George F. Boyer Historical Museum
3907 Pacific Ave.
Holly Beach Mall
Wildwood, NJ 08260
(609) 523-0277
www.funchase.com/Museum.htm

The first settlers of the area now known as Wildwood were fishermen of Nordic, Danish, and Swedish decent. They arrived around 1870, naming the settlement Anglesea. In 1874 the United States Government, for the Lifesaving Service, erected a lighthouse at Hereford Inlet (click below for info).

Following the old Lenni-Lenape Indian trails across the meadows, or reaching the island by boat and barge, settlers began to arrive in number beginning around 1880. In 1884 the West Jersey Railroad cut a track from Court House to Anglesea, opening the area to further settlement and recreational use.

The Wildwoods feature some of the world's most beautiful beaches and fresh sea air. It's odd to think of this paradise being "settled" so late in our history. Of course, before white men actually lived here, mainland farmers used the island for grazing cattle and horses. And before them Indians spent their summers here.

The Wildwood Historical Society operates the George E. Boyer Museum, featuring a variety of exhibits that capture the development of this vibrant community. Vintage photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia depict the various ages of Wildwood, from its merger with Holly Beach City to today's booming resort community with its first-rate hotels and convention hall.

Special sections of the Museum are devoted to the police and fire departments, the beach patrol, boardwalk, history making residents, and to the scholastic and athletic achievements of the city. Many of the photos on display are sets of "then and now" photos, which are always fun to look at.

Finally, the Museum is the Home of the Marbles Hall of Fame.

Tours are Self-Guided, Guided for School Groups. They combine well with one of the other sites in the area.