The old inlet, once the best along the coast, is said to have been from one to two miles wide, as recently as 1848, and was navigable for the smaller-sized coasters until within ten or twelve years.
The anchor-shaped island which has formed to the east of Brigantine Beach is suggestive as to the direction of the prevailing forces, having the flukes thrown back parallel to the shank, and all lying in a southwest course.
The survey of 1904 also shows a material reduction in the width and direction of New Inlet, due to the extensive shoal covering the site of Grassy Channel and reaching as far as to the former Anchorage Island, thus changing the direction of the main currents through the inlet and causing the bar channels to shift.
It has filled in at points where the depth was 50 feet, so that the solid earth is above the surface and the resort known as "Sea Haven" is now laid out across a former navigable channel.
A United States Life-Saving Service station was established on the island in 1856, and was in operation until the early 1930s, when it, too, became unsafe due to erosion.
In the late nineteenth century, an attempt was made at the development of a seaside resort known as Sea Haven.
Two hotels were constructed, which enjoyed some success for several years until competition from more accessible resorts drew business away.