Driving Backward Over The Overhead Bridge

For those of us who are older, the RT13 bridge across the railroad tracks in North Salisbury is called the Overhead bridge.  The northbound span of the bridge was built in 1930 as an outcome of a number of auto/train accidents at this intersection of RT13 and the railroad tracks.  The State reason for building the bridge is referred to as the Maryland State Highway administration Grade elimination program, meaning they wanted to do away with at-grade railroad crossings. The bridge is a metal girder, two span bridge with an H-20 design.  The southbound span was built in 1951. 

The bridge is perhaps the highest elevation in Wicomico County.  When the bridge was first built the early model cars had difficulty driving up the steep grade of the bridge.  This was due to not only the lower powered engines and gear ratios of the time but because most cars had gravity feed gas tanks instead of fuel pumps.  Typical of the era was the Ford Model T.  It had a 10 gallon fuel tank mounted under the front seat and if the tank was low on fuel it would tilt in a direction so gravity could not make the fuel flow to the engine.  So in the early days of the Overhead bridge drivers would turn around and back over the bridge allowing the fuel to run to the engine and the reverse gears of the Model T offered more power than the forward gears, by backing up, it functioned in the same way as today's front wheel drive vehicles - pull rather than push.

Perhaps all those drivers going in reverse over hills and bridges created the expression don't know if he going or coming.

 

 

 

The 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference

The 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will be held at the Grand Wayne Convention Center and Allen Country Public Library in Fort Wayne, Ind.  from August 21-24.
An estimated 1,500 genealogical experts and researchers from across the country will have the unique opportunity to research from over a million files and microform sources at the Genealogy Center at the Allen Country Public Library, which owns the second largest database of genealogical files in the United States.

The group will also participate in several social gatherings and planned events, including a Welcome Party, Opening Social and Society Showcase Live. More information on these events can be found at www.fgsconference.com

The 2013 FGS conference will provide a nice bump to Fort Wayne's local economy, bringing in a projected $1.3 million dollars in direct spending.

The conference returns to Fort Wayne for a second time and first time since 2007. It had recently been held in such cities as Philadelphia, Boston, Salt Lake City and Austin

DHAS Meeting Thursday Night

The Delmar Historical and Arts Society will meet at 7 PM at the old movie theater downtown Delmar on Thursday August 8th.  Besides the business meeting we will have a show and tell where members will bring something old to show and discuss with the members.

MARYLAND’S ACADIAN HERITAGE

I drove down to Princess Anne today to see the unveiling of the Acadian Highway marker.  A nice size crowd turned out of about 30 people.  They had some really good speakers.  It started at 3 pm and was over with by 4 pm. 

 

As in Delmar the Princess Anne Police had the street blocked off so no one would be hurt by passing cars.  Since this park is behind the police station it wasn't a long walk for them.  The park was selected because this is about where the Acadians disembarked. 

A striking person due to her height was Marie Rundquist, author of Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine “American” Heritage and Cajun by Any Other Name: Recovering the Lost History of a Family and a People.

She spoke of how pleased she was Maryland finally had an Acadian marker as in her search for family history she has travel from Nova Scotia to Louisiana and Maryland had no marker (she lives in Maryland)

 

 

and below is the Maryland highway marker unveiled.  The marker sets at an intersection with stop signs so travelers will have a few moments to read the sign before moving on.

Besides Marie Rundquist, Nancy Kurtz of the The Maryland Historical Trust spoke about the marker

 

By far the most interesting speaker was Marty Guidry an Acadian genealogist and historian from Louisiana, who  has studied the culture, language, history and genealogy of the Acadians for over 40 years. I thought he might deliver a boring speech on general Acadian history but he was quit specific about those who came to Princess Anne and those who traveled from princess Anne to Snow Hill. 

A Somerset Commissioner happily spoke only a few words as the heat was getting to everyone. 

July 28th was picked for this unveiling as on July 28, 1755, British Governor Charles Lawrence signed the deportation order, which set in motion Le Grand Dérangement or the Great Upheaval. The Acadians were exiled from their homeland of l’Acadie, and from 1755 until 1763, an estimated third of their population perished as a result. While many of the Acadians eventually found their way to Louisiana and reestablished a community, their descendants remained a people in exile until 2003, when Queen Elizabeth II signed a Royal Proclamation. This Proclamation stated July 28^th is the official day in which the world will remember the Acadians’ suffering as a result of Le Grand Dérangement and their subsequent exile.

I enjoyed this as I learn a little bit about a piece of history I had never paid any attention to. 

Unlocking the History of an Old House.

On Friday, August 16, at 1:30 pm, historian and educator Mike Dixon presents “Unlocking the History of an Old House.” Just as families have a past, old houses and the land they are built on have histories. This practical lecture is designed to show you how to uncover that past and answer questions such as when was the structure built, who lived in it, how has it changed over time, and what are its stories. The discussion centers on implementing an organized research process, what records are available, where to look for documents, and interpreting the findings. The discussion concludes by presenting suggestions for creating a history of an old house. If you know where to look, you may find the clues to the past.

Polio Insurance 1949

Looking For Information on Joe Wilton

I am doing an article for the next issue of the Delmar Historical and Arts Society newsletter on Joe Wilton.  Joe Wilton lived in Delmar around 1950.  He wrote an a weekly article in the Bi-State Weekly in that time period.  Born around 1884, in the 1920's and thru 1940 he was in vaudeville crisscrossing America doing comedy acts and producing his own shows.  He had a wife named Lulu and two children a daughter Jean and son Joe.  I am looking for information on what he did when he was in Delmar.  Where did he go and why did he go.