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 »
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 »
Michael “DJ Batman” Beatty (1948-2022) was known as the “Night Time Mayor of Ocean City.” Famous for spinning records at the town’s top night clubs, he also emceed many of the special events such as the Best Body on the Beach Contest, the Oceana Cup Races and the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. There were… Read more »
Pat Sajak, host of the TV show “Wheel of Fortune,” came to town in 2003 to judge a “Vanna White Look-Alike Contest” at the Carousel Hotel. Sponsored by the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce as a fundraiser, the event received lots of attention from the local media.Many came out to support their favorite contestants all… Read more »
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 exception…. Read more »
(Editor’s Note: With thousands of people converging on the Harbour Island Marina this week for the White Marlin Open, we thought it would be opportune to look back at the site before it was home to a housing community and host to the largest billfishing tourney in the world.) The Ship Café Restaurant and Marina… Read more »
Far from “vanishing,” the White Marlin Open has become one of Ocean City’s most popular and famous events. It is truly an “open” and there are no age, gender or skill level restrictions. In 1993, the winning marlin was caught by a 14-year-old boy and in 2016 an angler won over $1.5 million for his… Read more »
The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacture sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquor within the United States. Ratified in 1919, it became effective on Jan. 26, 1920.On Dec. 29, 1929, men on duty at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Ocean City noticed some unusual activity on Assateague. A schooner from Halifax, Nova Scotia had anchored… Read more »
Surfing became popular in Ocean City in the mid-1960s. George Pittman and Bill Wise opened Ocean City’s first surf shop (called the Eastern Surfer) in 1964 in the basement of the Sandy Hill Motel.The less crowded beaches of north Ocean City quickly became the favorite surfing areas in the days before the high-rise condominiums.This 1965… Read more »
Jackson’s Casino was Ocean City’s most popular nightclub in the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s. Music, drinks and slot machines were the main attraction at the big wooden building on the Boardwalk between 9th and 10th streets.Jackson’s was where the locals hung out and many still recall the special façade built to meet blackout requirements during… Read more »
