History
 History
Built in 1874, this certified century-old home has weathered numerous hurricanes and a couple of devastating fires. Despite the challenges it has faced, it stands as a testament to resilience and enduring charm of its era.
Before we delve into the history of the house, let's begin with a brief overview of Ocean Grove. According to the Ocean Grove Historical Society website, 'In May 1869, a group of Methodist ministers felt called to search along the New Jersey coast for a suitable camp meeting location - a place of respite where "religion and recreation should go hand in hand." After an extensive search, they stumbled upon a virtually uninhabited grove of trees, free from the mosquitoes that had plagued them at other previously visited sites, and pleasantly surrounded by two lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Despite its isolation, Ocean Grove's founders later wrote, "it seemed to us that a more magnificent site for cottages could hardly be found." If you'd like to learn more about Ocean Grove, you can visit this link: https://www.oceangrove.org/history
In the process of purchasing the house, the sellers informed us that their family had acquired the property in the late 1960s and transformed it into a boarding house. Upon completing the sale, they presented us with a scrapbook the Boileau Family had compiled, documenting the history of this wonderful home. The house was named 'Ocean Mist' and had operated as a highly successful boarding house until the family decided to close it in the early 1990s. After reading through the scrapbook several times and seeing all the lovely letters that guests had written, we were inspired to share this beautiful space with others by listing it on Airbnb.
So, let's dive into it. The driveway located at the back of the house was once a separate lot, which Mary Emma Hoe from NYC purchased in 1872. As for 9 Pitman, it was acquired by Stephen Rogers of Passaic that very same year. Most likely, Stephen Rogers commenced construction on the house shortly after purchasing the property, and it was completed in 1874. We came across a newspaper article that stated 9 Pitman was one of the first 120 cottages built in Ocean Grove. We also believe it was the initial house constructed on Pitman Avenue. When we conducted some minor repairs, we discovered that the front porch wrapped around the left side of the house and had a staircase toward the back. The cottage probably didn't have heating, electricity, or a bathroom, as those amenities didn't exist in 1874.
In 1876, Mary Emma Hoe sold the back lot to Richard Harcourt of Paterson. He subsequently transferred the property to Amanda E. McCalley of Philadelphia later that same year, turning a remarkable $75 profit. By 1879, Abraham S. Townsend of Brooklyn had acquired the property from Mrs. McCalley. Prior to this, he had also obtained, the house, 9 Pitman Ave. from Stephen Rogers. This series of transactions left us curious about why the properties changed hands so frequently during this time.
Upon investigation, we found that the construction of the Asbury Park/Ocean Grove train station was completed in 1875, granting convenient access to the Grove from both Philadelphia and New York City. Mr. Townsend continued to enjoy the cottage and lot until 1888, when he sold it to Joanna Creely of Philadelphia. At this juncture, we believe that Mrs. Creely likely merged the two lots into a single property tax lot, as we could not locate any documentation indicating their continued separation.
Mrs. Creely cherished her summer home for 34 years until her passing in 1933. It is quite plausible that the Creely family undertook significant improvements to the property during their ownership, including the addition of a bathroom, heating, and electricity. We even stumbled upon old newspaper articles mentioning that 9 Pitman Ave was in the process of receiving natural gas, suggesting ongoing efforts to modernize the property.
After the house was sold in 1933 to Joanna P. C. Deming, she held onto it for a decade before passing it on. During World War II, it changed ownership multiple times, eventually landing in the hands of George and Catherine MacKay in 1950. The MacKay family possessed the house for 18 years, during which they likely implemented substantial improvements. These improvements may have included the addition of a rear kitchen, the installation of additional bathrooms, and the introduction of a hot water heating system.
Ultimately, on November 1st, 1968, Howard and Margaret Boileau became the new owners of the house. They transformed it into the Ocean Mist boarding house. In her scrapbook, Margaret fondly recalled, "What stands out most about 1969 was the extensive cleaning, painting, and washing we did, and the immense pride we felt for the place." Ocean Mist welcomed its first guests during the summer of 1969. As we further read through Mrs. Boileau's scrapbook we could see how much love she had for not only the house but also for Ocean Grove. When longtime neighbors who knew Howard and Margaret Boileau learned that Ocean Mist was reopening as an Airbnb property, they were very excited. They told us they loved this house and loved sharing it with their guests and would be very happy you are doing the same. Fiftyfour years after the original launch of Ocean Mist it once again opened its doors to guests!
