Author Recalls Sea-Claimed Town That Rests on Atlantic’s Bottom

WEST CAPE MAY – Want to visit the Borough of South Cape May?
No problem…if you have SCUBA gear. South Cape May is in the ocean just off Nature Conservancy property on Sunset Boulevard.
The tiny borough stretched from Mt. Vernon Street in Cape May to what is now Cape May Point State Park.
Joseph Burcher remembers South Cape May. He enjoyed summers in the town and has literally a million stories to tell about the borough, enough stories to fill a book he has written along with his son-in-law Robert Kenselaar, entitled “Remembering South Cape May: The Jersey Shore Town That Vanished into the Sea.”
South Cape May was a town that never fully blossomed. It had more empty lots than houses and was battered by the sea until residents finally gave up, and the ocean claimed remaining dwellings.
South Cape May lives in Burcher’s memory as well as in a number of houses that were moved from the borough to Cape May and along Sunset Boulevard in Lower Township.
Although Burcher was too young to remember it, even though he was born in 1923, he tells of South Cape May’s own version of the famous Lucy the Elephant in Margate. South Cape May had Jumbo the Elephant, built of wood in 1884. The 50-foot-tall structure was moved a few times until 1900 when it was disassembled in a state of disrepair, said Kenselaar.
While South Cape May wasn’t a town for the rich, Kenselaar said many of the homes were two and half stories with steeple-like front corner towers. It is believed architect Stephen Decatur Button designed a number of those homes, as he did in Cape May. An example that remains today is The Abbey at Guerney and Columbia avenues.
Among some fine homes moved from South Cape to Cape May are situated at 16 Second Ave., 10 South Broadway, 18 First Ave., 15 First Ave., 21 Second Ave., 9 South Broadway and the home that advertises its South Cape heritage at 601 Sunset Boulevard. The total number of homes in South Cape May was between 41 and 50 dwellings, according to records researched by Kenselaar.
South Cape May’s descent to the bottom of the ocean happened over a number of years beginning with a nor’easter in 1896. Another storm struck one year later as well as in 1901, 1903 and 1917-1918.
Burcher said he also suspects jetties installed by the Navy for its base in Cape May (presently the Coast Guard Training Center) kept sand from naturally migrating to South Cape May.
The book notes tax sales of hundreds of lots began in 1923. Burcher’s father could see what was ahead for South Cape May and sold one of the family’s home on Ninth Avenue in 1943 before the infamous 1944 hurricane.
After a 1950 storm, Burcher’s family moved two of their houses from South Cape to Sunset Boulevard on lots purchased for $100 each, he said. The book shows photos of the remains of houses chopped up or tipped over by storms over the years.
One of a dozen children, Burcher said he had lots of fun living in South Cape May. He said there always seemed to be lumber washing up on the beach, which was used for home repairs, and building by residents.
Burcher recalls sneaking out the second story window of his home to watch rumrunners on the beach during Prohibition. He said he hid behind the dunes and watched old Chevy trucks drive down to the beach, which were met by rowboats.
“Guys would get out of the rowboat and unload what appeared to be cases,” said Burcher.
He recalled Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Charlie Roseman running down the rumrunners in a gunboat and firing shells at them.
Burcher recalls combing the beach for lost wallets, watches, towels and anything of value. He remembers mowing tough salt grass lawns with scissors because no lawn mower would get through the grass.
“One of our joys was hoping someone would come down Ninth Avenue and get stuck,” said Burcher.
He and his brother Franny would dig out cars for a quarter, he said.
Burcher recalls stepping on stingrays on the beach walking home to South Cape May from a summer job in Cape May late at night.
Some of the trails in the Nature Conservancy property follow the path of old streets in South Cape May, he said.