This Old Carty House
There is indeed, perhaps, no better way to hold communion with the sea than sitting in the sun on the porch of a home that overlooks the sea. I have passed by this house on my way to the beach hundreds of times. Above the front stoop hangs a sign that reads “Take time to sit by the sea.” Walking by and reading this has always caused a deep longing in my heart to be able to sit on a porch overlooking the sea. Little did I know that one day I would have the privilege to meet the family inside this house and learn about its history.

I am speaking about the house at 212 Surf Ave. in North Wildwood on the corner of 3rd and Surf. It was built in the 1920’s, but Wally & Doris Carty didn’t purchase it until around 1948 after they had established Wally’s Café at Walnut & Olde New Jersey Aves. Wally made the new little seaside cottage his family’s summer home while they lived atop the bar the rest of the year. It wasn’t until 1958 that he installed heat in the house and moved in year round. Back in those days, big families were accustomed to living in small houses. It was just that way.
Then there comes a time in every family when your parents pass away and the family estate either goes on the market for sale or stays in the family. In this case, it made sense that Michelle Carty Sheeran move her family into the house since she was the only one of her siblings still residing in Wildwood at the time of their mothers’ death in 1998. Bill and Michelle Sheeran, along with their children, Kevin, Meredith and Emily, and dog Murphy, made the big move from 4th to 3rd Ave.

As Michelle gave me the grand tour of one of my favorite old houses, we began on the porch where she said beachgoers would stop and marvel at the family parrot, Polly, who made its home there for years. (Polly actually lived to be 57 yrs. old.) We went in the front door and I was shown where curtains hung as dividers for her parents’ room that was about the size of today’s walk-in closet. Michelle showed me where 4 children slept in 2 little rooms each with a bunk bed. It’s easy to realize how much the times have changed today when you revisit yesterday. Michelle actually shared a room with her brother ~ that would be unheard of today! She showed me the tiny kitchen and the laundry room that was off to the side, she said this room brought back memories of times when the children would be sent there as punishment for having bad manners.

Over time, the Carty house underwent renovations. In the 50’s, the upstairs attic was converted into ‘2 teeny weeny bedrooms with teeny weeny windows and 7 ft. ceilings’, so recalls Michelle. In 1965, the most significant and memorable change made was the addition of the Carty family rec room. I’m sure if the walls could talk they would have told me many more stories. Michelle said there wasn’t a day that went by from 1965 through 1978 that there wasn't a party going on in there. For those of you that can say you were there, you'll remember the pool table, the juke box and the TV and it even had its own bathroom. It was designed so that Mom & Dad Carty could sit in the living room and see straight through to the rec room; as long as the door was open, that was!

In 2002, Bill & Michelle hired Coastline Construction to come in and do a major renovation to their seaside bungalow. Their children were getting bigger and the girls, especially, needed some more space between them. Jerry Rosenberg & Rick Davis of Coastline probably never realized that one day they would be working in one of their old hangouts, "the Carty Rec Room!"

The longer I have The Sun by-the-sea, the more I realize how small our island really is. Wildwood was such a close knit community over the years and I think just about everybody is connected or related somehow. With 4 Carty children and 10 years between them, I can't imagine how many Wildwood friends hung out at their home.
As I was saying, Meredith & Emily, the Sheeran sisters who are 18 months apart, needed serious space. As I walked down the long hallway upstairs, I approached their rooms located across the hall from one another. According to Michelle, who sketched the new renovation plans herself on a piece of cardboard, it was imperative that their bedrooms be built exactly the same size so neither would have reason to argue which one was bigger. Dad later endured the paint job of their fluorescent color choices. I personally loved the hot pink and turquoise! Michelle pointed out that Meredith was the neater of the two and that before I came by, she had to toss the floorful of clothes into Emily's closet! "Just wait til she gets home from school!" Michelle said. Michelle showed me the fireplace that was built in the wall when her mother had the house renovated in 1981 after her father passed. Michelle did not have the same tastes for dark wood and stone as her mother had. When it came time, Michelle and her carpenter son Kevin, went to it with a sledgehammer. The fireplace and mantle became Kevin's first major woodworking project in the house. He designed a beautiful colonial mantle with bookshelves on both sides. It's up at the top of the stairs in an area that's perfect for snuggling with a good book, a crackling fire, and an incredible ocean view ~ a spot to "Take time to sit by the sea."

Bill & Michelle have wonderfully transformed this old seaside house into one worthy of Coastal Living Magazine, and our town is fortunate for it. However, all the renovations in the world will not change the stories that it is made of. While sitting on her porch, beachgoers still stop and ask if she is the lady with the parrot. With a warm heart and fond memories, Michelle answers, "that's me!"