Early History of the Ocean Plaza Hotel Part Two

Ocean Plaza 2019

Welcome back to "The Book Of Historical Secrets." This post is the second in a series of three parts on the early history of the Ocean Plaza Hotel. If you haven't read my last post "Early History of the Ocean Plaza Hotel Part One" I would recommend that you read that first before reading part two.

After Martha’s death, the ownership of the Inskip Cottage passed to John E. Inskip, who was at the time of Martha’s passing a resident of N.Y. State. John Edward Inskip was born in 1859; he was the grandson of Rev. John and Martha Inskip. John E.’s father, John Foster Inskip died when John E. was less than a year old.

In 1893, when John E. Inskip was in his 30's, he purchased the business owned by Joseph A. Wainright. The business was located in the building where the museum of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove is today at 50 Pitman Ave. Mr. Inskip purchased the Grocery, Hardware and Crockery Departments, while Mr. Wainright continued to operate the house-furnishing department. After Mr. Inskip purchased the grocery business of Mr. Wainright, Mr. Inskip moved himself and his family (wife, Emma and two sons, Harry and John) to Ocean Grove. 

In 1894, John E. Inskip hired a local contractor named Nelson H. Kilmer to renovate and enlarge the Inskip Cottage. The photo below was taken in 1894 showing the Inskip Cottage before construction was started. The cottage was transformed within 60 days into a 3½ story hotel with 36 rooms. Mr. Inskip named his new hotel, The Inskip House. It appears that Mr. Inskip decided that rather than run the hotel himself, he would rent it out. It was a common practice in that day for people such as Mr. Inskip to rent their hotels to entrepreneurs who would run their own hospitality business out of them.

Photo from the 25th Annual Report of the President OGCMA 1894

Inskip House 1911

When construction of the Inskip House was nearing completion, there was a notice in the Ocean Grove Times (11/17/1894) that The Inskip was being leased for 5 years to a Miss M. J. Holt. This apparently fell through because two months later in the January 12^th, 1895 addition of the Ocean Grove Record, there was an ad announcing that The Inskip House was for rent. A few months later The Inskip was rented to Mrs. Mary Fitzgerald of Baltimore. Mrs. Fitzgerald rented The Inskip for 10 years. All together The Inskip House was rented for a period of 33 years to various individuals until the property was sold in 1929 to someone outside of the Inskip family.

In May of 1896, it appears that Mr. John E. Inskip sold his property at the corner of Ocean Pathway and Beach Ave. (Lots 487 & 488) to his father-in-law, Isaac G. Flack. For the sum of  $5,996.96.

Sanborn Map of Ocean Grove 1905 Sheet 52

Mr. Isaac G. Flack was a businessman from Lansingburgh New York and a well-known summer resident of Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Mr. Flack was born In Lisbon, St. Lawrence County, New York, July 4^th, 1830. Mr. Flack was involved in many different business ventures in his life. The most notable of which was in 1871, when he established with his brother, William A. Flack, a wholesale grocery house in Troy, New York, under the firm name of Flack & Brother. In 1884 William A. Flack retired and Isaac G. Flack formed the firm of Flack & Co., his sons being interested in the business. He also found time to take an interest in public matters. The people of Lansingburgh elected him as their supervisor twice and once as their village president. Church matters occupied a considerable amount of his attention and for many years he was a trusted steward of his local Methodist Church. Isaac Flack also was a director of the Union National Bank of Troy, New York and his advice in financial matters was often sought and heeded. Mr. Flack was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary E. Abrams on April 12^th, 1856. She died seventeen years later on May 17^th 1873. His second marriage was to Mary S. Wade, on January 7^th, 1875. She was a cousin of his first wife. Mr. Flack had six children, four sons, George A. Flack, Frank Flack, Harry Flack and Charles I. Flack, (both Frank and Harry died in early childhood) and two daughters, Mrs. Emma S. Inskip and Miss Mary L. Flack. On October 26^th, 1899, at the age of 69, Isaac G. Flack died of a stroke at his home in Lansingburgh, New York.

The next owner of the Inskip House was Mrs. Emma S. Inskip, who was the daughter of Isaac and Mary E. Flack and the wife of John E. Inskip. Emma S. Flack was born in 1860. In 1881 while spending the summer in Ocean Grove she met her future husband, John E. Inskip. The couple where married the following year on March 28^th, 1882. The ceremony took place in Lansingburg, New York and was officiated by the groom's grandfather, Rev. John S. Inskip. Emma and John E. had two children, Harry born in 1883 and John born in 1885.

After Emma and her husband John sold their Ocean Pathway properties to Emma's Father, Isaac Flack, it appears that they moved their residence back to New York State.  After the death of Emma's Father Isaac, it was mentioned in the November 3rd 1899 edition of the Asbury Park Journal, in the death notice of Isaac G. Flack, that “He (Isaac Flack) was the father of Mrs. John E. Inskip, wife of a former merchant of Ocean Grove." It would seem that by 1899, John no longer operated his Ocean Grove grocery store.

"Old Brick - Inskip House - Ocean Grove" by rich701 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Guests on the porch of the Inskip House. (year unknown)

In 1903 there was a notice in the Ocean Grove Times (6/13/1903), which said that Emma and her son Harry arrived in Ocean Grove from Lansingburg, New York and that they were at their family’s cottage on Beach Avenue. It also said that while there, Emma was going to look after some repairs "to her property, the Inskip House, on Ocean Pathway.”

In 1905, there was another mention of Emma in the Ocean Grove Times. (2/25/1905) It said that she pledged to use natural gas in her cottage (the cottage directly behind the Inskip house) on Beach Ave. and McClintock Street. This would indicate that ownership of the Inskip House and the surrounding properties had returned to the Inskip Family and Emma was the owner.

Ocean Pathway Between  1913 - 1919

On December 27^th, 1914, Emma's Husband, John E. Inskip died of "apoplexy" (stroke) at their Ocean Grove cottage, on the corner of Beach avenue and McClintock street. John's Funeral was held at their cottage and was conducted by Rev. A.E. Ballard, who was at the time the president of the OGCMA. After the death of John, it appears that Emma spent her remaining summers in Ocean Grove, at her cottage on the corner of Beach and McClintock. It was here that she entertained family, who came to visit and spend a week or two, for a vacation by the sea. Then On March 21^st, 1924, Emma S. Inskip died, at the Leonard hospital in Troy, New York.

This concludes part two of the early history of the Ocean Plaza Hotel. I have saved the best for last, so keep your eyes open for part three, which once again is coming out next week. If you found this post interesting please share and Comment. Until next time… Justin Truth.

Early History of the Ocean Plaza Hotel Part Three

Early History of the Ocean Plaza Hotel Part One

Ocean Plaza Hotel 2019

Welcome back to "The Book Of Historical Secrets." In this post we are going to delve into the early history of the Ocean Plaza Hotel in Ocean Grove, NJ. In the summer of 2018, I had the pleasure of spending some time at the Ocean Plaza. During my stay I overheard a guest asking the manager about the hotel’s history. The reply was that they didn't have much information on the subject. One thing led to another and I volunteered to look into the matter. What I found was interesting to say the least. I found that there was some misinformation in the official history of the hotel, which I will endeavor to set straight in the coming weeks. Originally, I was going to post everything I had written on the subject in one post, but I realized that it would be entirely too long. I decided to break it up into three or four parts. Here is part one of the early history of the Ocean Plaza Hotel.

What would become the Ocean Plaza Hotel began as the cottage of Martha and John Inskip, which was built in the early 1870’s. John Inskip, a Methodist minister, and Martha Foster were married in 1836. Together John and Martha became a “ministry team” and were thought of as the first “clergy couple.” They ministered in churches, camp meetings, as well as on the battlefields during the Civil War as chaplains, ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of the 14^th Brooklyn Regiment. In 1867, John became the first president of the National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Holiness. It was through John’s friend, William Osborn, the founder of Ocean Grove, that John and Martha Inskip came to Ocean Grove and that John became one of the first trustees of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. On November 21^st, 1870 the Inskip's purchased a lot at the corner of Ocean Pathway and Beach Ave. from the OGCMA. The following year (1871) they had a cottage built on the lot. It was in 1872 after the death of Rev. Rulif Lawrence, the 1^st vice-president of the OGCMA, that Rev. Inskip was elected the 2^nd vice-president to fill Rev. Lawrence's place on the executive committee. In 1878 John and Martha made Ocean Grove their home. They held religious services at their cottage, where at times more than one hundred people would congregate. Evangelistic work often called them elsewhere, and it was from Ocean Grove that they began an evangelistic tour around the globe. After one year, it was to Ocean Grove and their cottage on Ocean Pathway and Beach Avenue to which they returned.

Picture from the 10th Annual Report of the President OGCMA 1879

In September of 1881, John and Martha Inskip moved their residence to Philadelphia, Pa. It was written in ‘The Life of Rev. J. S. Inskip’ by W. McDonald and John E. Searles (1885,) “He was convinced that, unless he circumscribed his labors, he would soon utterly break down."  John and Martha decided that they should confine their labors to one place; it appears that they felt that Philadelphia and not Ocean Grove was the place for their evangelistic work. But it wasn't long before Rev. Inskip over extended himself again. Rev. Inskip wrote in his journal concerning this, "We thought we were able to do all we engaged to without damage or serious difficulty. We were mistaken. We must submit, and consent for a season to cease from all pulpit labor.” As a result John and Martha purchased a farm in Chester County Pa. and moved their residence there. They hoped that the change would be beneficial to John's health and that with rest they could return to their evangelistic work.

Bird's eye view of Ocean Grove 1881

After the Inskips moved to Pennsylvania, Miss Tillie Thorne, a good friend of John and Martha, operated a boarding house in their cottage called ‘The Thorne House.’ Tillie was known as one of the most popular boarding house keepers. She was a very popular and successful proprietor with a very large following. She operated the first boarding house on Ocean Pathway, called Thorne Cottage, and later renamed the Waverly, before operating a boarding house at the Inskip’s cottage.

- Ocean Grove Record 7/28/1883

On October 24^th, 1883, Rev. John Inskip suffered a stroke and on December 10^th of that year Martha and he returned to Ocean Grove. It was his desire to return to his former place of residence at the corner of Beach Avenue and Ocean Pathway. It was here at the Thorne House where he spent his final days. He departed this life on March 7^th, 1884, in the very bedroom that he occupied when it had been his residence.

Martha Jane Inskip Born 1819 – Died 1890

Rev. John Swanel Inskip Born 1816 – Died 1884

After the passing of her husband, Martha put an ad in the Ocean Grove Record to announce that she would be taking in boarders at her Ocean Grove cottage. It appears that she once again resided at the cottage and became the proprietor, becoming very involved in the community, as she had been in the past. She also continued the ministry that she and Rev. Inskip had begun.

- Ocean Grove Record 6/20/1885

In 1886, Mrs. Inskip traveled with some friends to Jacksonville, Florida, which marked a new chapter in her life. She began preaching and holding revival meetings there. In 1887 she continued her work in Jacksonville. It was in 1888, at Ocean Grove that a Mr. Champlin approached Martha with an offer of two lots at the village he had founded, Eggleston Heights, Florida, for the purpose of establishing a Methodist church as a memorial to her husband. On March 24^th, 1889, the Inskip Memorial Church was dedicated. Later that spring Rev. Ashley L. Bateman was appointed to Eggleston Heights to pastor the new church. Martha was pleased with the appointment of Rev. Bateman to the church she had founded. In fact she was so pleased, that on September 2^nd, 1890, Martha Inskip married Rev. Ashley Bateman. It was at the Inskip Cottage in Ocean Grove that the wedding took place. After the wedding, they immediately left for Florida, where they continued their work at the Inskip Memorial Church and began preparations for the Eggleston Heights Camp Meeting; which was being held the following February. Tragically, before their plans came to fruition, Martha took ill with “a congestive chill, which developed in gastric fever.” (Typhoid Fever) This ultimately led to her death on December 26^th, 1890 at her winter home in Eggleston Heights Florida.

This concludes part one of the early history of the Ocean Plaza Hotel. Keep your eyes open for part two, which is coming out next week. If you found this post interesting please share and Comment. Until next time… Justin Truth. 

Early History of the Ocean Plaza Hotel Part Two