English’s Chicken House opened in 1963 on the corner of 15th Street and Philadelphia Avenue and would serve some of the best fried chicken ever served on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for over 50 years. The chicken was breaded with a secret recipe and when served with English’s fresh baked sweet potato biscuits was a… Read more »
The original “Boardwalk Train” was five cars long plus an engine that actually looked like a train. Each car carried a maximum of six people and had just two wheels with the axle in the middle. It cost 25 cents for a one-way trip down the Boardwalk and it was a bumpy ride.On June 23,… Read more »
Ocean City was a seasonal small town in 1946. The season ran from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It was said you could fire a cannon down Baltimore Avenue after Labor Day and not hit a single soul.The Boardwalk ended at 15th Street and Coastal Highway and was only one lane north and one lane south…. Read more »
As the decade of the 1970s began, Ocean City was still a small seasonal town with most of its business conducted between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This was soon to change.On April 18, 1970, the Ocean City Convention Hall opened bringing larger conventions to town and extending the season in both the spring and… Read more »
A permanent Boardwalk was constructed in 1885 and extended for eight blocks along the oceanfront. Styles were more formal in the 1880s and 1890s — men in suits and ties and ladies in long dresses and big hats were normal attire for strolling Ocean City’s early Boardwalk.Both the Boardwalk and beach were narrow in those days… Read more »
The Ocean City Boat Parade was once a popular event that celebrated the start of the marlin fishing season. Usually held on the third Sunday in June, it attracted thousands of spectators.Originating in 1938, the parade was suspended during World War II and not resumed until 1947. Charter boats, commercial fishing vessels, and even privately-owned… Read more »
Prior to the mid-1970s, Ocean City was a seasonal resort. The tourist season ran from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day and it was said, “you could fire a cannon down Baltimore Avenue the day after Labor Day and not hit a soul.” Less than 900 people lived in town year-round.This aerial photo from the… Read more »
The 64th Street Super Market was the first strip shopping mall in what was in those days the lightly populated northern section of Ocean City.This photo, circa 1967, is from a postcard. The shopping center still exists but, thanks in part to the opening of the Route 90 Bridge in 1971, the surrounding area has experienced… Read more »
The Boardwalk had been extended to 26th Street by 1960 (and to 27th Street following the March Storm of 1962). Hotels such as the Beach Plaza, the original Commander, and Harrison Hall were in their “heyday” and motels such as the Santa Maria, Sea Scape, and Stowaway were popular venues for summer visitors.The city limits… Read more »
Ocean City looked much different in this aerial photo taken in 1946 between 14thand 15th streets.The large building in the center was the original Commander Hotel before its second wing was added and the vacant space to its left is today the site of the Beach Plaza Hotel and its adjoining parking lot. The building… Read more »