Sunday, May 26, 2013

TIME MACHINE ... 1914, 1990, 1977, 1930, 1893

(Reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archives material)


 March, 1914
(The Evening Times- Cumberland, Md.)

PLAN TO BUILD CHURCH BY MAIL

Bricks Will Be Sent To Site By Parcel Post

MATERIAL TO BE DONATED

President Wilson And Members Of Congress Asked to Send One Brick Each-

Name Of Donor On Each Brick.

Baltimore, March 23- Congressman David J. Lewis, father of the American Parcel Post system, in his most roseate dreams never contemplated the coming of the time when so bulky a package as a brick church could be sent through the mails.

Yet a project is on foot to do this very thing. The mails will be burdened with the church brick by brick, however, and the thousands of them required to erect the edifice will each be stamped and addressed to "Methodist Church, Wenona, Somerset County, Md."

The Representative from Western Maryland will be asked to be among the senders of the first bricks. President Wilson also will be requested to mail a brick or two.

The congregation of Wenona Church desires to rebuild the edifice, which was destroyed by fire March 1 during a terrific wind storm. Wenona, by the way, is on Deals Island, Chesapeake Bay, where the oyster is the chief subject of conversation and the chief source of income. It is 26 miles from Princess Anne, the county seat.

It took years of effort for the congregation to build the first church, which was a frame structure. No insurance was paid after the fire, for the blaze started from an exploding gasoline lamp, and this absolved the insurance company from financial obligation. The accident was felt throughout the whole community, for the nearest place of worship of another Methodist congregation is miles away. The Wenona church had 800 men, women and children in its flock.

For the last two or three weeks the communicants have been discussing ways and means, and finally some of them hit upon the unique plan of "building the new church by parcel post." The idea "took" immediately, and Denwood W. White, treasurer of the congregation, indorsed the project and now it is a well-defined campaign.

No effort will be made to have all the bricks of a uniform size, shape, weight, or color. Any variety will do, from the white enameled kind that they use to build mantels to the heavy paving brick.

An interesting thing will be the memorial feature of the undertaking. The sender of each brick is requested to write his or her name on the surface. This side will be turned inward and the edifice, when completed, will be a mammoth roster of donors.
The contributors will doubtless be persons from all over the country, although Marylanders are expected to be the first to send bricks. And among the "foreigners" looked upon as possible patrons are the various Representatives and Senators who supported the Lewis bill.

In the meantime Postmaster Vetra, of Wenona, is making arrangements to store the bricks upon their arrival until a sufficient number have accumulated to make possible the beginning of building operations. The bricks will go to Princess Anne, and must be carried by rural route all the way to Wenona.

Footnote: Anyone know what became of this project? My search didn't turn up any further info.- tk

 
 
October, 1990
(Frederick News Post- Frederick, Md.)

OCTOBER 13 MARYLAND MAIN STREET SPECIAL PARKSLEY POCOMOKE EXCURSIONS

(Pocomoke City, Md) Take a trip in 1920's passenger cars on tracks from the Parksley Railroad Museum north into Maryland's picturesque lower Eastern Shore. For tickets call 800 ... ....

OCTOBER 13 POCOMOKE CITY RIVERFEST

(Pocomoke Riverfront Park. POCOMOKE CITY, MD) Hop on the Maryland Main Street Special in Parksley, Va., and ride to Pocomoke City on the banks of the Pocomoke River. Live entertainment, barbeques, arts and crafts. 301 957-.... 


 
April, 1977 (Time Machine archive)

Having cleared both the Maryland House and Senate the Pocomoke City Sunday Blue Law bill was ready to be signed into law by the governor, clearing the way for Sunday merchandise sales in Pocomoke City. In a 1974 referendum the Pocomoke City area voted against lifting Sunday Blue Law restrictions while the rest of Worcester County voted in favor and was permitting the Sunday sales. The bill to bring Pocomoke City in line with the remainder of the county was co-sponsored by House Of Delegates members Russell O. Hickman of Worcester County, R.C. (Biggy) Long of Somerset County, and Joseph J. Long of Wicomico County.  


February, 1930

The State Roads Commission awarded a contract just in excess of $25,000 for construction of a one mile concrete road from Stockton to the Virginia line. P.D. Phillips And Brother of Salisbury would carry out the project. The contract was one of six the Commission awarded to start its 1930 building program.
 
 
April, 1893
(Xenia Daily Gazette And Torchlight- Xenia, Ohio)

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

As is Shown Among the People of Virginia and Eastern Maryland.

A gentleman who had traveled extensively through the south was one evening seated in one of those proverbial grocery stores in a small village talking to the people and commenting upon the unstinted hospitality of the people.

A tall, cadaverous looking chap, who had listened to him intently, interrupted:

"That's so, stranger. When a man comes among we uns and does what's right, we uns ain't the people to see him suffer when he's down on his back an can't help himself. We're just going to raise him up."

And they do "raise him up." If he is sick, they till his ground, feed his cattle, cut his wood and in various ways render him assistance. On the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia this custom is universal, and many a sick man has silently made his grateful prayers for blessings on his neighbors for the great stacks of chips and split wood that have been gathered about his yard, and for the hams and flour and the other necessaries that have been placed in his smokehouse.- Philadelphia Times.


 
 
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!

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