Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Today Is Pearl Harbor Day

Today Is Pearl Harbor Day


Remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor, I will repeat a post I made back in 2008 about George Penuel.

In February of 1942 the Milford Chronicle reported;

George Ames Penuel, Jr was the first Delaware man to give up his life for his country in World War II. He was on the destroyer U. S. S. Shaw at Pearl Harbor. In February of 1942 his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George A. Penuel of Millsboro, received a letter from the Navy Department reading;

“After an exhaustive search it has been found impossible to locate your son, George Ames Penuel Jr, boatswain’s mate second class, U. S. N. and he has been officially declared to have lost his life in the service of his country as of December 7, 1941.”

Born in Georgetown October 29, 1920 he went to school in Millsboro. He had been on the U. S. S. Shaw for nearly three years.

He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Penuel of Millsboro, four sisters; Miss Amelia Penuel of Millsboro, Mrs. George Zieglar of Seaford, Mrs. George W. Gillespie of Milford, and Mrs. Dudley Perkins of Philadelphia; two brothers Coard Penuel of Frankford and Granville Penuel of Wilmington.

The U. S. S. Shaw was a destroyer built at the United States Navy Yard in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and launched October 28, 1935. The U. S. S. Shaw was in drydock at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard on December 7, 1941. On the second Japanese strike wave she was hit by three bombs that detonated her forward ammunition magazine blowing off her bow. She was later repaired and saw service thru out WWII. The USS Shaw was decommissioned October 2, 1945 and scrapped in July of 1946.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Matthew Williams

Matthew Williams


December 4, 1931 - A mob lynched African American, Matthew Williams, on the courthouse lawn in Salisbury, Maryland.
From Delmarva Almanac

Saturday, December 3, 2011

The North Star

The North Star


December 3, 1847 - Eastern Shore native Frederick Douglass begins publishing the anti-slavery newspaper The North Star.
From Delmarva Almanac

Thursday, December 1, 2011

1908 Delmar Fire

1908 Delmar Fire


From the Wicomico News May 7th, 1908 - Delmar News

Our citizens were thoroughly alarmed Wednesday afternoon by the ringing of the Church Bells and blowing of engine whistles. Upon investigation it was found that fire had broken out in the barn of W. S. Parker and had rapidly spread to the adjoining barn of Rev. E. P. Perry. Soon a large crowd of men, women, and children were upon the scene and began fighting to prevent the fire spreading to the residences adjoining. Bucket brigades were formed, men clambered upon the house tops, and buckets upon buckets of water were poured upon the smoking roofs of the M. P. Parsonage, the home of W. D. Nelson, those nearest the fire, and several others. Luckily the wind was blowing very little and by the superhuman efforts of the men the fire was confined to the outbuildings.