Ocean City, Maryland history

OCEAN CITY LIFE-SAVING STATION MUSEUM The early history of the lifesaving service in Ocean City dates from 1878, when the first station was built on the periphery of the resort community between North Division and Caroline streets.

By 1881, a line was completed across the Sinepuxent Bay to the shore, bringing rail passengers directly into the town.

In 1890-91 a large, two-story frame station was built in front of the earlier structure.

The second station, built in 1891, is now the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum, enshrining Ocean City's history and saluting the brave men who worked here.

As for the history of the Ocean City, Maryland boardwalk: In 1900, our first wooden walkway was constructed.

The 1907 pavilion had a long arched roof with large, round-arched windows lighting the first and second floors.

The station was enlarged again in 1912-13, with a story-and-a-half wing .

The present large building was erected in its place by Charles W. Purnell, who had acquired the hotel property in June 1922.

Construction of the three-and-a-half story Lankford Hotel is dated to 1923-24.

The 1925 fire that destroyed this building also consumed the nearby Seaside Hotel and the former Pier building.

In August of 1933, a powerful storm ripped open a new channel from the bay to the ocean.

In 1952, with the completion of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Ocean City became easily accessible to people in the Baltimore-Washington corridor.

THE SEASCAPE The Seascape was built in 1954.

In 1956 WiIllye Jones Ludlam financed the construction of this three-story, poured concrete hotel and restaurant with a personal loan as no bank would accept the risk of a mortgage on this radical hospitality concept.

In 1958 John and Ann purchased a parcel of land on 37th Street that would become The Castle in the Sand Motel.

Engineers began the construction of Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in 1960, giving access to Ocean City from Virginia.

INLET INDIAN Peter Toth sculpted this representation of the Assateague Indian and presented it to the people of Maryland as a gift in 1976.

In 1977 the station was moved from Caroline Street to the inlet and converted to a city museum.

In 2002, Ocean City undertook the most recent of many, multi-million dollar, beach restoration programs, in an attempt to slow the westward migration of its beaches.

Another similar project began after the 2006 tourist season closed.

Effective 26 April 2010, the town of Ocean City began diverting all of its recyclable waste into the main waste stream.