February, 1886
(The Daily Sentinel- Fort Wayne, Indiana)
A Maryland fisherman tells an expensive story of his experience with a sturgeon he caught in the Pocomoke. He called upon a friend to assist him in getting the fish into the boat, but the friend, being afraid of it, left him to manage as best he could. Being afraid of losing his prize, he sprang upon the back of the fish, caught it be the gills to keep its head out of the water, and with kicks and yells road it ashore.
April, 1901
(The Denton Journal)
Here's a fish story from Worcester: At Purnell's Mill pond, about a mile above Snow Hill, herring were so plentiful forty years ago that William K. Ronley, while waiting for his grist at the old mill that then stood there, caught a horse-cart load with a little dip net, and then had to wait for his grist; and the mill was a fast grinder and the miller active.
June, 1901
(The Denton Journal)
Herring are swarming in Purnell's Creek, a branch of the Pocomoke river, just above Snow Hill. The like has not been seen for many years. Charles Timmons, 15 years-old, Monday morning caught 2,000, and many others were almost as successful. All that has to be done is get any kind of a net with a pole to it and scoop them up. Apparently there are millions of them.
May, 1884
(The New York Times)
A SEAL ASTRAY IN SOUTHERN WATERS
From The Pocomoke (Md.) Times
Levin Benson, of the Pitts Creek neighborhood, while out fishing on Monday succeeded in capturing what he considered a very singular kind of fish. As he floated down the river, holding his net and patiently waiting for the signal that told him a stray shad had wondered into its folds, he felt such a tug upon it as made him haul in his net, and his first view of its contents caused him to think, as he says, that he had caught the devil. But, as he had become entangled in his net and ruined a greater part of it he was determined to have revenge, and attacked him with a sturgeon-hook, and, after a hard fought contest, came off victorious. The animal proved to be a very beautiful seal. How it came in our river is a mystery. Its body gave evidence of being shot before its capture.
December, 1891
(The Denton Journal)
A whale recently stranded on the beach of Worcester County, measured 26 1/2 feet in length, 4 feet across the mouth, 18 feet girth.
March, 1939
(Democratic Messenger- Snow Hill)
*WAY BACK WHEN: Ocean City folks were younger, a mountain sized iceberg, towering hundreds of feet in the air, blew its chilly breath over the Maryland Seashore resort. Records show that on June 7, 1899 with the temperature above 90 degrees, a giant iceberg loomed into sight three miles offshore Ocean City in the Atlantic Ocean. The iceberg remained in sight for several hours as it slowly floated southward and its proximity to shore caused the temperature at Ocean City to drop below the 60 degree mark.
*Source: web page author George E. Richardson III, quoting item in March 16, 1939 edition.
August, 1936
Announcement was made of a $21,082 federal Public Works Administration grant to Pocomoke City to go towards construction of a municipal building and for completion of a school construction program. $16,850 was allotted for the two-story municipal building with two one-story wings and a basement. The building was to be designed to take care of all of Pocomoke City's municipal functions. The basement was to have a boiler room with concrete slabs overhead which were to serve as the floor for jail cells. Announcement of the funding came from First District Congressman T. Alan Goldsborough.
Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? It can be just a line or two or more if you wish. Your name won't be used unless you ask that it be. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!
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