[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 72 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRESS HALL IN CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY

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                         HON. FRANK A. LoBIONDO

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 2002

  Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the reopening of 
Congress Hall, a very special historic landmark in Cape May, New 
Jersey.
  Opened in 1816, Congress Hall was originally built by Thomas Hughes 
as a boarding house for summer visitors to the Cape May area. The house 
was a success and, in 1828, when Hughes was elected to Congress, it was 
renamed Congress Hall in his honor. An 1878 fire destroyed the Hall but 
within a year it was rebuilt.
  As the hotel and its surrounding city became more popular, it 
attracted an even more diverse stream of visitors. Presidents Ulysses 
S. Grant, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan all chose to vacation 
here. President Benjamin Harrison deemed Congress Hall his ``summer 
White House.'' Composer John Phillip Sousa conducted concerts on the 
lawn of the Hall and, in 1882, composed the ``Congress Hall March.''
  Closed during the Great Depression and reopened after the end of the 
Second World War, it seemed that the days of Congress Hall and the 
grandeur it had been associated with had passed. From 1968 until 1995, 
Congress Hall was protected from demolition when it became the home of 
the Cape May Bible Conference led by Reverend Carl McIntire. Then, in 
1995, the property was purchased and prepared for extensive renovation.
  Today, Congress Hall is reopened, recalling its original splendor, 
fit for Presidents, dignitaries and visitors the world over. I am 
pleased to claim Congress Hall as part of my Congressional District's 
proud history and welcome a new generation of vacationers to visit the 
historic hotel. Best wishes to all the people involved with Congress 
Hall and to the citizens of Cape May as they celebrate this special 
milestone in their community's history.

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