To lure people to the sea, Norfolk & Southern Railroad built the Seaside Amusement Park
in 1906. Elaborate walkways connected the railroad station with the famous Peacock Ballroom, restaurants, bathhouses, and amusement and picnic pavilions at the beach.
Initially, dancing was free at the Peacock Ball Room inside. Fashionably dressed men and women danced under a huge mirrored ball on the smooth polished floor boards. When times got tough, dancers were charged 10 cents each for admission.
The famous ballroom featured many big bands and talented musicians including Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. After a fire in 1956, Seaside Park gradually succumbed to new hotel construction. The final section of the amusement park closed in 1986.