Looking for hidden treasures? Visit Ocean City, home to countless historic sites and quirky sights.
Forget the Atlantic. Instead, step into history in the face of laughing robot clowns, abandoned towers, empty hotels, and the oldest surviving buildings that have stood the test of time.
Local author shines spotlight on Ocean City
Relive the past with local author and history buff Bank Man before embarking on your treasure hunt. — “Disappearing Ocean City” “Ghost in the Surf” “Ocean City Chronicles” — Spotlight the historic resort town of Ocean City.
Growing up in Salisbury, Mann first fell in love with Ocean City at a young age when he took a trip to the coast with his family. The idea for his first book, Vanishing Ocean City, came to fruition in 2004 when Mann caught word that Ocean His City was going to demolish some old hotels. He picked up his camera and took a few pictures, but the rest is history.
“I’ve always been interested in history. If I had to start all over again, I’d like to become a history professor,” Mann said. That passion inspired him to write a book that explores a vibrant history. History of Ocean City.
All of Mann’s books are available for purchase onlineMeanwhile, Mann himself can often be found in Ocean City traversing streets, coves, boardwalks and seagull-infested dunes that might catch the eye of Chipper’s history buffs.
Spot luffing monkeys at the Ocean City Lifesaving Station Museum
She was known for her laughter, and her loud laughter could once be heard at least a block or two away from the busy boardwalk. She wears a long blue floral dress, is six feet tall, and her pink blushed face is long and proud with a big smile. She’s a roughing monkey.
This large robotic rag doll, often misspelled as “laughing monkey,” once stood in a cage at the entrance to Jester’s Funhouse on Worcester Street and Boardwalk. According to The Ocean City Chronicles, the monkey was purchased by the Jester family in the early 1940s from the Funhouse Equipment Company of Philadelphia.
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The animatronic puppet monkey kept shaking its head, lowering its torso, waving its arms and laughing. Mann said her laughter was eerie and her children worried she would break out of her cage and chase them. As time went on, she became more of a nightmare than laughable.
Today, the monkey lives on the second floor of the Ocean City Lifesaving Station Museum, where you can see her. — Or quietly observing the onlookers cowering in fear — Through a tall glass box. Those brave enough to press the button on her right side can hear her famous laughter.
The Coast Guard Tower played an important role during World War II
Once operated 24 hours a day by a small number of US Coast Guard personnel, the building is now abandoned next to the Ocean City Lifesaving Station Museum. The Coast Guard Tower in the Cove is one of his few remaining in the United States today.
Prior to 1933, there was no need for Coast Guard towers. This cove was created in 1933, and since August 23, hurricanes have hit the resort town for three days in a row.
Planning for the 50-foot-tall tower began in 1938, and construction began. — cost a considerable amount of $5,000 — Mann said the tower was important for coastal defense during World War II, as it was used to monitor offshore passages where German naval submarines, U-boats, sank several merchant ships. It is said that it was a part. In 1942.
“The Coast Guard was tasked with reporting aircraft flying and recording all boats entering and leaving the bay,” wrote The Ocean City Chronicles.
The tower had no bathroom, no heating or air conditioning, and no place to sit properly. Japan Coast Guard personnel were given “pee buckets” instead of toilets. The use of chairs was prohibited for fear that the men would doze off. Men were expected to remain alert and on their feet at all times.
“They were running tight ships, so there was very little downtime,” said Christine Okelblom, curator of the Ocean City Lifesaving Station Museum.
Despite the odds, “some guys would sneak their girlfriends there while they were on duty. Many married local women and ended up staying in Ocean City,” Mann said. But now, he writes, “no more people, just a silent spectator looking out over the vast Atlantic Ocean.”
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The Henley Hotel was a haven for black visitors
In a heartbreaking era of racial conflict when blacks were segregated in Ocean City and barred from staying as paying guests, a hotel became a lighthouse and a haven. The Henry Hotel, built in 1895 and originally known as Hotel Baltimore, became one of the only places in the resort town to offer rooms to black people.
Charles and Louisa Henry purchased the Henley Hotel in 1926, ahead of a businessman. — Linthia Pearl Bonner — It was then acquired in 1964. Bonner ran the facility until his death in 2003 and remains in black ownership to this day. His historic three-story timber-roofed hotel, dilapidated and vacant, still stands on the corner of Baltimore Avenue and South Division Street.
Ocean City was a segregated town from its founding in 1875 until the mid-1960s, during which time blacks were barred from local restaurants and hotels. In the early to mid-20th century, the beach was also off-limits. As noted on a historical marker near the hotel, the booking period known as “Color Excursion Days” was limited to a few weeks after the main summer season had passed.
As a result, many blacks took refuge in the Henry Hotel, where black entertainers such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Willie Harmon stayed. — The Ocean City Chronicles says they were unable to stay at the “whites-only” hotel where they had a ball. — I stayed once.
“(Bonner) ran a tight ship,” Okerblom said. This businesswoman had a long list of rules and regulations she was instructed to follow by her guests. Some of them are:
- All guests must be at the hotel by 2 AM as the entrance closes at 2 AM.
- Male visitors are not allowed after 1:00 am and female visitors are not allowed under any circumstances.
- Be sure to lock the door to your room and make sure you have the key.
- Radio and TV should not be played after 2am
- Stereo is strictly prohibited in the room.
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St. Mary’s Star of the Sea is Ocean City’s oldest original building.
Ocean City’s oldest original building stands just a block or two from the resort town’s bustling boardwalk. St Mary’s Star of the SeaBuilt in 1878 and reportedly completed in the summer of 1880, it stands on its original location at 1705 Philadelphia Avenue.
“In 1880 there were less than 100 inhabitants for the whole year and few Catholics, so perhaps most of the early worshipers were summer visitors from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.,” Mann said. Written in The Ocean City Chronicles.
“There were very few Catholics living in the area at the time,” Mann said of Ocean City. “But most of the people who came on the excursion train in the summer were from Baltimore, and Baltimore was a predominantly Catholic area.”
A chapel named after the sea star Maria — Translated from Latin “Stella Maris” — We’ve survived the storm that hits the resort town. According to 9th-century writings, Mary was a guide to Christ, lest she capsize in a storm-stricken sea.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux is reported to have written in the 12th century, “If the wind of temptation blows, if you come upon the rock of tribulation, look to the stars and call to Mary.” Aletheia. “When the waves of pride, ambition, envy, and competition are tossed about, look to the stars and call upon Mary. When anger, greed, and carnal desires assault the fragile vessels of your soul, look to the stars. please.” Star, call Mary. “
The church is the worshiping community of Catholics. Wilmington Parishstill in use today, and continues to welcome loyal parishioners and visitors through its massive iron gates.
Olivia Minzola covers the Lower Shore community. For tips and story ideas, contact us at: ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
