TIME MACHINE... 1997, 1886, 1944, 1920, 1840, 1903.

"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 newspaper archives material)

August, 1997
The Capital (Annapolis, Md)

Salisbury dorms are now wired for Net

Salisbury (AP)-  Students at Salisbury State University will have 24-hours access to electronic mail and the Internet in their drom rooms this fall, thanks to a crew of two dozen students that wired 1,735 rooms this summer.

The $1.2 project will improve communication with professors and shorten the line outside the campus' eight computer labs, said senior Wade Laye, who was among the students who signed up to do the wiring at $7.50 an hour.

"Tension goes up and students get frustrated because everyone waits until the last minute to start their papers," Mr. Laye said.

Campus housing officials estimated last year that 40 percent of students have a personal computer, but they only had an Internet connection if they signed up with a private  provider for about $20 a month.

Salisbury State's network connection will cost $30 for the whole Fall semester. Students still must provide the hardware.

Salisbury state trimmed the cost of the project by using student labor under the supervision of PrimeNet of Baltimore.

The original project estimate was $1.6 million.

November, 1866
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) 

THE FATAL AFFRAY AT SNOW HILL.- The Snow Hili (Md.) Shield gives the particulars of the affray between two respectable citizens in that town on the evening of the 9th instant, which resulted in the death of Mr. Littleton J.
Richardson, at the hands of Mr. Jas. K. Purnell. The Shield says "the affray took place in the saloon of Mr. J. B. Kies, corner of Market and Pearl streets, shortly after the closing of the polls. It seems that some angry words had some minutes previously passed between the parties, (not of a political character, for each had voted the same ticket,) which was renewed upon a second meeting, a scuffle ensured, and  while Mr. Purnell was down upon the floor, and Mr. Richardson standing over him, the latter was shot by the former through the lungs, which proved fatal in about ten minutes.  Mr. Purnell gave himself up, and an investigation was had before Squire Russell, when he was released on $5,000 bail to answer a court, E. K. Wilson and Geo. W. Covington, Esqs., entering in one-half the amount, and the principal himself in the other. Mr. Richardson leaves a distressed wife and eight children (three of them small) to mourn him. He has two daughters married."

June, 1944 (Time Machine archive)

A Pocomoke area road construction project was one of twelve in Maryland for which Governor Herbert R. O'conor requested priority consideration from the federal government.  The project would involve relocation and rebuilding nine miles of a 24 foot lane of an ultimate dual highway on Route 13 from Pocomoke to the Virginia line.  The cost would be $665,000.  The governor's plea to the Facilities Review Board of the War Production Board stressed the urgency of the twelve projects from a safety and traffic requirements standpoint.

April, 1920
Marylander And Herald (Princess Anne)

"MIRACLE MAN" COMING

Firemen To Have Great Picture On April 26th With Vaudeville

(Excerpts)

"The Miracle Man," the greatest picture ever produced by motion picturedom, which has been causing such a great sensation in New York and elsewhere, will be shown on April 26th at the Auditorium, Princess Anne. The picture was to have been shown on April 9th, but owing to the great demand for it all over the country the date had to be postponed until the 26th.

This wonderful picture story is now being shown in the big cities for prices ranging from 75-cents to $2.50, and the price here will be 50-cents.  The firemen wanted to give the people of our town the best that money could buy, and they feel secure that they have obtained the par excellence of what the country affords.

In addition to the picture there will be five vaudeville acts by the youngsters, which should keep those happy who do not like pictures. The proceeds of the entertainment will be used to start a fund to buy an automobile fire engine of the latest improved type.

October, 1840
The Sun (Baltimore)

CAN ANY OF THE YANKEES BEAT THIS?-  The Worcester (Md.) Banner states that a pumpkin has been raised in that county, which measured seven and a half feet in circumference. Would not that make a lot of pies for thanksgiving day?


(A visitor to Chincoteague writes his observations)

August, 1903
The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)

PART 5 (continued from last week)

Swlmmlng appears to be almost natural. Everybody is as much at home in the water as on land. One of the first sights I saw when I came over from Wishart's Point in the launch that carries the mail was a dozen boys, from six to ten years old, sporting in the water near the wharf, clad in bright colored trunks of the scantiest character.

Living is expensive in Chincoteague, despite the fact that every variety of sea food is right at hand. But flour and meal, meat of every character, poultry and eggs, groceries, of course, and all fuel, have to be brought from the outside. A leadlng man here told me he believed it was possible to clear a thousand dollars a year raising eggs and poultry on the island. Very few are raised. Ducks and geese are seen much more frequently than chickens. I was struck with the small number of dogs.

Everybody knows everybody else on Chlncoteague. Perhaps not more than 5 per cent of the inhabitants were born off the island. There are said to be factions and more or less dissension among the people, but none of this was apparent to me. There was a jollity, freedom of speech and manner, and propensity to "skylark" among the men, young and old, that is not found generally. I saw a man in front of the hotel this morning knock a pipe out of the mouth of a friend with whom he had been talking and then run to escape punishment.

Chincoteaguers work hard in the oyster season. I have not seen many men at work since I have been here, and it has always been easy to find a group of six or a dozen men who are ready to talk indefinitely. And to me it is about the best talking I have heard in a long time. The quaint language,  the rich flavor of the sea in all conversation, the sailor like directness of speech, are all wonderfully pleasing, and make it hard for one to tear himself away and work. "Peculiosity" and "phenomity" are two words I have added to my vocabulary since I came to Chincoteague.

The Chincoteague people have not had the school advantages which many of them desire, yet in recent years the sons of several men have gone to college from this island, and there were Chlncoteague boys in two or three Virginia colleges last year.

(More from this article next Sunday.)

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!



"Somewhere Over The
Rainbow Bluebirds
fly.."

Flying On For JMMB.
Her Pocomoke Public
Eye postings (April,
2008 to June, 2014) 
kept us informed.

Every Sunday On The Pocomoke Public Eye..

<1800<1850<Time<1900<1950<Machine<2000<<

It's reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archive and historical archive material, primarily of local interest. 

This week we share items from  1997, 1886, 1944, 1920, 1840, and 1903.

Check back tomorrow, 11/16, right here!

MARYLAND ON PACE FOR ANOTHER LOW IN TRAFFIC FATALITIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gayle Waters

Phone Number: (410) 957-1600

MARYLAND ON PACE FOR ANOTHER LOW IN TRAFFIC FATALITIES

Enforcement of DUI and seat belt laws key to reducing highway deaths.

[Pocomoke City, Maryland]  In 2013, Maryland had a 50-year low in traffic fatalities as highway deaths fell almost nine percent from 2012. As 2014 draws to a close, highway safety and law enforcement partners are optimistic for another decrease in traffic fatalities but say it rests largely in the hands of those traveling our roadways.

“Ultimately, our drivers must do the right things,” stated Chief Kelvin Sewell. “If people choose to go out and drink, we strongly recommend that they have a designated driver or get a cab home. And of course, we want everyone using a seat belt in every seat, every time they get in a vehicle.”

From 2009 to 2013 in Maryland, 856 people were killed in impaired-related crashes, accounting for a third of all traffic fatalities across the state. In addition, almost 600 people died in crashes where they were not wearing a seat belt.

“Our law enforcement partners are out there strictly enforcing our laws, particularly when it comes to impaired driving and seat belts,” said MVA Administrator and the Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety, Milt Chaffee. “We are committed to our goal of moving Toward Zero Deaths on Maryland’s roads and a driver making the right choices means that we can stop needless and preventable tragedies from occurring.”

More than 23,000 people were arrested for DUI in Maryland last year and there were tens of thousands of seat belt citations issued. Penalties for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are severe, including thousands of dollars in fines and fees, not to mention the increased risk of crashes associated with impaired driving. Drivers also face fines of $83 for failing to wear a seat belt, a law that is enforceable in both the front and back seats.

“Our first step is to try and educate people about making the right choices but when that fails, we make arrests and issue seat belt citations to deter people from breaking the law again,” stated Chief Kelvin Sewell. “Each time someone gets behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs, it is a potential tragedy waiting to happen. Each time they drive or ride unbelted, they increase their risk of death in a crash by as much as 45 percent. Ultimately, it’s up to everyone to do their part by always driving sober and buckling up.”

# # #

Note: Maryland's Toward Zero Deaths campaign focuses on preventing impaired driving, aggressive driving, and distracted driving, while also promoting seat belt use.  For more information on the Toward Zero Deaths campaign, please visit www.towardzerodeathsmd.com.

POCOMOKE PREPARES FOR ANNUAL PARADE

POCOMOKE CITY CHRISTMAS PARADE ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 807

Pocomoke City, Maryland 21851

(410) 957-0802

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Mike Shannon (410) 726-5777

POCOMOKE PREPARES FOR ANNUAL PARADE

            On Monday night, December 1, 2014, Pocomoke City will be transformed into a “Winter Wonderland” as the town plays host to one of Delmarva’s largest nighttime Christmas parades.

            Always held on the first Monday night after Thanksgiving, the Pocomoke parade has become an Eastern Shore tradition and will attract over 100 units from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia along with thousands of spectators.

We have our web site up and running. This is where you will find the applications and rules for this year’s event. If you are interested in participating this year you should go to pocomokechristmasparade.com to register. If you have any questions you can contact Mike Shannon at 410-726-5777 and leave a message with your name, address and telephone number and type of entry.

            Each year the parade features marching bands representing high and middle schools from seven counties in three states.  Also featured will be beautifully decorated and lighted floats entered by schools, civic organizations, churches, and commercial enterprises.

            Clowns, marching units, fire departments, equestrian units, and of course Santa Claus will round out the two-hour event, slated to kick-off at 7:00 p.m. sharp.  The route will take the parade north on Market Street beginning at 14^th Street and ending at the Pocomoke River.

           

            Professional judges, including members of the National Judges Association (NJA), will score entries in many different categories.  Awards will be awarded immediately following the event to the top entries in each category.

A special thanks to the community of Pocomoke City and surrounding areas for the recent support given to us to continue this great tradition that has been a part of the town of over 40 years. 

In the event of inclement weather, the parade will be postponed until Tuesday, December 2, at 7:00 p.m.

-30-

Office of the Governor-elect
PRESS RELEASE


For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2014
Contact: Hannah Marr
hmarr@hoganforgovernor.com

O: (443) 221-4450 M: (443) 935-3684
                                              

Governor-elect Hogan to attend National Governors Association seminar in Colorado this weekend

ANNAPOLIS, MD – November 13, 2014 – Maryland governor-elect Larry Hogan will attend the National Governors Association Seminar for New Governors this weekend in Westminster, Colorado. The seminar will include governors and governors-elect from around the country.

"My team and I are excited to travel to Colorado this weekend for the Seminar for New Governors," said Governor-elect Hogan. "I am looking forward to learning as much as possible in order to make our transition as smooth as possible, and meeting with other newly elected governors from across the country."

Over the weekend, the governor-elect will attend presentations on assembling a cabinet, recruiting and staffing, budgeting, and more.

#   #   #

For more information or to request an interview, contact Hannah Marr at hmarr@hoganforgovernor.com (443) 935-3684

Web: www.hoganforgovernor.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/Hogan4Governor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChangeMaryland

Authority: Hogan-Rutherford Committee to Change Maryland, John C. Wobensmith, Treasurer.

Houses that have Vanished; By Bob Jones

Bob Jones

51 mins · Edited

Houses that have Vanished -- the Hickman Home, Greenbackville Road:
The "Hickman Home," built 1736, was undoubtedly Mattapony's finest dwelling for the two centuries it lasted. The north gable, the only part standing a decade ago, was still impressive by its towering height. Even 35 years ago, the house was sufficiently intact to make restoration feasible. Now, it will clearly never rise again. Here's hoping that this modest narrative will serve to keep its history from vanishing entirely into the chasm of Time.
I encourage readers to master the colonial meaning of the word "Mattapony." I remind you that during our first few decades (1660-1742), Worcester and Wicomico were lumped into old Somerset County, which, in turn, was divided into about nine districts that were known as "hundreds." Had I lived in thoses times, my will would have started, "I, Bob Jones, of Mattapony Hundred, do hereby . . . " Mattapony was essentially southern Worcester County, that is everything south of Ayres Lane and Castle Hill Road. North of that boundary was another "Hundred" known as Bogerternorton (Snow Hill, Berlin, and the future Ocean City). What we know as the Eighth Election District is basically old Mattapony.
The main gateway was located on the Pocomoke River, not far from Beth Eden Church Road and Route #113. Fittingly, it was referred to as Mattapony Landing. See below photo of the church that stood nearby.
For the first 100 years after settlement, most of the houses built were quite small, often only one room and a loft -- see photo in Comments. The only grand home in southern Worcester County was "Beverly" built on the Pocomoke River in c1774. In the northern part of the County, grand colonial homes would include "Genesar" (c1730) and "Radcliffe Hall" (c1750) the main dwelling on a large working plantation of 2,200 acres.
The "Hickman Farm" was originally part of a tract called "Transylvania," patented in 1676 to William Walton for 800 acres. It is located on the south side of Greenbackville Road, which runs from George Island Landing Road, at Portersville, to the town on Greenbackville. The house was set far back in the field, the lane some four tenths of a mile. I have not visited the ruins in several years -- today, there may only be rubble.
When the first settlers arrived from Accomack Co. to our area, the first land claimed was along Worcester's Chincoteague Bay and the Pocomoke River. One of the earliest land grants, for example, was effected just the previous year (1675) when Lord Baltimore granted Mt. Ephraim (2000 acres) near Public Landing, which lies outside Mattapony. So, "Transylvania" may well have been the first land grant in Mattapony Hundred.
In Part II, I will tell you about the Hickman family who lived there and give a description of the house. Below, in Comments, there are six photos to go with this account. --RFJ

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School Dumps Christmas, Easter

Editors note: I bet ya they still take the day (s) off with Holiday pay. I say if they want to remove 'American' Holidays from the Calendars and vocabulary and not recognize them then they should have to work those days.

By Todd Starnes
There’s a new battleground in the war on Christmas – the suburbs of our nation’s capital. The school board in Montgomery County, Maryland has decided to appease Muslims families by making the school calendar — religious neutral.
That’s bad news for all you Jews and Gentiles out there.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CONSERVATIVE CONVERSATION!
As of next year – all Christian and Jewish holidays will be removed from the calendar. That means no more Christmas, no more Easter and no more Yom Kippur.
There’s no word on whether the board will remove the Irish from St. Patrick’s Day or the love from St. Valentine’s Day or the trees from Arbor Day.
For years local Muslims had been urging the district to close schools for two of their holidays. Many gathered outside the school board offices holding signs like “Support Equality for Eid” and “Because…our children matter too.”
Instead, the school board opted to eliminate all religious holidays.
Board members whacked the Jesus holidays because they did not want to disrespect or be insensitive to the Muslim community.
“This seems the most equitable option,” board member Rebecca Smondrowski told the Washington Post.
If you’ve read my new book, “God Less America” - you know how well appeasement works.
The school district says kids will still be able to celebrate the holiday formerly known as Christmas and the holiday formerly known as Easter. Now — they’ll be called winter break and spring break.
Ho Ho Ho, America.

DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
Click here to get a copy of Todd’s book – “God Less America” – read about the rise of Islam in America. 

Related posts:

1. School District Rescinds ‘Easter’ Ban
2. School Bans the Word ‘Easter’
3. School Yanks Carols Featuring Santa, God & Christmas
4. NBC Editor Denounces “Religious” Part of Christmas
5. Georgia School Confiscates Christmas Cards

The Mayors Old Fashioned Christmas Evening

Official Entry Forms


Download: Chili Cook-Off Rules

Download: Chili Cook-Off Entry Form



Download: Wreath Silent Auction Rules

Download: Wreath Silent Auction Entry Form

CLICK THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE 

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview

1997.. Improved internet access for those 40% of SSU students who have personal computers on campus; 1886.. Deadly argument between two respectable Snow Hill citizens; 1944.. Governor gives priority for new highway from Pocomoke City to the Virginia line;  1920.. Firemen's fundraiser will bring "The Miracle Man" film to Princess Anne; 1840.. Worcester County's giant pumpkin; and from 1903, more of the observations of a visitor to Chincoteague.

Although you may not find all of these items in a history book, they are a part of our local history and you can read more about it this Sunday right here at The Pocomoke Public Eye.   


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!

Investigation Update

For Immediate Release

Investigative Update

On October 10, 2014 at approximately 10:00 p.m. three suspects entered the Duck-In liquor store located in Pocomoke City, Maryland. Two of the suspects were armed with small caliber handguns, the three suspects robbed the store and got away with $1,293.00 in currency.

The Pocomoke City Police Criminal Investigations Section along with a member of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team conducted the investigation which led to the three suspects being arrested and charged for the crime. 

                    1. Shyheem Pitts from Snow Hill, Maryland was arrested and charged with Armed Robbery, Robbery, Theft, 1^st and 2^nd degree Assault.

                    2.  Keyshon Hayes from Pocomoke City, Maryland was arrested and charged with Armed Robbery, Robbery, Theft, and 1^st and 2^nd

         degree assault.

                     3.  Luquan Brittingham from Pocomoke City, Maryland was arrested and charged with Armed Robbery, Robbery, Theft, and 1^st and

                           2^nd degree assault.

Further investigation also revealed that two of the three suspects, Keyshon Hayes and Luquan Brittingham were both involved in the downtown Pocomoke City burglaries. These cases were closed by arrest in August 2014.   All three of the armed robbery suspects are being held at the Worcester County Detention Center under a “No Bail” status awaiting trial.   

                                                                                                           

Kelvin D. Sewell

Chief of Police

Pocomoke City Police Department

Office of Administration

1500 Market Street

Pocomoke City, MD  21851

410 957-1600  ext. 201

410 957-4597  Fax

PocomokePD@comcast.net

TIME MACHINE ... 1900, 1971, 1890, 1880, 1954, 1903.

"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)


March, 1900
Peninsula Enterprise (Accomac Court House)

Valuable Farms For Sale

The undrsigned offers at private sale two of the most desirable farms in Worcester County.

No.1-  Is the home of the late Senator S.K. Dennis, contains about 250 acres, and is the well known "Cedar Hall Farm," is situated on the Banks of the Pocomoke River, 7 miles from Pocomoke City.  About two-thirds of this farm is under very successful cultivation, is high red clay land of superior quality, not a ditch on it or the need of one, has steamboat landing on the premises, has good pine woodland, is 4 miles from railroad station. Is improved by a large 8 room dwelling which is in good condition. This farm is especially suited for stock raising or truck farm, has large quantities of fruit of various kinds. This farm is offered for sale to settle an estate, and is worthy of the attention of anyone seeking a comfortable home where both pleasure and profit can be combined.

Price $7,000.00. Terms to suit purchaser.
(See footnote)

No.2-  Is the home of the late Thomas W. Hargis, located 3 1/2 miles from Pocomoke City, and contains 212 acres. Is improved by a very nice 8 room building, about 150 acres of the land under cultivation, balance in woodland. This farm is suitable for stock or truck raising, and must be seen to be appreciated.

Price $5,000.00. $2,000 cash, balance on long term.

For further particulars call on or address, F.H. DRYDEN, Pocomoke City, Md.  

Footnote: Based on the reference to the late Senator S.K. Dennis being a former owner of "Cedar Hall Farm," the property apparently is historic "Beverly" or "Beverly Mansion."  From Wikipedia: "Beverly is a historic home located in Pocomoke City, Worcester County, Maryland, United States. It is a 2 1⁄2-story, Georgian-style Flemish bond brick house built about 1770. The house faces the Pocomoke River. An original circular ice house survives on the property.

Beverly was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Littleton Dennis, great great grandson of John Dennis of Beverly England, died in 1774 before the house was finished but work went on and was completed by his widow Susanna Upshur Dennis and their children and their descendents lived in the house for nearly 150 years."

Beverly Mansion, 1988

April, 1971
The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pa.)

(Excerpts)

Dodger Great Furillo Bitter Over His Final Baseball Days

By Ed Nichols

Carl Furillo, remember him?

The forgotten Brooklyn Dodger hero of the past has been found.

He's installing elevator frames on the 60th floor of a 1,350-foot skyscraper, that when completed will give New York not one but two buildings taller than the longtime champ, the Empire State Building. This new big house is the Manhatten World Trade Center.

His voice over the telephone sounded most congenial, as always, but not with the same enthusiasm as during his baseball playing days.

"Don't talk baseball to me." he said. "I haven't seen a game in 11 or 12 years."

I've known Carl since he started his pro career in the late 1930's with the Pocomoke City Chicks of the Eastern Shore (D) League.

"Yes, I often think of Pocomoke," Furillo declared.  I believe my $100 a month salary was one of the highest on the team. The Pocomoke people were wonderful."

Among his Pocomoke teammates were Gene Hermanski, an outfielder, who also advanced to the Dodgers, and first baseman Ed Sudal, now a National League umpire.

Furillo identified himself as one of the better hitters in the game, winning the National League batting title in 1953 with a .344 average.

Baseball, a game which he loved and gave 20 years of his life- 15 in the major leagues- has looked past Furillo.

He left the game quite bitter, challenging his release (by) the Dodgers in 1960.  Carl insisted he was blackballed. However the years of working at obscure jobs have mellowed this old warrior.

Furillo can't help but recall the circumstances which ended his big league career. He received an unconditional release from the Dodgers in May, 1960, because, according to general manager Buzzie Bavasie, that no other major league team would claim him and that "he no longer could do the job."

Carl insists he was injured at the time and should have been put on the injured reserve list for 30 days, and paid his medical expenses for the remainder of the season.

He took his case to court and won, but has been out of baseball ever since.

That's when the blackballing charges were made. Furillo, then 38, was confident he could play two or three more years with another club, but he felt he was deprived of the chance.

He tried to contact all the other major league clubs.  "All they told me," Furillo said, " 'Sorry, our roster is filled.' If that's not blackballing, then I don't know what is. Can you blame me for being bitter about baseball? I couldn't get a job as the fourth assistant groundskeeper." 

July, 1880
Denton Journal 

Ocean City is now an encorporated town, as you will see by the placards posted about the hotels and elsewhere. Its sacred precincts are half mile long and from the ocean to the bay in width, with a 'belt' north and south of twenty miles. 

L. W. Showell and G. Stokes hold the reins of government for now. It has an organized police force which can be distinguished by a brass star which he wears over his heart, yes, one officer, he being captain, sergent and the whole force. 

May, 1954 (Time Machine archive)
(Oakland Tribune- Oakland, Ca.)

VERY CONSERVATIVE-  The residents of Somerset County, Md., will have to mark their "X" on the ballot in the same old way in the June 28 primary and the general election next fall. There will be no voting machines.  Supervisors voted against the purchase of machines for fear they would probably bring confusion to the primary.


(Route 50 travelers today are hardly aware of the little community of Vienna, since the newer bridge over the Nanticoke bypasses the town.  In earlier years an older bridge led directly through the small community.  The article below goes back to still an earlier time reflecting the Vienna of another era.)   

July, 1890
Baltimore Sun 

Vienna Connected with the World by a Railroad

Vienna, Md., July 4, 1890: Today was an important epoch in Vienna's history of a century and a half, for the old, but thriving, town was for the first time connected with the outside world by a railroad and for the first time the whistle of the passenger locomotive awakened echoes among the town. Even though the railroad is not yet complete all the way to town, visitors came by the hundreds, many crossing the Nanticoke River from the Wicomico side and sail boats brought crowds from points up and down the river. In Vienna visitors enjoyed themselves in partaking of refreshments and in outdoor sports. Notwithstanding the lack of railroad facilities which were long needed, Vienna has in late years forged ahead in business enterprises. The town, one of the oldest in the county, is surrounded by rich and fertile farm lands and for many years noted for the intelligence and hospitality of its 600 to 800 residents. It has some of the largest stores in the county. The Nanticoke River at the town is a half mile wide and the depth is sufficient for the largest sea going vessels. During the early colonies it was a great shipping point and thought at one time to become the metropolis of the state. Most of the tobacco grown in the county, the chief staple of produce in those days, was shipped from Vienna and remains of an old warehouse in the town are yet visible. Wealthy and prominent men lived in or near the town limits. John Gilmor, ancestor of that family of Baltimore, was one of the earliest merchants and it is noted he received the earliest consignments of imported goods in the state at this port. The town also has fruit packing houses and a tin can factory as well as large grist and timber mills owned by Thomas Higgins and Sons. Vienna Academy is recognized as one of the leading institutions of learning in the country. There are an abundant number of churches of nearly all denominations and there is a commodious public hall. The Nanticoke Steamboat Company furnishes transit by water to and from Baltimore and other east coast ports. Vienna will prove to be a large feeder to the railroad and forge ahead rapidly. Among the old residents of Vienna are Dr. Levin Hodson and Thomas Withers Smith. The old hotel which has stood for many years and afforded warmth and good cheer to travelers on the old stage line from Cambridge to Salisbury, will, it is thought, soon give way to a larger and more modern structure.


(A visitor to Chincoteague writes his observations)

August, 1903
The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)

PART 4 (continued from last week)

The deposits in the bank of the Banking Company of L. L. Dirickson, Jr., at Chincoteague, amounts to $99,109.74. The total resources are $160,061.74. The capital stock is 49,200. And the bank is only nine months old.

I remarked once before that everybody in Chincoteague has money. D. J. Whealton is worth perhaps $200,000, and has recently erected on the island a fine house costing a goodly sum. Joshua Whealton is worth well on towards a hundred thousand, some people say he ls worth more. Captain Rowley has a snug fortune and is making more every day. John L. Anderton, who lives across on Assateague, is worth at least fifty thousand. Captain John Bunting is "mighty well fixed" as one of his neighbors expressed it, and the same might have been said of Captain John A. M. Whealton, and a number of others. The men are "not much on clothes," as one of them said, but it would be hard to find a Virginia town where the women are so well dressed as in Chincoteague. It was apparent to the male eye that all the gowns were not of the very latest design, but they were of good quality, and were worn as though the wearers were used to dressing well.

There is at least one piano in Chincoteague, and probably more. The strains from many cottage organs may be heard in the course of a stroll down the main street.

There are three doctors on Chincoteague, and they each appear to have a fair practice. One physician told me that two-thirds of the deaths on the island, probably, were due to pulmonary troubles. Another said that in cases of what he termed dry catarrhal affections, he had known patients to be relieved by a stay here. However, the fine physical specimens one encounters here forbids the impression that Chincoteague is not a good place in which to grow men. The men down here do not conceal their manly development by too many clothes. One of the handsomest fellows  I ever saw, who carried me from his boat to the landing on Assateague, wore only shirt and trousers, and the latter were rolled to hls knees.

(More from this article next Sunday.)


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!




"Somewhere Over The
Rainbow Bluebirds
fly.."

Flying On For JMMB.
Her Pocomoke Public
Eye postings (April,
2008 to June, 2014)
kept us informed.

Every Sunday On The Pocomoke Public Eye..

<1800<1850<Time<1900<1950<Machine<2000<<

It's reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archive and historical archive material, primarily of local interest. 

This week we share items from 1900, 1971, 1890, 1880, 1954, and 1903.

Check back tomorrow, 11/9, right here!

Ghosts under the Chesapeake -- Prehistory of Delmarva, Part 3:

Bob Jones posted in Worc. Co., MD, History, Bob Jones, Coordinator

Bob Jones 9:50am Nov 6 Ghosts under the Chesapeake -- Prehistory of Delmarva, Part 3: The colossal impact-crater buried under the southern tip of Delmarva is not the only ghost lurking in the murky depths of the Chesapeake Bay. There are at least three ancient "skeletons" that had much to do with the shape of our land. In 1948, when Bay Bridge engineers in search of firm footing drilled boreholes across the Bay, they hit coarse river gravel 120 feet down, uncovering the first evidence that an ancient river valley was buried beneath the Bay. The Delmarva Peninsula used to be a much larger land mass. In fact, it was not a peninsula at all. It was high and dry. In those Olden Days, eons ago, if you had wanted to go catch some crabs at Public Landing or enjoy a meal at Greenback's Crusty Crab you would have driven 75 miles -- that's how far it was to the coast line. On the other hand, if you had wanted to drive to Crisfield, you would have driven all the way to Smith Island before arriving at water's edge -- and not salt water, but fresh . . . and not on the bay but on a river . . . the Susquehanna River, the great river at the head of the Bay that pours in nearly 50 percent of the river water entering our estuary today. In those distant times, it was not an estuary, but a river like any river flowing towards the ocean, which it did not reach until some 70 miles east of Norfolk. But at that time -- millions of years ago -- we were in a great ice age. Sea levels drop due to the removal of large volumes of water above sea level in the icecaps. These sheets of ice could be a mile or two thick. The sea level dropped 400 feet or even more, exposing the continental shelves. The weight of the ice sheets was so great that they deformed the Earth's crust and mantle. When an ice sheet melted, torrents of water would flow down river valleys to the ocean, and it was in this way that the ancient Susquehanna River got flooded and its bed got covered with the course river gravel discovered there in 1948. In those distant remote times, this ancient river did not empty into the sea at Norfolk -- it emptied at Exmore. So, Delmarva was then much shorter. As the geologic ages unfolded, glaciation alternated with warming periods, which cause sea levels to retreat, and then advance. Whenever, the sea level rose, it would bring in sand to deposit in the Exmore region, and also flood the ancient Susquehanna River valley. Later, when sea level fell, the river bed would trap gravel and sediment and get filled up. Each time this cycle reoccurred, a new Susquehanna channel would be gorged out, and each time further to the west. Why did the shift always head southward? There is an important south-flowing longshore current. Sand came sweeping down the ocean side of the Delmarva Peninsula, carried by a south-flowing longshore current. At the mouth of the Bay, the longshore current meets the tidal currents entering the Chesapeake. This confrontation causes the sand to stop, and it then builds up. The work of Robert Mixon, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey, helped put together the pieces of this Delmarva puzzle. He explains the phenomenon this way: Though the peninsula began as a short spit of land, it was a spit susceptible to great growth spurts — and great growth pauses. It grew with rising sea levels, and it paused with falling sea levels. When warm eras brought rising seas, ocean currents would pile up sand and sediment — extending the southern end of the spit. As the river at the end of the spit became an estuary, it filled up — and the Delmarva spit simply extended itself right across the flat channel. The forces of nature buried the Exmore Channel first, then it buried the Eastville Channel (150,000 years old). The Cape Charles Channel is buried under Fisherman’s Island. Each growth spurt ended in an ice age: falling sea levels drained the ocean away, terminating sand deliveries, and exposing the Delmarva as a long, low hill along the empty, dry plains of the continental shelf. In our present era, the ocean has risen so high that the "hill" we're on has the illusion of being a peninsula. Looking at the three maps, we can see how the sand deposited in the Exmore Region became an obstacle causing the mouth of the river to move southward. The three ancient channels thus shifted, emptying first into the Atlantic at Exmore, later at Eastville, and finally at Cape Charles (18,000 years old). Those towns thus sit astride the mouths of old river beds. I drew my material from various web sites, the most helpful being this one: http://www.chesapeakequarterly.net/V10N1/main/

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview

 1900.. The well known "Cedar Hall Farm" is for sale; 1971.. A Dodger great had fond memories of baseball in Pocomoke; 1890.. An Eastern Shore town's moment in history; 1880.. A police force of one in Ocean City; 1954.. It's a "no" for voting machines in Somerset County; and more of the observations of a 1903 visitor to Chincoteague. 

Although you may not find all of these items in a history book, they are a part of our local history and you can read more about it this Sunday right here at The Pocomoke Public Eye!

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!

Why would Jim Mathias make false statements about my record

Why would Jim Mathias make false statements about my record as a mayor 8 years ago? It's because he does not want you to focus on his record for the past 8 years as a legislator. Don't be fooled! The Pocomoke Mayor cannot vote, but a MD Legislator votes all the time!

 senatormcdermott.com

 What are we to do with a guy who says, "I have never raised taxes" when we see clearly that he has not told the truth? Don't cast your vote for a man who will do and say anything to keep that title in front of his name!

TIME MACHINE ... 1929, 1913, 2004, 1955, 1908, 1903.

"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 archives/historical archives material)

December, 1929
(Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune- Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)

(Excerpts)

NINE EXCURSIONISTS KILLED AS TRAIN HITS OPEN RAIL

TWENTY-FOUR INJURED AS COACHES  PILE UP IN VIRGINIA WRECK;
  
SAILOR IS HERO AT TRAGIC SCENE

Onley, Va., Dec 2- (AP)-  Salvage crews today were removing the last of the wreckage of a train that left the rails, piling up coaches with a death toll of nine persons and an injured list of twenty-four. The train was bound from Cape Charles, Va., on the Pennsylvania railroad for New York with excursionists.  

Calm orders, "save women and children first," shouted by Kail F. Chenoweth, boatswain's mate, attached to the battleship Oklahoma, probably saved scores from death in the stampede that started in an overturned third car, said A.V. Kemp of Norfolk, a survivor.  Chenoweth was injured himself.

Doctors said that Mrs. Kemp was saved from death by the sailor, who tied a handkerchief above Mrs. Kemp's half severed wrist.

Four hundred and eighty-eight passengers were speeding up the eastern shore peninsula of Virginia early Sunday when they were thrown from their seats under a shower of flying glass as the cars struck a broken rail and careened.  Two coaches were overturned and four behind smashed into them. The locomotive and the first two cars remained on the tracks.

February, 1913
Marylander And Herald (Princess Anne)

Hospital Report

The fifteenth annual report of the Peninsula General Hospital, Salisbury, for the year ending December 31st, 1912, has been submitted to the Board of Directors in pamphlet form. 

It shows that the total expense of conducting the Hospital for the year was about $17,000.00, the largest items being superintendent and nursing, $3,000.00; provisions and servants wages, $5,857.00; light and fuel, $1,500.00; medical and surgical supplies, $942.00; improvements and ordinary repairs, $4,627.00; office expenses and insurance, $1,103.00. The largest items received by the hospital were: State of Maryland, $10,000; patients, $5,992; operating room, $820; Wicomico County, $300.00; Worcester County, $150.00.

From November 1, 1911 to November 1, 1912, six hundred and fifty-eight patients were admitted to the hospital, with 21 left over from the previous year, made 679 under treatment for the year just closed. There came from the following counties: Wicomico, 282; Worcester 123; Somerset, 68; Dorchester, 2; Talbot 2, Baltimore 3; Kent, 6; Queen Anne's, 1; Delaware sent 77, Virginia 110, Pennsylvania, 3, and North Carolina, 2.

The results of treatment in the hospital were: Cured, 517; improved, 66; unimproved, 24; died, 46. Twenty-three of the deaths occurred within 24 hours of admission to the Hospital, and 7 died of senility.

Four hundred of these patients were treated free; 150 paid in part, and 139 paid in full. It will thus be seen that two-thirds of the patients were treated free.

October, 2004
The Somerset Herald (Princess Anne)

(Excerpt)

Town Manager Resigns Abruptly

Disagreement Triggers Departure

PRINCESS ANNE-  Town Manager John O'Meara resigned abruptly last week over a fallout with elected town officials over an issue that involved operations of the department that oversees housing codes and building permits.

Brenda Benton, town finance administrator, was named temporary replacement for O'Meara, who in three years became known as "a man of vision" and initiated community projects, increased the property tax base and donated his pay raises to town workers.

June, 1955
The Denton Journal (Denton, Md.)

(Excerpts)

Lolita Hall, 17, Crowned Miss Delmarva VII At Chicken Festival

Lolita Hall, 17 year-old Ocean City brunette, was crowned Miss Delmarva VII at Onancock, Va., Monday afternoon in the beauty pageant which highlighted the opening day of the annual Delmarva Chicken Festival.

Earlier in the contest she was selected as Miss Maryland and in the finals won out over Miss Delaware, Frances Vincent, blue-eyed blonde from Laurel, and Miss Virginia, Joyce Fooks, of Exmore.

Miss Hall was crowned queen by Gov. Thomas B. Stanley of Virginia, on the open air stage at the Onancock High School bowl, with close to 2,000 persons looking on.

She won a $750 scholarship and a trophy.

As soon as the crowning was over, Miss Hall had to rush back to Ocean City to attend her high school graduation exercises.

Bill Jaegger of station WJWL in Georgetown was master of ceremonies. At the start of the pageant, Mrs. Jack Pigman, of Berlin, the former Nancy McGee, who was the first Miss Delmarva, and now married, with three children, gave a short talk. 

After the judging was over the girls selected Miss Personality, with Miss Pat Kilmon of Atlantic, Va., winner.

Footnote: In later years Nancy Pigman (the Mrs. Jack Pigman mentioned above) presented the weather on WBOC-TV's "Weather Fashions" sponsored by Benjamin's apparel store in Salisbury.

August, 1908
Peninsula Enterprise (Accomac Court House)

I.H. Merrill Company clothiers in Pocomoke City is having an August sale.. "Every Garment In The Store Is Included."  

Click address below to see the big newspaper ad (note + sign at upper left above the ad to enlarge the print). 

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn94060041/1908-08-01/ed-1/seq-1/#words=[u'ACCOMAC',%20u'Accomac']&date1=1836&date2=1922&searchType=advanced&language=eng&sequence=1&lccn=sn94060041&proxdistance=5&rows=50&ortext=Accomac&proxtext=&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=22


(A visitor to Chincoteague writes his observations)

August, 1903
The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)

PART 3 (continued from last week)

As evidence of the prosperity of Chincoteague, or possibly another form of it, may be found in the number of children one sees on the street. Where two or three men and women are gathered together, there are sure to be found twice as many boys and girls. At the pony penning on Chincotague there were three hundred people at the least, and at least half the number were boys from five years to fifteen. Early marriages are the rule. There is living here now a young woman who was a grandmother at thirty-one years of age. She was a mother at thirteen. Her daughter became a mother at fourteen. The population of Chincotague was only 1,100 ln 1870, and is now over 3,000.

The people of Chincotague appear to be more generally church members then are the inhabitants of other towns. But there are five saloons here, and I did not see evidences of threatened insolvency for any of them. While drinking is more or less general, drunkeness is extremely rare. The sergeant, or constable, told me last night he had not made an arrest in a year.

The majority of the church people are probably Baptists, or have leanings in that direction. This sect has a beautiful church and parsonage on the island. There are also Protestant Methodist and Methodist Episcopal churches and parsonages.

There are three public schools in Chincoteague, including the grade school. But the schools only continue five months and a half, and I was informed that the average number of pupils to a room in the primary grade was from 75 to 110. Better school facilities are badly needed.

But Chincoteague is not an incorporated town. A few years ago Mr. S. Wilkens Matthews, member of the House from Accomac, in response to a petition signed by many of the leading men of the island, went to work and had the Legislature pass an act incorporating the island into a town. But so many of the people were opposed to the measure that a vote was taken on  it, and the charter was rejected. The act was repealed.

There are no street lights. There are no water mains.  Insurance rates run from five to six per cent.  On nearly every house, stores and dwellings, one sees over the door a tin placard bearing the name of the company in which the building is insured.  And some day there are going to be numerous policies to pay unless Chincoteague gets a charter and a water system. There is only one brick building on the island.

(More from this article next Sunday.)


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!


"Somewhere Over The
Rainbow Bluebirds
fly.."

Flying On For JMMB.
Her Pocomoke Public
Eye postings (April,
2008 to June, 2014)
kept us informed.