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… 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 »
The Dinner Bell was a popular Ocean City restaurant in the years following World War II. Located on the southeast corner of 3rd Street and Baltimore Avenue in the Monticello Hotel, it served homestyle cooking with an Eastern Shore flavor. Many still remember their delicious fresh baked rolls and fried chicken.The waitresses lived in a dormitory… Read more »
Baltimore Avenue was Ocean City’s “Main Street” when this postcard was printed circa 1920. This view looks north from Wicomico Street and includes some of the town’s most historic structures.The building in the left foreground is the Seaside Hotel (built in 1876) and beyond it with the tall brick smokestack is the electric power plant…. Read more »
The first “Lifeguard Ball” was held in 1931 for the purpose of raising funds to buy needed equipment for the Ocean City Beach Patrol. The dance would become a highly anticipated annual event for both the guards and the close knit group of young people who worked in Ocean City each year. For most, it… Read more »
In the years up to and including the 1960s, Baltimore Avenue was a mostly residential area lined with homes and boarding houses such as the Gables, pictured.This changed in the 1990s when lack of adequate parking became a serious issue in the downtown section of Ocean City. Boardwalk hotel owners began buying these properties and… Read more »
In the years up to and including the 1960s, Baltimore Avenue was a mostly residential area lined with homes and boarding houses such as the Gables, pictured.This changed in the 1990s when lack of adequate parking became a serious issue in the downtown section of Ocean City. Boardwalk hotel owners began buying these properties and… Read more »
Much like the rise of the motel in the 1950s, the growth of condominiums in the 1970s changed the look and lifestyle of Ocean City.The first high-rise condo — the High Point South — was built by John Whaley in 1970 and within three years a stretch of beach in North Ocean City had become… Read more »
Alvin “Pop” Wendling was once in the Guinness Book of Records for havin more tattoos on his body of the spinach-loving “Popeye the Sailor” and his cartoon friends than anyone else in the world.Pop ran several joke and novelty shops on the Boardwalk and downtown Ocean City for 25 years. His shops specialized in temporary… Read more »
Shortly after the completion of the beach replenishment program, a fierce Nor’easter struck Ocean City on Jan. 4, 1992. It produced the second highest water level in the town’s history, topped only by that of the March Storm of 1962.Severe flooding took place in the downtown area and erosion was widespread along the beachfront. Fortunately,… Read more »
