Sea Isle City was formed as a barrier island approximately 20,000 years ago after the last Ice Age. The early inhabitants, the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, arrived in the 1600s. They used the island as a summer resort for camping, fishing, hunting, and cattle grazing. Whalers, fishermen, hunters, and pirates followed, occupying the island intermittently before Joseph Ludlam purchased the island in 1692, naming it Ludlam Island. Ludlam used the island for grazing for his sheep and cattle. The sheep were brought by boat and the cattle swam over. 

Sea Isle City’s heritage is treasured by many and can be explored in depth in-person at the Museum, located in the Sea Isle City Library.