County, on his single speed bicycle for a 125-mile trip. That trek took him to North Cape May, ending at his grandmother’s home in Lewes, Del.
Before Jackson, no one had brought a bike on to the ferry, which had begun service two weeks prior. Back then, the boats used steam boilers and were not as attractive to the eye as the current fleet of ferries.
He said he had a history of long bicycle rides before deciding on the long trek.
“I would routinely take a 50 mile ride on a Saturday and I would call them (parents) and tell them I’m in Trenton or had gone on to New Castle, Del. or Lancaster,” said Jackson.
His parents approved his trip to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Jackson left his home in Barrington at 6 a.m. and arrived at the ferry terminal in North Cape May at 5:15 p.m.
He said he used back roads to make his bicycle trip in 1964.
“From Barrington, I went down the Black Horse Pike and cut off on Route 50 and then I took 9A,” said Jackson.
He said he rode in the gutter and unpaved gravel on the side of Route 50, which carried a lot of traffic 45 years ago. In a saddlebag, he carried an extra inner tube, a repair kit and two rolls of dimes for phone calls and sodas.
In 1964, you would not find a string of Wawa stores to stop in for a cold drink. Jackson said he stopped at someone’s house asked for a drink.
“I just thought it was fun at the time and I never really thought I would be first across the ferry,” said Jackson.
The fare was 50 cents.
He arrived unannounced at his grandmother’s house in Lewes. Her first question was: “Does your mother know that you are here?”
Jackson’s grandmother called a friend who knew a reporter and the story of his ride was told in a Wilmington newspaper.
“Given today’s situation, if a parent let their 15-year old kid do what I did, they may be incarcerated,” he said.
Jackson remembers riding on the same ferryboat when it ran on a line from Cape Charles, Va. to Norfolk. The boat was purchased by the Delaware River and the Bay Authority after the Cape Charles line ceased operation, replaced by the Bay Bridge Tunnel. He said he believed the ferry was originally named the S.S. Pocahontas.
While they were not the same boats, Jackson rode on a ferry named the Delaware in 1964 and again on Tuesday. This time he was a foot passenger without a bike.
At age 60, Jackson has retired near Lynchburg following a career in the banking business.
Jackson still rides a bike but not on long treks. He said he would like to have an event, perhaps a fundraiser, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and his bike ride.
Jackson suggests a ride on a 60s vintage bike from the Delaware-Maryland border or as far south as the Bay-Bride Tunnel to the Lewes ferry terminal including other bikers.
He said he rides the ferry at least once a year with his grandchildren.