Lost

Few would imagine that the land currently occupied by the Nature Conservancy's Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, or "the Meadows," was once the picturesque Jersey Shore town of South Cape May.

By the early twentieth century, a striking hotel and homes designed by renowned Victorian-era architects dotted the landscape. Residents and visitors alike spotted rumrunners racing across the beachfront during Prohibition and endured World War II with German submarines lurking just offshore. But by 1954, barely a trace of the town remained except for about twenty of the original houses, which were moved a mile away. Join one of the town's last residents, Joseph Burcher, as he chronicles life in South Cape May before the angry Atlantic swallowed this serene town.

Hoboken holds a unique place in American history that no city its size can match.

Originally an outpost of the Dutch empire, it grew into a hub of the Industrial Revolution, becoming synonymous with steam-powered ships and trains, the zipper and even Tootsie Rolls. Over the years, the city was home to some of the nation’s wealthiest and most notable people, including John Jacob Astor and Frank Sinatra, as well as to waterfront shacks and tenements filled with destitute immigrants. When hard times hit, industry and innovation vanished, leaving Hoboken a dilapidated factory town. But it recovered to become a bohemian enclave and a leader in urban renewal.

Join author and journalist Joseph Lauro as he traces the city’s remarkable past.