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Cape May County History
Upper Township
Woodbine
Years before the town was created the name Woodbine was chosen. An early plan laid out the town in 1887 and four years later, the Baron De Hirsch Fund bought the 5,300 acre tact. This purchase was the opening of a chapter in Cape May County history.
After acquiring the tact, the trustees of the fund established a plan for developing a Jewish refugee resettlement project. As the town developed, industry was encouraged to locate in Woodbine. Many resettled families came from Russia and Poland; they were not experienced in farming in America.
In 1895 the Woodbine Agricultural School was established to teach the latest and best farming techniques. The school was successful in providing many agricultural experts, scientists and doctors in the early part of the 20th Century. The school closed in 1917.
On March 3, 1903 Woodbine was incorporated as a borough. Woodbine developed rapidly, by 1910 there were nearly forty industrial operations. The De Hirsch Fund trustees gradually withdrew from the affairs of the community and severed all connections in 1930. Woodbine continued to grow and flourish until the end of World War II. In its hey day Woodbine was the economic hub of Cape May County. By the end of World War II industries, began to close.
