A brief history of Maryland's Ocean City
WHAT IS NOW Ocean City, Md., was discovered by explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. But its modern history dates to the 1870s, when a group of investors established the beach resort. Among those backers were several Philadelphians whose contributions are apparently saluted in the name of the town's main drag, Philadelphia Avenue.
WHAT IS NOW Ocean City, Md., was discovered by explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. But its modern history dates to the 1870s, when a group of investors established the beach resort. Among those backers were several Philadelphians whose contributions are apparently saluted in the name of the town's main drag, Philadelphia Avenue.
A landmark dating back to that era is the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum, on the Boardwalk's southern end at 1st Street, in a two-story building that originally housed the local headquarters of the forerunner to the U.S. Coast Guard.
This compact, two-floor repository is keyed to the town's nautical past and contains everything from vintage rescue craft to a potpourri of items salvaged from ships that met a watery end.
One of the most interesting displays has dozens of surprisingly varied examples of sand from around the world.
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in April, May, October and November; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, June through September; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, December through March; $3, 410-289-4991, ocmuseum.org.
- Chuck Darrow