History

August Roder

hotelier · active 1905–

Baltimore man who in 1905 was proprietor and manager of both the Atlantic Hotel and the Seaside Hotel at Ocean City, opening them for the season on 29 June with "a large force at work getting ready." His son August Roder, Jr., got beyond his depth bathing in front of the Atlantic Casino in July 1905 and was rescued by Thomas Purnell, the life guard Robert Purnell, and David Moore. Roder was managing the Atlantic in the same season that its ownership passed from John F. Waggaman to the Ocean City Development Company.

In the record (2)

  1. 1905

    The 1905 hotel roster: Plimhimmon, Atlantic, Seaside, Hamilton, Mount Pleasant and Colonial — and the railroad agrees to give up Baltimore Avenue and let it become a driveway.

    From "Ocean City Improvements," 10 June 1905: the Plimhimmon was already doing business before its formal opening, Mrs. Shreve having "thoroughly renovated and repainted the house" and added a laundry annex, with Manager Ijams running it; proprietor August Roder of the Atlantic and Seaside Hotels had "a large force at work getting ready for the 29th"; Mrs. Massey of the Hamilton was making improvements; E. E. Emerson was the new proprietor of the Mount Pleasant; and "The Colonial makes a fine appearance in its new dress of colors and is about ready for opening." The same column reports "The early abandonment of Baltimore avenue by the railroad and the making of a driveway," and complaints about railway service that the company proposed to answer with daily fast trains. On 19 August: "Contracts have been made for several new cottages at Ocean City, and another hotel up the boardwalk is probable for next year, to be built by parties from York, Pa." and "Every hotel and boarding house at Ocean City is running to full capacity."

    Atlantic HotelPlimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaBaltimore, Chesapeake & Atlantic RailwayRosalie Tilghman ShreveJ. Edgar Ijams

    Source · checked 2026-08-06

  2. 1905 · 1905-07-26

    August Roder, Jr., son of the Atlantic Hotel's manager, is pulled from the surf in front of the Atlantic Casino by three men including "Mr. Robert Purnell, the life guard."

    "August Roder, Jr., son of Mr. August Roder, of Baltimore, manager of the Atlantic Hotel, Ocean City, last week, while bathing in front of the Atlantic Casino Wednesday, got beyond his depth and was nearly drowned. Mr. Thomas Purnell, Mr. Robert Purnell, the life guard, and Mr. David Moore, who happened to be near at hand, plunged in and bravely saved the exhausted lad." The phrase "the life guard," used as a settled job title, is the earliest documentation the campaign has of a paid or designated beach life guard at Ocean City — twenty-five years before the Ocean City Beach Patrol was founded in 1930. David Moore is the same Washington visitor who organised the fire brigade three days earlier.

    Ocean City Beach PatrolRobert PurnellDavid Moore

    Source · checked 2026-08-06