The original Atlantic Hotel in Ocean City was built in 1874 and 1875 and burned to the ground in December 1925.This was Ocean City’s first hotel and many consider its grand opening on July 4, 1875 as the founding date of Ocean City.Rebuilt in 1926 in a different style, the Atlantic Hotel still rents rooms… Read more »
Ocean City’s first hotels were located in what today is the area from S. Division Street to 3rd Street. The original Atlantic (1875), Seaside (1877), Congress Hall (1878) and the Plimhimmon (1895) were famous in their time but all are gone now, lost to fires over the years.Lumber for the old hotels was milled in… Read more »
In the 1950s, a new town known as Ocean Beach was being promoted on the northern end of Assateague Island about five miles south of Ocean City.The development faced several problems, however, including access — there was no bridge to Assateague in those days and the small ferry could only carry three cars. Another problem… Read more »
This aerial photo shows the creation of the Inlet in August 1933 and the separation between Ocean City and Assateague Island from the most historic storm to ever hit the region.The photo clearly shows the existence of a new 50-foot wide, eight-foot deep Inlet at the south end of town. The huge waves that pounded… Read more »
The original Morbid Manor was the ultimate “haunted house” with live actors portraying ghosts, goblins and ghouls of all shapes and sizes. It even featured a plane crash on the third floor of the spooky building located on the Fishing Pier at Wicomico Street and the beach.The screams of frightened visitors could be heard on… Read more »
Ocean City was a small town in the years immediately following World War II.Both the Boardwalk and the city limits ended at 15th Street and there was little beyond with the exception of a few small cottages. The business district was about six blocks long and stretched from Worcester Street to North Division Street. There… Read more »
The Ocean City beachfront has changed dramatically over the past 60 years. In this picture (circa 1955) taken from a balcony at the old Commander Hotel, the narrowness of the beach in that era is evident, and the photo was taken on low tide.The placement of the umbrellas suggests a windy day and an old… Read more »
Shantytown Village was developed by Daniel Trimper IV and opened in 1976 next to the Route 50 Bridge in West Ocean City. It was designed to resemble a New England fishing village and was modeled on photos taken by Trimper during a visit to Nantucket Island.It was a popular attraction for Ocean City’s visitors and… Read more »
The Ocean City Fishing Pier is under construction circa 1906 in this photo, but the pier building had not been built. Work began in 1904 and was completed in time for the 1907 season. The original permanent Boardwalk can also be seen; it was narrow and raised above the sand. On hot days, bathers would… Read more »
Miniature golf became a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and reached a peak of over 25,000 courses nationally in 1930. The first opened in Ocean City in the early 1930s just off the Boardwalk and many others have come and gone in the years since.Everyone it seems had a favorite and among those… Read more »