August 4, 1909: At this time the pier was less than 1000 feet long - Considerably longer than today's 400 feet, but quite a bit shorter than the 1700 foot structure initially constructed in 1898. Earlier in 1909, a storm had taken away part of the middle of the pier, and the casino at the end of the pier had been moved closer, around 800 feet out. The casino hosted dancing and many of the top entertainers of the day would appear there.

The Forest Pier Hotel on the left was brand new. Its predecessor burned flat in the 1907 fire.

The horses look like they might be involved in cleaning the beach, the wagon possibly full of seaweed. The town of Old Orchard Beach still cleans the beach of seaweed in the summer.

Images: pier.jpg (1312x638 pixels)

Northeast from the Pier toward Scarborough Beach	Southwest from the pier toward Ocean Park

 

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