Dennisville: shipbuilders down by the shore

Cape May County, NJ has many enjoyable hidden treasures from the lighthouses to shore towns and enjoyable tourist attractions like the Cape May Zoo, but some of these hidden treasures are merely passed through on the way to something else.  Dennisville is one of these hidden treasures not everyone notices.

            Dennisville is a small, unicorportated town just outside Sea Isle City and too far from Avalon.  Resting along Rt. 47 in Southern, NJ (Delsea Drive—named for its connection from Delaware to the Sea) it’s also not that far from Ocean City, which makes Dennisville a delightful place to visit when you’re down the shore for the summer.  The town was founded back in 1726 by Anthony Ludlam making it one of those American towns that has the distinction of being older than the nation itself.

            Beck himself has been to Dennisville, dedicating an entire Chapter about it in his book More Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey.  In this chapter he describes Dennisville’s forming shipbuilding industry.  He’d gone down at the advice of a friend to visit an old sailor who was getting up there in years, a gentleman by the name of Captain Ogden Gandy (the Gandy family can still be found in and around that area).  The ships built there, according to Captain Gandy weren’t just the little ones.  Huge, massive ships were built and sailed out to Sea Isle City, taken there down Dennis Creek when high tide came.

            Exploring Dennisville is easy to do if you’re willing to slow down, take a turn off the beaten interstate and faster roads whizzing you along to shore towns. The history of the shipbuilding industry is evident in the stories there, but the quaintness of Dennisville can also provide a pleasant afternoon detour on your way to the shore.  So the next time you find yourself heading toward the shores of Sea Isle, Ocean City or Avalon, take a detour and discover a hidden treasure of Southern New Jersey!