The Pocomoke Public Eye

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Time Machine: 1903, circa 1940, 1905, 1921, 2004.

March, 1903

The Baltimore Sun

Circa 1940

(Via internet, source unknown)

April, 1905

Peninsula Enterprise

PPE Footnote: Bloomtown was located in north central Accomack County and was renamed Makemie Park in 1908.

(Reader comment)

Anonymous said...

Bloomtown almost certainly was in northern Accomack County but it being in Makemie Park is doubtful as a steamer from there to Chincoteague would be a journey of at least 24 hours because the distance by water is about 150 miles.

tk for PPE says: I'll see if I can retrace my info source. Could there have been more than one Makemie Park?

tk for PPE says: Reader Comment raises a puzzling question about the time schedule presented in the Ad. The source I used for Bloomtown/Makemie Park was from GHOTES Eastern Shore Gazetteer Eastern Shore (esva.net)

"Makemie Park - a small community in north central part of county, n of Hallwood and w of Temperanceville; post office established here as Bloomtown in 1892 and renamed as Makemie Park in 1908; post office discontinued 1935"

(Reader comment)

Anonymous said...

Mystery solved. I had mistakenly assumed Harry White was offering boat service from his hotel to Chincoteague when he was offering transportation that *included* boat service along with carriage service.

We know Makemie Park (Bloomtown) was situated on the main line of the NYP&N Railroad and it was about 5 miles from there to Wisharts Point or about 1 1/2 to 2 hours by horse and carriage. We know the distance from Wisharts Point to Chincoteague via Four Mouths is about 8 miles or a little over an hour by steamers in that time. We also know Mr. White was advertising travel times between Bloomtown and Chincoteague to be 3 to 4 hours so the ad makes sense.

What I find curious was that there was already established service to Chincoteague via Franklin City; train to Franklin City and barge or other boat to Chincoteague. I know all freight into and out of Chincoteague went by this route, perhaps Mr. White was just trying to compete on passenger traffic and fill his hotel at the same time.

tk for PPE says: Ah ha! Thank you. While I go meandering here and there down bunny trails our reader's knowledge of the subject matter makes sense of it all. By the way wasn't "Knowledge is power" the motto displayed in the old (Market Street) Pocomoke High School auditorium?

June, 1921 (See enlargements beneath ad)

Worcester Democrat

PPE Footnote: Here's a present day potato harvester:

May, 2004

Friday, June 11, 2021

Retired Major General to head Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops

(shoredailynews.com)

Governor Northam held a virtual press conference Thursday to announce the selection of retired Major General Ted Mercer Jr. to be the new head of the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island. Mercer will take the place of Dale Nash who is retiring effective August 1.

Hear Major General's audio comment accompanying full article:

Retired Gen. Ted Mercer Jr. to become CEO and Executive Director of the MARS facility August 1 - Shore Daily News

Time Machine Preview

This Sunday here at The Pocomoke Public Eye:

1903 ..

Circa 1940 .. You most surely know the name that goes with the rest of this picture from Ocean City.

1905 .. Heard of Bloomtown in Accomack County? Ad will tell you about a newly renovated hotel there 116 years ago.

1921 .. Ad tells you a lot about this piece of equipment that was new to the Eastern Shore farm scene a century ago.

2004 .. Editorial- James Barrett's name was practically a household word among Worcester County residents.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

"BLACK EYED SUSAN FINALLY PADDLING HOME"

By Jack Chavez

(June 10, 2021) The Black Eyed Susan riverboat’s long and arduous journey to Snow Hill will conclude this weekend.

Tomorrow or Saturday, the riverboat will pull into Snow Hill after spending the last few months in Salisbury at the Murtech Marine to undergo various upgrades and repairs.

“We added things that didn’t get completed (earlier in the process),” former Snow Hill Town Manager Gary Weber said. “There were several things that we didn’t have planned but got taken care of. It’s an ordeal to go long distances — the boat moves very slow. In addition to the recommended repairs, we put in all new plexiglass on the second level, painted the floor, got rid of the old nasty peel-and-stick carpet. They painted it and got the floors done.”

Weber left his position with the town this week.

All this occurred after the town sweated it out with Leonardtown to even purchase the boat in 2020.

Weber said it’ll be nice for himself and all those involved with seeing the project through to have the opportunity to enjoy the final product.

“There have been a lot of people involved in getting the boat to Snow Hill and Worcester County,” Weber said. “There will be an event to include anyone who’s helped get the boat here.”

Weber also dispelled some rumors about why boat repairs were taking so long and that the project was doomed — claims from the boat being too tall to pass under fixed bridges and an inability to turn in the open water among them.

“The paddlewheel is not fixed. It’s separated, just like a regular boat with twin screws,” Weber said. “There has been a lot of (criticism) online and on Facebook that isn’t accurate. It’ll be nice to take a ride on the boat myself. (After enduring all of that) I think I deserve it.”

The 111-foot paddlewheel boat itself is nearly 33 feet tall, Weber added, with the lowest bridge it’d have to pass under being 35 feet tall.

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Pocomoke City Day at Furnace Town

Sunday, June 13

10:00AM to 4:00PM

Furnace Town Historic Site

Join us as we celebrate the community of Pocomoke City!

This is the third in a series of events celebrating our neighbors, local towns. There will be musical performances by local musicians, games, and fun activities for the kids, and the opportunity to tour Furnace Town.

1/2 price admission for Pocomoke residents.

Bring a picnic and enjoy the day.

Hope to see you there!

Music by:

Mercy For The Mockingbird

Admission prices: Adults $8.00. Seniors, Military and AAA $6.00 and Children (5-17 years) $4.00.

Take Old Furnace Road off of Rt. 12 near Snow Hill.

Furnace Town Historic Site

Sunday, June 6, 2021

Time Machine: 1954, 2008, 1942, 1953, 1980.

(Local history of a kind not found in a history book is captured in recollections by a Somerset County native who was in his early 80's when he wrote this article in 1954.)

May, 1954

The Morning News (Wilmington)

(PPE reader comment)

Anonymous said...

My grandfather attended McMaster one-room school on what is now Brantley Road. He often told the story of the day the local superintendent came to visit. While the superintendent was visiting with the teacher some of the boys snuck outside to inspect his Model T Ford which was something not seen much in those parts.

My grandfather had been squirrel hunting before school that morning and still had a 12 gauge shell in his pocket. He managed to unscrew one of the spark plugs and poured some of the gunpowder into the cylinder and replaced the spark plug.

The superintendent eventually ended his visit and climbed into his horseless carriage. When he stepped on the starter button (there was no such thing as car keys at that time) the engine exploded and blew the engine cover up into a nearby pine tree. Much confusion ensued and eventually Ford Motor Company was contacted and, because nothing like this had ever happened before, they sent a team of mechanics and engineers to see what had happened. The team never solved the mystery but it did result in Ford replacing the superintendent's Model T with a brand new one.

tk for PPE says: Thanks so much to the reader who submitted the above comment!

Please contact me if you might have other recollections we can share.

tkforppe@yahoo.com

December, 2008

(The big screen at the Mar-Va Theater in Pocomoke City will light up for the first time since 1996 with a showing of "The Polar Express" Saturday.)

Daily Times (Salisbury)

July, 1942 (see enlarged text beneath ad)

Worcester Democrat

August, 1953

Salisbury Times

June, 1980

Friday, June 4, 2021

Time Machine Preview

This Sunday here at The Pocomoke Public Eye:

1954 .. Local history as real as it gets is captured in the writings of a Somerset County native who spoke about his school days that began in 1879.

2008 .. Back after a long absence..