Free Concert in Cypress Park!

Looking ahead to after the Memorial Day Weekend, mark your calendar for this Pocomoke City entertainment event..

The City of Pocomoke kicks off their Concert in the Park summer series with the Blue Crab Crossing Bluegrass Band on May 28, 2015 at 6:30pm under the Cypress Park Pavilion in Pocomoke City, Maryland.

Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy this free performance with a beautiful view of the scenic Pocomoke River. Bleacher seating is also available. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

For more information and a calendar of events please visit downtownpocomoke.com or call 410-957-1333.

Furnace Town UPCOMING EVENTS! SAVE THE DATE!!

Strawberry Day This Sunday!!! Doors will open at 12:00pm and general admission prices will apply. Furnace Town Members are FREE!!
Tickets sales will begin at 1:00pm for strawberry tastings. Items to taste include but not limited to Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Strawberry Salsa, & even Strawberry Lemonade!
If baking is one of your skills and you have a dessert you would like to share, enter our contest! No cream fillings or cheesecakes allowed. Each dessert must feature strawberries and should be accompanied by two (2) copies of the recipe. Desserts will be accepted from 11:00am – 12:30pm

Saturday, July 6th
Kick off the upcoming summer at Furnace Town, June 6, 2015 for a Gospel Day Jamboree!
Furnace Town village is a great place for friends; family, fellowship, and fun so save the date and spread the word! Furnace Town artisans will also be on site and The Paul Leifer Nature Trail is open!
Beginning at 1:00pm the day will feature uplifting gospel from God’s Country Crossroads, Brittany Lewis, and Triple Praise.
Light refreshments will be available for purchase. Don't forget your lawn chairs!
General Admission price $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for seniors, $4.00 for children, and Furnace Town members are Free.

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.

1940.. The story you may not know behind the first public performance of God Bless America, plus film and audio of that performance by a legendary singer of the era;  1932.. Memorial Day monument dedication in Snow Hill;  1943.. Ad suggests how American housewives could aid the war effort with a by-product from their kitchens;  1953.. a treasure in old coins found along Accomack County road construction site.

It's 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!

PRESS RELEASE

From:   The Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County

Date:    May 18, 2015

RE:       Two Sexual Predators Found Guilty

            SNOW HILL – On May 13, 2015, Daniel Brynan Kerstetter, age 56, of Berlin, Maryland was found guilty after a jury trial of 28 counts of Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography. Mr. Kerstetter was sentenced to 10 years with all but 5 suspended in the Department of Corrections. 

               

                That same day, Gregory James Carr, age 41 of Ocean City, Maryland was also found guilty after a trial in the Circuit Court before the Honorable Thomas C. Groton, III of secretly recording his girlfriend’s minor child as the juvenile used the bathroom in his house. His bond was revoked pending a pre-sentence investigation. Mr. Carr’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled, but he will be required to register as a Tier I Sex Offender for the next fifteen years since the victim was under the age of 18.

               In the case against Mr. Kerstetter, members of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with The Department of Homeland Security and The Worcester County Criminal Bureau of Investigation executed a search and seizure warrant at the residence of Mr. Kerstetter following an online investigation. At his home multiple hard drives and computers were recovered with images and videos depicting minors involved in sexual acts. Judge Richard R. Bloxom of the Circuit Court for Worcester County described the images as “probably the most revolting images I have ever seen”.

                State’s Attorney for Worcester County Beau Oglesby stated “In no corner of our community will these types of detestable individuals be allowed to corrupt and victimize the most vulnerable among us. Let these cases, and the many like it that we prosecute be a reminder to those who may think that their computer screens and secret cell phone recorders keep them anonymous – you’re not, and we’re watching.”

                State’s Attorney Oglesby continued, “These victories are testament to the outstanding and tireless efforts of law enforcement.” He then offered congratulations to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, The Department of Homeland Security, The Page County Virginia Sheriff’s Office, The Child Advocacy Center and Assistant State’s Attorney Diane Cuilhe.

TIME MACHINE ... 2002, 1974, 1654, 2004, 1852, 1992.

"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)


May, 2002
 Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, Pa.)

            

June, 1974 (excerpt)
Daily Times (Salisbury)

  


October, 1654

Maryland State Archives (Original Spellings)


Assembly Proceedings, October 1654

Stealing of Indians

Whatsoever person or persons that shall steale any friend Indian or Indians whatsoever or be accessary in Stealing them and shall sell him or them or transport them out of the County shall be punished with death, and if any shall intice 'pswade or attempt the stealing or Selling of any friend Indian or Indians shall be Censured according as the Court shall think fitt, and if any shall make Information thereof he shall be satisfied out of the Estate of the offendor as the Court shall think fitting.



April, 2004
Somerset Herald (Princess Anne)

(Excerpt)

Tyler is '04 Teacher of the Year

Marion Sarah Peyton teacher picked from eight nominees 

PRINCESS ANNE-  April Tyler, who started her career 14 years ago in Maryland's last one-room school house, was named Somerset County's Teacher of the Year at an awards banquet last week.

Tyler was also named Elementary Teacher of the Year.

For six years Tyler was the teacher for students in kindergarten through sixth grade at the tiny, one room school at Tylerton on Smith Island. After it was closed by the Board Of Education eight years ago, Tyler at Woodson Middle School in Crisfield for six years.

For the past two years she has been a math and language arts teacher at Marion Sarah Peyton school.



July, 1852  
The Sun (Baltimore)

1992 technology.. here's how you could listen to a CD in your car!

 FOOTNOTE: Years earlier, when audio cassette tapes were becoming popular a similar method was used to play the cassettes through your car's radio.  In the mid/late 1960's and early 1970's when most vehicles still had only AM radios, FM converter boxes were becoming available. In the mid 1930's the luxury of adding a radio to your vehicle was being promoted.-tk

                                                              (1937)


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

PROCLAMATION Chief Kelvin D. Sewell of Pocomoke City, Maryland

WHEREAS, the safety and security of the citizens of Pocomoke City, Maryland and surrounding areas are vitally important; and

WHEREAS, a large percentage of our citizens regularly drive or ride in motor vehicles on our roadways; and
WHEREAS, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 12,174 lives in 2012; and
WHEREAS, regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes;
WHEREAS, the use of seat belts is supported by the laws of Maryland;
WHEREAS, May 18 through May 31, 2015, has been selected as the national Click It or Ticket mobilization enforcement period;
WHEREAS, across the country law enforcement officers will actively be participating in the mobilization to ensure all motor vehicle occupants are buckled up day and night to reduce the risk of injury and death caused in traffic crashes;
AND WHEREAS, increased enforcement of seat belt laws coupled with publicity has proven to be an effective method to increase seat belt use rates and decrease fatal crashes;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chief Kelvin D. Sewell, Pocomoke City Police Department, do hereby proclaim and announce May 18 to May 31, 2015, as the Click It or Ticket Mobilization in Maryland, for Pocomoke City, Worcester County, Maryland, and urge all citizens to always wear seat belts when driving or riding on our roadways.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand on behalf of the Pocomoke City Police Department.
Chief Kelvin D. Sewell
Pocomoke City Police Department
15 May 2015

FLAGS FOR HEROES

The Pocomoke City Rotary Club is sponsoring "Flags 

for Heroes" to honor those heroes who have served in 

the military, local law enforcement, fire and rescue,

health care, teaching or any individuals who have made 

a difference in the lives of others in our community. 

With a donation of $50.00, a flag will be displayed in 

honor of your hero in a prominent location in town 


Proceeds will go to support our local veteran's 

charities, Pocomoke fire, rescue & police departments. 

For further information, contact Tom Moskios, Rotary

Vice President, at 443-437-7111.

Downtown Pocomoke hosts 4th Friday Art Stroll

For Immediate Release

May 14, 2015

Pocomoke City –

On Friday, May 22, 2015, the Downtown Pocomoke Association and the City of Pocomoke will host their monthly Fourth Friday Art Stroll in Downtown Pocomoke, beginning at 5:00pm and ending at 8:00pm. The event will be held within the two blocks of Market Street between Front Street and Second Street for a block party style event.

Local artists and craftsmen will fill the sidewalks of Downtown Pocomoke City to sell their art, including; paintings, photography, jewelry, home decor, fabric art, soaps and much more! Local retail stores are encouraged to stay open until 8:00pm.

Visitors of the Art Stroll will enjoy live music from Aaron Rohrer.

Refreshments will be available for purchase.

There’s fun for the kids too, including a moon bounce, face-painting, cornhole, sidewalk chalk art at the Sturgis One Room School, and wildlife presentations from the Delmarva Discovery Center. Local museums will offer free admission during Art Stroll hours.

The American Cancer Society Jail and Bail event benefiting Pocomoke City’s 15th Annual Relay for Life will take place during the Art Stroll. Each Jailee is asked to raise $300 and the proceeds will go directly to their designated team and benefit cancer research nationwide.

An after-stroll party will be held at Riverside Grill with $5.00 orange and lime crushes, specials on house wines and live music from 9:00pm to close.

For more information or to register as an artist, please visit downtownpocomoke.com or our Facebook pages “4^th Friday” and “City of Pocomoke”.

In the event of rain the Art Stroll will be cancelled and will resume the following month.

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.

2002.. May storms hit Worcester County, tornado confirmed; 1974.. Pocomoke City girl is crowned Miss Delmarva; 1654.. New Maryland law will deal harshest of penalties for stealing of Indians; 2004.. Somerset County's teacher of the year is named; 1852.. Worcester County real estate transactions of note; 1992 technology- here's how you can listen to a CD in your car!

It's 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!

TIME MACHINE ... 1892, 1891, 1975, 1884, 1976, 1950's.

"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)


May, 1892
The Sun (Baltimore)

Ocean City Making Ready for Season

A large force of mechanics and laborers is being employed getting things ready for the season at Ocean City. Snow Hill has lately been lighted by electricity in its streets, churches and public buildings, also many of the private dwellings. It is expected that the same illuminating agency will become general this season at Ocean City. Arrangements have been made to light the leading hotels and the beach. There will be a change to the railroad track by which cars will run to the beach for the convenience of excursionists. Carpenters, painters and other workmen are busy engaged making improvements in some of the hotels to increase the comfort of the guest. One is the plentiful supply of fresh water for cooking and drinking which will be brought from the mainland by pipes. Sewerage disposal is being seriously considered. Rapid transit would be another item for consideration. 

Footnote:

Ocean City's popularity increased rapidly from it's beginning in the mid 1870's.  It experienced a real estate boom in the early 1890's following the 1890 opening of the Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad's route into Ocean City.



 March, 1891 

                                                                           The Sun, (New York)

March, 1975
The Daily Times (Salisbury)

(Excerpt)

Snow Hill's Young Men Forming Jaycees Chapter

SNOW HILL - The Snow Hill Jaycees, after being disbanded for a year and a half, is a reality once again, complete with new faces and new ideas. Twenty young men from the Snow Hill area have organized the chapter which will be officially chartered in ceremonies later this month.

The moving force behind the reorganization of the Jaycees here has been James Feeney, a member of the old Jaycees chapter, serving his first term as mayor of Snow Hill. The last few weeks have found mayor Feeney frequenting the town's various businesses and other establishments, often until last at night, persuading  prospective Jaycees of the potential of the chapter.

The original Jaycee chapter disbanded, he said, because most of its members had reached the 35-year-old member's age limit.    


May, 1884 (Time Machine archive)
The Denton Journal

(Excerpts)

A Philadelphia correspondent of the Marylander, published at Princess Anne, Somerset County, has found in an old geography some interesting descriptions of Eastern Shore towns as they were in 1800.

(Lower Eastern Shore towns described)

Snow Hill is a port of entry.  It is situated on the east side of the Pocomoke River, and is built upon a remarkable sand hill, as white as snow.  The tide rises about two feet and a half; the river opposite the town is ten feet deep.  The town contains about 70 houses, principally old low wooden buildings.  It has a court house, a jail, a Presbyterian and an Episcopal Church.  A bridge is built over the river, which is here about 10 yards wide.  Snow Hill was established in 1686.  The lands for miles around are sandy and barren.

Salisbury contains about 35 houses and an Episcopal Church, and was established in 1732.  The inhabitants trade with Baltimore, in lumber, which is conveyed down the river about three miles in flat-bottomed boats, where it is received by larger vessels.

Princess Anne, a post town, and the seat of justice for Somerset County.  It is situated at the head of the Manokin River, 15 miles from its entrance into Pocomoke Sound, and contains about 40 dwellings and an elegant Episcopal Church.  A bridge is built over the river.  Near the west end of the bridge is a Presbyterian Church.  Princess Anne was established in 1732, and is 153 miles from Washington city. 

Of Deal's Island the book has the following account: "Devil's Island is about four miles long and one and three-quarter miles broad, containing 2,800 acres. Demiquarter is a small island contiguous to Devil's Island.  Both islands consist mostly of marsh, not withstanding they have several families living on them."

Footnote:  In 1800 Newtown was just a very small settlement along the river in the area that is present day Pocomoke City, however growth was on the horizon. Norma Miles and Robin Chandler-Miles write in their book Images of America Pocomoke City  "By 1809, nine lots had been sold, and by 1820, more than 150 people were living in the area in 28 dwellings and supporting seven or eight small businesses."  The 1800 geography listed Cambridge as having about 50 houses and 100 residents, and Easton about 200 dwellings and 1,000 inhabitants.

1976..  Some of the Mother's Day dining choices for mom.  
(The Daily Times, Salisbury)

From the 1950's its a TV commercial for the big new Studebaker line.

See it at this link, including more vintage Studebaker commercials:

http://archive.org/details/dmbb08710

(Courtesy of Duke University Libraries Digital Collections)


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.

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview

1892.. Ocean City is preparing for a new season and electric lighting there is seen increasing; 1891.. An amazing discovery in a Worcester County swamp; 1975.. Young men bringing back a Jaycee Chapter to Snow Hill; 1884.. Descriptions found of Eastern Shore towns as they existed in 1800; 1976.. Some Mother's Day dining choices for mom.

What's this?

It's a Studebaker.  See a 1950's TV commercial for the Studebaker line.

It's 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! 

TIME MACHINE ... 1997, 1890, 1961, 1947, 1977, 1886.

"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)



October, 1997

(Excerpts) Hazelton Standard (Hazelton, Pa.)

July, 1890
Opelousus Courier (Opelousus, Louisiana)   

An Oyster City on Piles. 

A curious place is Franklin City, Accomac, Va. It is situated on the marshy bit of land at the extreme northeast corner of the State. The bay adjoining is rich in oyster beds, and the city, which forms the terminus of a branch railroad line, consists of fifty buildings, every one of which is occupied by those who make their living in some way directly or indirectly out of the bivalves. Every house is built on piles, three or four feet above the surface of the ground. Elevated board walks run from house to house. There are two avenues and two side streets, ungraded, of course. The only solid ground anywhere is composed of empty oyster shells. These form the entire ballasting of the railroad line. There are no sewers or drains, but whenever a southeast gale rages the sea sweeps up under the city and washes all refuse away. To obtain fresh water, wells have been driven in the salt bay itself, and sweet water is drawn from sixty feet below the surface. All the heads of houses are well off, making good incomes out of the oysters.  The people are generally a handsome, sturdy lot, both men and women.  The waters of the bay and the adjoining creeks, at certain times of the year, swarm with wildfowl, and the fishing is superb.- New York Sun.


May, 1961  
The Daily Mail (Hagerstown, Md.)

BINGO?

SNOW HILL, Md. (AP)- Worcester County residents will vote Tuesday on whether to legalize bingo for non-profit organizations. The referendum may vote it in by districts or countywide.

City firemen, the city council and the American Legion have endured the measure in Ocean City. Elsewhere in the county there has not been much interest in the proposal.  


April, 1947
Marylander And Herald (Princess Anne)

(Excerpts)

NEW PARKING REGULATIONS START APR. 21

Princess Anne's new parking regulations will go into effect on
April 21, according to an  ordinance published in another section of this newspaper. 

The new ordinance calls for parallel parking in the business section of Princess Anne, without any time limit. Parking will be permitted on one side of the street only on Washington Street, from Main to Church Street and on Antioch Avenue from Main to the Railroad tracks

The ordinance provides for the marking with red paint the curbs at different places in the town's busiest section where parking will be prohibited at all times. 

Provisions are made that a person guilty of parking violations shall be fined not less than $1.00 or more than $5.00 for each offence.  


July, 1977

Bob Frostrom of Pocomoke City drove his Porsche Carrera to victory in the "production" sports racing event at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia in the Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series. 


May, 1886

(Come to Pocomoke)

Peninsula Enterprise

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.

A reminder that our POCOMOKE CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE events schedule is always just a click away.  

http://pocomoke.chambermaster.com/events

Check regularly so you don't miss out on activities that may be of interest to you!

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.

1997.. When the swallows come back to Delmarva;  1890.. Franklin City, "a curious place;" 1961.. Legalized bingo in Worcester County?; 1947.. New parking regulations in Princess Anne; 1977.. Pocomoke City driver wins regional road racing event; 1886.. Ad- come to Pocomoke for spring shopping. 

It's 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!

IT'S ON ITS WAY!

The Worcester County Department Of Recreation and parks has a new page to keep you informed of activities for this Spring and Summer and year-round!

Save this address and check back from time to time to see upcoming activities right here in our own backyard. 

http://www.worcesterrecandparks.org/

TIME MACHINE ... Late 1950's, Late 1800's, 1922, 1944, 1963, 1913.

"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)


2011
(Courtesy UMES 125th Anniversary archive page)

 

When rock-n-roll music was in its infancy, Maryland State College students would tune their radios north to a Salisbury AM station in the late 1950s to hear the Big Nyack spin chart-topping platters à la Wolfman Jack.

The Wolfman became a pop music and cultural icon, and “Nyack,” as it turns out, did A-OK, too.

Lower Delmarva's DJ was Maryland State student Roger Brown, who went on to renown in professional football, where he’s in that sport’s unofficial nickname hall-of-fame as a member of the “Fearsome Foursome.”

Before Brown, a 300-pound defensive lineman with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, terrorized legendary quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr on the gridiron, he was something of an airways entrepreneur.

The industrial arts major grew up in the Village of Nyack 20 miles north of New York City, where the new-fangled sound on radio during the “Happy Days” era enthralled him.

Before there was WESM, the National Public Radio affiliate on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus, an unauthorized radio broadcast emanated from Princess Anne. And Brown had a hand in it.

Brown and several enterprising classmates built their own transmitter using scavenged parts from a broken-down Rock-Ola juke box and bought new equipment from a fledgling mail-order outfit called RadioShack.

“I like to tell people now I majored in communications because that’s really what I did” as a college student, he said.

Brown estimates the signal could be heard within a mile radius of campus.

It wasn't on the air long. Nervous that the federal government might object to the institution being the host site of an unlicensed broadcast operation, college officials shut it down.

That didn’t discourage Brown, however. He found other outlets for his interest in music.

Using a pseudonym incorporating the name of his hometown, the Big Nyack latched on as a disc jockey at WICO AM, and then moved to a new station, WJDY, that played popular songs of the era.

When Brown arrived at Maryland State as a freshman in 1956, he remembers the school had about 250 students.

A favorite off-campus hangout was a juke joint called the Moon Glow, where he entertained patrons by spinning records. He also said he played clubs just up the road in Salisbury.

“It was a way to make a little spending money back then,” Brown said. “It sure was fun.”

Brown would go on to a stellar career as a professional athlete after graduating in 1960. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, he retired following the 1969 season and became a successful restaurateur.

One of UMES’ most visible and popular alumni, Brown is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

-- BILL ROBINSON


Circa 1890's
"The Pocomoke River" by Charles C. Kensey (1967)

(Excerpt)

THE BANKS

During my boyhood (late 1800's) there were three sand banks on the river within three miles of Snow Hill, known as First and Second Sand Banks, the third one down river was known s the Sugar Loaf due to its conical shape.  The Banks were often used by swimming parties as places to have lunches while on trips down the river.  At present (late 1960's) these Banks have almost disappeared beneath the surface of the water.  

(From recollections of Charles C. Kensey who was born in Snow Hill in 1884, grew up along the banks of the Pocomoke River and was associated with the river during his adult life.) 


October, 1922

Chincoteague's first bridge..

                                                         (Excerpt)  (The Washington Times, Washington, D.C.)


June, 1994 (Time Machine archive)

Christine Sigrist of Pocomoke City, a senior at Mt. St. Mary's College, was presented with the Art Club Of Frederick award for her "Best In Show" art presentation at the college's annual Student Art Exhibition. "Still Life With eye," in charcoal, was her winning entry.

January, 1963

The cost was 80-cents for the Wednesday luncheon special at The Coach And Dining Room located in Salisbury's Wicomico Hotel.  The special included fresh vegetable soup, navy bean soup, or chilled juice; golden brown chicken croquettes with supreme sauce, cinnamon apple wedges, hot rolls and butter, coffee or tea.  The all-you-can eat dinner every Saturday night was $2.50, featuring roast leg of beef.


May, 1913..

                                    (Virginia Gazette, Willamsburg, Va.)


Listen to a record recorded in 1913:
(Library Of Congress) http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/3473


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.

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.

Had enough..

No bad news here.

Late 1950's.. From spinning records on Salisbury radio to a stellar career in pro football; Late 1800's.. Visitors enjoy three popular sand banks on the Pocomoke River; 1922.. Chincoteague gets its first bridge; 1994..  Pocomoke artist wins Best In Show award in college competition; 1963.. 80 cents luncheon special at one of Salisbury's finer restaurants; 1913.. See newspaper ad for a "Talking Machine;" listen to a 1913 record.

It's 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!

TIME MACHINE ... 1903, 2003, 1892, 1942, 1893, 1955.

"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."


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Expressed more than a century apart.. two very different points of view regarding "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

July, 1903..

                                  Peninsula Enterprise

                                     

2015..Wikipedia (excerpt):

Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly, is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman.

Stowe, a Connecticut-born teacher at the Hartford Female Seminary and an active abolitionist, featured the character of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings.

Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century and the second best-selling book of that century, following the Bible. 


April, 2003
The Somerset Herald (Princess Anne)

Crisfield real estate market booms
Speculators, retirees buy up properties
By Liz Holland

Not very long ago, Crisfield was a city struggling to survive the decline of the local seafood industry, the closing of two major employers and a double-digit unemployment rate.

While city officials and local business owners have been successful in recent years in developing tourism as a way to draw people back to the bayside town, most of them weren't prepared for the influx of people over the past six months who are buying up properties as fast as they come on the market.

"It's hot as a firecracker," said Rick Evans, co-owner of Chesapeake Realty. "Properties have three or four contracts on them in a day. It's just unheard of in Crisfield."

Evans and others in town believe much of the sudden interest in Crisfield is connected to the recent passage of a bill to allow Somerset County to negotiate for the rights to run a high-speed ferry across the Chesapeake Bay.

"There's been quite a bit of interest," said City Manager Frederick B. Gerald. "Two weeks ago, we started fielding calls about real estate."

Gerald said there were 11 or 12 property transfers in the city just in the first six days of March. Normally, Crisfield has that many or fewer in an entire month, he said.

Supermarket and fast food chains also have recently been looking at Crisfield properties, Gerald said.


April, 1892..   
                                                               

                 Evening Star (Washington, D.C.)

                                                                  

June, 1942 (Time Machine archive) 
(The Salisbury Times)

TEN NEW SIRENS BLOW AT WORCESTER POSTS

Berlin, June 29.-  John I. Timmons, senior air raid warden for Worcester County, yesterday announced that ten new air raid alarm sirens have been purchased by the Worcester County Board Of Commissioners for county towns.

Four of the new sirens have been received and erected in Whaleysville, Newark, Girdletree and Stockton, Timmons said. The other six will be placed in Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City, with Berlin and Snow Hill receiving two alarms each.


May, 1893
Iowa Postal Card(Newspaper)- Fayette, Iowa

The bog iron industry has lived and languished in the flat, sandy far-southern counties of the eastern shore of Maryland for perhaps a century, though there never was a time when it was especially profitable.  Now and again, however, some native with money to spare is tempted by the tradition of iron in the swampy lowlands, and he undertakes the task of extracting it.


January, 1955 (Time Machine archive)
(Salisbury Times)

Pocomoke Lions To Entertain Farmers

POCOMOKE CITY - Members of the Pocomoke City Lions Club will be host to the Ruritans of the Atlantic District of Virginia and to farmers of this area for a meeting Tuesday night in the firehouse.

Last spring, Pocomoke City Lions visited the Ruritans and Tuesday's meeting will give them the opportunity to play host again in the series of yearly meetings. Approximately 150 are expected to attend.

Lions President Vaughn Wilkerson also announced that the local club will sponsor the sale of tickets for a special basketball game Feb. 19 between the Greenbelt Lions Club and the Pocomoke Chiefs. Proceeds will be contributed to the Pocomoke City Boys Club.


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.