This historic picture depicts the birth of the current Inlet in August of 1933.The railroad tracks are visible as are the fish camps where the pound fishermen lived and worked prior to the Aug. 23 hurricane, which occurred prior to storms being named.Although the town suffered some serious property damage, there were no fatalities and… Read more »
The Shore Drive-In opened in 1954 three miles west of Ocean City on Route 50. The large screen was visible from the highway and the parking area could hold up to 500 cars.One of Ocean City’s most popular attractions, there are few locals who don’t remember watching movies under the stars at the Shore Drive-In… Read more »
This 1912 photo shows pound fishermen on the beach in Ocean City. The horse helped pull the boat up on the beach and took baskets of fish netted offshore to the railroad spur that ran south from S. Division Street.A rough and dangerous job, pound fishing required the men to row through the surf as… 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 »
Ocean City has suffered many devastating fires in its history, but none worse than “The Great Fire of 1925.” The fire began in the Power Plant on Baltimore Avenue around 7:30 a.m. and spread through several blocks of the downtown area on De. 29. The severe cold made firefighting difficult and water was drafted from… Read more »
The Shoreham Hotel on the corner of 4th Street and the Boardwalk was built in 1922. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest building in Ocean City and remained so until surpassed by the George Washington Hotel on 10th Street in 1931.The Shoreham was similar to the other Boardwalk hotels of that… Read more »
The March Storm of ’62 was the worst natural disaster in Ocean City’s history. Not a hurricane but a “Nor’easter,” it cost two local men their lives. The property damage – particularly in the northern section of the beach – was enormous and the Boardwalk was destroyed. So much sand was washed into the streets… 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 »
The Ocean City Beach Patrol posed at Caroline Street in 1947 with their new torpedo-style life buoys. The Beach Patrol had returned to full force in 1946 following World War II and Bob Craig, center front, was appointed captain. He would continue in that position until 1987, a record of service unlikely to ever be… Read more »
Ocean City in 1915 was a small village with about 600 residents. Most of the men worked as commercial fishermen or on the railroad while the women managed the hotels and boarding houses. The tourist season ran from mid-June to Labor Day and there was no off-season. The hotels closed after Labor Day and the… Read more »