Rabies cases in Pocomoke and Berlin-

 

(View Health Dept. statement:)

Worcester County Health Department investigates rabid bat found in Pocomoke and rabid raccoon found in Berlin | Worcester County

PPE NOTE: Rabies cases have been reported recently in Somerset and Wicomico Counties.

Recollections from generations past (Elmer A. Brittingham -8)

 

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Interviewer: Do you remember the fire? The Pocomoke fire?

Elmer: I was there.

Interviewer: You were there? What kind of damage…?

Elmer: It was in April the 19th, 1922. I had just caught the largest pike I had

 even seen in the river. Brought it home and hadn’t eaten my dinner and the

 fire whistle started to blow. I was off that day for some reason, I don’t know

 what it was, why I had been off. At least for Monday, I guess, I’m not sure. So

 then I went down…it was April 18 or 19, I don’t remember. Anyway, I went on

 down to see where the fire was. I went down to the store where I worked, and

 still worked part-time. My brother worked there, too, see. Mr. Vaughn had me

 go up to the roof and brush the cinders off. And for a while it got hot and he

 said, “You better come down.” And I did. I went up to where Paul Ewell had

 an office and we were taking the stuff out of there and  putting it across in

 the firehouse which was in back of where the Sears sales are now, from

 Willow Street side…So Mr, Ewell, I remember him saying…I picked up this big

 glass from the desk, and he said, “Well, don’t take it if you’re not going to

 take it right inside and put it down where it won’t get broke.”  Well, we carried

 all the stuff out of it and everything and that building burned before Mr.

 Ewell’s office burned. Where we carried it. It was one of them jumping fires.

Interviewer: So this was on the side of Market Street that the Post Office is on

 now? That burned?

Elmer: Not where the Post Office is now

Interviewer: Was it that side of the road that burned?

Elmer: Yeah, but not where the Post Office is. It didn’t burn back that far.

Interviewer: Oh, it didn’t come back that far? It was just the first couple

 blocks?

Elmer: It burned where the Coffman-Fisher building is, the old

 store, you know, across from Newberry’s.

Interviewer: OK.

Elmer: It burned all of Newberry’s. That was homes in there. Where the

 Newberry’s are. Right straight down and then went…jumped over to Front

 Street and burned around there. And down Market Street from Newberry’s all

 the way to the Peninsula building, which it didn’t do any damage to. Just 2

 blocks. It burned some of the buildings, just the tops of the buildings, on the

 left. And the bank across from Newberry’s, where the  Maryland National

 bank is, all that was pretty well burned. And the second block, only the tops

 were burned out.

Interviewer: OK, because we saw a picture of a bank and all that was left was

 the front of the bank. 

Elmer: Yeah, that’s right.

Interviewer: Which bank?

Elmer: The buildings on the left, across from Newberry’s, you know, on the

 left side

Interviewer: What was the name of that?

Elmer: There were a few fronts left….

Interviewer: What was the name of that bank?

Elmer: Maryland National. The old Citizen’s Bank, which is now called

 something else…Eastern Shore (?) that burned, too, and all stores in that

 block on the right….2 blocks on the right, but it only burned the corners

 because it was wooden buildings, some of them. It pretty well cleared that

 out, but it didn’t get where the (audio not clear) fish market was. It didn’t get

 that.

Interviewer: Was it a lot of panic or anything? People running around?

Elmer: Not panics, just…the wind was blowing a gale and the fireman couldn’t

 operate enough to drench it, see. They would get going and they’d go catch a

 fire over on the other side somewhere.

Interviewer: Was there just 1 group of firemen?

Elmer: Yeah, well, we had fireman from Salisbury, Princess Anne, Snow Hill…

yeah, they called all around. They always did that.

Continues next Saturday here at The Pocomoke Public Eye.

More: That 1970 big local rock festival that never happened-

Thanks to Jerry Barbierri for the info and graphic.

 A few weeks ago you did a story on the ill-fated Berlin Airlift that was to take place in July 1970. Attached I'm pleased to attach a copy of the original poster for the event. As the newspaper article indicated, there was a protracted court case that ultimately barred the concert. That summer I recalled passing the site, which ironically is where the proposed Worcester County sports is located next to Stephen Decatur High School, and it was all set up ready to go. 

An impressive line-up of performers. Interesting to note that Don McLean was a second-tier act.  American Pie didn't make the charts until 1971. 

Adjusted for inflation, the advanced tickets were $41 and on site $57, not too bad considering that a one-day ticket for this year's Oceans Calling festival (sold-out) is $150.

(Below- the Pocomoke Public Eye posting on 8/7/24.)

A performance in Berlin this weekend by The Berlin Airlift Band reminds our area's senior generation of the big "Berlin Airlift" rock festival that was to be in July, 1970.

NOW...   

             (Bayside Gazette)

(View full article:)

08.08.24-Bayside-Gazette.pdf (baysideoc.net)

THEN...

             (Salisbury Times excerpt- July 22, 1970)

Another rabies case in Somerset County-

 (WMDT)

(View news story:)

Westover cat tests positive for rabies - 47abc (wmdt.com)

 Note:  A raccoon recently tested positive for rabies in the Princess Anne area.  Earlier in August there was a rabies report from Allen in Wicomico County.

Asleep at the wheel?

As most everyone knows, the interview with Harris was Thursday at 9PM.  Below is the WBOC.com website page on Friday morning at 1130AM with their top story Harris to do interview.

Was this a technical glitch of some sort?  Wasn't anyone at WBOC looking at their own web page to notice this?

Time Machine Preview

This Sunday here at The Pocomoke Public Eye:

PLUS

1930  ..

(Force doubled to 2 on E.S. Va.)

 

1945  ..

1967  ..

(Letter to The Baltimore Sun)

1957  ..

(See the full Duncan Brothers ad)

2010  ..

1998  ..

State approves funds for Pocomoke water project.

 

Data gives Worcester Public Schools top spot in Md.

 

Newly Released Student Performance Data Shows Worcester County Leading Maryland

(View news release:)

Newly Released Student Performance Data Shows Worcester County Leading Maryland | WORCESTER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS (worcesterk12.org)

Crisfield invites you-

 

More info:

(410) 968-2500

National Hard Crab Derby Association, Primary Phone

And that's the way it was..

 

Worcester Democrat and the Ledger-Enterprise

Sat, Oct 18, 1924

New partnership for Atlantic General?

 
The Atlantic General Hospital’s Board of Trustees announced they are launching a strategic partnership exploration process considering all options to enhance healthcare in our region. This process ensures Atlantic General Hospital continues moving forward thoughtfully to secure a future as a thriving, growing and competitive health system. The process will explore whether partnering with a like-minded healthcare organization or remaining independent is the right way to achieve that goal.

(View more about it:)

Home | Atlantic General (aghforward.org)

Worcester scam calls on the increase-

 

SCAM Alert  

Worcester County residents, we are continuing to see an increase in Scam calls. 

If a caller advises you that they are a deputy with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, and that you have either missed jury duty, or failed to appear in court, DO NOT PAY ANY MONIES OVER THE PHONE.

If you get this type of call, please hang up and contact the Worcester County Sheriff's Office to report this, and we can answer any questions that you may have pertaining to the call.

Law Enforcement will NEVER ask for you to pay any restitution over the phone.

If they tell you that you have missed a court date or jury duty, please hang-up and contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 410-632-1112.

Back to school free immunizations-

 (WBOC)

Numerous county health departments across Maryland’s Eastern Shore will offer free immunizations for children returning to school. 

(See time and location listings:)

Back-to-School Vaccination Clinics Offered Across Maryland’s Eastern Shore | Latest News | wboc.com

 

Time Machine: 100 years ago this week in Pocomoke's newspaper; 1963, 1886, 1930, 2011.

 

(Chautauqua was an organized series of traveling educational and entertaining presentations in the 19th and early 20th century, probably most popular in the 1920's.)

January, 1963

(Ice buildup at Chincoteague described by local newspaper as "Iceberg")

Peninsula Enterprise

September, 1886

                                          (Princess Anne)

Salisbury Advertiser

July, 1930

Peninsula Enterprise

*September, 2011

(Dedication date Saturday, September 24, 2011)

(While guests tour the newly renovated Pocomoke High School, advanced placement chemistry instructor Anita Harte, left, uses the time to review some classwork with students junior Jesse Todd, 16, and senior Annah Brittingham, 17.)

Salisbury Daily Times

          tkforppe@yahoo.com