Jack and Paul Townsend of Selbyville, Del. are given credit for bringing big game fishing to Ocean City. They had fished for marlin off the coast of Florida and speculated that the marlin would follow the warm waters of the gulf stream north to the Delmarva coastline. They took VIPs, such as Lou Gehrig of… Read more »
The George Washington Hotel was one of the few old wooden hotels not lost to fire along the Boardwalk. A series of blazes in the 1960s and early 1970s had destroyed the Plimhimmon, Hamilton, Colonial, Rideau and Roosevelt hotels. The George Washington was demolished in January 1990 because it no longer met building codes and… Read more »
Surfing became popular in Ocean City after Bill Wise and George Pittman opened the town’s first surf shop – the Eastern Surfer – in 1964.The surfing crowd was not welcomed by the city fathers in the beginning and surfing was not allowed in the city limits between 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (the city limits… Read more »
The China Seas Motel was located on the oceanfront at 51st Street. Designed to resemble a Chinese “junk” (a commercial fishing boat seen on the rivers of China), the unique building attracted much attention on Coastal Highway.The motel had been built in 1963 after lower land values following the March Storm of 1962 spurred development… Read more »
The Paddock was one of Ocean City’s most popular nightclubs for 60 years. Built by Gabby Mancini, Sr. on the corner of 18th Street and Philadelphia Avenue in 1953, it featured live entertainment. The Saturday afternoon jam sessions were legendary and drew crowds to what in that era was considered “way up the beach.”The original building… 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 »
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 Life Saving Station Museum is located on the south end of the Boardwalk near the Inlet. Housed in a restored 1891 Life Saving Station, the museum is a treasure-trove of Ocean City history.Exhibits include artifacts from the U.S. Life Saving Service including an authentic rescue boat, a surf car and breeches buoy… Read more »
The Ocean City Bandstand was built on the Boardwalk at Somerset Street in the early 1950’s.At the time, Ocean City had its own band comprised of local musicians and concerts were very popular in the summer evenings. The Bandstand was also the site of the annual Easter Parade where prizes were awarded to the best… Read more »
Sept. 22, 1994, will long be remembered as the date of the “Sunfest Disaster,” a day which taxed Ocean City’s emergency services to the limit. As vendors were setting up for the opening of Sunfest, the annual end-of-summer arts, crafts and music celebration, a windstorm hit the Inlet Parking Lot with 50 mph winds. Tents… Read more »
