Echoes of the Past: Lost Places of the Seven Mile Beach
Posted January 31st 2025
By Dave Coskey
It’s become evident that the more our surroundings on Seven Mile Beach change, the more we all desire to reminisce about the places of Avalon and Stone Harbor that continue to hold treasured spaces in our memories and hearts. This is precisely why the Seven Mile Times is delving deep into its archives and will introduce a special publication this summer: Echoes of Our Past: Lost Places of the Seven Mile Beach. The project is slated for completion in July 2025.
Cover to cover, it will be filled with classic photographs from days gone by in both towns.
“We’ve heard from so many of our readers over the years that people love to see the places that have held a special place in their hearts for so long,” says Seven Mile Times publisher Monica Coskey. “We’re including photographs from across many, many decades. Some photos are intended to give readers a glimpse of what the island was like in its earliest days. And there will be other photos to help readers recall their days as a youngster or teen on the Seven Mile Beach.”
The new publication is being compiled by Dave Coskey, a longtime Seven Mile Beach historical enthusiast and author of the book Faces and Places from Avalon’s Past in 2001, now in its third printing.
Seven Mile Publishing is engaged in a meticulous restoration project intended to bring new life to photographs that have long since faded. “We’re digging deep into our archives, which we’ve maintained for over 40 years,” Monica Coskey notes. “And we’re constantly expanding our collection through new submissions.”
What are some of the special memories that you have? Perhaps the days when the baby parade was one of the social highlights of the summer. How about dances or a movie at the old Avalon Pier? Neither would be complete without stopping off at Charlie’s, or a couple games of Pokerino before or after. Did you ever knock down the pins at Harbor Bowl? Both towns once welcomed visitors with larger-than-life signs: Avalon was Cooler by a Mile, while Stone Harbor was The Seashore at Its Best. And if these random memories have whetted your appetite, you’ll relish seeing photos of Tridi-Jo’s and Tortilla Flats once again.
Some photographs will take you back to when horses and wagons were used to move mountainous sand dunes for development. And the days when beach blocks of real estate went undeveloped with wildflower growth for as far as the eye could see.
Lost Places from the Seven Mile Beach will make a great gift for anyone with special memories of our unique island or the perfect complement to your beach house coffee table. It will to available to purchase at multiple retail locations in both Avalon and Stone Harbor as well as by mail from Seven Mile Publishing.
“There’s no question that Lost Places will have something special for just about everyone,” Coskey says, “regardless of which part of the island, or when your memories are from.”
Click here for more photos |
