{Seven Mile Island, NJ – June 1945}
When the sun began to rise over the ocean, the calm surf waters off the shoreline of Seven Mile Island reflected brilliant rays of colorful hopes and dreams. With summer solstice quickly approaching, June 20, 1945, was destined to be a gorgeous day with warm and sunny weather. There was no indication that this small barrier island off the southeastern coast of New Jersey would soon face a challenge of monumental proportions.
As the day progressed, the skies over the Atlantic turned fiercely dark, and then God’s fury struck in the shape of a massive coastal storm. Savage waves crashed into the beaches with the sound of thunder, redistributing the sand as mighty winds ripped the island’s small structures from their foundations. The island’s small population was helpless for the next forty-eight hours as the unnatural forces changed the normally peaceful swells into frenzies of merciless breakers.
Huge tsunamic surges reshaped and transformed the northern fringes of the island, leaving mountains of sand in areas where tidal pools previously existed and seawater where bungalows, cottages, and houses once stood. Even the northern inlet that connected the bay with the ocean was reshaped from a once-narrow channel into an expansive aquatic basin.
When the unnamed storm subsided, the residents of Avalon — a small town located on the island's north side — could not believe the extent of the damage. Nothing was left untouched. The beaches, the dunes, the bridges, the seawalls, and all other structures were ravaged. For the second time in the past nine months, the island had fallen victim to a destructive weather event. Although it could have been a knockout blow to the town's four hundred year-round residents, the locals persevered and pledged to rebuild.
In the immediate aftermath of this latest storm, a fascinating phenomenon occurred. Thousands of turtles arrived on the island. The town’s residents could not remember a time when so many of the beautiful creatures traversed the sandy landscape. The impact was immediate and lasting.
Locals began associating the town’s motto, “Cooler by the Mile,” with the amazing influx of turtles. Although this old catchphrase was commonly associated with the cool breezes that gently caressed Seven Mile Island during the hot summer months, the residents reckoned that the calm nature of the small creatures carried an unspoken message of hope: “Stay cool. Stay strong. All is not lost.”
This helped the locals maintain their composure as they rebuilt their community and to be courageous as they endured the uncertainties and anguish of the nation’s ongoing involvement in the Second World War.
