Within ten years, tourists had had their way with it and the Boardwalk was damaged and splintered. The town reconstructed it wider and longer we learned here http://blog.achotelexperts.com/history-boardwalk-hall-atlantic-city/. Then fourteen feet wide, businesses, which hadn’t been allowed nearer than thirty feet of the Boardwalk, could set up within ten feet. Three years later, in 1883, that restriction was lifted as well.
One year later, a storm ravaged the Boardwalk and it was again rebuilt bigger and longer. Now, twenty feet wide, it spanned two miles. Nearly every day, someone fell off the Boardwalk but it wasn’t until 1889, with another post-hurricane reconstruction, that railings were added. The Boardwalk was then four miles long. People walked on it of course, but there was a popular attraction known as “rolling chairs.” These were like fancy carriages that could accommodate as many as three adults. Operators pushed the chairs up and down the Boardwalk, making the passengers feel like royalty. These wicker chariots were originally intended to carry “invalids” up and down the Boardwalk but then gained popularity as tourists decided that they liked traveling in style. There were only a few left by the 1980s but have since re-emerged as a useful means of conveyance. By 1916, the Boardwalk had become so popular and attracted such huge crowds that it got another upgrade. The city added the herringbone pattern of the boards, which is still seen today, as well as steel beams and pilings for reinforcement.
By the 1920s, the Boardwalk was home to the original Miss America Pageant, amusements were everywhere and parades were common. It was one of the most popular and romantic places to be. In the 1940s, during World War II, soldiers practiced marching on the Boardwalk and staged mock invasions on the nearby beach. During the following two decades, celebrities frequented the Boardwalk and even filmed movies there.
In the 1970s the resort area was losing popularity and the state decided to allow gambling on the Boardwalk. That did the trick and on Memorial Day Weekend, 1978, thousands of tourists returned to hotels in Atlantic City and it remains bustling and thriving to this day.
