The cost of goods and services in the post-World War I era was far different than today. W.P. Laws opened his grocery store on Baltimore Avenue in 1919 and sold sirloin steak for 15 cents a pound, ham for 16 cents and scrapple for 10 cents a pound. A fresh loaf of bread could be purchased for a nickel.
There was no hospital in Worcester County and most babies were born at home. Dr. Francis Townsend, Sr. made house calls — often by riding his bicycle down the Boardwalk — and charged $3 for his services. An office visit was $2 or less.
A postage stamp cost 2 cents, gas was 25 cents a gallon and a Ford Model T could be purchased for less than $500 in 1919. This might sound like “the good old days” but the average weekly salary was just $18 and there was no Social Security, unemployment insurance or Medicare. Most Ocean City families took in boarders to help supplement their incomes.
Postcard from Bunk Mann’s collection