Miss America Statue

When the Miss America Pageant returned to Atlantic City in 2013, the event was commemorated by the unveiling of a new statue at Kennedy Plaza on the Boardwalk. The statue, which was designed by artist Brian Hanlon of Toms River, New Jersey, depicts a larger-than-life Miss America holding a crown in her outstretched hands, ready to pass her title on to a new winner. The idea of the statue was first suggested by local radio personality Pinky Kravitz, who thought it would be a good idea to have a statue that could both commemorate the Pageant and provide for a fun photo opportunity for visitors.

When the first version of the statue, a temporary resin copy, was unveiled on September 3, 2013, Miss America contestants from around the country were on hand. They became the first of many to mime a crowning moment under the arms of the statue. On April 28, 2014, the permanent bronze version of the statue was unveiled. It stands at 7.5 feet tall, and weighs 6,000 pounds. The statue is largely modeled after Miss America 2013, Mallory Hagan, but also incorporates some facial features of the two Miss America winners from New Jersey, Bette Cooper and Suzette Charles. Charles, along with Miss America 2014 Nina Davaluri, was on hand for the permanent statue’s unveiling. It has proven to be a popular tourist attraction and photo spot ever since.

For more information, see these resources in the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Atlantic City Heritage Collections:
Atlantic City Press, articles from September 3, 2013; September 13, 2013; and April 29, 2014.

First Responders & 9/11 Memorial

Statues are located on the Boardwalk at St. James Place.

On December 5, 2014, the City of Atlantic City dedicated a new monument in honor of firefighters, police officers, and K9 officers, along with a complimentary monument created especially in the memory of those lost while responding to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The monuments were part of a $145,000 CRDA revitalization project of Boardwalk space at the end of St. James Place, which had previously been damaged by a fire.

The dedication ceremony began with a mass at the St. Nicholas of Tolentine church, followed by a procession of policemen and firefighters from Atlantic City and Jersey City. The ceremony concluded with the playing of Taps and the unveiling of the monuments.

Police Officers and Firefighters gather for the dedication ceremony of the Memorial on the Boardwalk at St. James Place. (ACFPL staff photo)

The First Responders monument features three bronze statues - a policeman, a firefighter, and a K9 dog. The police officer statue is modeled after Melvin Vincent Santiago, a police officer from Jersey City who was killed in the line of duty in July 2014. The statues were designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon, who had previously designed the statue of Miss America in front of Boardwalk Hall and the Leavander Johnson statue in City Center Park.

Hanlon Sculpture Studio also designed the adjacent 9/11 Memorial, which features two seven-foot tall granite towers, representing the World Trade Center, into which are chiseled a fireman’s helmet and a police shield. At a later date, existing plaques which honor Atlantic City natives who died on September 11^th will be moved to accompany the St. James memorial.

The memorial was a joint effort by the City of Atlantic City, the CRDA, and Cathy Burke, owner of the Irish Pub on St. James Place. Burke was the project’s catalyst, wanting to give back in some way to the police officers and firefighters who patronize her business.

"First Responders" by Brian Hanlon, Hanlon Sculpture Studio.

9/11 Memorial by Brian Hanlon, Hanlon Sculpture Studio.

Atlantic City Expressway Connector

Marker is located at the Northwest corner of Mississippi and Fairmount Avenues

Marker text:
South Jersey Transportation Authority
Atlantic City Expressway Connector
Donald T. DiFrancesco, Acting Governor
Commissioners
Stanley R. Glassey, Chairman
Charles J. DePalma - Vice Chairman
Carl W. Block
James M. Dwyer
Charles E. Owens
Louis Toscano
James Washington
James Weinstein, NJDOT
Charles Hance, NJC
James A. Crawford, Executive Director
Kathleen C. Aufschneider, Chief Engineer
July 27, 2001

Additional information:

Although casinos existed in Atlantic City’s Marina district as far back as 1980, no direct highway route to this area was created until two decades later. Until then, tourists would either have to get off of the Expressway and drive through the entire downtown section of the city, or take Absecon Boulevard, a less-familiar route for those travelers from out of the area. In the mid-90s, the proposal of a new casino to complement the existing two in the district generated talks of building a more direct route to the Marina. A tunnel connecting the Atlantic City Expressway with the Marina district and Brigantine was proposed, but the plan didn’t commence without opposition. Many local residents feared that the tunnel’s construction would destroy their neighborhoods, while casino owners argued that the tunnel would simply serve as a “private driveway” to direct patrons to their competitors’ resorts. When the main casino project supporting the tunnel construction was abandoned, however, the route was changed to provide more general access to the casinos in the marina, area roads, and Brigantine. After five years of planning and two and a half years of construction, the 2.3-mile long Atlantic City Expressway Connector Tunnel opened in July 2001. Within a year the route, which reduced travel time from the Expressway to Brigantine to only four minutes, was carrying 20,000 vehicles a day during peak season.

Venice Park World War II Memorial

Marker is located on the corner of Grammercy Avenue and Absecon Boulevard (Route 30)

Marker text:
Venice Park Honor Roll
World War II

[list of names follows]

Additional information:
The Venice Park World War II Memorial is one of several in Atlantic City that honors residents of the resort who served and gave their lives in the second World War. Other memorials are located in O'Donnell Park and on the outside of Boardwalk Hall. Venice Park's monument, however, is specific to residents of that sector of the city. The memorial was dedicated on December 9th, 1945. It was placed along the side of the White Horse Pike, a major thoroughfare into Atlantic City, so that, according to then-Mayor Joseph Altman, "everyone can see what ... the youth of Venice Park did" in the war. Four names at the top of the monument - Edward Dayton, Wilbur Horn, Edward Mawhinney and Kenneth R. Stopper - are marked with small stars. Unlike the 104 others on the monument, these four Venice Park residents did not return home from World War II, but instead made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

In 1994, the plaque fronting the memorial was stolen, but the thief apparently had a change of heart. The plaque was returned to Venice Park World War II Veteran Bud Lovett about a month later, wrapped in cloth and with an accompanying American flag. It was swiftly returned to its proper location.

For more information, see articles from:
The Atlantic City Press, September 28, 1994 and October 5, 1994

The Whaling Bark "Stafford"

Marker is located at Pacific and S Rhode Island Avenues near the Absecon Lighthouse

Marker text:

Before construction of Absecon Lighthouse, many ships and many lives were lost off the coast of Absecon Island. Even though the beam from this light lessened these losses, other disasters plagued seagoing vessels.

The anchor you see here, weighing 1,805 pounds, may be one of two that were recovered by fishing boat crews working near Cape May. It may originally have sailed aboard the United States Navy Destroyer Jacob Jones, which was hit by German torpedoes in February 1942 and sank in the waters off Cape May. The anchor was permanently installed here as a reminder of the important role Absecon Lighthouse played in reducing losses at sea.

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