In order to get to the “New” Stone Harbor in the very early days, visitors, sightseers and prospective home buyers had few options and frequently traveled by ferryboat at some point. The first image here is a colorful post card with a copyright date of 1912. Stone Harbor at this time was just making headway and some real progress. The post card bears the caption “Arrival of Boat from Stone Harbor, at Anglesea, N.J”.
This second image is a color post card featuring the “Landing of the Anglesea-Stone Harbor Ferry Boat at Stone Harbor, N.J.” It is entirely possible that this view showing the boat dock, pier and pavilion were in use before the causeway and drawbridge were opened for vehicular traffic in July of 1911. The large outdoor advertising panel otherwise known as a billboard evident in the background on the right surely conveys detailed information about “NEW STONE HARBOR.” Enhancing or enlarging the billboard still does not reveal any more than the title just given above. It sure would be interesting and quite useful if we had the details included on that large display sign in the background.
The third image was obtained from the Stone Harbor Museum archives and is a real photo that shows the motorized ferry named “FLORENCE”. It is believed that this shuttle boat is the earliest version bearing that name and during the summer season offered every half-hour daily both day and night scheduled services between Mace’s Pier at Anglesea and Stone Harbor for the fare price of 10-cents originally and then later 15-cents one way. This important ferry service operated and served two different locations: “Stone Harbor” and “Court House”. Magnification of the sign displayed near the bow on the side of the boat along the upper deck reads “ANGLESEA – STONE HARBOR”. When first inaugurated this service took passengers to the 85th Street Yacht Basin and then later as the town grew and traffic increased, the Stone Harbor terminus became located at the Shelter Haven Basin boat dock.
This fourth and final image is a relatively scarce post card produced by Seaman and Letzkus of Stone Harbor and depicts a more modern and faster version of the ferry boat named the “FLORENCE W. II”. The lettering on the side of this vessel indicates this to be an “Express Ferry Service” connecting Anglesea and Stone Harbor. The ferry shown here is preparing to return to Anglesea with another load of passengers. Look to the background on the left side of this image and you may be able to see a portion of the drawbridge and the 96th Street entrance to Stone Harbor from the mainland and Cape May Court House. Other well-known ferry boats that some might recall were named the “Nellie Bly” and the “Lottie W. II” and collectively all of these boat services provided a vital means of reaching Stone Harbor when the resort was in its infancy.