Surprisingly, the evolution of Seaside’s classic commercial vein has quite humble roots.  Broadway started out as a primitive pathway carved out of the wilderness in the early 1870s by G.M. Grimes, who had launched The Grimes Hotel on the west bank of the Necanicum River. Grimes cleared a broad trail from his hotel to the beach near the center of present-day Seaside.  This simple trail was later developed into a rudimentary shell-paved road.  Seaside’s popularity as a travel destination exploded and businesses sprouted up along the increasingly utilized “Shell-Road”.  This very same Shell-Road later became Bridge Street at the turn of the century (pictured here) and finally became Broadway in the early 1900s.

As this picture proves, strolling down Broadway, breathing the fresh sea air, poking in and out of shops, and of course people watching, all add up to a long-standing Seaside tradition!