One of Ocean City’s most popular attractions was built by Odie Hartley on 65th Street and Coastal Highway in 1972. Originally known as the “Sea Side Slides,” three concrete slides (painted blue) cascaded down a 38-foot man-made hill where kids would ride rubber mats to splash into landing pools about 2 ½ feet deep.Odie, along… Read more »
Mario’s was one of Ocean City’s legendary restaurants. Opened in 1954 by Vera and Jack Maiorana on 22nd Street and Philadelphia Avenue, it served an extensive Italian menu as well as some of the best steaks in Ocean City. The carryout shop was home to delicious subs that people still talk about today.Mario’s was a favorite… Read more »
In the 1940s into the early ’50s, people in Ocean City received the latest national news from the radio or from daily newspapers. Television was not a factor and cable news networks were far in the future.Summer visitors relied on metropolitan papers such as The Baltimore Sun or News-American or The Washington Post or Star…. Read more »
The Alaska Stand was founded by Benjamin Givarz in 1933 on the Boardwalk at Wicomico Street. Not only did Mr. Givarz overcome economic problems associated with the Great Depression but also lost a prime week of the tourist season that year to the hurricane that created Ocean City’s Inlet. The Alaska Stand survived both to… Read more »
Ocean City’s Easter parade and sunrise service began in 1947. Centered on the bandstand at Somerset Street, it become an annual tradition for over 25 years.Many locals recall getting dressed up and parading down the Boardwalk in hope of winning a prize for their Easter outfits. Others remember the Lions Club sponsoring an Easter egg… Read more »
In the fall of 1969 Ocean City residents could drive to 112th Street and watch the beginning of a new era in the town’s history. There on the beachfront a uniquely designed building was being constructed by visionary developer John Whaley’s Caliban Corporation.Known as the High Point (and later as the High Point South when… Read more »
A popular form of fishing that is affordable for the average fisherman is on a party boat or “head boat” (so-called because there is a flat charge per angler or “per head.”) These boats provide rods, reels and bait and a mate to untangle lines and help bring fish aboard.One of the most famous was… Read more »
The Hamilton Hotel, a 68-year-old Ocean City landmark on the corner of 3rd Street and the Boardwalk, burned to the ground on Dec. 14, 1969.The early Sunday morning blaze was discovered by Sergeant James Baker of the Ocean City Police Department as he made his rounds. The fire department was on the scene about five minutes… Read more »
Ocean City’s original Pier building was completed in 1907 on the Boardwalk at Wicomico Street. In addition to shops and a dancing pavilion, it also featured a theatre and several refreshment stands. It was also the entrance to the Ocean City Fishing Pier.The building was raised 10 feet above the beach and built on wooden… Read more »
Watterson “Mack” Miller (1902-1985) was one of Ocean City’s legendary characters. A member of a prominent Louisville, Kentucky family, he dropped out of Dartmouth College and traveled the world. Arriving in Ocean City in 1942 he was employed by the CP Cropper Fish and Oyster Co and later as a handyman for the Showell family… Read more »
