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 archives/historical archives material)
December, 1888..
The Denton Journal
January, 1888..
The Star Democrat, Easton
1892 (Time Machine archive)
After President-elect Grover Cleveland made a visit to the Eastern Shore of Virginia's Hog Island for a duck hunting vacation an 1892 American Press Association article was published about the island. The following information is gleaned from that article:
Hog Island was still inhabited at that time, with twenty-one families living there. Workers were employees of the government and a sporting clubhouse named Broadwater Clubhouse, and oystermen.
"Every man and every half grown boy can sail a boat, and the people are as near amphibians as they can well be without having web feet."
"The United States government has vainly essayed to give Hog Island the more euphonious name of Broadwater, but the name Hog Island sticks and the island figures thus upon the official election returns of Virginia. Hog Island cast thirty-one votes for Mr. Cleveland and none for any other candidate. That is the usual Democratic majority of the island, and the vote is so easily counted that although the ordinary method of reaching the mainland is by open sailboat the Hog Island returns are usually among the first to come in."
"Oysters, diamond backed terrapin and water fowl of many sorts swarm about Hog Island, and its neighbors. -- There is some attempt on the part of Virginia to protect the diamond backs, but restrictions upon the pursuit of game are not popular among the islands, and terrapin are caught and eaten whenever they are fit to eat. They are never cheap, even within a few miles of their feeding grounds, and they easily fetch from fifteen dollars to twenty-five dollars a dozen at Chincoteague."
"All craft at Hog Island, as along the whole coast, are flat bottoms because of shoal water.. -- The mail is ordinarily brought over to Hog Island in an open sailboat unless the owners of the clubhouse happen to be down, when the steam yacht performs the task."
"The people of the Atlantic coast islands of Virginia are as simple and kindly as any on earth. For the most part they live generation to generation upon the islands, and the only newcomers, save on populous Chincoteague, are the government employees and the sporting stranger."
Footnote: (source: Wikipedia): Hog Island.. "is a part of the Virginia Coast Reserve of The Nature Conservancy. Starting in the mid-19th century the town of Broadwater, Virginia was located on the southern end of the island, but had to be abandoned in the 1930's when rapid beach erosion made its continued existence untenable. However, many of the houses and other buildings were floated by barge to the mainland and can be found in Willis Wharf, Virginia and Oyster, Virginia."
May, 1959
The Salisbury Times
Yacht Club Picks Joan Taylor Queen
WISHART'S POINT- The re-opening of the Wishart's Point Yacht Club took place Sunday. There was a large crowd to witness the boat parade and to see Miss Joan Taylor, Atlantic, Va., chosen "Wishart's Point Yacht Club Queen."
The runner's up were Gloria Sturgis, Pocomoke City, and Emily Rae Drummond, Hallwood. There were 15 contestants.
Many events are planned by the club for the year. The arragements committee for the colorful event yesterday were F. Reide Onley, Mrs. Rosa Conquest, Vincent Darby, LeRoy Davis, Bunny Ewell, Eddie Carroll Tull, Billy Hall and Adair Matthews.
Recalling the small tobacco shop in downtown Salisbury that, for many decades, was the Eastern Shore's music headquarters for records...
Watson's Smoke House opened in 1896 in Salisbury and remained a fixture of the downtown business district into the latter part of the 1900's. As its name implied, its first offering was tobacco products. In later years it would become what was probably the best source on the Eastern Shore for music recordings of all kinds. It also was a popular stop for its newspaper and magazine offerings and its soda fountain.
1942..
1943..
1964..
1976..
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