In 1878, just three years into its infancy, Sea Grove had its first problem. It was with the Government of the United States. The feds determined that its post office that had been operating since March of 1876 wasn’t kosher. After all, the Sea Grove Association was not a government body; it was a private enterprise, operating rather independently within the Township of Lower.
Facing up to this predicament, the Association successfully petitioned the State Legislature to incorporate as a borough, independent of Lower Township. The taxpayers approved this in an April referendum. Next problem – the Postal Service objected to the name Sea Grove. Some say they thought Sea Grove’s mail would get mixed with Ocean Grove’s, since the names were so similar.