Skip to main content
Category

Way Back Machine

Stories about the way things were on the Delmarva Peninsula–the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and Delaware.

Photo of Ocean City Boardwalk for Labor Day Riot Featured Photo
In 1960, the ‘Labor Day Riot’ Had a Mob of 2,500 Angry Teens Marching the Streets of Ocean City, Md. Way Back Machine

In 1960, the ‘Labor Day Riot’ Had a Mob of 2,500 Angry Teens Marching the Streets of Ocean City, Md.

This is one of the 44 “Strange and Wondrous Delmarva Tales” in my book titled You Wouldn’t Believe! More info on the book here. The incident that set off the Labor Day Riot in Ocean City, Md. began as a trifling affair. On the Saturday evening of Sept. 4, 1960, the owner of a boardwalk arcade got into a little spat with a young man…
August 4, 2026
Fox Trot Smith Island Featured Photo
News Flash, 1930s: The Fox Trot Sails into Controversy on Smith Island Way Back Machine

News Flash, 1930s: The Fox Trot Sails into Controversy on Smith Island

In April 1938, concerned citizens of Smith Island, Maryland sent a delegation to the mainland. The cause was urgent, a civic emergency that needed to be put before the Somerset County Council. Below is how a local newspaper told the story ...HEADLINE: Smith Island Holds Dance Craze is a Social Menace STORY: "Declaring a current 'dance craze' to be a social menace to their young…
July 15, 2026
When Ocean City was Brand New Featured Photo Atlantic Hotel
A “Pretty Mushroom” on the Beach: When Ocean City Was Brand Spanking New, 1875 Way Back Machine

A “Pretty Mushroom” on the Beach: When Ocean City Was Brand Spanking New, 1875

The opening of the Atlantic Hotel in 1875 marked the beginning of Ocean City as a resort town. A smattering of other facilities opened in the years that followed, but the place was still barely off the ground as a travel destination when the big-city New York Daily Herald decided to let its readers in on the secret. Here are few excerpts from a long…
April 29, 2026
Last Gasp Emma Giles Featured Photo
The Last Gasp of Legendary Steamer “Emma Giles”–Tolchester Beach, 1936 Way Back Machine

The Last Gasp of Legendary Steamer “Emma Giles”–Tolchester Beach, 1936

In the photo that appears both up top and nearby here the steamboat Emma Giles is arriving at the Tolchester Beach Resort on Maryland's Upper Eastern Shore. It's a summer day in 1936. She is at the end of the line when it comes to her passenger-service days--this is the closing stretch of a long, storied career. In her prime, the gorgeous sidewheeler made steamboat…
April 29, 2026
05 May Way Back Machine Featured Photo Taylors Island Sawmill
Way Back Machine: Glimpses of Delmarva Days Gone By for May 2026 … InfoWay Back Machine

Way Back Machine: Glimpses of Delmarva Days Gone By for May 2026 …

. . . hop aboard the Way Back Machine and experience life on Delmarva in days gone by--highlights from Secrets of the Eastern Shore on social media ... Most popular: The glorious Oakley Beach Hotel in Cambridge, Md., early 1900s The beacon at Port Mahon, 1908–that’s near Little Creek, Del. Class acts in Laurel, Del.--early 1900s. Misty of Chincoteague on tour, 1962 The Champion Tree…
April 26, 2026
Harriet Tubman Funeral Featured Image
Way Back Machine: Glimpses of Delmarva Days Gone By for April 2026 … InfoWay Back Machine

Way Back Machine: Glimpses of Delmarva Days Gone By for April 2026 …

. . . hop aboard the Way Back Machine and experience life on Delmarva in days gone by in these highlights from Secrets of the Eastern Shore on social media ... No, really: The 98-year-old muskrat skinner ... "The Moving Man"--Sherwood Yates and crew in Cambridge, Md. 1920 Am early 1900s social gathering in Exmore, Va. Most Popular: A hunting party in Greensboro, Md. 1890…
March 30, 2026
Cape Henlopen Lighthouse Featured Image
Fall of an ‘Ancient Warrior:’ The Cape Henlopen Lighthouse Collapses, 1926 Way Back Machine

Fall of an ‘Ancient Warrior:’ The Cape Henlopen Lighthouse Collapses, 1926

When it comes to iconic images of Delaware, the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse ranks near the top of the list. Its likeness can be found in galleries, on greeting cards, on websites, and in logos. There’s even a mini-replica set in the middle of a traffic roundabout on the way into Rehoboth Beach. That’s pretty impressive, considering the fact that the lighthouse toppled into the sea…
March 21, 2026
03 March Web Gems Featured Photo Sized
Way Back Machine: Glimpses of Delmarva Days Gone By for March 2026 … InfoWay Back Machine

Way Back Machine: Glimpses of Delmarva Days Gone By for March 2026 …

. . . hop aboard the Way Back Machine and experience life on Delmarva in days gone by in these highlights from Secrets of the Eastern Shore on social media ... What did Mary Street in the heart of Parksley, Va. look like back in 1908? Check out that cool lookout perch atop the old lifesaving station on Smith Island, Va.! Wouldja look at all…
March 1, 2026
James Collins Johnson Featured Photo
Video: From Fugitive to Civic Hero–the Journey of James Johnson InfoWay Back Machine

Video: From Fugitive to Civic Hero–the Journey of James Johnson

On WBOC-TV's DelmarvaLife I told the amazing story of James Collins Johnson, a Talbot County man whose life journey went from slavery to ridicule to disaster but ended in a place of honor. He's buried in the same cemetery as a former president and a former vice president. His life is celebrated on Princeton University's Ivy League campus, where Johnson was a fixture for many…
March 1, 2026
Ordinary Heroes of Old Delmarva
From Grief to Grace: A Marydel Whodunnit (a free “Ordinary Heroes” book excerpt) From the BooksWay Back Machine

From Grief to Grace: A Marydel Whodunnit (a free “Ordinary Heroes” book excerpt)

This story is free excerpt from my book, Ordinary Heroes of Old Delmarva: Inspiring True Tales of Courage, Kindness, and Community. More info about the book here. The chapter, "From Grief to Grace: A Marydel Whodunnit," exemplifies the virtue of forgiveness. Lots of other stories about lots of other virtues are in the book. Here goes: Forgiveness is not weak. It takes courage to face…
January 3, 2026