On July 1, 1854, the first public train left Camden for Atlantic City, arriving two-and-a-half hours later, to signal the opening chapter in the resort's rich and colorful history.Ītlantic City's proximity to major population centers, coupled with convenient, inexpensive train access, allowed thousands to flee hot cities and enjoy summer pleasures at the cool seashore. In March of 1854, the city was incorporated and eighteen voters elected the first mayor, Chalkey S. Osborne, designed the city layout and proposed the name Atlantic City. A civil engineer from Philadelphia, Richard B. Two years later, construction of the Camden-Atlantic rail line was completed at a cost of a little over $1.2 million. Pitney, along with a group of businessmen, secured a railroad charter in 1852. With transportation the key to development, Dr. While the exact date of the first permanent settlement has never been determined, it is generally agreed that Jeremiah Leeds was the first to build and occupy a year-round residence on the island, building his home in 1783.īy 1850, the potential attraction of the island's cool breezes and beaches was recognized and the idea for developing a resort was first promoted by Dr. Early colonial settlers in South Jersey largely ignored the island because it could only be reached by boat. Over time the name was transformed into the present-day Absecon Island.

These original summer residents named the island Absegami, meaning 'little water', a term for the bay denoting that the opposite shore was in sight. Long before Atlantic City was founded, the island where it would be developed, thick with woods and lined with dunes, was the summer home of the Lenni Lenape Indians, an Algonquian-speaking people.

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