The Pocomoke Public Eye

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Time Machine: 100 years ago this week in Pocomoke's newspaper; 1982, 1897, 1962, 1943.

April, 1982

Salisbury Times

January, 1897

(Saxis)

Baltimore American

January, 1962

Salisbury Times

June, 1943

Democratic Messenger

tkforppe@yahoo.com

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Recollections from generations past. (Mary Duncan-2)

Transcript (continued from last week)

INTERRVIEWER: Did you have police where you lived?

MARY: No.

INTERVIEWER: How about your transportation? Was it horse and carriage?

MARY: Horse and carriage and a buggy driven by a horse.

INTERVIEWER: How about the train? Did you just ride the train to Ocean City? Did you ever go anywhere else?

MARY: The first time I rode on a train, I got on at Costen Station and was going to Pocomoke. It cost me ten cents. Well I was afraid the conductor would forget to put me off, so I kept saying to him, “Have we had gotten to Pocomoke yet.” I asked him that about three times. He said if you don’t keep quiet I’m going to put you off right in the river before we get to Pocomoke.

INTERVIEWER: How about steamboats? Did you ever go on a steamboat?

MARY: Oh yes. I used to go to Baltimore on a steamboat.

INTERVIEWER: Wasn’t that a long trip?

MARY: Overnight. I had to stay overnight on the boat.

INTERVIEWER: How about your first car? Do you remember your first car?

MARY: Do you mean when I was first married or after? When I was living as a child do you mean?

INTERVIEWER: Mm-mm

MARY: We didn’t have cars. My daddy didn’t have a car.

INTERVIEWER: You didn’t have a car until after you were married?

MARY: Uh-uh.

INTERVIEWER: What was that like? Did a lot of people have cars before that?

MARY: Not out there in the country.

INTERVIEWER: Was it a Ford?

MARY: Um-mm

INTERVIEWER: Did you ever go to Public Landing when you were young?

MARY: Oh yes. I was a chaperone for a house party down there one time.

INTERVIEWER: A lot of kids went down there didn’t they when they were younger?

MARY: Yes, this time, course I was married then, and I was chaperoning. We used to have house parties down there for (audio not clear).

INTERVIEWER: How old were you when you got married?

MARY: Twenty-one.

INTERVIEWER: Was that considered late back then? A lot of them were married when they were fourteen and sixteen.

MARY: Yea. That was late enough. I was last to be married in the area.

INTERVIEWER: How about Red Hills? Have you ever heard of Red Hills?

MARY: Oh yes. I used to go down there and go in wading.

INTERVIEWER: Was that a popular place back then?

MARY: Yes, very popular.

INTERVIEWER: How about Assateague? Did you go to Assateague?

MARY: No. I’ve been there but I hadn’t been there before I was married.

INTERVIEWER: How about Pocomoke River? Did you ever hear any stories about it when you were younger?

MARY: Oh yes. I went skating on that one time. It froze over one winter. That was in, I think it was 1912 or something like that. But it’s never been frozen over enough since then for anyone to go skating on it.

INTERVIEWER: Did you ever go swimming in it or anything?

MARY: Not in the Pocomoke River.

INTERVIEWER: How about the shipyards? Did you ever go to the shipyards?

MARY: Well Mr. Jimmy Tull had shipyards which employed quite a few people.

INTERVIEWER: Was that one of the biggest employers around here?

MARY: Uh-huh.

INTERVIEWER: How about any storms or hurricanes or anything like that?

MARY: Well, when I was child, I don’t think we had hurricanes. We had thunderstorms and all that.

INTERVIEWER: Wasn’t there a big storm that came, it’s been a while back and it really messed up Ocean City?

MARY: Hazel. That was called Hazel.

INTERVIEWER: It was before that. What kind of music did you listen to?

MARY: Piano and organ.

INTERVIEWER: Did you have a radio that you listened to?

MARY: No, not in my childhood days.

INTERVIEWER: How about any bands that played at dances or anything like that?

MARY: Well my favorite, do you have anything on there about the Pocomoke Fair?

INTERVIEWER: That’s the next question.

MARY: That was my favorite music. It was the first time I ever heard Hawaiian music and oh, it just thrilled me so, and I have liked it ever since.

INTERVIEWER: What did you do at the fair? I mean, what was it like?

MARY: Just walked around. And I used to go on the merry go round. I just loved that.

INTERVIEWER: How about, was there a lot of booths with homemade baked goods.

MARY: Yes, I went around and looked at all the food.

INTERVIEWER: Did a lot of people come from different places?

MARY: Yes. Pocomoke Fair was quite an event in those days.

INTERVIEWER: What was the population of where you lived? How many people do you think were there?

MARY: Do you mean when I lived on the farm? You see, I was raised on a farm.

INTERVIEWER: Were there a lot of houses surrounding your farm?

MARY: No. We lived there near the church and we had an uncle lived across the road from us. It wasn’t very populated very much.

INTERVIEWER: Have you lived in Pocomoke all of your life?

MARY: No. I told someone I was born and bred and wooed and won at Quinton at the same house.

INTERVIEWER: But did you move anywhere else?

MARY: Then when we were married, we moved to Baltimore and we lived there for a while, and then we moved back to Pocomoke. Then we went to Baltimore again, and in 1933 we moved back to Pocomoke from Hagerstown and I’ve been here ever since.

INTERVIEWER: Was it a big change going from Pocomoke to Baltimore?

MARY: Oh yes. I would rather live in Baltimore than anyplace I’ve ever lived.

INTERVIEWER: When you were married, what was it like when you were married? Did you have big weddings?

MARY: No, I was married at home.

INTERVIEWER: Were a lot of people married like that? At home?

MARY: Uh-huh.

INTERVIEWER: Did the church have a lot of activities or did you just go there on Sundays?

MARY: We had summer school and we used to have festivals, they called it, out at Quinton, once a year.

INTERVIEWER: What did you do at these festivals?

MARY: They just sold ice cream and cake.

INTERVIEWER: Was it anything like the Pocomoke Fair?

MARY: No.

INTERVIEWER: Just small?

MARY: Just, I don’t think that’s worth recording (laughs). I’ll be criticized for that.

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything else that you want to say?

MARY: Well you don’t even have my husband's name on there anywhere do you?

INTERVIEWER: It’s Clarence.

MARY: Uh-huh. Clarence E Duncan. We had one son, Wilson, you know him. Did you have him as a teacher?

INTERVIEWER: No, I know he taught at school.

(This series continues next Saturday with recollections of another longtime resident.)

Friday, January 31, 2025

Local bird deaths and illnesses

Worcester County Animal Control, Maryland

Reporting Guidelines for Suspicious Deaths and Illnesses in Local Birds.

The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Worcester County Animal Control have received numerous complaints regarding the suspicious death or sickness in a variety of fowl and birds in the area. The Department of Natural Resources has asked that all cases be referred as follows:

Wildlife such as buzzards, eagles, herons, Canadian/snow geese, or any other migratory bird should be reported to the USDA Animal and Plant Health and Wildlife Services at (410) 349-8055.

Any backyard poultry such as chickens, domestic ducks, domestic geese, domestic turkeys, etc. should be reported to Maryland Department of Agriculture Animal Health Program Division at (410) 841-5810.

Please do not report this to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office or Worcester County Animal Control as we are not permitted to deal with this type of issue. Please contact the USDA Wildlife Services and MDA Animal Health directly. They will be able to answer any additional questions.