B. T. Truitt, Jr.
secretary to the County Commissioners of Worcester County · active 1938
Signed the notice, published in the county paper in January 1938, requiring all operators of public dance halls, boxing or wrestling arenas and tourist camps with cabins for hire in Worcester County to apply for a permit under the law that took effect on 1 January 1938.
In the record (1)
1938 · 1938-01-01
A new law gave Worcester County power over its dance halls on 1 January 1938, and eleven were licensed in the first three weeks
'A law giving the county authority over dance halls became effective January 1st.' The county advertised at once, over the signature of B. T. Truitt, Jr., Secretary: 'All operators of public dance halls, boxing or wrestling arenas and tourist camps with cabins for hire' must apply. By 20 January the Democratic Messenger could report that 'Eleven owners of public dance halls and tourist camps with cabins have been granted permits to operate' under the new county law. For a county whose seaside resort had been running dance pavilions since the 1900s, and where a colored dance hall stood in South Ocean City in 1937 substantial enough to be used as a street direction, this is the first year in which every such hall in Worcester County had to hold a licence and be on a list.
County Commissioners of Worcester County
Source · checked 2026-08-11