Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series on vintage homes on Long Beach Island, the people who are preserving them, and the stories that make them special.

This charming cottage, known as “The Salty Old Lady,” was built in 1930 and sits just over the bridge in Ship Bottom – exactly where Tess and Bill Ruttle wanted it. In 1963, Tess was sent by her husband to find a summer home on Long Beach Island.