Congress Hall (Cape May hotel) facts for kids
| Congress Hall | |
Quick facts for kids  |
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
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| Location | 251 Beach Avenue, Cape May, New Jersey, USA |
| Opening date | 1816 (rebuilt 1879) |
Congress Hall is a very old and famous hotel located in Cape May, USA. It sits right on Beach Avenue and is a key part of the Cape May National Historic District. This means it's a special building that helps tell the story of the area.
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A Grand Old Hotel
Congress Hall has a long and interesting history. It started out as a simple wooden boarding house in 1816. A boarding house is like a small hotel where people can rent rooms.
From "The Big House" to Congress Hall
The first owner was Thomas H. Hughes. He called his new place "The Big House." Some local people thought it was too large to ever be successful. They even nicknamed it "Tommy's Folly," meaning Tommy's silly idea.
In 1828, Thomas Hughes was elected to the House of Representatives. This is part of the United States government. Because of his new role, he decided to change the hotel's name to Congress Hall.
Sadly, a huge fire swept through Cape May in 1878. Congress Hall burned completely to the ground. But the owners didn't give up! Within just one year, they rebuilt the hotel. This time, they used strong bricks instead of wood.
A Summer White House
Many important people have stayed at Congress Hall over the years. Several United States Presidents chose it for their vacations. These included Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, and Benjamin Harrison.
President Benjamin Harrison loved Congress Hall so much that he made it his official Summer White House. This meant that for several months each year, important government business happened right there in Cape May!
The famous composer and bandleader, John Philip Sousa, also visited Congress Hall often. He came with the U.S. Marine Band. In 1882, he even wrote a special song called the "Congress Hall March." He performed it on the hotel's lawn.
Saving a Piece of History
As time went on in the 20th century, the Cape May beachfront started to look a bit run down. Many old hotels from the Victorian era were torn down. People wanted to use the land for new buildings.
But Congress Hall was saved! In 1968, a man named Rev. Carl McIntire bought the hotel. He made it part of his Cape May Bible Conference. His ownership helped protect the hotel from being destroyed.
Later, Congress Hall started to fall into disrepair. This means it wasn't being kept up very well. But then, Curtis Bashaw, who was Rev. McIntire's grandson, stepped in. He started a big project to restore the hotel in 1995. The restoration was finished in 2002.
Today, Congress Hall is a beautiful, fully working hotel. It's a popular place for people to stay and enjoy Cape May. It's now part of the Cape Resorts group of hotels.
Images for kids
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Congress Hotel from the sea
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Congress Hall in 1870
