In 1816, Isaac Jenkins established the first stage line between Tuckerton and Philadelphia, making one trip a week, each trip taking two days to travel each way. John D. Thompson bought the line in 1828 and ran the stages each way in a day and carried the mail. The stages and vessels were the only public conveyances to the cities until the Tuckerton Railroad was built in 1871. What was probably New Jersey's first summer resort was on Tucker's Island offshore from Little Egg Harbor. The island sported boarding houses, private cottages, and a school. In 1848 a Lighthouse was erected there, with Eben Rider as its first light keeper. In 1869 the Little Egg Harbor Lifesaving's Station was constructed there. Also known as Sea Haven, the island contained two hotels. The island was wiped away in a storm, including its lighthouse, which fell into the sea. At the Tuckerton Seaport Museum, a re-created lighthouse has been built as well as other re-created buildings that were on Tuckers Island. In the lighthouse, there are several wall-mounted pictures showing the instant that the original lighthouse fell into the sea. The original island remains under water. The area surrounding present-day Tuckerton was part of Burlington County until 1891 when it joined with Ocean County. Tuckerton was established in March 1901. with its first Mayor being Frank R. Austin. By the turn of the 1800s, Tuckerton was home to a robust downtown area of shops, boarding houses, and hotels. Around 1800, Ebenezer Tucker built the "Union House" on the corner of Main Street & Green Street, which served as a post office, stagecoach stop, and lodge. The Union House was later known as the "Carlton House", which operated as an inn and tavern until it was destroyed by fire in 1964. The "Everett House" was built in the 1870s as a first-class temperance hotel to serve railroad passengers; the building, on Main Street between Green Street and Water Street, was demolished by the mid-20th Century. The Lakeside Hotel, situated on Main Street next to Lake Pohatcong, operated well into the 20th Century before its closure and demolition; a plaque commemorating World War I veterans on the side of the building was moved to its current site in Greenwood Cemetery. The Tuckerton Methodist Episcopal Church was originally established in 1797. In 1868, the congregation broke ground on an elaborate Colonial-style church building featuring a slate-covered steeple, forged stained glass windows, a town clock, bell, and pipe organ.