During the mid-nineteenth century, people began to flock to East Coast beaches, especially in New York and New Jersey. Beautiful hotels, elegant restaurants, and convenient transportation transformed these beaches into some of America’s favorite places to play. Massive hotels as well as smaller rooming houses began to spring up all over the ocean side towns. The first commercial hotel in Atlantic City, the Belloe House, located at Massachusetts and Atlantic Ave., was built in 1853. In 1882, the famous Atlantic City amusement pier was first built which allowed the city to be dubbed as “The Queen of Resorts.” A city council ordinance charged that hotels, restaurants and shops would be kept on one side of the boards, with amusement piers on the other. At most ocean resorts, wood bathing houses dotted the beaches so the modest Victorian woman could spend the day at the beach in the privacy of a cabana-like house on wheels. Read full story.