Ocean City’s Life-Saving Station Museum stands tall and proud at the southernmost end of the city’s boardwalk. Located at the inlet, the view from this area includes Assateague Island, the Atlantic Ocean and Sinepuxent Bay. The museum building is a silent sentinel to all boats passing through the Ocean City Inlet. This beautiful old Victorian building houses the little-known history of the United States Life-Saving Service on the Delmarva Peninsula and the unique history of the town of Ocean City, Maryland.
The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum is one of only a handful of old Life-Saving Stations being preserved for historical purposes. This well-maintained building, with its red roof and white cypress siding, was built in 1891 and replaced an older building constructed in 1878. The men who served in this station house and similar stations on the Eastern Shore have left a mark of heroism upon the heritage of this region. Wreck In The Offing, a vividly-illustrated exhibit of the Life-Saving Service from 1875-1915 on the barrier islands of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, recalls the surfmen’s courageous efforts against the awesome forces of nature. The job of the lifesavers was to rescue shipwreck victims; they saved 7,502 lives here on the Eastern Shore.
New this year is an exhibit entitled The Boardwalk of Yesterday. The newly refurbished room features exhibits entitled 4 for 25¢-The Photobooth, Windsor Resort-The Trimper Family, Boardwalk Elvis, Jester’s Fun House with Laughing Sal and Bruno, Prominent Boardwalk Families, Keepsake Postcards, Nostalgic Boardwalk Scenes and Game Prizes & Souvenirs.
A Time Capsule from the Sea is a collection donated to the museum by renowned deep sea divers. Artifacts recovered from the famous shipwreck Andrea Doria (1956) are on display. Get a close look at items taken from the S-5 submarine (1920), the armored cruiser USS San Diego (1918) and the Empress of Ireland (1914), upon which over a thousand lives were lost. See general merchadise recovered from the Eureka which sank in 1888. Davy Jones’ Locker exhibits a large assortment of chinaware and port lights recovered from shipwrecks off the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia coastlines.
A vintage bathing suit exhibit shows beach fashions worn from the turn-of-the-century through the 1970s. This colorful display includes men’s and women’s woolen bathing suits from the 1920s, rental bathing suits, leather trunks of the 1940s, and a vast array of fun, fashionable and sometimes scandalous suits from the 1930s through the 1970s. Lovely vintage bathing suit advertisements enhance this exciting display.
The museum houses an aquarium room with several large saltwater tanks where local marine life will entertain you. During the summer months, you can watch the fish and crabs being fed and learn more about these creatures from the knowledgeable museum staff.
Are mermaids real or myth? After a visit to Sirens of the Sea which contains over fifty different examples of the mermaid, you can judge for yourself. The museum’s Sands from Around the World exhibit is of interest to everyone. It is interesting to see how the color and texture of sand changes as you travel the world.
As an added bonus this year, the Museum has expanded its exhibits to the historic building that serves as City Hall. Located on the corner of 3rd Street and Baltimore Avenue, it is open to the public during normal business hours. Visitors can continue their journey into Ocean City’s past by touring the hallways that have been decorated with beautiful display panels. The museum gift shop is highly recommended, with a nice selection of educational gifts, books, and souvenir items for sale. Take the time to treat yourself and your family to “The Times and Tides of Ocean City, Maryland” at the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum.
Museum hours are: June through September, 10am to 10pm daily; May and October, 10am to 4pm daily; during the winter months, please call for hours. There is an admission charge. Tour groups are welcome. For more information, call the museum at 410-289-4991 or visit our web site, www.ocmuseum.org. |
