A brief history of Somers Point
Somers Point was originally settled by John Somers, an Englishman and practicing Quaker. He purchased the land from Thomas Budd. Early names for this area were Somerset Plantation, Somers Ferry, and Somers Plantation, named after the first settlers in 1693.
The name Somers Point was adopted 1750. It was a seafaring town and sloops, schooners, and barges were built in the many shipyards. Shipbuilding and life along the waterways was a very important part of life in early Somers Point.
Somers Mansion
Atlantic County Historical Society
Atlantic County Historical Society
Built between 1720 and 1726 by Richard Somers, this is the oldest house still standing in Atlantic County, NJ. This building is owned and operated by the State of New Jersey.
Atlantic County Historical Society
Atlantic County Historical Society
Atlantic County Historical Society
They offer programs, lectures, field trips, partnerships with local libraries and school districts, library and museum interpretative exhibits, and guided tours of the circa 1790 oysterman's farmhouse, the Risley Homestead, in Northfield, New Jersey.
Who was Richard Somers?
Atlantic County Historical Society
Who was Richard Somers?
... to the shores of Tripoli
Master Commandant Richard Somers was an officer of the United States Navy, killed during an assault on Tripoli during the First Barbary War in 1804.
War of 1812 Marker
Bay Front Historic District
Who was Richard Somers?
During the War of 1812 an earthen fort was built near the Great Egg Harbor River, which commanded the inlet and harbor. It was built in the shape of a semi-circle, 50 feet in diameter with walls 6 1/2 to 10 feet high, and manned 24 hours a day with cannon but never saw action, and had disappeared by the late 1800’s. The 1812 War Memorial stands near where the fort once stood.
Jobs Ferry Marker
Bay Front Historic District
Bay Front Historic District
Shore Road, completed in 1731, was the main artery for transportation and trade connecting Nacote Creek (Port Republic) to Somerset Plantation (Somers Point) and to Cape May County by Job’s Ferry. By 1880, railroad and trolley connections reached Somers Point. The ferry ceased operation around that time.
Bay Front Historic District
Bay Front Historic District
Bay Front Historic District
The Bay Front Historic District was established in 1989. It is a large, cohesive collection of cottages from the period of 1890-1935, a time when seaside cottages (and time to use them) became available to those who could not previously afford them. The district is listed in both the National and State Register of Historic Places.