Thursday, December 3, 2015

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.


In Pocomoke City it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.. in  1895, 1896, 1904, 1950's/60's; And, the weather outside was frightful for a 1917 Christmas Eve trip to Chincoteague.
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It's this Sunday right here at The Pocomoke Public Eye! 


Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .


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Monday, November 30, 2015

Sunday, November 29, 2015

TIME MACHINE ... 1914, 1954, 1956, 2004, 1890.

"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)

March, 1914 (Time Machine archive)
(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


April, 1954 (Time Machine archive)

Daniel Shaw was elected Pocomoke City mayor.  He was former president of the city council and unopposed to succeed Mayor Crady Matthews.  Clayton Lambertson, a former Pocomoke mayor and councilman in the 1940's, was unopposed for one council seat that was on the ballot.


November, 1956..








(Above items from Salisbury Times television and radio listings.) 


December, 2004
The Somerset Herald (Princess Anne)

(Excerpt)

CRISFIELD - Consultants are within days of unveiling the latest findings of a Crisfield ferry feasibility study, a report that is expected to name potential
terminal sites and boat operators, members of a ferry review committee said.

Early December is the completion target for the release of second-phase findings of the study that could decide whether the committee moves forward with a proposal to establish a ferry link between Crisfield and Reedville, Va.


1890..

Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers or something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? Please send to tkforppe@yahoo.com .


When you're clicking around the Internet remember to check in with The Pocomoke Public Eye.  We strive to be a worthwhile supplement to your choices.