1955 Minton and Nichols Station

 1955 Telephone Directory ad

Washington Wooten

 

FALLS DEAD WHILE AT WORK

 

Special to The Evening Journal.

 

DELMAR, Del., Sept. I4 -  Washington Wooten, an employe at the locomotive shop, was stricken with apoplexy while at his work yesterday and died in a short time. He was about 50 year of age and leaves a widow and three children.

 

Above from the Evening Journal (Wilmington) 14 Sep 1918

 

Edward Washington Wootten (1872-1918) lived on Elizabeth Street, was married to Martha Elizabeth Truitt and they had children; Norman, Ethel (married William McCalister) and Earl.  Washington Wootten is buried in Saint Stephens cemetery

Using Google Maps To Search For Houses

 Using Google Maps To Search For Houses

A tool to use in researching houses in your town is Google Maps.  It does not go back in time very far, but is still useful. In Delmar, Houses are destroyed by fire or torn down at the rate of about 3 to 5 percent a year, so perhaps if you did not take a photo of the family home before it was destroyed you may have one more chance. 

You may have seen the Google Vehicle in Delmar going up and down streets taking their photographs.  The most current photo is the one you see in Google streetscapes.  However for Delmar the previous photographs are archived and go back to 2008. 

To use this tool go to Google Maps,   in the search block type in “1 East State Street Delmar Delaware”, this will bring a pop up window which will include a streetscape photograph and in the background will be a map of Delmar.  In the lower right corner will be an icon of an orange man that Google calls Pegman.  Drag Pegman to the location on the map that you want to look at.  For demonstration purposes drag him to the Delmar Police department.  This will show a current photograph of the Delmar Police Department. You can move around the police department and the streets on that block by following the arrows on the screen.  In the upper left hand corner of the photo will be a popup menu.  On that menu is an icon of a clock.  Click on this clock. Another popup video will appear with a timeline going back to 2008. Drag the timeline back to 2008.  Click on the plus sign to enlarge the video and the same location you had been looking at will become the image of what was there in 2008.  In this case it happens to be the “old” town hall. 

After you have maneuver around town and found the image you want you can use the Snipping tool found in the Windows Accessories package and outline the image and save it to your computer.

Because of cookies and other computer crap that makes each computer a little different you may have to play with these instructions on your computer to get them to work.  

It is the Fourth of July in Delmar

 

It is the Fourth of July in Delmar

Fourth in Delmar 1916

 

Fourth in Delmar

DELMAR, July 5. The "Fourth" was celebrated patriotically in Delmar. The national colors were displayed in all parts of town and early in the afternoon a parade was formed at the Maryland school grounds composed of a company of Boy Scouts, the cornet band of Newton Lodge I. O. O. F. of Salisbury, pupils of public schools, forty-eight little girls in white and decorated with the colors, representing the forty-eight state of the Union, floats of the various business houses and decorated automobiles.

 

After passing through principal streets and viewed by residents and visitors it ended at the grove between State and Grove streets where the Declaration of Independence was read by Ralph E. Nichols.

 

A ball game between Laurel and Delmar was played later resulting in a score of 10 to 2 in favor of Delmar. In the evening a patriotic address was delivered by the Hon. Jesse D. Price of Salisbury, Representative in Congress from the First District of Maryland. The exercises closed with a display of fireworks. Congratulations are due the New Century Club under whose auspices the demonstration was given.

Above from The Morning News (Wilmington) 06 Jul 1916

Sergt. Marion L. Hitchens 1945

 

First Sergt. Marion L. Hitchens, 28, of Delmar, the Distinguished Service Cross, awarded at the Bushnell General Hospital, Brighton City, Utah, for action in the South west Pacific on March 4, 1944.

Presentation of the DSC to Sergeant Hitchens was officially ordered by Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur, and was made by Col. Robert M. Hardaway, commanding officer of Bushnell General Hospital. In a citation General MacArthur wrote: For extraordinary heroism in action at Los Negros Island. Admiralty Group, on March 4, 1944. First Sergeant Hitchens was at his assigned station ready to engage any low-flying hostile aircraft with anti-aircraft fire when enemy ground troops directed heavy grenade and small arms fire against our troops adjacent to his position. Faced with the alternative of remaining in the field fortification, or moving his machine-gun Into the open to engage the enemy on the ground, he moved his weapon to assist our ground troops. Finding his field of fire obstructed, he ran 50 yards in the open, under a heavy enemy fire to his other machine gun, pausing enroute to throw eight hand grenades into an enemy pillbox.

Manned Gun Alone 

"Upon reaching the machine-gun, he moved it from its fortified position with the aid of two enlisted men, and manning the gun alone, placed heavy and accurate fire on the enemy. By his quick and accurate judgment and courageous action. First Sergeant Hitchens, in addition to killing at least 12 enemy troops, contributed materially to repelling the enemy attack." 

Son of Mrs. Carrie L. Hitchens of 2 West East Street, Delmar. Sergeant Hitchens on a recent furlough married the former Fay L Mclnnis, daughter of Mrs. Helen Curtis of Philadelphia. 

Before joining the Army on Oct. 22, 1942, he was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a brake-man. He went overseas Aug. 23, 1943, and wears the Southwest Pacific ribbon with three campaign stars. He is a coast artilleryman. 

from The News Journal 24 March 1945