This postcard image (circa 1909) shows an Ocean City in the time before paved streets and traffic jams. Photographed from the old water tower on Somerset Street the view looks east across Baltimore Avenue toward the ocean.The tall brick chimney in the foreground was part of the town’s electric power plant while the original Atlantic… Read more »
Author Archives: Bunk Mann
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – April 10, 2020
1962 was a historic year for Ocean City. It marked the beginning of the luxury hotel/motel era, signaled the swan song of the old wooden Boardwalk hotels, and saw the greatest storm to ever hit the town.The city limits ended at 41st Street in 1962 and much of the land north of there was sparsely… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – April 3, 2020
Ocean City’s beach and Boardwalk had a different appearance in the years prior to World War II. This photo looks north from Talbot Street. The Boardwalk in those days was narrow and raised about four feet above the beach. On a hot day, bathers would sit under it in the shade and enjoy a picnic… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – March 27, 2020
Willye Conner Ludlam built the Santa Maria Motel on the Boardwalk and 15th Street in 1956. It was one of the first masonry buildings on the Boardwalk and one of the first motels on what would become known as “Motel Row,.”The Santa Maria epitomized what motels of the post-World War II era had to offer… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – March 20, 2020
Russell “Bo” Ruggerio was one of Ocean City’s most recognizable characters for over 30 years. He owned the Dutch Bar on the Boardwalk, The Kitchen restaurant and numerous rental properties in the downtown area. Bo had a white Rolls Royce and reminded some of the television character known as “Mister T” because of the gold… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – March 13, 2020
A permanent Boardwalk was constructed in 1892 and extended for eight blocks along the oceanfront. Styles were more formal in the 1890s and 1900s — men in suits and ties and ladies in long dresses and big hats were normal attire for strolling the early Boardwalk in Ocean City.Both the Boardwalk and beach were narrow… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – March 6, 2020
On March 6-7, 1962, a devastating Nor’easter hit Ocean City causing the worst destruction in the town’s history. High tides and heavy rains brought flooding that covered the island and trapped many residents in their homes. The Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company did heroic work making dozens of rescues.The Boardwalk was completely destroyed and hotels… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – February 28, 2020
The winter of 1972-73 was an anxious time in Ocean City – there was an arsonist at work and nobody knew where he would strike next.The first victim was the Colonial Hotel, built in 1897, which burned on Dec. 14, 1972. On Dec. 30, a fire was set at the Stowaway Motel on 22nd Street… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – February 21, 2020
There were several reasons that Caroline Street was Ocean City’s primary swimming beach in the 1920s and early 1930s. The beach was narrow in those days and Caroline Street was its widest part. It was also the site of Showell’s Bathhouse where tourists could rent lockers and bathing suits for 25 cents a day.The most… Read more »
Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann – February 14, 2020
The Sea Scape was built by Ridge Harman, Sr. in 1954 and was the first Boardwalk motel in Ocean City. Located on 16th Street, it was part of what would soon become known as “Motel Row.”The famous March Storm of ‘62 would cause serious damage to the entire town and the Sea Scape was no… Read more »