From 1913 through the 1950’s, the house was owned by various prominent families from Philadelphia, all of which used it as a private beach retreat. Although unrelated, these families were all involved in the Cape May art scene as patrons of the theater, talented painters, and well-known musicians. In fact, during the 1940’s when Dr. Robert and Joanna Ridpath owned the house, they would often entertain the stage stars of the day in what is now our solarium. Rumor has it that Errol Flynn, Gloria Swanson, and Diana Barrymore enjoyed cocktails here after their theater performances downtown.