While vacationing in Cape May this summer, another great piece of history to see can be found at the southernmost tip of Cape May – towering 100 feet above the sand along Sunset Boulevard, not far from Sunset Beach. The enormous Fire Control Tower #23 was a World War II (WWII) lookout tower used to defend the Delaware Bay against the enemy. This leftover relic from WWII was built in 1942 and was used to seek out submarines, as well as spot gunfire along the shoreline. Although there were fifteen towers built as a defense against enemy troops, Fire Control Tower #23 in Cape May is the last restorable tower standing. The remarkable tower is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There’s More to Cape May History than You Can Imagine
While you’re taking a trip down memory lane, make sure you stop along the shores of Cape May and pay a visit to the WWII Cape May Bunker, or gun-emplacement. . Standing for over sixty years, the bunker is located just east of the Cape May Point Lighthouse. This bunker was used to store heavy artillery, and was manned by rotating shifts of highly trained naval gunnery crews. A marker at the site of the bunker reveals that it, like Fire Control Tower #23, was built in 1942, covered with sod when initially built, and stood 900 feet from the ocean; another amazing piece of local Cape May history.
History of a Beachfront Hotel
The Montreal Inn is a story in itself. It’s a real-life American Dream story. Harry and Sophie Hirsch, Polish immigrants arrived in the United States in the early 1950’s on a cargo ship…(read more about it here)
Be sure to make time in your summer agenda to tour our local history when you schedule your Cape May vacation at the Montreal Beach Resort. There’s plenty to discover down here in Cape May, and many ways to customize your very own Montreal Moment. There’s enough local history to suit any history buff or to peak the interest of the curious vacationer.