Nautical Displays
The hunting of wildfowl was an important part of the
life of Long Beach Island
at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Local men hunted regularly
and sold their birds to hotels both on the island and in nearby New York
and Philadelphia.
Sportsmen set up hunting shacks on nearby islands and hired guides to help
them bag their catch.
Decoy-carving and boat building were important area occupations,
and these two museum displays portray them very well.
Chris Sprague (1888-1982) was a local carver whose
work is highly prized today.
His decoys are on display at the Decoy and Baymen's Museum in Tuckerton
and in the famous Shelbourne Museum in Vermont.
The Sneakbox designed and built for the bays behind Long Beach Island
by several different builders.
They were originally fitted with a mast and sail, but could also be rowed.
They are still in use today, though sailing sneakboxes are becoming a
rarity.
Lobsters were plentiful in New Jersey waters, though they are almost gone
today.
Lobstermen used a curved-top trap similar to those used in Maine.
To the right of the trap stands an old bronze bilge pump.
(For you landlubbers, the bilge is the lower interior of a boat's hull.
It is not advisable to have too much water in a boat.
A bilge pump is used to pump it out where it belongs.)
This ship's binnacle was donated to the museum by Nate Ewer
and is believed to have come from the Lucy Evelyn, three-masted schooner
that graced Beach Haven until it was destroyed by fire.
A binnacle contained the ship's compass. The iron balls on either
side
were used to make adjustments to the compass to compensate
for unwanted magnetic influences aboard the vessel.
Compensation is performed in modern compasses using tiny, adjustable
magnets
that are built into the binnacle unit.
Victorian Bridal Gowns
Victorian Interior Displays
Long Boards - The First Surf Boards
The "Walking Tour"
Views of Victorian Beach Haven