20th Century Atlantic City

From the 1880s to 1940s, Atlantic City was a major vacation resort In the 1920s it was considered the premier tryout town for theatrical productions headed for Broadway and beyond

In 1913, a Black businesswoman “Madame Washington” as she was respectfully referred to started a hairdressing business in Atlantic City and later expanded the business, teaching students and developing beauty products

In 1920, noting the lack of beauty products for African Americans, Madame Washington founded the Apex News & Hair Company. Apex maintained a lab and school in Atlantic City, as well as an office in New York City.

Madame Washington became a millionaire Black businesswoman. Eventually, her beauty colleges were located in twelve states and there were 35,000 agents all over the world After Washington's death, her daughter, Joan Cross Washington, led the company until it was sold

Beginning in the 1930s and continuing over the next three decades, Kentucky Avenue was renowned for its nightlife, with Club Harlem and other venues attracting the best talent and biggest stars from the world of jazz

During World War II, the city offered much more than entertainment distractions, as it served as training site for military recruits and a recovery and rehabilitation center for wounded soldiers.