View showing one of the oldest seaside hotels, built in 1816 by Thomas Hughes, at Beach Drive and Congress Street. The hotel, originally called the "Big House," was renamed Congress Hall in 1828 when Hughes was elected to Congress. The grand lodging, able to accommodate 1000 guests, was destroyed by the great fire of 1878 and rebuilt in brick the following year. View includes a gazebo in the fenced courtyard., Black mount with rounded corners., Title from descriptive label pasted on verso., Contains label on verso describing the hotel, the proprietor J.F. Cake, and the West Jersey Railway Co., which provided service between Philadelphia and Cape May., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of views of New Jersey., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Souder & Nowell, a partnership between S.T. Souder and F.A. Nowell, was active in Philadelphia in 1874.
Creator
Souder & Nowell, photographer
Date
1874
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Souder & Nowell - Cities & towns [5742.F.5a]
