Sea Breeze developed in the 19th century as part of the Delaware Bay oyster industry, which supported a number of small bayside communities in Cumberland County. The settlement attracted both watermen and summer visitors from Philadelphia.
In 1887, steamboat travel between Philadelphia and Sea Breeze began. After two aspiring businessmen from Gloucester restored an old Civil War boat (named the John A. Warner), a regular service was run throughout the summer to Sea Breeze's amusement pier. Later that year, The Warner House opened at Sea Breeze. The Warner House was a 40-room hotel, complete with a bar, and offered bathing as well as numerous recreational activities to visitors. Annual clambakes and boat races were also held. The Warner House burned down in 1890.[4]
By the early 20th century, Jesse Smith built Sea Breeze's second hotel, The Seabreeze Hotel. During this time a man named Harry Griffith would rent rowboats on the bay, and is alleged to have provided alcohol during Prohibition. The new hotel suffered a similar fate as the Warner House and was destroyed by a fire in the 1940s.
Following the repeal of Prohibition, Griffith obtained a liquor license and opened the Sea Breeze tavern. Although it started out in a nearby barge, it later expanded to three rooms. By the 1940s, Griffith's daughter Mae had added food to the tavern. Although Harry Griffith died in the 1960s, the tavern was run by his family up until 1985, when it was destroyed by Hurricane Gloria.[5]
A row of summer houses in Sea Breeze
In November 2008, six of the nineteen homeowners in Sea Breeze petitioned the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to purchase their properties. A recently constructed seawall had been badly damaged by the waves, leaving the houses at risk.[6] Over time, the remaining property owners also agreed to sell, and the houses were demolished.[7]
Today, the hamlet contains a few disused seasonal homes and very few year-round residents. Its only road, Beach Avenue, remains unpaved. With no marinas or businesses, Sea Breeze is now primarily listed by saltwater fisherman and birdwatchers, and the surrounding land is managed as a nature preserve.[8]
↑ Conahey, Patrick W. Sr. "Fairfield Township History - Seabreeze", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 6, 2009. Accessed March 2, 2025. "During the steamboat era in 1877, two men from Gloucester purchased 120 acres and built an amusement pavilion and steamboat landing. They rebuilt a Civil War ordinance boat named the John A. Warner. During the summer it ran daily excursions from Philadelphia to Sea Breeze."
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