MAIN AVENUE

Main Avenue in Ocean Grove stands as the vibrant heart of the community, where history and modern life blend seamlessly. This bustling street has always been lined with charming shops, local businesses, and inviting eateries, each contributing to the unique character of the town. From its origins as a gathering place for early settlers to its current role as a center for social and commercial activity, Main Avenue reflects the spirit of Ocean Grove. It is more than just a street; it is a space where ideas take shape, creativity flourishes, and stories are shared, embodying the essence of the community’s past and present.

Main Ave looking West (date of photo unknown)

Elim Cottage (1870): Elim Cottage began as a small house built in 1870 from shipwrecked timber, and soon became one of Ocean Grove’s earliest buildings, later repurposed as a charitable seaside retreat for ministers in need of rest. Managed by the Ladies’ Elim Association, it expanded, hosted hundreds over decades, and became a well-known religious institution. After years of structural decline and financial strain, the cottage was declared unsafe and demolished in 1935, ending its long service to the community. Click on the link to read the full story.

The Beegle Cottage (estimated to be built before 1876).

The Beegle family was important to Ocean Grove’s history for its multigenerational leadership in the Methodist Church, Camp Meeting Association, civic institutions, publishing, real estate, me — The Beegle Cottage (estimated to be built before 1876). The Beegle family was important to Ocean Grove’s history for its multigenerational leadership in the Methodist Church, Camp Meeting Association, civic institutions, publishing, real estate, medicine, banking, and the town’s early electrical and cultural development. Click on the image to learn more about the Beegle Family

The Ocean Avenue House / Shawmont Hotel: 3-5 Main Ave & 17 Ocean Ave. One of the oldest cottages in town built around 1871 & the residence of Mrs E. Sheridan starting in 1874. Click the image to learn all about the history of this home.

Dolton House 30 Main Ave (built around 1885)

Jenny & Joe Statue on Main Ave (1880-82)

View of Main Ave & Strandvue House (1905)

Women in front of 5 Main Ave (built approx. 1881) including Evelyn Norton

Pinetree Inn: 10 Main Ave (date of photo unknown)

View from the Stratford Hotel 7 Main Ave (1913)

6 Main Ave (Taken during the Bicentennial)

Main Avenue House: 19 Main Ave (now the Majestic Hotel) (1947)

Built in 1876 by Maria Crossett as the Main Avenue Cottage and soon renamed the Main Avenue House, the hotel grew into a prominent Ocean Grove boardinghouse through major late-19th-cent — Main Avenue House: 19 Main Ave (now the Majestic Hotel) (1947) Built in 1876 by Maria Crossett as the Main Avenue Cottage and soon renamed the Main Avenue House, the hotel grew into a prominent Ocean Grove boardinghouse through major late-19th-century expansions and gained prestige from hosting future President James A. Garfield. After decades of changing ownership and uses—including apartments, seasonal lodging, and later controversial residential programs—the building was sold in 2005 and now operates as the Majestic Hotel, unrelated to the earlier oceanfront Majestic destroyed by fire in 1977. Click the image to read the full story

10 Main Ave (Taken during the Bicentennial)

The Main Avenue House: 19 Main Ave: The Main Avenue House in Ocean Grove was established in 1876 by Maria Crossett, who expanded and improved it over the years, hosting notable guests such as future President James A. Garfield. After Crossett’s death in 1913, the hotel went through multiple owners and management changes, eventually operating as an apartment-style hotel and later as a boarding facility for veterans. Following safety violations and fines in the early 1990s, the building was closed, then sold in 2005, and now operates as The Majestic Hotel.

The Colonial Hotel: 25 Main Ave (pre 1907)

The Columbia Hotel: 20 Main Ave (1959) The Columbia Hotel, later connected to the historic Olive House, underwent a major expansion in 1974 with remodeled rooms, new elevators, and modern amenities, serving year-round guests. By 1992, the hotel faced a sheriff’s sale, and around 2003, both the Columbia and Olive House were demolished to make way for condominiums, with most of the Olive House property remaining vacant. The site now reflects the transformation from historic hotels to modern residential development.

The Sampler Inn: 28 Main Ave (date of photo unknown)Built in 1877 by Sarah C. Boyd, the Aldine Hotel at 28 Main Avenue quickly became a well-regarded Ocean Grove lodging, passing through several operators and undergoing modest enlargements by the 1880s and 1890s. In 1903, Maggie White purchased the property, renamed it the Lawrence, and significantly rebuilt and expanded it, including adding a fourth floor and modernized dining facilities. In late 1917, Mary W. Newberry acquired the hotel, transforming it into the Sampler Inn and introducing cafeteria-style dining, which by the early 1920s had become a popular and distinctive feature of Ocean Grove life. Click to view the story.

The Sampler Inn: 28 Main Ave (Photo from 1932) During the 1930s, the Sampler Inn continued operating under Mary W. Newberry, though there was little evidence of modernization, with rooms lacking private baths, heat, and year-round use. Newberry, a prominent cafeteria operator, died suddenly in 1937, marking the end of an era for the hotel she had established as a pioneer cafeteria on the New Jersey coast. Following her death, the Sampler Inn was auctioned in early 1938, reflecting the broader economic pressures of the Depression years. Click to Read the full Story.

The Sampler Inn: 28 Main Ave (1980s) After Newberry’s death in 1937, the property was auctioned in 1938 and passed through several owners, experiencing gradual decline despite brief moments of resilience, including reopening after a 1959 kitchen fire and later air-conditioning upgrades. By the early 2000s the building was vacant, deteriorating, and the subject of failed redevelopment plans, and after years of neglect it was demolished by Neptune Township in 2009, replaced by two single-family homes. Click to read the full story.

36 Main Ave (Taken during the Bicentennial)

The Quaker Inn (39 Main Ave). The Quaker Inn, originally built as Bower Cottage in 1873 by Ruth Bower of Trenton, evolved through numerous expansions, managers, and names over nearly 150 years, including the Bower House, Waterbury, Ocean Grove Hotel, Main-Central Hotel, and Virginian. Strategically located at the northeast corner of Main and Central avenues, it became a prominent Ocean Grove lodging, undergoing major renovations, additions of modern amenities, and changes in ownership, eventually becoming the Quaker Inn under the Borton family in 1927, with its historic charm preserved through successive owners up to the present day.

45 (Now Remax) & Nagles 43 Main Ave Clayton M. Nagle, a pharmacist born in 1871 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, operated several pharmacies in New Jersey, including a seasonal summer location in Ocean Grove starting in 1915 and later the year-round “Nagle’s Main-Central Pharmacy” at 43 Main Avenue, where he introduced one of the town’s first soda fountains. He was deeply involved in community service as a Fire Commissioner and member of multiple organizations, running his business until his death in 1946, after which the pharmacy continued under various owners and eventually became the Nagle’s Apothecary Café in 2000. Click to read the full story here

1880s Association Building: From 1870 through the 1890s, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association’s offices evolved from a modest combined post office and headquarters into a major civic building. An initial small wooden structure was erected in 1870 and expanded in the late 1870s, but continued growth led to the construction of a large High Victorian brick Association Building in 1881, designed by Carlos C. Buck and equipped with offices, public meeting rooms, a post office, water system, clock tower, and bell. The new building quickly became a focal point of Ocean Grove’s civic life, symbolizing the town’s rapid development and organizational ambitions. Click to read the full Story.

1910 Association Building: Around 1910, the Association Building remained a central civic landmark, though it experienced notable issues related to its clock tower and bell. In 1901, a 700-pound striking apparatus fell from the tower, and further repairs to the steeple followed in 1902, highlighting growing structural concerns. By the mid-1910s, complaints about the clock bell disturbing residents led to repeated changes in its operating hours, reflecting tensions between tradition and daily life in Ocean Grove. Click to read the full Story.

1950s Association Building: The building quickly became a civic landmark, though its tall wooden steeple and clock caused both admiration and occasional controversy before the steeple was removed for safety reasons in 1923. Extensive renovations and additions in the 1920s transformed the structure’s appearance and expanded commercial uses, while retaining its central administrative role. In 1974, the Association moved to a new office building on Pitman Avenue, marking the end of the original building’s use as headquarters and reflecting Ocean Grove’s continuing evolution. Click to read the full story

Main Ave Northside towards Pilgrim Pathway

64 Main Ave (Taken during the Bicentennial)

The Centennial House: 65 Main Ave (1906)

67 & 69 Main Ave (taken during the 1970s)

78 (St. Elmo Hotel) & 79 Main ave (Striped awning)

The St. Elmo Hotel: 77 Main Ave (1910). Built in 1882 on Main Avenue, the St. Elmo Hotel was constructed by James H. Robinson and quickly became a prominent, year-round Ocean Grove hotel, later expanded and modernized under longtime owner William Jones in the early 20th century. After more than a century of continuous hotel use and numerous owners, changing tourism patterns led to its sale and conversion into condominiums in the early 1990s, preserving its Victorian character while adapting it for residential use. Click on the image to read the full story of this hotel.

Alday Cottage at 115 Main Ave.
The Rev. J. H. Alday, M. D. was active in the Association serving as health officer This cottage was built in 1889 adjacent to Fireman's Park (formerly named after Alday, then Woodlawn Park that featured an Alday Memori — Alday Cottage at 115 Main Ave. The Rev. J. H. Alday, M. D. was active in the Association serving as health officer This cottage was built in 1889 adjacent to Fireman's Park (formerly named after Alday, then Woodlawn Park that featured an Alday Memorial Fountain). Click on the image to learn more about the history of the park.

118 & 119 Main Ave (taken during the 1970s)

MAIN AVENUE

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF OCEAN GROVE

FALL/WINTER HOURS September 12 - December 6

Museum Hours

Centennial Cottage