Slaughter Beach waterfront in the early 20th century

This postcard from about 1905 shows waterfront houses built just back from the dunes and on the beach at Slaughter Beach in Sussex County east of Milford. The houses were connected by a boardwalk built at sand level and running parallel to the Delaware Bay shore. Smaller catwalks provided access across the sand to the boardwalk from the individual homes.

The web page for Slaughter Beach provides this insight: "Slaughter Beach in the early years was primarily a resort for Milford area residents during the summer months. In its hey-day, Slaughter Beach had a dance hall, hotels and a boardwalk. With the advance of the automobile and road systems, more and more people started traveling to the Rehoboth area and Slaughter Beach turned into a sleepy little seasonal fishing village."