Sunday, March 15, 2015

TIME MACHINE ... 1896, 1935, 1981, 1922, 1914, 1971.




"Friendliest Town On The Eastern Shore."  Our tradition runs deep.  Excerpt from a letter to the editor from a visitor to Newtown, (former name of Pocomoke City) published in the Baltimore Sun, April 28,1847.

This place (Newtown) is a pretty snug little village, containing about 500 clever and hospitable inhabitants; it has good wide streets, quite clear of that "eye sore," known mostly over the Peninsula by the name of "deep sand"; the houses, though built of frame, are generally built substantially and with some discretion and taste; there are two neat, new, and quite handsome frame churches in it; as for the merchants of the place, suffice it to state that they are very clever and hospitable.  F. Mezick, Esq., the landlord with whom I stopped, and his very obliging and jolly assistant, are richly deserving of a passing notice, for the good treatment and the extension of the many civilities to "the stranger."


(Reader-friendly viewing of news archive/historical archive material)

September, 1896
Peninsula Enterprise (Accomac Court House)

An Exchange of Shots

PRINCESS ANNE, Md., Sept. 8,-  Mr. E. D. Young, the day operator of the N.Y.P & N.R.R. at Princess Anne, and Mr. Tazewell Jones, proprietor of livery stables at this place, had a dispute yesterday over the delivery of a telegram.

During the dispute, insulting epithets were passed and this culminated in Mr. Young assaulting Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones drew a pistol and fired several shots at his antagonist to defend himself from the assault. Mr. Young also drew a pistol and fired once at Mr. Jones, but without effect.

After the affray it was found that Mr. Jones had received a flesh wound in the thigh. The bullet was probed for by Dr. Wainwright and was removed.- Balto. Sun.

Mr. Young is from this county (Accomack), son of Mr. John Young, Belle Haven, and was operator at Keller a few months ago.  


February, 1935 (Time Machine archive)
(The Denton Journal)

(Excerpts)

For the first time since 1888 the upper Chincoteague Bay which laps tidewater Worcester County between South Point, near Ocean City, and the Maryland-Virginia boundary, is a solid field of ice.  Approximately 90 square miles of the bay is frozen with ice ranging from 6 to 10 inches in thickness, which extends between the mainland and the beach peninsula.  Last week several Stockton and Girdletree fishermen walked seven miles across the ice to the beach, chatted with Coast Guards isolated at the Green Run station, and returned without mishap.  Ice skaters at Public Landing ventured miles out across the ice covered bay.  Older residents, recalling the freeze on the bay in 1888, tell tales of horse-drawn vehicles being driven over the ice from Chincoteague, Va., north to Ocean City, Md., a distance of 40 miles.


December, 1981
The Star Democrat (Easton, Md.)

(Excerpts)

Three Shore A&P stores to close

Three Eastern Shore A&P Food Stores are among 21 the super market chain is planning to close in the Maryland area in mid-January.

A&P stores are to be closed in Cambridge, Pocomoke City, and Seaford, Del.

The closings are necessary "in order to eliminate the continuing losses," and improve operating efficiencies, according to a letter W.E. Zentgraf, regional director of personnel for A&P, sent to union officials.

Managers of the three Eastern Shore stores said they could not comment on the closings.


1922..



                                                           1922 newspaper ad. 


April, 1914
The Delaware Pilot (Lewes, De.)

Boring for Oil Near Ocean City

Men who are boring for oil on the Isle of Wright, near Ocean City, which is owned by David L Levy and Morris Roos of Wilmington, have struck oil producing rock and there are many traces of oil. According to experts, oil will be struck in less than a month. Experts from the Texas oil fields have visited the island and claim the soil strata is the same as that found in Texas and Mexico oil fields. The Isle of Wright comprises 500 acres exclusive of the riparian rights, and is separated from Ocean City by a stretch of water. Some persons believe there is an oil belt stretching from Parsonsburg to Ocean City on the Eastern Shore. Boring for oil is not going on at Parsonsburg. 

January, 1971 (Time Machine archive)

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Ed Watt was scheduled to be guest speaker at a Pocomoke Little League meeting designed to generate enthusiasm among parents and eligible players.  Little League president Louis H. Kragler Jr. said plans were for eight Little League teams and four Senior League teams in Pocomoke involving 180 players for the 1971 season.  


Orioles Ed Watt



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. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!



PPE remembers JMMB.

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