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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.

From the BooksWay Back Machine

The American Theater Was Born in … Pungoteague, Virginia?

This is a free excerpt from my book, You Wouldn't Believe! 44 Strange and Wondrous Delmarva Tales. More info about that and my other books exploring the history, travel, and culture on the Eastern Shore and in Delaware here. Everybody’s a critic. But not everybody’s a critic on the level of Edward Martin. On a summer night in 1665, he ventured out to Fowkes Tavern…
July 26, 2022
MiscellanyWay Back Machine

Revisiting the Glory Days of Summertime “Camp Meetings”

Though much of the 1800s and well into the 1900s, "camp meetings" ranked as a summertime joy for families on the Eastern Shore and in Delaware on the level of our beach vacations and downtown block parties. Sponsored by local churches, these religious revivals were conducted out in forests and fields, mostly in the dog days of August. The preaching and singing and soul-saving stretched…
July 7, 2022
Featured Photo Escape from Lewes Storm with Boat Sized
CharactersWay Back Machine

Rowing to Freedom: A Long & Stormy Escape from Lewes

Picture yourself standing on the Delaware coast, somewhere near Lewes. "A fierce gale was blowing" on that January morning in the mid-1800s. "The waves were running fearfully high." Three friends stand with you on that shoreline. Today was supposed to be the day you would make a shared and cherished dream come true. Everything was planned to perfection, except for this weather. The four men…
June 2, 2022
Isaac Mason Underground Railroad Featured Photo
From the BooksTubman TravelsWay Back Machine

“We All Knelt Down in the Snow-Covered Ground:” Isaac Mason’s Journey to Freedom

This is an excerpt from my book, Tubman Travels: 32 Underground Railroad Journeys on Delmarva. The book first came out in 2017. I released an updated version here in 2022. More info about the book here. BIG PICTURE: Where Slavery Meets Sadism If a movie ever gets made about the life of Isaac Mason, it would need to be done by a director who comes…
May 25, 2022
Belltown Delaware Featured Photo
Way Back Machine

THREE THINGS ABOUT BELLTOWN: History Hiding in Plain Sight Just Outside of Lewes

The remnants of old Belltown fall into the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it category of sites to see while visiting the Delaware beach resorts. The super-busy intersection that locals call Five Points will demand your full driving attention as you make your way just above Lewes along Route 1 or Route 9. Two big-box hardware stores dominate this intersection, but just beyond there, on westbound Route 9—don’t blink!—is a…
May 11, 2022
Dancing Molly Featured Image
Way Back Machine

Dancing Molly! A Trio of Lady Pirates Make a Fool of Virginia’s Governor, 1883

The thrilling race that unfolded in a bayside cove on Virginia’s Eastern Shore of Virginia on the last day of February day in 1883 was a cops-and-robbers affair. The steamboat that barreled into that cove was under the personal command of Virginia's governor. His target was a sailing sloop suspected of nefarious criminal activity. It should have been easy. The sloop’s crew had gone ashore…
February 21, 2022
From the BooksWay Back Machine

When a Bunch of Birds Lost their Minds and Attacked Hog Island Light in 1900

NOTE: This is one of the fun stories from my book, You Wouldn’t Believe! 44 Strange and Wondrous Delmarva Tales. You can find more information about the book–including how and where to buy it–at this link. The scene that unfolded on a late-winter night in 1900 on Hog Island was straight out of the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds. A flurry of unusual avian activity…
February 15, 2022