Tidewater Times August 2021 by Tidewater Times

Tidewater Times

August 2021

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Vol. 70, No. 3

Published Monthly

August 2021

Features: About the Cover Photographer: Kim Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A Sharp, Observant Eye - Jane Oliver Menard: Helen Chappell . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Healing World of Acupuncture: Bonna L. Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Learning to Hit Curve Balls: Mike Valliant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 A Seaside Arcadia - Phillips Crab House: Richard W. Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 The Chesapeake Film Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Tidewater Gardening - No Vacation in the Garden: K. Marc Teffeau . . . . . . 81 Another Delmarva Diva: A.M. Foley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Tidewater Kitchen - No Cook Summer Meals: Pamela Meredith . . . . . . . . 119 Firefighting in Trappe: James Dawson and Bob Croswell . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Changes - Murphy: Roger Vaughan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

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Tidewater Times is published monthly by Bailey-Farwell, LLC. Advertising rates upon request. Subscription price is $30.00 per year. Individual copies are $4. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in part or whole without prior approval of the publisher. Printed by Delmarva Printing, Inc. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors and/or omissions.

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A Sharp, Observant Eye In Memory of Jane Oliver Menard by Helen Chappell

I’m never going to find out how that novel ended. The wonderful, witty woman who would send me each chapter as she dashed it off has left us for the great keyboard in some fantastic writer’s study on the other side. I like to think Jane is up there having a drink with Jane Austen and James M. Cain as they cynically discuss the mortals who remain on this planet. Any loss is a great one, but losing a friend, a sister writer and a mentor is a gray tragedy. When Jane Oliver Menard slipped quietly away, stolen by cancer, she left a hole in many people’s lives. Her son, Covey Menard, her grandchildren, her surviving brother, Jeff, and sisters, Lucy and Scotti. Part of her legacy is being a part of that legendary family. But her life stands as a time well and truly lived. Covey and Barbara Oliver seemed to be so exciting to me. Dr. Oliver served as the ambassador to Colombia, as an undersecretary of state, as dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. He was an authority on international law.

Barbara was just as glamorous and exciting. She’d lived everywhere and done everything and, without being supercilious, was one of the most sophisticated people I’ve ever met. Just to have dinner with Covey and Barbara and their kids, who were my great friends, was exciting to me. The food was exotic, the stories spellbinding and their Mitford matter-of-fact approach just fine with me. 9

Jane Oliver Menard

and we worried we might put him someplace where he might be accidentally smothered by coats. We ended up stashing him in the walkin closet, where he snoozed unmolested until the early hours I’ll never forget the interview she did with me. We didn’t know each other that well yet. The story lead started with the windfall of pears in the yard, which I hadn’t picked up. That was the sort of detail Jane noticed. She had a great eye for telling details throughout her writing career. “The pears lie there because no one has time to gather them,” she opened. I didn’t explain they were full of wasps and rot and I wasn’t going to touch them. She also took

Jane had taken a reporter job in Louisiana, on a Cajun country newspaper, when I first met her. She and her then-husband, Junior, a full- blooded Coon Ass (it’s a selfreferential term Cajuns use for themselves, don’t look at me that way), moved back up to Maryland in search of better work and more money. They were expecting a baby, and the pickings looked better up here with the Oliver family. Jane got a job on the then thriving Talbot Banner, and we bonded as sister writers. I remember having a party shortly after son Covey was born. He came, asleep in his carrier,

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Jane Oliver Menard

Jane had an incredible eye for detail and a great insight into humanity. After the Menards moved back to Louisiana, her letters about her adopted home were funny, insightful and pithy, the work of a bemused anthropologist, an outlook she never surrendered. One time she wrote about a dance she’d attended. The women, she said, sat around the sides of the rooms “like plump hens,” their only subjects children, cooking and church. The men stood in the middle of the room basically ignoring the womenfolk as they discussed trapping, fishing and boats. It might have been a hundred or two hundred years ago down there. She observed that many women of

the best picture of me ever, which I still cherish, because I am about as photogenic as a pile of rotting crab shells. Of course, both of us being writers and wanting what the other one had, I envied her talent for journalism, and she thought a life writing fiction was pretty cool. I learned the secrets of the AP Stylebook from her, and I hope she learned that a basis in reality makes good fiction from me. We shared a common bond, a love for the written word that led to our spending a lot of time picking over writing, editors, copy and how to write up events, real or made up.

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Jane Oliver Menard

from Jane, I was dropped into the boiling water that was the Banner in those days. Let’s just say I didn’t get a lot of guidance from the home office, and pretty much had to learn by doing. Sometimes I had to call Jane in Louisiana to learn how to do something. She was unfailingly patient, even thought she had her deadlines and a family life to deal with and was on an equally small and chintzy paper down on the bayou, where she was dealing with a lot more action than sleepy old Talbot offered. The second gift Jane gave me was the training and confidence to write nonfiction. I can only hope I gave her the same encouragement to explore fiction. She had a lifetime

a certain age were illiterate. Going to school had never been a part of the plan, as they were expected to get married, have babies, cook and let the man be in charge. I wrote back that it kind of sounded to me like the Eastern Shore. To this day, I owe Jane an enormous debt. When the Menards moved back to Cajun country, she offered me her job on the Talbot Banner. It was the last hurrah of the dead tree newspaper, and the Cambridge Banner had set up a weekly in Talbot, perhaps because the Star Democrat had set up a weekly in Dorchester. With about three days’ training

Jane Oliver Menard of real people and events for inspiration. Eventually, she sensed the future and the death of the dead tree paper and changed careers. She moved to Baton Rouge and became a social worker, which gave her even more stories to share. We often traded snippets of weird events from our lives as well as thumbnail synopses our works in progress, hoping for suggestions, ideas and encouragement. All the Oliver family were musical, and when Jane took up the banjo and started playing in a band, I was delighted but not surprised. I wish I’d gotten her to send me a CD. About that same time, she started seriously working on a novel. From time to time, a snippet would arrive in my email. I was fascinated by the shrewd and observant way she’d captured the exotic world of the Deep South where she’d lived so long. It was both a foreign country to her and her home, and that love/ hate spilled into the story of a lone woman cop trying to catch a serial killer rapist while all the men, of course, didn’t believe her. It was like reading about another world. Now, many regional writers can evoke a sense of place and people~ I’ve done it myself ~ but Jane’s writing just dropped you into that swamp.

When she told me that she was going to take a rest while she underwent her chemo and radiation, it never occurred to me that she wouldn’t pick it up again when she got better. But Jane never got better. This breaks my heart, to lose a friend, a sister writer and a mentor, but this is my final tribute to her. Wherever we go when we leave here, I hope she’s writing. Helen Chappell is the creator of the Sam and Hollis mystery series and the Oysterback stories, as well as The Chesapeake Book of the Dead. Under her pen names, Rebecca Baldwin and Caroline Brooks, she has published a number of historical novels. 18

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The Healing World of Acupuncture by Bonna L. Nelson

Acupuncture is a JAB well done Life happens, acupuncture helps ~ Unknown Lying alone on a heated treatment bed, draped in white linen and gold polka-dot sheets, surrounded by calming, meditative music w ith singing bowls, pan f lutes, chimes and water falls, I quickly drifted away into a peaceful sleep or acunap. Though, fully dressed in loose clothing, twenty or so acupuncture needles of varying sizes inserted in my head, ears, chest, shoulders, hands, stomach, legs and feet were

working to soothe, heal and restore my body to whole health after months of cancer treatments and a year of COVID stress. Referred by a friend who was also being treated with acupuncture for cancer procedural side effects, I was amazed and grateful that many of my symptoms resolved after only a few treatments. It is thought that the insertion of extremely fine needles into the skin at specific acupunc-

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The Healing World

Located in St. Michaels, HALo Wholistics, a natural health and acupuncture clinic, is an inviting, tranquil, healing space. Owner/operator Caroline Wrightson, L.Ac., Dipl., Ac is a nationally board-certified acupuncturist and a knowledgeable, beautiful, compassionate, gentle soul. Wrightson graduated magna cum laude with a Clinical Masters Level Diploma of Acupuncture from the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine in Bloomfield, NJ. She has a Maryland acupuncture license and a National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Certification.

ture points releases endorphins, the body’s natural pain-k illing, feel-good chemicals. It also affects the part of the brain that governs serotonin, a brain chemical that is involved in mood. I usually nap both during treatment and at home afterward. Mind, body and spirit are balanced, and anxiety and stress are reduced. When seeking a specialist in any field, be it a doctor of traditional Western medicine or a carpenter or a plumber, one seeks to learn about t he specia list’s credentia ls and experience. Personal referrals are always a plus. Satisfied customers are the assurance we seek in making a decision. I had the comfort of a personal referral and a satisfied customer, as well as a website to refer to for credentials, experience and services offered when selecting an acupuncturist.

Additionally, and particularly important to me, Wrightson is also certified in adjuvant cancer care from Memor ial Sloan Ket ter ing Integrative Medicine Department. As an independent contractor, she treated patients diagnosed with cancer at the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center, East Stroudsburg, PA. Her holistic and highly effective acupuncture treatments encompass treating symptoms of disease and disease management (not treatment of the disease itself). Wrightson said, “Witnessing the 24

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The Healing World

style of acupuncture treatments and how she has helped me, I want to share what I have learned about acupuncture from Wrightson and my research. Though Chinese medicine and acupuncture are difficult subjects to understand completely without years of serious study, I found it helpful to read about the history of acupuncture, current practices, acceptance in Western medical circles and some of the terms used in the practice. According to Sarah Swanberg, acupuncturist, MS LAc, in A Patient’s Guide to Acupuncture, Everything You Need to Know, acupuncture, the primary therapeutic method of Chinese medicine, has been practiced for more than 2,000 years but has only recently gained popularity and acknowledgement in Western societies. It may surprise you to know that my health insurance plan, a major national plan, and many other health insurances cover acupuncture treatments. The reason? Acupuncture saves insurance companies money and has proven to be an effective way to treat a variety of health issues. Over the past two decades, medical insurance companies have moved toward a more holistic approach to overall wellness. Acupuncture is recognized as a safe alternative to treat a variety of issues, including arthritis, headaches and migraines, ADD and ADHD, sciatica, stress and anxiety, cancer treatment side effects and

body’s innate ability to heal is such a miraculous gift. Every day is just amazing for me!” She focuses on the patient’s body structure, physiological systems and emotional and psychological state. Her treatment is designed to help patients live a healthier, holistic and authentic lifestyle. In addition to treating musculoskeletal disorders, digestive complaints, autoimmune disorders, Lyme disease, mold illness and pain, Wrightson specializes in cancer therapy, reproductive health and pediatrics, including autism. Before more discussion about Wrightson’s treatment services and type and

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The Healing World

energy' or 'life force' that circulates through the body in meridians and is manipulated by acupuncture.” When Qi becomes blocked at some point in your body, pain and other physical symptoms can occur. Which leads to the question, what are meridians? “Meridians are a pathway or channels in the body along which qi f lows."

pain in the neck, back and shoulder. Benefits and coverage will vary by plan for the number of allowed sessions and specific medical issues. My plan covers 24 treatments per calendar year. As of 2020, even Medicare began covering acupuncture for patients with lower back pain. Insurance companies are also aware that various medical-related organizations have validated the use of acupuncture as an acceptable and useful alternative treatment for numerous conditions. In 1997, the National Institutes of Health released a report on the use and effectiveness of acupuncture for a variety of conditions, including postoperative pain, osteoarthritis, headaches and menstrual pain. In 2003, the World Health Organization released a list of conditions that it found to be effectively treated by acupuncture, and in 2017 the Acupuncture Evidence Project expanded this list to include 117 conditions. What is acupuncture? Swanberg stated that “Acupuncture is one of the primary treatments under the umbrella of Chinese and East Asian me d ici ne…The t re at ment it sel f involves the insertion of hair-thin needles at specific points on the body to promote balance and healing and regulation of Qi.” What is qi (pronounced “chee”)? Again, from Swanberg, “Qi is 'vital

And, lastly, what is the Chinese Yin and Yang concept? “Yin and Yang are manifestations of Qi…Freeing the blockages with carefully placed needles helps balance Yin and Yang… opposite forces that balance each other. Yang is generally warm, creative and active, while yin is colder and nurturing.” The exterior of the body is dominated by yang, while the interior is primarily yin. Swanberg admits that the concepts of Chinese medicine, acupuncture, qi, meridians and the additional components of yin and 28

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The Healing World

is essential to maintaining health, Swanberg explained. The acupuncturist takes a holistic approach to treatment. They act like a detective, investigating patients’ various symptoms and using them as clues to identify a pattern of imbalance in the body that may be causing the symptoms. Western medicine tends to specialize in identifying and treating one particular symptom. Western medicine thinks of the body as a machine, where broken parts need to be fixed or replaced. Chinese medicine thinks of the body as a natural ecosystem that is dependent on many factors, The body is viewed as a whole, with signs and symptoms collected to identify a root imbalance and to create a treatment plan.

yang are difficult for Westerners to comprehend because they are so complex, take years of study to totally understand and are so very different from Western medicine. My acupuncture practitioner, Caroline Wrightson, continues studies in her field with the guidance of her mentor, Kiiko Matsumoto, an internationally acclaimed acupuncturist and teacher whose style relies on palpation for diagnosis and treatment. Palpation is a classic diagnostic tool involving tracing the body pathways of the twelve main channels with the hands and fingers to determine the quality of qi and blood flow in order to relieve pain and ailments and find blockages. To summarize, in Chinese medicine, health depends on a delicate balance of yin and yang in the body. Yin and yang become unbalanced when the flow of qi becomes interrupted or blocked. Qi is the life force that regulates all of the body’s processes. It flows through meridians, or channels, in the body and twelve organs, which have more to do with function than physical form…blockage in the flow of qi, in one of the twelve organs or its corresponding meridian can cause an imbalance of yin and yang and lead to illness. The balance of yin and yang relates very closely to the Western idea of homeostasis ~ the delicate balance of all of the body’s systems, which 30

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The Healing World

points that elicit a series of endocrine, hormonal and biochemical reactions in the body. The healing technique activates the innate healing processes within each patient’s body and can restore physical and emotional well-being. My acupuncture treatment with Wrightson eliminated my shoulder and thumb joint pain, eliminated my back pain, reduced fatigue and increased my energy levels, reduced most of my cancer treatment side effects, improved my sleep, improved my balance, cured my eye photosensitivity and brought me closer to a balanced, peaceful qi. Wrightson also treated me with moxibustion. She burned a small dried plant pod, which smelled like marijuana, on the tip of an acupunc-

Using my answers to a very detailed questionnaire, in-person discussion, examination and palpation, Wrightson used acupuncture to relieve joint pain and many side effects from cancer treatment. She wanted to know about my medical history, symptoms, diet, habits and lifestyle. At each treatment session, she asks me how I feel and about new problems and symptoms and places needles in appropriate meridians to correct the blockages causing those symptoms. Wrightson carefully and patiently explains which organs and meridians she is working on during treatment. She explained that the needles are inserted into certain strategic

The Healing World

sues, hearing issues, brain fog and digestive issues, just to name a few. She explained that it is helpful for me to remember that the chemotherapy that I received to kill cancer cells took my body to the brink of death. Chemotherapy kills all rapidly growing cells, which is why it attacks the digestive system, blood cells, bone marrow, the cells in the lining of the mouth and throat, the kidneys, the liver, the brain, hair follicles and on and on. Once treatment is completed, the chemotherapy drugs start to be eliminated from the body, but it can take years for the effects of the toxins to be overcome and the body to heal. It can take years or forever for the body to become whole again. Curious about what a treatment is like? As I mentioned at the begin-

ture needle. According to the American Institute of Alternative Medicine, moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to promote healing with acupuncture. The purpose of moxibustion, as with most forms of traditional Chinese medicine, is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi and maintain general health. It was immediately evident to me that Wrightson knew about and anticipated the cancer side effects that I was experiencing, as well as my various body aches and joint pain from arthritis and being inactive during treatment. I also experienced major fatigue, low energy, vision is-

The Healing World

clients range in age from babies to a 95-year-old. Her personalized treatment helps clients who have been unable to receive improvement through conventional, traditional medicine. Wrightson says that the body is designed to heal if given the proper tools. She wants to help more people feel their best through natural healing modalities. She loves her work According to the National Institutes of Health studies, the types of conditions that acupuncture helps include addiction, allergies, anxiety and depression, chemotherapy-induced and post-operative pain nausea and vomiting, chemotherapy and radiation side effects, dental pain, fatigue, headaches and migraines, high blood pressure, insomnia, labor pain, lower back pain, menstrual cramps and PMS, neck pain, osteoarthritis and respiratory disorders, among other conditions. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Carolyn Wrightson, HALo Wholistics LLC, at 410-253-5310, or email at caroline@ halowholistics.com. Her website is www.halowholistics.com. The office is in St. Michaels where Wrightson lives. She grew up on a farm in Easton and is happy to provide her support to our community and share her love of acupuncture.

ning of this story, treatment is given in a private room on a comfortable warmed bed, with soft sheets and a pillow to cradle the head. After we discuss my symptoms and wellbeing, Wrightson palpates areas of my body and then inserts sterile metal filiform stainless steel one-use needles in the locations she determines will improve my symptoms and my qi. The needles vary in length and diameter, as indicated by their rainbow-colored handles in colors like violet, red, green, turquoise and blue or plain metal. Do they hurt? I am often asked. The needles are as thin as hairs, and I cannot feel when most of them are inserted. If Wrightson needs to use a larger needle for a specific purpose, she tells me and I feel a little pinch on insertion and then nothing. The need les st imulate places on the body that influence nerves, muscles a nd connec t ive t issue. Acupuncture induces the relaxation response, hence the acunap. I usually relax and rest peacefully, sometimes a full nap, after the needles are inserted for 40 minutes or more. Wr ightson uses acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and other techniques through safe and sound protocols and highly effective individualized treatment. She uses functional medicine theory combined with acupuncture to treat patients from all over the Eastern Shore. Her

Bonna L. Nelson is a Bay-area writer, columnist, photographer and world traveler. She resides in Easton with her husband, John. 38

Learning to Hit Curve Balls by Michael Valliant

Six years ago this month, life threw a curve ball we weren’t ready for. While visiting her mom’s family in Pennsylvania, my daughter Ava had a seizure that led her to be flown by helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. I was sitting in my sunroom at home in Oxford at 9 p.m., got a phone call and was on the road within a few minutes. August

6 is a date forever etched into my mind and soul. Damn curve balls. Ava was 10 years old at the time. She spent 10 days in pediatric intensive care and, all told, about a month in the hospital between neurology and the rehab unit. After EEGs and MRIs and who knows what other acronyms, the likely diagnosis was that Epstein-Barr Virus had gotten

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Curve Balls

provoked (meaning something caused it to start, she wasn’t born with it) and refractory (meaning it isn’t responding to medication the way it should). Life is full of curve balls. Once you’ve seen a few fastballs, get used to them, get your timing down, get ready ~ you are swinging way ahead of a new kind of pitch you didn’t know was a thing. They come in all shapes and sizes. The one thing about them is that you have to adapt. Since coming home to Oxford and Easton in September 2015,

into her spine and caused her brain to swell, provoking that and subsequent and ongoing seizures. The doctors, nurses and technicians at Children’s were rock stars, stayed the course and sent Ava home to conquer fifth grade. Since then, she has been on medication to manage her seizures and we have learned a bit about the world of epilepsy,

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Ava has finished elementary and middle school, made honor roll several times, played field hockey and lacrosse, started high school and lives the life of a teenager. She has also had a few ambulance rides, been in and out of hospitals, taken a pharmacy’s worth of daily doses of anti-seizure medications and has to hold off on driving until we can figure out how to fully manage her epilepsy. We all learn to deal with curve balls in our own way. Ava has her approach and her story. I can only speak from my experience as a father. For me, the ongoing, unfolding responses have circled around gratitude, faith and grace. I came back from Pittsburgh full of grati-

tude for Ava coming home and getting back to life. I knew it had nothing to do with me and that I wanted to show how grateful I was. A friend invited me to church. I went. And that was a new beginning to hearing a calling to go further, something that continues to transform my life, heart and mind ~ when I get out of the way. This fall will be five years since I started working at Christ Church Easton. Ava’s experience and my life taking a new direction are connected. Gratitude transforms: everything from events, to people, to moments. It can transform our awareness. In his book Whistling in the Dark, writer and theologian Frederick Buechner wrote about

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Curve Balls

day life, if we will see it. “Even with us something like that happens once in a while. The face of a man walking his child in the park, of a woman picking peas in the garden, of sometimes even the unlikeliest person listening to a concert,

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Curve Balls

ing, life can seem like an endless desert of danger with scratchy sand in your shoes, and yet if we remember or are reminded to pay attention, we find so many sources of hidden water, so many bits and chips and washes of color, in a weed or the gravel or a sunrise. There are so many ways to sweep the sand off our feet. So we say, ‘Oh my God. Thanks.’” We have a lot of metaphors working here, so I hope you’ll bear with me. Life is hard and painful and unbearable at times. And there are countless people going through so much worse than what I have experienced. In whatever we are dealing with, we may reach a point where we let go of what we are clinging to and throw our hands up and ask for help (another of Anne Lamott’s prayers ~ she may be on to something). There is grace in those moments. Or, as happens so frequently today, life might be speeding by in a blur and we are focusing on careers, bills, what other people think and missing so much going by us. We get looking for fastballs. And then comes the curve. No parent wants their child to go through something traumatic or to have life or the teenage years be even more difficult than they are for most kids. But we also learn that there are things beyond our control. Things I can’t fix, as badly as I want to.

say, or standing barefoot in the sand watching the waves roll in, or just having a beer at a Saturday baseball game in July. Every once and so often, something so touching, so incandescent, so alive transfigures the human face that it’s almost beyond bearing.” Gratitude transforms our awareness, and our awareness transforms our lives. It’s up to us to see it. And maybe curve balls help us re-focus. Anne Lamott is one of my favorite writers. In her book Help, Thanks, Wow, she looks at what she calls the three essential prayers. The “thanks” prayer is not just about all the wonderful things that happen to us along the way. “Without revelation and refram-

Easton Map and History The County Seat of Talbot Count y. Established around early religious settlements and a court of law, Histor ic Dow ntow n Easton is today a centerpiece of fine specialt y shops, business and cultural activ ities, unique restaurants, and architectural fascination. Treel i ne d s t r e e t s a r e graced with various per iod str uctures and remarkable home s , c a r e f u l l y preser ved or re stored. Because of its histor ic a l significance, historic Easton has earned distinction as the “C olon ia l C apitol of the Eastern Shore” and was honored as number eight in the book “The 100 Best Small Towns in America.” With a population of over 16,500, Easton offers the best of many worlds including access to large metropolitan areas like Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, and Wilmington. For a walking tour and more history visit https:// tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/easton-maryland/. © John Norton

Curve Balls

of bed in the morning or off the couch. She is mostly able to shrug off seizures or spells after they happen and look to what’s next. She’s learned to hit curve balls. And maybe that’s the lesson that curve balls teach us: that we need to slow down, re-train our brains, see and approach things differently. Or we will miss it. Michael Valliant is the Assistant for Adult Education and Newcomers Ministry at Christ Church Easton. He has worked for non-profit organizations throughout Talbot County, including the Oxford Community Center, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Academy Art Museum.

Then I look at Ava. She finds humor in simple things. She laughs easily and often. She isn’t that worried about what other people think and doesn’t seem to need to be surrounded by friends all the time. She is nearly impossible to get out

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A Seaside Arcadia: Phillips Crab House by Richard W. Walker

In May 1968, I began working as a cook at Phillips Crab House, a rambling faux-Tudor pile occupying an entire block in Ocean City. Opened in 1956 by Shirley and Brice Phillips, whose father owned a seafood-packing plant on Hoopers Island, the crab house expanded like a haphazard Lego project over the next decade as the Phillipses stitched new dining rooms and kitchens onto the original structure. Shirley decorated the restaurant’s dining rooms to her taste, creating a curiously unnautical, dark-wood Victorian in-

terior highlighted by Tiffany-style lamps and repurposed antique sewing machine tables. Somehow, it worked. The year 1968 was truly an annus horribilis. America was reeling. Revolution hung in the air like a cloud of tear gas. The Vietnam war was raging with no end in sight, the surging antiwar movement had taken to the streets and parts of America’s riot-torn cities were in ruins following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in early April. Eight weeks later, antiwar presidential candidate

Phillips Crab House Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning in Los Angeles. As the youth-driven counterculture burgeoned, social and cultural norms were jettisoned. For many young people in the tumultuous summer of ’68 ~ especially for young men of military-draft age ~ life had become like a movie shot in a single take, a continuum where there was only the present. The past didn’t matter, the future didn’t exist. I was 21, and my fate was in the hands of my draft board. I was Saul Bellow’s dangling man. Still, life went on. At Phillips that summer, I worked in the highstatus front kitchen, which served

the carryout as well as the main dining room, making it the busiest and most important kitchen in the restaurant. There were no professional cooks at Phillips, except for the head chef, a bald, rotund man called Semore who had worked for Brice and Shirley for years. The cooks were mostly male college students or dropouts perpetually

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Phillips Crab House

group’s wise-cracking leader. The rest of the crew included Hondo, Willy-T and others whose names or nicknames are lost to the ravages of time. I remember that they had been in and out of various colleges. Willy-T had an impeccable lacrosse pedigree, coming from a legendary Towson lacrosse family. For all their bravado, the lax boys were good guys and a gas to work with. They were free spirited, mischievous and funny and had a pronounced disdain for authority, just like surfers. To blow off steam, they would sometimes play impromptu games of lacrosse in the kitchen with big metal spoons or brooms for sticks, balled-up aluminum foil and a traditional wooden crab basket serving as the goal. It took a team of five cooks to run the front kitchen at Phillips. Each position had a title and a job description. Jimbo was “the pusher,” the captain of the ship. He would read the orders ~ or “tickets” ~ and call them out when the waitresses clipped them with clothespins to a wire line that stretched across the top of a large stainless-steel counter. After the “setter” collected the entrees from the cooks and garnished the plate with lettuce and tomato, potato salad or cole slaw, he would slide it over to Jimbo, who would tidy up the presentation and push it toward the waitress as he called out her name. The “fryer” cooked crab cakes, f loun-

planning to return to school. In the front kitchen, I worked with a bunch of lacrosse players from north Baltimore who lived to party, drink beer and meet girls. I didn’t play lacrosse, but I had my own sport: surfing. While the lacrosse boys were sleeping off their hangovers, I was up and in the ocean early, seeking morning glass. As a result, they clapped me with a nickname: “Surf Rat.” I was okay with it, though; I knew Surf Rat was, counter-intuitively, a term of respect from the boys. I think they appreciated the skill and nerve it took to paddle a 30-pound, ninefoot plank into cruel seas and come back alive. The lacrosse players were Phillips Crab House veterans, returning for another summer and primed for a new crop of pretty waitresses in red aprons and white short-shorts. The boys all shared the same cocky self-confidence, a trait most manifest in “Jimbo,” the

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Phillips Crab House

sitates plenty of cold beer. But Phillips had no bar in those days; diners who wanted to drink brought their own beer, sometimes by the case. Once served, they would happily set about dismantling their crabs and picking out the delicate white meat, a highly focused, solipsistic activity disturbed only by the thwack-thwack-thwack of the

der, soft-shell crabs, French fries, stuffed shrimp, clams and chicken in deep hot-oil vats. The “broiler” heated crab cakes and Crab Imperial, Clams Casino and broiled Maine lobsters in a big, heavy-duty oven; and the “f lat top” cook was responsible for preparing the more sophisticated crab dishes on a gasheated iron stove. Naturally, many customers came to Phillips for the Maryland crabs, which would be piled in front them like a small mountain on a table covered with brown paper. Steamed crabs were encrusted with Phillips’ zesty crab seasoning, which stings the palate and neces-

Phillips Crab House wooden mallets used to crack the hard shell of the crab’s claws. We often referred to the restaurant as “Phillips Mad House.” The place could seat 1,400 customers in the upstairs and downstairs dining rooms, which were served by four kitchens. In high season at dinner time, lines a block long formed as people waited for tables. Evening “rushes” were nuts. The kitchen grew oppressively hot, and our faces and arms glistened with sweat and grease. We tied white towels around our heads like bandanas to keep sweat from dripping onto the food-laden plates. Getting burned went with the job, espe-

cially for the fryer, broiler and f lattop cooks. After a few weeks, we had burn marks and blisters on our arms, hands and fingers. The ambient noise of rush hours in the kitchen was deafening: the

Phillips Crab House

the weeds.” Sometimes, it seemed, there was no hope of catching up, but somehow we always did. However, a much-needed lull as we approached closing time would be brief as customers back from Ocean Downs, the harness-racing track in West Ocean City, stormed the carryout and lashed us with orders for soft-crab sandwiches. The lacrosse players seemed to relish this work ~ I think they saw the sweat-drenched battles in the viciously hot kitchen as a game, a physically demanding test of endurance. At the end of the night, the boys would emerge giddily from the kitchen wars with an ironic sense of victory, no matter how rough it had been. Afterward, they would party all night, sleep in the next day, maybe hit the beach in

persistent hiss from the crab steamers, the clatter of dishes and pans and silverware, the gurgle of hot oil from the deep fryers, the drone of big kitchen fans, the shouts of the cooks, the panicky cries of the waitresses. Once a rush was underway, Jimbo would sort through the tickets, bark orders to the cooks and squawk, “Come on, pickup!” at the waitresses, who took the plates to their tables through a swinging door to the main dining room. Large orders were piled precariously on trays for the busboys to take to the tables. Dinner rushes lasted hours without any letup as dozens of tickets backed up on the dreaded wire. In kitchen vernacular, we were “in

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Phillips Crab House

would spoon the sauce from a large stainless-steel bucket into an oval dish, heat it for a few minutes and pass it to the setter. I was still learning the ropes when, one night after closing, Semore was nosing around the kitchens, checking on things. He took a spoon, stirred what was left in my buckets of Newburg and Thermidor sauce and turned to me with a puzzled look, “There’s no crab meat in this.” Blast! I’d been serving crabmeat-less Newberg and Thermidor all night. I should have been adding lump crab to the sauce. “But no one complained, Semore!” I said. He, too, was astonished that not a single diner who had ordered Crab

the afternoon and then blithely go back to work at Phillips at 4, once more into the breach. This cycle repeated itself all summer long, seven days a week, because there were no days off. Most of that summer, I worked the flat top. I cooked Crab Norfolk, crab lumps sautéed in white wine and butter; Crab Smithfield, sautéed lump crabmeat with a thin slice of Smithfield ham on top; Crab Newburg, lump crab in a rich sherry sauce; and Crab Thermidor, lump crab served in a thick cream sauce topped with cheese. When I got an order for Newburg or Thermidor, I

Phillips Crab House

at an East Coast women’s college. For would-be Phillips waitresses, pursuing a job there ~ certainly the most prestigious place to work in Ocean City ~ was like apply-

Newburg or Thermidor that night had noticed the absence of crab meat in their dishes. The normally irritable Semore managed a slight smile as he rolled his eyes, shook his head and walked away. In the final analysis, Phillips Crab House in 1968 was like college. The lax boys had their nightly matches on the kitchen playingfield and a large contingent of attractive, bright co-eds to impress with their swagger, invite to afterwork parties and ask out on dates. Moreover, Shirley Phillips, who was in charge of the waitresses, ran that side of the business like the imperious admissions officer

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Phillips Crab House

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ing to Goucher or Hollins all over again. I once happened to be on an errand in the Phillips’ apartment at the top of the restaurant when Shirley was conducting formal interviews with prospective waitresses. The girls, looking smart in their pearls and summery dresses, sat stiffly on the living-room sofa while Shirley grilled them one at a time on college life, their career aspirations and why they wanted to work at Phillips. Looks and personality counted a lot at Miss Phillips’ College for Young Ladies. On balance, for young people working at Phillips Crab House in the chaotic summer of ’68, Ocean City became a refuge from the horrors of the war and the political and social turmoil upending the real world. It was a fleeting arcadia of parties, sun-tanned girls and boys and summer romances, our revelries playing out against the backdrop of the eternal sea. Richard Walker is a longtime journalist and freelance writer living in Oxford. He started his career at the Salisbury Daily Times and went on to work for the Washington Post, the New York Times, TimesMirror Magazines, ARTnews magazine, and Post-Newsweek Tech Media, among others. 70

Chesapeake Film Festival’s Live Showing of Environmental and Dramatic Films Free virtual festival runs October 3-10 Remember the excitement of watching films on a big screen with surround sound in a darkened theater among other film lovers, and then discussing them with the filmmakers? That intimate experience returns this fall as the Chesapeake Film Festival offers a wall-to-wall weekend of provocative, insightful and innovative films October 1 and 2 at Easton’s Avalon Theatre. Friday evening begins with a VIP reception for sponsors and donors, followed by screenings and discussions of environmental films, including the world premiere of a new film by local favorites Tom Horton, Dave Harp and Sandy Cannon-Brown. Saturday’s films feature two audience-pleasing narrative new-

comers. Admission to Friday’s evening of environmental films and discussions is $25. Admission for Saturday’s films is $15 each. The remaining complement of the Chesapeake Film Festival’s lineup will be shown virtually October 3-10. The CFF is thrilled to bring these films to audiences free of charge, but donations to help offset costs are encouraged. For the Live and Virtual Festival, nearly 60 films will be shown, including documentaries, animation, shorts, narratives, student films, Made in Maryland films, thrillers and environmental films. The films to be screened at the Avalon are: Water’s Way: Thinking Like

Chesapeake Film Festival

way, Bayward. And the Chesapeake, which appears so long and broad, is, in context, just a smallish and shallow pool of water on the receiving end of everything 18 million people in six states and the District of Columbia do with the land, for good or ill. Controlling Bay pollution has achieved modest success in recent decades. But these technological solutions are pushing the limits of engineering and affordability. Alone, they cannot achieve a healthy Bay. Further progress must come from the lands of the watershed, from better understanding what was Water’s Way when the Chesapeake basin and the Bay it feeds were clearer, cleaner, healthier. One source of hope: beavers. These furry rodents have a lot to teach us about preserving a healthy, diverse, rich ecosystem.

a Watershed – A film by Sandy Cannon-Brown, Dave Harp and Tom Horton. Every drop of rain that falls on 64,000 square miles heads one

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The narrative films on Saturday night, October 2 will be: 74

Minari ~ Directed by Lee Isaac Chung. This critically acclaimed film had its world premiere in 2020 at Sundance, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award and received a Golden Globe and six Academy Award nominations, including winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The heartwarming story follows a Korean American family as they face the challenges of a new life in the Ozarks. TESLA ~ Starring Ethan Hawke. This freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla imagines his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan’s

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Chesapeake Film Festival daughter Anne while it follows his uphill battle to bring his revolutionary electrical system to the world. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. Highlights of the 50+ films in CFF’s free virtual festival include: Fly Like a Girl ~ Documentary Feature A young girl aspires to change the face of aviation. Fly Like a Girl is more than just a film. It’s a movement of young girls and women relentlessly pursuing their passion for aviation, a field dominated by

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My Generation is a film directed by David Batty and presented by Michael Caine. It follows the cultural revolution that occurred in 1960s England and interviews icons and key figures such as David Bailey, Roger Daltrey, Marianne Faithful, Paul McCartney, Mary Quant and Twiggy.

men. From a LEGO-loving young girl who includes female pilots in her toy airplanes, to a courageous woman who helped lead shuttle missions to space, Fly Like a Girl shows us that women are in charge of their own destiny. My Generation ~ Celebrate the ’60s: The Decade that Changed the World starring Michael Caine ~ Documentary Feature

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Tilghman’s Island “Great Choptank Island” was granted to Seth Foster in 1659. Thereafter it was known as Foster’s Island, and remained so through a succession of owners until Matthew Tilghman of Claiborne inherited it in 1741. He and his heirs owned the island for over a century and it has been Tilghman’s Island ever since, though the northern village and the island’s postal designation are simply “Tilghman.” For its first 175 years, the island was a family farm, supplying grains, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs and timber. Although the owners rarely were in residence, many slaves were: an 1817 inventory listed 104. The last Tilghman owner, General Tench Tilghman (not Washington’s aide-de-camp), removed the slaves in the 1830s and began selling off lots. In 1849, he sold his remaining interests to James Seth, who continued the development. The island’s central location in the middle Bay is ideally suited for watermen harvesting the Bay in all seasons. The years before the Civil War saw the influx of the first families we know today. A second wave arrived after the War, attracted by the advent of oyster dredging in the 1870s. Hundreds of dredgers and tongers operated out of Tilghman’s Island, their catches sent to the cities by schooners. Boat building, too, was an important industry. The boom continued into the 1890s, spurred by the arrival of steamboat service, which opened vast new markets for Bay seafood. Islanders quickly capitalized on the opportunity as several seafood buyers set up shucking and canning operations on pilings at the edge of the shoal of Dogwood Cove. The discarded oyster shells eventually became an island with seafood packing houses, hundreds of workers, a store, and even a post office. The steamboats also brought visitors who came to hunt, fish, relax and escape the summer heat of the cities. Some families stayed all summer in one of the guest houses that sprang up in the villages of Tilghman, Avalon, Fairbank and Bar Neck. Although known for their independence, Tilghman’s Islanders enjoy showing visitors how to pick a crab, shuck an oyster or find a good fishing spot. In the twentieth century, Islanders pursued these vocations in farming, on the water, and in the thriving seafood processing industry. The “Tilghman Brand” was known throughout the eastern United States, but as the Bay’s bounty diminished, so did the number of water-related jobs. Still, three of the few remaining Bay skipjacks (sailing dredgeboats) can be seen here, as well as two working harbors with scores of power workboats. 79

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TIDEWATER GARDENING

by K. Marc Teffeau, Ph.D.

Gardens Don’t Take Vacations August is the time for vacations, relaxing and, if you have schoolaged kids, getting ready for the new school year. With other things occupying our interests, the garden and landscape sometimes take a backseat. This is okay! The hot and muggy August weather sometimes makes it hard to get motivated to work in the yard. But lest

you think that gardening activities also take a vacation, there are still jobs to be done. Fruit plants and trees all need your attention now. If you have a strawberry bed, now is the time to fertilize for next year’s crop. On plants set out this past spring, apply 4 to 6 ounces of ammonium nitrate or 12 to 18 ounces of

Tidewater Gardening

hose around the plants during the dry spells of August will ensure good fruit bud production and set for next year’s crop. Don't forget to prop up any heavy branches on your apple or peach trees that are threatening to break under the increasing weight

a 10-10-10 complete fertilizer per 25 linear feet of row. Spread the fertilizer uniformly in a band 14” wide over the row when the foliage is dry. Brush the fertilizer off the leaves to avoid leaf burn. For older strawberry beds, increase the application rate to 6 to 8 ounces ammonium nitrate or 18 to 24 ounces of 10-10-10 per 25 feet of row. Strawberries set their fruit buds in the late summer/early fall for next spring’s crop year, so they need a lot of fertilizing at this time. It's also important to maintain adequate water to the strawberry, blueberry and bramble crops now. A slow, long soaking of the water

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ling weeds before they go to seed. Now is the time to plant fall and winter vegetables. Plant starters or seeds of green onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, radishes and blooms. Now is also the time to plant transplants of fall broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Watering the plants with a weak liquid fertilizer solution will help give them a jump start. Pinch off onion f lower buds from the top of the plants to direct all the plant’s energy into the developing bulb instead of seed production. Many herbs tend to self-sow if the f lowers are not removed. Dill produces seeds that fall around the parent plant and come up as volunteers. With hot, humid weather come disease problems. Two types of mildew ~ downy and powdery ~ can affect vine-type vegetable crops at this time of year. Downy mildew

of ripening fruit. Be sure to make a mental note now to thin next year’s crop in June to reduce the number of fruits the tree is carrying and thus improve the size and quality of the remaining fruit.

Watering is also critical for fruit trees in August, especially peach trees. Adequate watering about two weeks before the tree is to be harvested will get the flesh to swell and result in large fruit. After harvesting, pick up and compost all fallen fruit to help reduce the number of pests on your trees next year. Worms hide in the fallen fruit and then pupate in the soil, ready to lay eggs the next year. On the vegetable side, a garden that weeds itself has not yet been developed. However, you can reduce your weeding time by mulching as much as possible and control84

causes problem, on beans, cucumbers and cantaloupes. This fungus disease causes yellow to dark areas on the upper surface of older leaves. Turn the leaf over and you'll see patches of whitish or gray-colored mold. The mold may also occur on

bean pods. Affected vines may be scorched and killed. Powdery mildew appears as a white or brownish talcum-like growth on leaves and young stems of squash, pumpkins, cantaloupes and cucumbers. Look for it especially on the upper surface of leaves. It sometimes affects fruit as well. Severely infected plants will turn yellow, wither and die. To control either downy or powdery mildew, use resistant varieties, practice crop rotation within your garden and maintain good weed control. It helps to space plants properly. Overcrowding allows for high humidity around the plants and favors the spread of these diseases. Remove and trash infected

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Tidewater Gardening plants at the end of the season since they may serve as a source of new infections next year. It is also necessary to use fungicides for control. Products containing the active ingredients copper or chlorothalonil (the trade name ‘Daconil’) are the best and only effective products available to home gardeners. Powdery mildew also affects a number of ornamental plants, including lilacs and annual f lowers. This occurs when the days are hot and the nights cool. As in the vegetable garden, growing mildew-resistant cultivars of plants is your first line of defense. Good culture and sanitation are also important for control. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers at this time of year, as they

produce lush growth that may be susceptible to mildew. Treat the plants with a fungicide on an asneeded basis. Correct watering is a major focus for August. If tropical storms or periodic thunderstorms haven't dumped adequate rain on your landscape, your plants may need extra irrigation.

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Tidewater Gardening

light surface watering wastes water, because it never actually reaches the root zone of the plant, and the moisture rapidly evaporates from the top inch of soil. The best way to tell if your plants are receiving enough water is to take a trowel or shovel and dig down a few inches. The soil should be moist at least 3 or 4 inches deep to ensure that the water is reaching the root zone. Late summer is no time to be pruning ornamental trees and shrubs. The removal of large branches, unless they are dead, at this time of year tends to stimulate new branches to grow. Because of their late start, these new branches will not be able to acclimate for the first frost and subsequent cold weather.

Vegetable gardens, most flowering plants and the lawn all need about one inch of water every week to keep them green and looking nice. Each time you water, be sure to do so thoroughly and deeply. When possible, do your watering in the morning or early afternoon so the soil has a chance to warm up before the cooler evening hours set in. Deep watering will induce the plant’s roots to grow deeper, where they are less likely to dry out. This has the added benefit of better anchoring the plant in the ground. This deal about going out with the hose and spraying everything for 10 minutes really doesn't do the job. A

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As a result, the new branches will likely die or suffer winter injury. The plant may also be injured. However, if your hedge is beginning to look a little shaggy, there is still time left to do light summer pruning or shearing. If you didn't get around to pruning your plants in spring or early summer, forget about

them until next March or April. August is not the time for extensive fertilizing of trees and shrubs. Like late-season pruning, late-summer fertilizing stimulates growth that will be soft and easily killed by the first frost. In addition to producing soft growth, fertilizing now can stimulate the plants

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Tidewater Gardening to grow if we have an Indian summer later this fall. If this happens, you can almost guarantee that your plants will not survive the winter. If you neglected to fertilize your trees and shrubs this past spring, continue to neglect them until sometime around the first of November or after the first or second hard frost. Late-summer annual and perennial flower beds tend to look a little raggedy. Pick off the old, dead flowers on your annuals, as well as the spent flowers and flower stalks on perennial plants. A little time spent on grooming the plants will make a big difference in the garden's overall appearance. Removing the spent flowers will prevent the plants from going into seed production and should allow them to continue flowering longer into the season. Fall-blooming Crocus should be planted this month to give you an extra week or two of flowers after the main garden plants have fin-

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Tidewater Gardening

a third of the vigorous growth. Any stems that cross each other should be removed, as well as those that are in the center of the plant. Weak, spindly canes and any damaged by black spot fungus should be removed. Maintain a spraying schedule to control insects and disease. Clean up fallen rose leaves. They can harbor disease and insect pests over the winter if allowed to remain on the ground. Happy Gardening!

ished for the year. Spring-flowering perennials can be divided and transplanted this month or next. Be sure to do this during the coolest part of the day, and water the plants thoroughly after transplanting. Make sure to prune your hybrid roses in late August to promote the most fall blossoms. Remove about

Marc Teffeau retired as Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the American Nursery and Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. He now lives in Georgia with his wife, Linda.

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Dorchester Map and History

Dorchester County is known as the Heart of the Chesapeake. It is rich in Chesapeake Bay history, folklore and tradition. With 1,700 miles of shoreline (more than any other Maryland county), marshlands, working boats, quaint waterfront towns and villages among fertile farm fields – much still exists of what is the authentic Eastern Shore landscape and traditional way of life along the Chesapeake. For more information about Dorchester County visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/dorchester/. 95

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Another DelMarVa Diva by A.M. Foley

Bernice Frankel’s 3,000-mile journey ~ from the West End of Cambridge to Brentwood in L.A. ~ wasn’t a smooth trip, but the onceunhappy little girl won many accolades and scored many triumphs along her way. Bea Arthur (nee Frankel) came to Maryland’s Eastern Shore from Brooklyn in 1933, when her parents moved south to open P. Frankel’s clothing store. The distinctive personal fashion sense Bea later displayed on All in the Family, Maude, and The Golden Girls may have been honed on Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive, but it originated on Race Street. The middle child among three daughters, Bernice was a pre-teen when her father remodeled a downtown Cambridge site from a theater into a store. Now Craig’s Drug Store, the site originally housed the Grand Opera House, an ornate backdrop where World War I doughboys had posed before shipping Over There. Seeing its exotic facade transformed into P. Frankel’s must have caused considerable comment around town. Entering school, Bernice found herself among students whose families had lived along the Choptank

River for generations. Her Brooklynese must have struck local ears as a foreign tongue, and vice-versa. Small wonder that shy Bernice felt a misfit in her new surroundings. Adding to the language barrier, her Jewish family attended neither Zion Methodist Church nor what was then officially Grace Methodist Episcopal Church (South). By the time she entered Cambridge High School, Bernice had attained her adult height of fivefoot-nine and towered over classmates. The shy teenager spent every available hour with her head in Photoplay Magazine or in the Arcade Theater. “My dream was to become a very small, blond movie star like Ida Lupino and those 97

Bea Arthur other women I saw up there on the screen,” she said. Bea eventually combated her shyness by acting the self-described “class clown.” She became a legend among bobbysoxers, leaving them to the malt shop while she dared venture into The Grill, a male preserve in the depths of Dixon Hotel on High Street. Classmates voted her “wittiest girl” in class for her edgy Mae West imitations. About the same time the Frankels hit town, two-lane Emerson Harrington Bridge was completed, linking Cambridge to Talbot County. As reported by journalist Brice

Stump, a teenaged Bea wrecked her father’s big silver Packard on the span. In what may or may not be related, she left Cambridge High for boarding school in Pennsylvania. Bea spent a stint at Linden Hall, a girls’ college-prep school with a strong equestrian program, where she learned to avoid horses. Her parents then sent her to Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute for training as a medical technician. Back home, she interned one summer at Cambridge Hospital and realized, “I’m not happy running urines. I’m really not. It’s fine, but I want to be a little blond starlet.” Bea found 1940s Cambridge “a beautiful place to grow up, but barren creatively.” In later interviews,

she preferred not to talk about her subsequent military service during

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St. Michaels Map and History

On the broad Miles River, with its picturesque tree-lined streets and beautiful harbor, St. Michaels has been a haven for boats plying the Chesapeake and its inlets since the earliest days. Here, some of the handsomest models of the Bay craft, such as canoes, bugeyes, pungys and some famous Baltimore Clippers, were designed and built. The Church, named “St. Michael’s,” was the first building erected (about 1677) and around it clustered the town that took its name. For a walking tour and more history of the St. Michaels area visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/st-michaels-maryland/. 101

Bea Arthur World War II, which should seem a source of pride. She enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1943 and served as a typist and truck driver for thirty months before being honorably discharged a staff sergeant. Perhaps reluctance to revisit some early years relates to her brief marriage to Robert Aurthur, though she retained his name professionally in a streamlined form. Bea was accepted into New York’s prestigious Dramatic Workshop, along with the likes of Marlon Brando, Tony Curtis, Shelley Winters, Rod Steiger, Elaine Stritch, Tony Randall and Harry Belafonte. They studied under Erwin Pis-

cator, an intense German-born proponent of “epic theatre” who cast Bea in classics he deemed fit for his statuesque student. Of those roles, Bea remembered simply, “I declaimed a lot.” Though considering those years of struggle “the most exciting time of my life,” Bea became discouraged with her progress as an actress. She decided to test her singular deep voice as a nightclub singer. While continuing her studies, she needed money. (Her $15-a-month cold-water f lat featured a toilet down the hall and a bathtub beside the kitchen sink.) Firing her from her nightclub gig, the Blue Angel’s owner advised, “You should try comedy.”

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She landed an off-Broadway singing role in The Threepenny Opera. Performing “The Barbara Song” one evening, she accidentally experienced comedy for the first time. The unexpected epiphany arrived mid-song. “I was singing from the heart, ‘I used to believe in the days I was pure. . . .’ The audience started laughing ~ wouldn’t stop. I thought to myself, Of course . . . that’s funny! Now I know what comedy is: It’s being terribly serious. It was such a revelation. And once you hear a laugh like that, there’s no turning back. It changed my life.” In that moment, Bea Arthur’s dead-pan delivery was born. She came into her own on Broadway

in the mid-1960s in Fiddler on the Roof. She stopped the show nightly, originating the role of Yenta the Matchmaker. In Mame in 1966, she portrayed Angela Lansbury’s boozy best friend, Vera Charles, a role that earned her a Tony as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Life imitating art, Bea and An-

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Oxford Business Association August Calendar Oxford Museum has Re-Opened. Come visit and see the new display ‘ABC’s of Oxford’ and visit the expanded gardens. Audio walking tour is a great way to spend an afternoon. Friday – Monday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 100 S. Morris St., 410 226-0101. Oxford Ferry runs daily from 9 AM till sunset. Call 410 745-9023 for exact times of the last trips! Tred Avon Yacht Club race schedule and updates are available at http://tayc.com/racing. Caronna Collections online auction all month at caronnacollections.com. 8/3 or 8/23 – Bring Your Own Piece Furniture Painting Class - Bring a small piece such as a plant stand, footstool, picture frame, bread box and learn how to paint it with Chalk Mineral paint. Includes 8 oz jar paint and 8 oz sealer for you to keep. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m, $65. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. 8/7 – Cars and Coffee - Anyone can come out and enjoy cars, coffee, and camaraderie. Sponsored by Prestige Auto Vault and Doc’s Sunset Grille. Oxford Community Center. Free; 8:30 -10:30 a.m. the 1st Sat. of each month. Oxfordcc.org; 410-226-5409. 8/7 – The Dave Massey Band in Concert – Outdoors at Oxford Community Center (will move indoors if inclement weather). Bring your lawn chair and have dinner at one of our fine local restaurants before the show. $15. Oxfordcc.org or 410-226-5409 for reservations. 8/8 – Firehouse Breakfast – Come see your friends and enjoy a full breakfast lineup. Oxford Volunteer Fire Department, 8 – 11 a.m. Adults, $10; children under 12, $5. 8/8 or 8/19 – Beginner Chalk Mineral Paint Class – Learn how to use Dixie Belle chalk mineral paint and sealers to paint furniture, picture frames, home décor items too! You will be painting practice boards, applying paints, glazes & sealers. All materials provided. 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., $45. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. 8/13-15 – Oxford Regatta - Tred Avon Yacht Club’s largest annual regatta. The event includes racing for PHRF, Log Canoes, Stars, Comets, Snipes, Penguins, Optis, Lasers and Club 420’s. In previous years, Sunday afternoon included an awards ceremony. For the latest information, current guidelines and schedule of events, please go to www.tayc.com. 8/13 – Sign Painting and Transfers – Learn how to paint a sign with an inspirational word transfer. All materials provided. 5:30 -7 p.m., $36. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. 8/30 – SILK All-In-One Mineral Paint Demo & Instruction - Watch how to use Dixie Belle’s new Silk All-InOne mineral paint. Learn how to apply it and try it out on practice pieces. 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. Seating limited to 6 people for this demo. $10. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www. treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817. Looking forward to September 9/4 - The Fabulous Hubcaps return to the Community Center 9/18 - 2nd Annual Road Rally Also, look for Pumpkin Painting Classes to begin at The Treasure Chest

Oxford Business Association ~ portofoxford.com 104

Oxford Map and History

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Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. Although already settled for perhaps 20 years, Oxford Oxford Bellevue Ferry marks the year 1683 177 166 as its official founding, 155 nd Stra St. 144 for in that year Oxford The 133 was first named by n a 18 8 19 9 hm Tilg the Maryland General k e e Assembly as a seaport Cr 122 St. n and was laid out as a son il W 11 East town. In 1694, OxSt. lair St. t nc 10 e Si rk St. Ma ford and a new town Oxford 9 t. Park hS called Anne Arundel son Hig 8 Richard . St (now Annapolis) were n Divisio St. selected the only ports of entry for the entire i Town Rd. non . eek Cr e B Ave Maryland province. n 3 isio t. Until the American S Div W. 2 Revolution, Oxford 1 t. S ne enjoyed prominence roli 7 ad Ro Ca d 333 Oxfor To Easton as an international Pleasant Oxford St. Community shipping center surCenter Hbr. Robes t. 4 C rounded by wealthy E. Pier St. Pier St. tobacco plantations. Oxford Today, Oxford is a © John Norton 6 5 charming tree-lined and waterbound village with a population of just over 700 and is still important in boat building and yachting. It has a protected harbor for watermen who harvest oysters, crabs, clams and fish, and for sailors from all over the Bay. For a walking tour and more history visit https://tidewatertimes. com/travel-tourism/oxford-maryland/.

Bea Arthur gela forged a lifelong friendship. After losing Bea, Angela described her friend for the New York Post, “Bea was absolutely the antithesis of the characters she portrayed. She was sensitive ~ really sensitive ~ and self-conscious. That voice gave people the wrong impression of toughness and an overbearing attitude.” That voice may have been misleading, but it served Bea well, first as a teen doing Mae West, later performing on Broadway, and finally in Hollywood. Until 1971, Bea was living in New York with her second husband, award-winning actor/director Gene Saks. The couple had two

sons and divided time between work in Manhattan and their country home in Bedford, New York. In those days many television dramas originated in New York City. Gene appeared in several series. Bea had small roles in dramas and revues while devoting herself to raising their sons. Then Norman Lear called from L.A.. Her good friend had created television’s hottest show. “Norman asked me to come out and play a part on one episode of All in the Family.” Lear’s wife, Frances, a militant feminist, inspired the character of Edith Bunker’s cousin Maude. Norman wanted their friend Bea for the part. Of her one appearance, Bea said, “It created some

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kind of furor, because the next thing Norman knew, the president of CBS said, ‘Let’s give her her own show.’ So we took the character and what I was wearing and made Maude.” That episode won Bea her Emmy-winning series, the first successful spin-off from an existing show. Maude ran six years. “It was extraordinary,” she said, “because women all over the country regarded me like Joan of Arc, and I was really so unprepared and fairly disinterested.” After six years, Bea opted to end the series. Gene, who had directed Mame on Broadway, was tapped to direct a screen version starring Lucille Ball as Mame and Bea’s Vera. Perhaps the film was an

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Bea Arthur overreach, following the bestselling book Auntie Mame, adapted to the stage, then screen, then set to music on Broadway. The musical on film disappointed. Regardless, Bea’s Hollywood fortunes continued to soar, while Gene’s West Coast career waned. “It was very unsettling,” Bea said, recalling the circumstances leading to divorce. “He missed New York. His work was there. It took a toll on my marriage and family life.” That voice had led to The Golden Girls. With three stars’ parts filled, one role remained open. From inception, Dorothy was designated for “A Bea Arthur Type.” Dorothy’s

dialogue sounded in the writers’ heads in that voice. Rue McClanahan was recruited to persuade Bea to have a look. Bea loved the script, remembering, “I was so taken with the writing, it never dawned on me we were all older women.” Like Maude, The Golden Girls never got canceled. It ran for seven years and only ended when Bea decided, “Let’s leave it. We’re never going to do it better.” Thereafter, Bea pondered her future, while making occasional guest appearances and one television movie. Today, YouTube still runs her favorite episode, when she and Estelle Getty impersonate Sonny and Cher singing I Got You, Babe. An old friend from her drama

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student days recalled that Bea used to say, “I don’t want to act. I want to sing in front of an orchestra.” Early in the 2000s, Bea pulled all her experiences together into Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends, a solo performance combining narrative, songs and jokes. As she said, “The only things I haven’t done are rodeo and porno.” She toured the show intermittently, receiving standing ovations in New York and thirty other cities across the United States, Canada and Great Britain. In the end, Bea’s dreams had fallen short, only in that her Hollywood stardom did not come to her as a petite blond, but rather the opposite. And she was accompanied

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orchestra. Bea died of lung cancer April 25, 2009 at her Brentwood home in Los Angeles. But, if reruns of The Golden Girls mean anything, Bernice Frankel gained immortality. Fans enjoy her shows in reruns several times a day around the world.

on her final triumphant appearances by her friend, pianist Billy Goldenberg, rather than by a full

Forty-some years ago, A.M. Foley swapped the Washington, D.C., business scene for a writing life on Elliott Island, Maryland. Tidewater Times has kindly published portions of one upcoming work, Chesapeake Bay Island Hopping, along with other regional musings. Foley’s published works are described at www.HollandIslandBook.com.

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Caroline County – A Perspective Caroline County is the very definition of a rural community. For more than 300 years, the county’s economy has been based on “market” agriculture. Caroline County was created in 1773 from Dorchester and Queen Anne’s counties. The county was named for Lady Caroline Eden, the wife of Maryland’s last colonial governor, Robert Eden (1741-1784). Denton, the county seat, was situated on a point between two ferry boat landings. Much of the business district in Denton was wiped out by the fire of 1863. Following the Civil War, Denton’s location about fifty miles up the Choptank River from the Chesapeake Bay enabled it to become an important shipping point for agricultural products. Denton became a regular port-ofcall for Baltimore-based steamer lines in the latter half of the 19th century. Preston was the site of three Underground Railroad stations during the 1840s and 1850s. One of those stations was operated by Harriet Tubman’s parents, Benjamin and Harriet Ross. When Tubman’s parents were exposed by a traitor, she smuggled them to safety in Wilmington, Delaware. Linchester Mill, just east of Preston, can be traced back to 1681, and possibly as early as 1670. The mill is the last of 26 water-powered mills to operate in Caroline County and is currently being restored. The long-term goals include rebuilding the millpond, rehabilitating the mill equipment, restoring the miller’s dwelling, and opening the historic mill on a scheduled basis. Federalsburg is located on Marshyhope Creek in the southern-most part of Caroline County. Agriculture is still a major portion of the industry in the area; however, Federalsburg is rapidly being discovered and there is a noticeable influx of people, expansion and development. Ridgely has found a niche as the “Strawberry Capital of the World.” The present streetscape, lined with stately Victorian homes, reflects the transient prosperity during the countywide canning boom (1895-1919). Hanover Foods, formerly an enterprise of Saulsbury Bros. Inc., for more than 100 years, is the last of more than 250 food processors that once operated in the Caroline County region. Points of interest in Caroline County include the Museum of Rural Life in Denton, Adkins Arboretum near Ridgely, and the Mason-Dixon Crown Stone in Marydel. To contact the Caroline County Office of Tourism, call 410-479-0655 or visit their website at www.tourcaroline.com. 113

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Queen Anne’s County The history of Queen Anne’s County dates back to the earliest Colonial settlements in Maryland. Small hamlets began appearing in the northern portion of the county in the 1600s. Early communities grew up around transportation routes, the rivers and streams, and then roads and eventually railroads. Small towns were centers of economic and social activity and evolved over the years from thriving centers of tobacco trade to communities boosted by the railroad boom. Queenstown was the original county seat when Queen Anne’s County was created in 1706, but that designation was passed on to Centreville in 1782. It’s location was important during the 18th century, because it is near a creek that, during that time, could be navigated by tradesmen. A hub for shipping and receiving, Queenstown was attacked by English troops during the War of 1812. Construction of the Federal-style courthouse in Centreville began in 1791 and is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the state of Maryland. Today, Centreville is the largest town in Queen Anne’s County. With its relaxed lifestyle and tree-lined streets, it is a classic example of small town America. The Stevensville Historic District, also known as Historic Stevensville, is a national historic district in downtown Stevensville, Queen Anne’s County. It contains roughly 100 historic structures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located primarily along East Main Street, a portion of Love Point Road, and a former section of Cockey Lane. The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center in Chester at Kent Narrows provides and overview of the Chesapeake region’s heritage, resources and culture. The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center serves as Queen Anne’s County’s official welcome center. Queen Anne’s County is also home to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (formerly Horsehead Wetland Center), located in Grasonville. The CBEC is a 500-acre preserve just 15 minutes from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the area. Embraced by miles of scenic Chesapeake Bay waterways and graced with acres of pastoral rural landscape, Queen Anne’s County offers a relaxing environment for visitors and locals alike. For more information about Queen Anne’s County, visit www.qac.org. 115

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No-Cook Summer Meals This is my favorite time of year! We wait all year for the moment when gardens groan under the weight of those juicy tomatoes, okra pods that hang on the vine and basil shooting skyward! For anyone who cooks, this is the time of year when you start getting excited. This abundance of veggies

and fruits can also lead us down a path full of culinary ruts. There is only so much pesto one can freeze before summer’s blessings begin to feel like a curse! These easy no-cook recipes come together in a f lash, making them perfect for summer nights when it is way too hot to turn on

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Tidewater Kitchen the oven! However, let’s define the term “no-cook” since it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. For the purpose of this article, let’s say that “no-cook” simply means no heat, as in keeping the stove and oven use to a minimum. Outsmart the thermometer by marrying peak summer produce with savvy supermarket shopping. The best no-cook dishes begin with ultra-fresh vegetables and layer in convenience ingredients like rotisserie chicken. Season with bright f lavors like lemon juice or herbs. Then add crunch with nuts, seeds, radishes, or cucumbers.

WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD Sweet and salty! 6 cups watermelon, rind and seeds removed 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips 6 thin red onion slices 3 T. fresh lime juice 2 t. local honey 1/2 t. sea salt 1/8 t. freshly ground pepper 4 T. extra virgin olive oil 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or cubed 6 large fresh mint leaves, chopped 12 fresh basil leaves

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In a large bowl, combine water-

melon, yellow pepper and sliced onion. Set aside. Whisk together lime juice, honey, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Pour dressing over watermelon and toss. Add feta, mint and basil, and toss gently. SCALLION AND BENNE CUCUMBER NOODLES This is good paired with shrimp. 6 large cucumbers 4 t. kosher salt 2/3 cup sliced green onions, green parts only 1/2 cup plus 2 T. rice vinegar 2 T. honey 1 t. sesame oil Toasted sesame seeds

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Tidewater Kitchen Peel cucumbers and cut into thin strips using the julienne blade of a mandolin (should be about 8 cups). Slice the cucumbers just

A Taste of Italy

until you reach the seeds, but no farther or the noodles will become raggedy. Toss together cucumber and salt, and drain in a colander 30 minutes. Toss together green onions, next 3 ingredients and drained cucumbers. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Note: Look for smooth, firm, medium-size cucumbers. Bigger ones are more watery and have more seeds. Store at room temperature like tomatoes. If you must, store no more than 3 days in a ziptop bag in the refrigerator crisper. MANGO CHICKEN SALAD Serves 4 This is a hot-weather version made with fresh summer mangoes and green grapes and lightened with yogurt. 3 large bone-in chicken breasts (about 2-1/2 pounds) or rotisserie chicken

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1 cup chicken stock 2 T. mayonnaise 1/4 cup plain yogurt 3 T. mango chutney 1 t. curry powder 1 T. fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 t. sea salt 2 large ripe mangoes, peeled 1 large stalk of celery, chopped 1 cup green grapes, sliced in half 4 ounces fresh spinach 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

ach evenly among four plates, and top with the mango slices and the chicken salad. Sprinkle a small handful of the peanuts over each plate and serve. Serves 4 Note: Like ripe peaches, mangoes should be tender to the touch but not mushy; look for ones that yield to very gentle pressure and have a nice orange-red color.

Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan and add the stock. Add enough water to cover the breasts. Bring to a simmer, cover and poach 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney, curry powder and parsley in a small bowl. Stir to blend, season with salt, cover and refrigerate. Cut the f lesh of one mango into bite-size chunks and slice the remaining mango into thin wedges. Drain the chicken breasts (reserving the stock for later use). Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts; then chop the meat into bite-size pieces. If using a rotisserie chicken, pull the chicken meat from the bones and cut into bite-size pieces. Combine in a large bowl with the celery, grapes and mango chunks. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. At serving time, divide the spin-

TUNA SALAD 3 tomatoes, cut into eights 6 radishes, sliced 1 head Boston lettuce, washed 1 7-ounce can solid white Albacore tuna 2 eggs, hard-boiled and quartered 8 ripe olives 1/2 Bermuda onion, thinly sliced

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1/4 t. freshly ground pepper 3 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1/2 cup green onions Optional: spinach leaves Cook 1/8 cup sesame seeds and 1/2 cup expeller pressed canola oil in a saucepan for 2 minutes. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. Set aside. Cook rotini according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine all remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add pasta and mix well. Add spinach leaves if desired.

3 T. parsley, finely chopped Dressing: 1/2 cup expeller pressed canola oil 2 T. olive oil 1 T. Dijon mustard 2 T. cider vinegar 1 t. honey 1 t. Maggi seasoning Place all ingredients in a salad bowl. Put all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend for 30 seconds. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix. Sprinkle the parsley over it. FAVORITE PASTA SALAD This was served at a dance festival every year. 8 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and rinsed 1/8 cup sesame seeds 1/2 cup expeller pressed canola oil 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 2 T. sugar 1/2 t. sea salt

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Tidewater Kitchen PEA SALAD Took this to a neighborhood party and everyone raved! 1 (16 ounce) package frozen baby peas, thawed, drained and patted dry 1 onion, finely chopped 2-3 ribs celery, chopped

1 can water chestnuts, chopped 1 package bacon bits (real) Mix all together and add mayonnaise to taste Let rest overnight. CITRUS CRAB SALAD A refreshing salad. Served on toast, it could be an easy appetizer! 5-6 T. fresh lemon juice 1 T. red wine vinegar 1-2 T. freshly chopped oregano 2 T. freshly chopped parsley 2 oranges, reserve Zest from one of the oranges Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

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In a bowl, combine lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, parsley, zest from one orange and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk olive oil into mixture until well combined. Set aside. Remove peels from the oranges. Cut each orange into quarters and then thinly slice each quarter crosswise. Combine the orange slices, crab and green onion, then toss with the dressing.

1 pound lump crab meat 2 green onions, sliced

A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, now teaches both adult and children’s cooking classes. For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.

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History of Firefighting in Trappe by James Dawson and Robert Croswell This article is dedicated to the brave volunteers of the Trappe Volunteer Fire Dept., past and present, who drop anything at any time to come to our rescue. Thank you! The Early Years by James Dawson In the old days, there were no organized fire departments in Trappe or in any of the other small towns in Talbot County. Neighbors would attempt to put out fires with their own buckets and ladders if they happened to see smoke from a nearby fire, but more often than not, there was little hope of saving houses and barns if a serious fire broke out. Fires were frequent and were star ted by such things as wood and coal stoves, faulty chimneys, kerosene lamps, runaway brush fires, woods fires, canning house fires, sparks from steam-powered traction engines and even lightning strikes. Thunderstorms seemed to be more common then. Many barns were destroyed, and even livestock in fields were struck and killed by lightning. There were far more fires in Trappe District than the few listed in this article. The ruins of Old White Marsh are still visible a few miles north of Trappe just off Route 50. The church was destroyed by fire on Jan. 12, 1897, the ironic result of efforts to

clean up the grounds, when sparks from burning brush set fire to the roof. There was no way to put out the fire, even though Easton had had an organized fire department since 1808 and had purchased a steam pumper in 1879 after a “terrible conf lagration” the previous year burned a dozen buildings downtown and threatened the Courthouse. Nicknamed the “Little Giant,” it was decorated with painted flowers and pulled by four horses, but in the days before telephones, by the time someone could have gone the six or so miles to Easton to alert the fire department, and then for the “Little Giant” to have gotten to the church, there would have been nothing left to save. This was a problem for most of the county. An amazing 42-year run of incendiary bad luck, mentioned in the Willis family diaries, occurred on the Dr. Mathews farm on north Island Creek Neck near Trappe. All the barns and implements were burned on Feb. 10, 1864, and then

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Firefighting in Trappe the house on July 31, 1864. These fires may have been deliberately set by a disgruntled farm hand. Then, as if two major fires on this property weren’t enough, nature lent a hand when trees in the front yard were struck by lightning four times: three times in 1899 alone, the last time setting an oak tree by the house on fire and killing a mule. Then, for the grand finale, the house that replaced the house that burned in ’64 was destroyed by fire on Oct. 19, 1906. Fortunately, things have quieted down since then, possibly because there was nothing left to burn. Clearly, Trappe needed its own fire department, but it didn’t get serious about firefighting until two fires the

same week in August 1911 nearly destroyed the town. Even then, it took two years to get around to it. Flames were discovered about 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 in a shed behind Powell’s and Clark & Kirby’s stores. The word spread, and soon several bucket brigades were at work. There were no spectators at the fire ~ even children helped carry water from the town’s one public hand pump. Men climbed up ladders and threw buckets of water on the roofs of nearby buildings in an attempt to contain the flames, but a stiff wind made it an all but useless effort. DeGuncy’s store caught fire several times. Fortunately, the wind shifted and the fire was finally brought under control. The Easton Star Democrat reported that a total of six buildings were destroyed including Kirby’s

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Firefighting in Trappe store. Damage was estimated at between $35,000 to $50,000, most of which was not covered by insurance. A photo postcard exists of Trappe’s proud bucket brigade standing in front of the ruins. As if that wasn’t bad enough, that same week a large woods fire burned nearby for several days, nearly destroying the Adams’ canning house on Lover’s Lane and threatening the town. So many volunteers came to fight the flames that Adams put a thank-you letter in the paper and a praise service was held in William Bartlett’s yard that Sunday to thank the Lord for delivering the town from destruction. Twice. Then, in a bizarre twist to the town fire story, many had noticed the strong smell of kerosene near the shed where the fire had started. Foul play was suspected and the State’s Attorney, the Deputy Sheriff and the State Fire Marshall were called in to investigate, with the result that the town physician, Dr. James McCormick, was arrested and charged with arson. Witnesses said that he had been acting strangely in the days preceding the fire. Justice was swift in those days. Less than two weeks later, after an inquiry, the doctor was declared insane at the time of the fire and committed to Spring Grove Hospital, an asylum for the criminally insane, near Baltimore. The doctor had been

taking excess amounts of chloral bromide, a narcotic that causes dementia, paranoia and voices. It was suspected that he had also started a fire in town four years previously. This near tragedy was a wake-up call for the town, and Trappe’s first volunteer fire company was organized in 1913. There were five members, including S. Edward Simpson and Kirby Towers. A local blacksmith made a ladder wagon, and they acquired a chemical tank; both were pulled by hand. The chemical tank was a 40-gallon drum on two cart wheels that was filled with a mixture of water and baking soda. Inside the drum was a lead container containing sulfuric acid. When the acid was dumped into the solution in the tank using an outside lever, the resulting chemical reaction forced water out of a small hose. This firefighting equipment was stored behind Craig’s drug store. And just in time! On Nov. 9. 1915, four youths set fire to the southwest corner of the old Trappe High School, apparently in an attempt to get out of taking a test. Fortunately the scholars were no better at arson than scholastics, as the fire was quickly extinguished. Not only did the boys still have to take the test, but after an investigation, they were also tried, convicted and put on probation. A huge explosion on Sept. 12, 1921, in the days before Trappe had electricity and electric lights, caused by a leak in the acetylene gas light-

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Firefighting in Trappe ing system in the cellar of Thomas Mushaw’s house wrecked half of the building. Fortunately, Trappe’s firefighters put out the resulting blaze before the rest of the house was consumed. Mushaw and his family suffered serious burns and injuries, but there were no fatalities. Of course, there was no ambulance then. The chemical tank, barely adequate in 1913 and antiquated by 1926, was damaged that April while being towed behind a car to go to a fire on the Leonard farm. The driver turned a corner too fast and wrecked a wheel. By the time the Easton fire engine arrived, several buildings had been lost.

Clearly, it was time for some immediate action, and the old 1913 volunteer fire department was rejuvenated a nd reorga ni zed. A n article in the Dec. 17, 1927 Easton Star Democrat announced, “Trappe Organizes A Fire Department and Elects Officers.” Soon there were 25 active firemen on the rolls. Each paid $1 a year, with honorary members paying $2 a year. Silas Edward Simpson was President and J. Franklin “Home Run” Baker, Vice President. Note that the volunteers paid for the privilege of being in the fire company! In January 1928, the newly organized fire department purchased 740 feet of 2 1/2-inch hose from the Eureka Fire Hose Company. When

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Firefighting in Trappe fighting fires in town, the hose could be connected with the fire plugs that had been installed the previous year when the town got a water system. This greatly lowered the fire insurance rates in town and was thought to be adequate to contain a fire until the Easton fire engine arrived. The hose was stored in the town’s water pumping station. In March, the town got its first fire siren, which was mounted on the roof of Mushaw’s garage. It could be heard 2 1/2 miles away. Since it was battery powered, a fire bell was kept for backup should the batteries fail. The first big test came that same month. When attempting to fight a

chimney fire in town, the hose was found to be too bulky to be carried by hand. By April, the fire department had bought a secondhand Packard touring car that was remodeled into a fire truck to carry the hose and chemicals. It was paid for with funds collected by wives of the members, who put on an oyster supper that took in over $250. Outside the town, fires were still fought by bucket brigades until the arrival of the Easton pumper, which could suck water out of horse troughs, creeks and branches. When fire broke out, the Webb farm in 1931, the flames were too much for buckets and ladders, and the house was destroyed by the time Easton could get there. Trappe

Trappe Fire Department in the 1930s. 138

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Firefighting in Trappe needed its own pumper, but it took six years to raise the purchase price for one. In 1934, the town built a municipal building with two bays for fire engines. Money for the its construction came from taxes, volunteer contributions and money raised by the Ladies Auxiliary, which organized suppers, dances and bingo parties. The building was used as a firehouse until a new one was built in 1952 and is now used for the town offices. A mid nig ht bla ze on Dec. 12 started as a chimney fire in Miller’s barber shop , spread to two buildings and threatened downtown again, but Trappe firefighters did splendid

work putting the fire out, aided by the town’s new water system and fire hydrants, with some assistance from Easton. The Trappe Volunteer Fire Company was incor porated on Jan. 18, 1935. Levin Morris was Chief, Harvey Slaughter, Captain, Douglass Sullivan, A ssistant Chief, Charles Sheridan, Engineer and Silas Edward Simpson, Secretary and Treasurer. That Nov. 12, there was another fire in the new brick high school. This time, the fire was thought to have been caused by defective wiring, but the damage was minimal. Electricity may not have been 100% safe, but at least it did not explode like acetylene. Maurice Adams was a longtime

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Firefighting in Trappe mover and shaker in Trappe’s politics and, as head of the town council, was Trappe’s unofficial mayor for years. He wrote in his memoirs that he had been a fire department member since 1933, an officer on many occasions and was its president when they got their first pumper, a Chevrolet, in 1937, the one they’d saved six years to get. Adams was also instrumental in getting an International Hy-pressure pumper in 1946. He remembered

that he signed the contract and personally guaranteed its purchase price some months before the acquisition was okayed by the fire department. He did this to ensure delivery by the end of the year because of the scarcity of truck chassis immediately following the war. Trappe’s new $18,000 firehouse was dedicated on May 18, 1952 in a ceremony attended by such notables as Governor of Maryland Theodore McKeldin and Trappe’s own “Home Run” Baker, who had been a member of the fire department for years. The

Southern Methodist church fire. 142

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Firefighting in Trappe second floor has a kitchen and is used for civic functions. It has since been enlarged and is still in use. There were two big church fires in 1954. A spectacular fire on Feb. 26 destroyed the old Southern Methodist church building, which was vacant and being used by Ira Nelson’s Furniture Exchange to store furniture, and a Christmas Eve fire seriously damaged the roof of St. Paul’s Episcopal church, which was repaired. The fire department got another engine in 1954, when Easton lent them their American LaFrance that they’d bought in 1920 for $10,000. The town kept the old 500-gallonper-minute pumper ~ nicknamed

“Old Mom” ~ until 1962, when Trappe got a new pumper. “Old Mom” was returned to Easton, has since been restored and is on display at the Easton Fire Department. The town now had four pieces of firefighting equipment and an ambulance. The Trappe Lion’s Club had started the ambulance fund, and Maurice Adams contributed half of the purchase price. Trappe’s proximity to the new Route 50 kept the ambulance busy. A curious tale: the late 1700s antique country Chippendale style “Bishop’s chair” that was rescued from the Episcopal church fire on Christmas Eve in 1954 had also been rescued from the fire that gutted Old White Marsh Church in 1897. It was truly a hot seat indeed, having been in both churches when they burned. It is now safely located in a local collection. The Middle Years by Robert Croswell The 1946 or ’47 fire engine was an International. It still exists in Joe Thomas’ junkyard in the section on the east side of Route 50. I understand that it is in pretty awful condition now, but it was a most unusual truck and quite progressive in its day. It could not draft water and carried no large hoses, just two “booster lines” on hose reels. It did have a water tank, but I don’t recall how large. There was, as I recall, a three-cylinder belt-driven Beam (the brand name) pump in the mid-ship

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Firefighting in Trappe position. The pump produced close to 800 psi. Each booster line had a single nozzle that resembled an assault rifle or machine gun. Each nozzle gun had a neat little device on the top that when turned on would project a fine water curtain up in front of the fireman’s face to protect the face from the heat of the fire. I recall trying it during a training session where we walked up close to a burning car, and no heat could be felt on the face. Well, that 800 psi was known to set more than one unsuspecting fireman on the ground. It had quite a kick, and one needed to be prepared for the shock. The pressure would drop somewhat after the first nozzle was opened, and the experienced firemen

knew to let the rookie open the first nozzle, as the second nozzle to open didn’t kick quite so badly. This was called a high-pressure fog system, and it would easily put out a gasoline or oil fire and just about any other fire. The nozzles could be adjusted to a range of patterns, including a very intense straight stream that would cut shingles right off a roof. It used a relatively small amount of water, which suited rural areas where there was limited water availability. Mr. John Quidas was the main driver of that truck, and I don’t recall ever seeing him operate any other truck. It was the simplest truck in the fleet to run. Everything was preset, and it had an automatic pressure regulator. It was simply a matter of engaging the PTO to drive bringing the engine up to speed and opening

Trappe's 1937 Chevy fire truck. 148

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Firefighting in Trappe the nozzle. I recall that during one summer, probably 1958 or 1959, we had a call to a wood pile on fire. In those days, the lack of communication made it hard to get a crew in the middle of the day, and only three turned out ~ Mr. Quidas, Lee Stevens and me. Mr. Quidas was the driver/ operator, Mr. Stevens was a regular fireman and I was a junior fireman (over 16 and under 18). We arrived and found a fully involved wood pile of considerable size. Well, those highpressure streams quickly took care of extinguishing the fire, but someone had a lot of wood to re-stack ’cause we scattered it all over that backyard! That International also served as the lighting truck and carried two large search lights and a one-cylinder, two-cycle engine-driven generator that was mounted on the back step. That thing was usually cantankerous about starting and running, but when it did run, it provided good light. At the time, this was the only truck that had a windshield on the back for the firemen riding on the back step. Safety was not a prime concern back then ~ it was hold on or be thrown off. We soon learned to check who was driving before selecting a truck to ride! The ’30-something Ford was a “homemade” fire truck that was put together at Trappe Frozen Foods when Maurice Adams ran the place. My father did the piping. The truck

was a V-8 Ford with mechanical brakes that on a good day served to slow the truck down a little. Usually someone in the cab assisted with the hand brake. Jim Davis was the primary driver, and anyone who knows Jim knows that he did drive! The pump had its own Chrysler engine and was mounted transversely behind the cab. It had a relatively large tank and didn’t carry a lot of anything else and was referred to as the tanker. I don’t know what finally happened to it. Next came a ’38 Ford. Near the end of part one there is the statement that the fire department got another engine in 1954, when Easton gave them their 1920 American LaFrance. I believe that old truck was still able to pump water, but I don’t recall it ever being used for anything except parades and the like. Trappe already had the ’54 Ford before they got the Easton truck. I’m not sure if the old International is a 1946, 1947 or 1948. I believe Bobby Quidas refers to it as a 1948, I just don’t know, but that should be determined. Possibly it was ordered in 1946 but didn’t become available until 1948, but it could have been a 1947 model delivered in 1948. The fourth truck was a 1954 Ford, and it had a “modern” fire truck body and was a good pumper. It was generally one of the fastest over the road. The next truck was a 1962 Ford. It cost $16,000, could pump 1,000 gallons a minute and carried 1,000 feet of 1 1/2-inch hose and 800

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Firefighting in Trappe feet of 1 1/2-inch hose. This was an economy model that was mostly devoid of chrome, right down to having a painted grill. The fire company ordered a new General Electric radio system (one of the most powerful in the county) for this truck, and it became my task to install it. Well, the truck came with a quiet stock muffler and had only been delivered for a few days when I crawled under to run some wires for the radio and someone had already cut the muffler in half and removed the insides and welded it back together! Now, the alarm system was another whole story. Calls went to Trappe Frozen Foods because they had a night

watchman and someone was always there, and of course Maurice Adams was the owner and also big in the fire company. It worked well in concept, but the phone and control circuits were less than 100% reliable. I guess it would have been around 1960 or so; we ran wires to John Quidas’ gas station and to Maurice Adams’s home and installed switches that would set off the fire siren. At that time, there was a connection to the radio system so that Easton control center could blow the alarm as well. The radio was not always reliable, and false alarms were not unheard of. Of course, when the firemen arrived, they had no way to know where the fire was, and the sound of the siren made it difficult to talk on the

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Firefighting in Trappe phone to call anyone. At some point I made for them an enunciator board that had a light that corresponded to each place that could set off the alarm. The light would stay lit until reset, so at least they knew what location to call. There was (may still be) a chalkboard out front, and whoever set off the alarm would frequently come to the station and write the location on the board. I’ve seen a newspaper article that says Trappe’s first ambulance and shows a 1950-ish Cadillac. That was NOT the first ambulance. The first one was an old Buick. I don’t remember a lot about it, and it was soon replaced with the Cadillac, which was much nicer, but the Buick was the really the first and the Caddy the second. There was another early siren that was placed partway up the old water tower. I don’t know when it was installed there, sometime after electricity came to town. I don’t ever remember hearing it blow while at that location, but I believe it to be the same one that was moved to the top of the new firehouse (not the one being replaced). It was a small horizontal siren, and it didn’t have a very “clear” sound. Some referred to it as the “tomcat,” and it was only used as backup. That probably would have been in the late ‘50s. The “main siren,” the one that was used regularly, was a larger

three-phase electric unit that was on the town hall building (the old firehouse). Then, I believe around 1960 or so, there was this big thing with Civil Defense and the siren had to be certified to blow continuously (not up and down) for several minutes, and because the “main” siren was so old, there was no certification. That’s when we got the one that was replaced in 2008. At one time, I believe it had the big blue and yellow CD logo on it. Well, the old main siren was removed from what was then Town Hall and moved to atop a pole at the sewer pumping station on South Main Street. Finally, just a few years ago, I believe, that original “main siren” died and was replaced with a new one.

The Bishop's chair survived two horrific church fires.

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The M.E. Church south (Trinity Methodist Church) in ’54 was the biggest fire I remember in Trappe. There were a couple of bigger ones just outside of town, but I don’t have pictures. Ira Nelson had a three-story wooden chicken house off Barber Road just east of Marvel Drive. It sat a short distance back from the road. It was during a storm and presumably caused by lightning, and it really lit up the sky. Same story for a big house across f rom White Ma rsh Road at t he school. Trappe Frozen Foods housed help from Puerto Rico there for picking asparagus ~ burned to the ground. Puss Garret lived there around 1950. They also had three houses at Kirby Town on Piney Hill Road, and I remember one that burned to the ground in the middle of the day. One old black gentlemen lived there, but I guess he wasn’t home. It was hard to get a turnout in the middle of the day before pagers became available. Summary The 1913 chemical tank has long since been retired and is now on

display in the firehouse. Trappe’s old ’37 Chevy pumper, which was sold off years ago, was located in Pennsylvania and brought back home in June 2012. It still had its original paint with the Trappe lettering on it. T.V.F.D. has modern equipment now: three fire engines, a rescue truck, a tanker, a brush truck, a chief’s vehicle and an ambulance. Trappe is proud of its firefighters! St. Michaels, Tilghman, Oxford, Cordova and Queen Anne-Hillsboro also have their own fire departments besides Easton and Trappe, and they all help each other out when necessary. We are lucky to have them! Note: The Willis diary material is from 100 Years of Change on the Eastern Shore, The Willis Family Diaries 1847-1951, edited by James Dawson and published by Charles “Nick” Willis. James Dawson is the owner of Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe. Bob Croswell is the owner of Greenfield Clock Shop and a former Town Commissioner.

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Changes:

Murphy

by Roger Vaughan It was rare for Murphy to be in the cat carrier. In the three years he’s been with us he’s been to the vet for checkups a couple times. Otherwise, he is a healthy boy who leads an active outdoor life and

takes good care of himself. How he manages to keep his long-haired coat so immaculate never ceases to amaze me. I could count on one hand the times I’ve had to clip a hair mat off him. But now here he

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Murphy was in the carrier on the front seat of the car, traveling. He was his usual composed self, not saying much. Cool as ever. Where we going, he wondered early in the trip. What’s all this? Then he clammed up and enjoyed the ride. Sixty miles an hour! Nice. Wanda, our other cat, is the talker. She’s never at a loss for something to say. She talks all the time about everything. Usually it's critical, but often she's just taking note of what is happening, or what could be happening. Hello. Hello again. Dinnertime? No? Well, when, then? It’s not six o’clock? It must be. Did your watch stop? Come on,

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let’s have dinner anyway. Where you going? Can I come? Wanda was, in fact, coming with us. We were moving, and we figured she’d adapt well to our new digs where there would be four other cats. She might not like it as well as her current open-door life. She’d have to become an indoor cat. Both Wanda and Murphy were used to heading out after breakfast, off to check out anything that moved, from blowing leaves to moles, voles, small snakes, baby rabbits, cicadas and, yes, birds on occasion. Wanda spent more time in the house. During the day, she’d 158

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Murphy often come in for a nap. Not Murphy, unless it was bad weather. Then we’d find him stretched out on the sofa, his front end pointed one way, his back end the other, dead to the world. I’ve never seen a cat that slept so soundly. Sometimes Murphy wouldn’t even respond to my whistle indicating it was lunchtime. He is always busy and can be obsessively engaged in stalking something. Wanda wasn’t the only one who would have some adapting to do. Change of any sort requires effort and willingness. We were downsizing, heading for suburbia. We thought Wanda could manage, but

Murphy would never make it in suburbia. We dutifully lured him

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Murphy

in most nights, figuring he would be no match for a fox. But several times he pulled all-nighters outside. He and Wanda had a tenuous relationship. Splitting them up would not be at all cruel. Wanda is smart as a whip, the valedictorian of her class. Murphy ranks in the middle somewhere, one of those quiet, poker-faced guys you don’t mess with. And he’s polydactyl, with thumbs on his front feet. Two extra claws. Polydactyl cats were sought after on the old sailing ships because they were thought to be better at catching rodents.

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Murphy and Wanda would often “play,” but it was evident the word had a different meaning for each of them. Wanda is aloof and could do without play. She’s a bit of a snob, relating more to people than other animals ~ an only cat waiting to happen. The two of them would never be seen cuddling together on a cold winter’s night, but they got along. They respected each other’s space and never ate each other’s food ~ unless the other one wasn’t around. But for Murphy, Wanda 162

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Murphy is also a live animal, meaning she is fair game. Despite the fact that Wanda outweighs Murphy by several pounds, he would frequently engage her. It was more than play, and it never failed to make her furious. She always responded by lying on her back, screaming like a Samurai as she tried to fend off that extra claw coming at her. I’m convinced Murphy wasn’t trying to hurt her. If he had been, he would have. He was just doing what he was good at, what he enjoyed doing. Wanda would often catch animals and bring them in slightly wounded. Murphy would finish them off. His instinct to kill aside, Murphy has been a joy to have around.

He’s gorgeous, first of all, an orange/blonde color with a rack of very long whiskers and a long, full tail. And those fabulous big front feet. He feels wonderful. He likes most people, enjoys attention and has the appealing habit of reaching up to bump his cheek against my closed fist. When he would spot me across the lawn, he would come toward me at a fast walk, f lipping his tail up in greeting when he was about eight feet away. He doesn’t mind being picked up, he even purrs, but his tolerance for being held is around 20 seconds on a good day. I’m not sure why, but I think he’s concerned he will miss something if he’s not on the ground ready to respond to the endless stimuli offered by his animated world. Being held even for

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20 seconds conf licts with the freedom he needs. That really defines the joy he contributed as a member of our household. He provided such a wonderful example of a complete feline being, tending to his business with dedication, being himself with no apologies, savoring the long days of stalking and chasing, taking the time to recline like a lion on the front steps, or hang out with us, and falling into comatose sleep in extraordinary positions. The puzzle was what to do with Murphy. Thinking about being without him was very difficult. It was even more difficult trying to find the right situation for him ~ a place where his new people would appreciate this extraordinary fel-

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Murphy low, a place where the world would be a fascination. A couple people were interested, but they declined after thinking it through. Then the farm came up, a hundred or so acres with chickens and dogs and another cat ~ and horses ~ run by friends who love and understand animals. The farm passed a condition I had secretly established in my mind: if I wouldn’t live there, I wouldn’t send Murphy. And it was nearby, meaning visits would be easy. On the appointed day, there we were, doing 60 on the highway, with Murphy taking it as it came. Two large dogs came out to greet us as we pulled up to the farm-

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house. One raised his head and gave a lazy howl as a welcome. I opened the car door. Both dogs stuck their heads in at once for hugs. Friendly, calm old boys. Murphy hardly reacted. The friends appeared, and I took the carrier into the house, set it down and opened it. In just a few seconds, Murphy calmly walked out, brief ly regarded his new humans and began slowly walking around, checking things out. He had arrived. No sad goodbyes necessary. Ten days later I went to visit Murphy. It was hot, in the 90s. I parked in front of the house and got out. Murphy was nowhere in sight. I whistled, called his name,

and pretty soon he came out from under a bush where he had been napping. He took a few steps, then stretched, reaching out to pull at the grass with those magnificent, big front feet. He f lipped his tail up, walked over and bumped his cheek against my fist. I patted him. He fist-bumped a few more times, then walked over to a bowl of water and had a drink. “How you doin’,” I asked him. He looked back at me. Horses. They got horses. Then he walked back under the bush to resume his nap. Roger Vaughan recently moved to Easton after living 41 years in Oxford.

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Tidewater Times August 2021

Articles inside

Changes - Murphy: Roger Vaughan

Queen Anne’s County

St. Michaels Map and History

Caroline County ~ A Perspective

Oxford Map and History

Another Delmarva Diva: A.M. Foley

Tidewater Gardening - No Vacation in the Garden: K. Marc Teffeau

Easton Map and History

A Seaside Arcadia - Phillips Crab House: Richard W. Walker

The Chesapeake Film Festival

Tilghman ~ Bay Hundred

Learning to Hit Curve Balls: Mike Valliant

The Healing World of Acupuncture: Bonna L. Nelson

August Tide Table

A Sharp, Observant Eye - Jane Oliver Menard: Helen Chappell