Monday, June 21, 2021

Old Willow Street

 Remembering-

            (portrayal)

When I rode down Willow Street recently I guess it was inevitable that I couldn't help but realize how dramatically the scene had changed from what I remembered when I was growing up in Pocomoke City. Today, with the exception of the One Room Schoolhouse museum at Front & Willow and the rear of the Discovery Center building, the street is a virtual ghost town of mostly vacated buildings and empty spaces where buildings once stood.

Back in "the day" (i.e. 1950's) Willow was a bustling street where some of the active points of commerce included a large laundry/dry cleaning company, appliance store, large grocery and fresh meat market, fountain and confectionery store, radio station studio, county liquor dispensary, telephone company headquarters, two auto dealerships, hotel/restaurant, Western Auto, office supply store, electrical repair shop, and other enterprises; also a Willow Street entrance to the original J.J. Newberry's store that fronted on the west side of Market Street near County Trust Bank.  

R.I.P. good old Willow. It was pleasant to remember you and I suspect your pavements won't see resemblances of your former life again.

-tk for PPE  

(Reader comment)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Leslie Bunting owned an electrical repair shop on Willow. He was noted for having the same panel truck his entire life. When it got rusty he just painted over it with a paintbrush and a can of silver paint.


tk for PPE says: Didn't know that about his panel truck but I remember Les. On occasion I'd take something in to his shop for repair. My dad, Bill Kleger, would call him for help if there was a problem with the refrigeration compressors at the store (Peoples Food Market on Willow Street; later renamed Bill's Foodland). 


(Reader comment)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't recall Bill's Foodland but I do remember John Lee Taylor had a little market around the corner on Second Street.

Every spring Jeff Trader and I would catch bullfrogs, cut the legs off and skin them and put 5 pounds in plastic bags which we sold to John for $5.00 per bag. That was big money for high school boys in those days. Of course, that was before health department and USDA food regulations. We also caught shad during the spring shad run and sold the roe sacks to Billy Hudson at US 13 Restaurant for his famous shad roe sandwiches. I bet there's not 10 people left in Pocomoke who have ever eaten shad roe or local frog legs.


(Reader comment)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whoops, John Lee Taylor's market was on Clarke, not Second. Old age strikes again.

tk for PPE says: I believe that's the store I remember as Merrill's grocery in the 1950's.  My dad's store on Willow was in operation from the mid 1940's until his passing in 1964 and then new owners ran it a few more years. 


He rounded the bases from Snow Hill to The Baseball Hall Of Fame

(From this past weekend) 

(WMDT)


View news story:

Snow Hill celebrates hometown hero baseball player Judy Johnson - 47abc (wmdt.com)

Sunday, June 20, 2021

TIME MACHINE: 2010, 1921, 1896, 1890, 1994.

 


April, 2010


Daily Times (Salisbury)

PPE Footnote: Mr. Cane passed away May 4, 2010, just one week after this newspaper article was published.

February, 1921 (Pocomoke City)

Worcester Democrat

May, 1896

Peninsula Enterprise
PPE Footnote: About 25 years after this fire an ultimately even greater detriment to Franklin City came with the opening of the Chincoteague causeway and then the infamous storm of 1933 imposed severe destruction of property from which the once booming community did not recover. Rail service between Snow Hill and Franklin City came to an end in the mid 1950's and the spring storm of 1962 took away most of what had remained of the town.  

See following article for more about the early days of Franklin City.

May, 1890

The Sun (New York)


           August, 1994      


(PPE reader comments)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

MY mother started work at Moore Business Forms in the mid-1950s for the princely salary of $70 per week. The employees were paid on Thursdays and she would stop by the Acme store at 5th and Walnut and purchased the whole weeks supply of groceries for the family for approximately $20. One week she complained that she had gone way over budget because her purchases had totaled $22.


Blogger grammy said...

The Acme was 5th and Market. Stuff like this happens when one gets old.

tk for PPE says: grammy- I've been getting "old" then since I was about 20!  By the way, before that new Acme was built where were they located?  I recall A&P on the west side of Market Street near County Trust Bank.  


Saturday, June 19, 2021

Commemorating June 19th, 1865

 

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris signed into law a bill establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day, a celebration designating the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday.

“By making Juneteenth a federal holiday, all Americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history, and celebrate progress, and grapple with the distance we’ve come but the distance we have to travel to,” Biden said during remarks Thursday in the East Room of the White House. 

(Yahoo News)

Friday, June 18, 2021

Tidal Health expanding hospital visitation

 

View news article:
TidalHealth expanding patient visitation starting June 21 - 47abc (wmdt.com)


Time Machine Preview

This Sunday here at The Pocomoke Public Eye: 

2010  ..  


1921  ..  What was the topic of the Pocomoke City newspaper article that asked the question: "What would our residents of fifty years ago think if they could come back and witness such a spectacle?"

1896  ..  

1890  .. The earlier years of Franklin City-

1994  ..  Editorial- Reflecting on what's needed after the loss of Snow Hill's major employer.. Moore Business Forms.


Wednesday, June 16, 2021

MD, DEL, VA, Covid-19 Mandates to be ending

 

State Of Emergency mandates brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic will soon be ending on Delmarva. Mandates from state government will no longer be in effect beginning July 1st in Maryland and Virginia, and July 13th in Delaware.   
 

(Reader comment)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I find it strange that public officials can predict that the pandemic will suddenly stop being a threat 14 days in the future in Maryland but it will rage on for another two weeks in Delaware.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

4th Fridays return to Downtown Pocomoke


The 4th Friday Street Festivals return to Downtown Pocomoke on Friday, June 25, 2021, beginning at 5:00pm and ending at 8:00pm. 

This block party style event will take place within the two blocks of Market Street between Front Street and Second Street. 

Local artists and vendors will fill the sidewalks of Market Street to sell their work, including: paintings, photography, jewelry, bath and body products, home decor, fashion, plants and much more. Local businesses are encouraged to stay open during event hours. 

Children are encouraged to wear their favorite superhero costume and meet Captain America! 

Kids can also enjoy crafts, a bounce house, snow cones, giveaways, and more.

Play a round of corn hole while listening to live music by local favorite, Neal Hooks.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase, including beer and wine for the adults.

In the event of rain, 4th Friday will be canceled and will resume on Friday, July 23, 2021.

For more information or to register as a vendor, please visit downtownpocomoke.com  or our Facebook pages “Downtown Pocomoke Association” and “City of Pocomoke”.

This event is sponsored by the Downtown Pocomoke Association & Simply Sublime Massage and Bodywork. 


Successful Wallops launch after delay

 (Shore Daily News)


View news article:

https://shoredailynews.com/headlines/minotaur-launches-successfully-from-wallops/

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 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 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