A few colonial aristocrats visited Gravesend’s beach for the purpose of making a resort of the sea bathing as it became popular in eighteenth. Whereas, the efforts to use the island did not begin until nineteenth century. A private toll road causeway was built across the creek. It separated the island from the mainland in 1820's and made it more accessible. The supervisor on the island soon erected an inn to providing food and accommodations and promoted the tonic value of sea bathing. The original Coney Island Hotel was constructed in 1829, with The Brighton Hotel, Manhattan Beach Hotel, and Oriental Hotel opening soon after, with each trying to provide an increasing level of elegance. In 1844, the ferry service started to initiate to provide more access to the island.