Holgate
History
The area is actually one of the oldest visited sections of the Island. As far back as the 1820's, The Philadelphia Company House attracted guests to the area. The boarding house became even more popular when it was sold to Thomas Bond in 1851 and renamed The Long Beach House. The new owner was so well liked that the entire area became known as Bond's.
In the late 1840's, concern over the increasing number of shipwrecks lead to the construction of a Government House in the area. The structure was used as a storage shed for emergency equipment and as a shelter for shipwreck victims. Thomas Bond was placed in charge of this House of Refuge when it became an official U.S. Life Saving Station in 1871. Bond was a responsible leader and dedicated the rest of his life to the service. Visitors often enjoyed watching the crew of the Life Saving Station practicing drills on the beach.
Some of Bond's most frequent guests, including Archelaus Pharo and Charles Parry, were inspired by The Long Beach House to build a resort area of their own, and Beach Haven was founded in 1874. The Long Beach House could not compete with the newer and fancier hotels to the North.
Jame Holgate bought most of the land south of Beach Haven. He and his family cared for the elderly Captain Bond until he died in 1892. The Long Beach House remained empty and was falling apart, so it was torn down in 1909. The Holgates started to develop the area which now bears the family name.
Several jetties were built on the bay side of Holgate in the 1920's to prevent the continuous erosion of the beach. This started with the opening of the new inlet in 1920. The jetties proved to work successfully, but they contributed to the demise of Tucker's Island to the South.
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