Lafayette Johnson

In the record (6)

1. 1915

   Ten cents admitted you to the Ocean City pier in 1915, with dancing and fishing thrown in; the pavilion itself was free, and the pier ran day and night with new bowling alleys, pool tables, a soda fountain, a museum and moving pictures every night.

   The pier's display card, standing in the Democratic Messenger all season: "The Pier — Ocean City's Greatest Attraction! OPEN DAY AND NIGHT. New Bowling Alleys, Pool Tables, Soda Fountain & Museum. DANCING every afternoon and evening at the end of Pier. Moving Pictures every night. Admission to Pavilion is Free. 10c. admits to Pier with privilege of Dancing and Fishing. SEASON TICKETS AT SPECIAL PRICE." The pier had been leased out in 1911 and was under Orlando Harrison's association in 1913; by 1915 it is being advertised as a year-round-hours amusement plant rather than a fishing platform with a pavilion on it. The other Ocean City cards in the same columns fill in the boardwalk: "The Virginia, On Ocean Front and Board Walk, Bathing from the Hotel, Cuisine the Best, Rates Moderate — LAFAYETTE JOHNSON, Proprietor"; "Conner's Restaurant, On Board Walk — Best of Everything to Eat, GEO. B. CONNER, Prop'r"; "John D. Showell — The Oceanic Bath Houses, The Oceanic Hotel, The Mt. Vernon Hotel"; "JOSEPH SCHAEFER, the BAKER, OCEAN CITY, MD. Ice Cream, Plain and Fancy Cake, Layer and Pound Cake, Pies, Rolls and Buns, Best Bread ... Will ship you any quantity"; "Cranes Ice Cream, Hackney's Fountain, Ocean City, Md."; and "ROSS B. GEISBERT, Auctioneer, Ocean City, Md. Selling Real Estate and Personal Property a specialty."

   Ocean City Fishing PierOcean City BoardwalkJoseph SchaeferRoss B. GeisbertJohn D. Showell

   Source · checked 2026-08-06

2. 1920

   The Evening Star's "Ocean City, Md." block grew from ten houses in 1919 to fifteen in 1920, and six of them were new to this registry.

   Under the same standing banner as 1917 and 1919 — "Finest beach in world. Ocean on one side, bay on other. Cool and healthful. Ex. boating and fishing" — the Washington Evening Star carried through the 1920 season: THE RIDEAU, "On boardwalk. Ocean front dining room. Excellent table. La Fayette Johnson, Prop."; SEA SIDE HOTEL, "Under new management. Good, wholesome home cooking. Vegetables from our own farm. Dr. J. H. Botz, prop."; THE BREAKERS, "Ocean front. Under new management. Home cooking. Bathhouses attached. Reasonable rates. Apply Mrs. C. Timmons, Prop." — and later in the season, under a second banner, "Only boardwalk hotel. Diet kitchen attached for convalescents. Garage. K. A. Young, Mgr."; THE COLONIAL, "On Boardwalk; remodeled and enlarged; private baths; running water; booklet. Ownership management."; OCEAN VIEW COTTAGE, "on 3d ave. near boardwalk. Rooms with or without board. Modern conveniences."; THE GABLES, "Rooms without board; cool and comfortable. Mrs. A. E. Cropper."; MONROE HOUSE, "Formerly the Sherman. Cool rooms. 3 acres of lawn. Excellent table." Returning from 1919: The Dennis (Mrs. R. J. Dennis, "Bathing free" — and, from August, "Apply for September rates"), The Belmont and Cottages (L. R. Hearne), Plimhimmon Hotel and cottages ("Ocean front. Best service. Orchestra." R. T. Shreve), The Atlantic Hotel ("OCEAN FRONT. Garage Accommodations. W. B. S. Powell, Prop."), The Lin-Mar (Mrs. H. F. Boyd), Hotel Hamilton (J. L. Massey & Son), The Hastings ("Newest hotel on Boardwalk", Mrs. K. C. Hastings). Every one of the seven February storm-damage names that was a hotel is back in the advertising by June. And still not one of the fifteen prints a price.

   Atlantic HotelPlimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaOcean City BoardwalkWilliam B. S. PowellRosalie Tilghman Shreve

   Source · checked 2026-08-06

3. 1921

   The 1921 hotel roster, from the Evening Star's summer advertising block: eleven Ocean City houses, their proprietors, and what each was selling.

   Washington's Evening Star carried a standing Ocean City, Md. block every summer Sunday of 1921 under the slogan "Finest beach in world; ocean on one side, bay on other; cool, healthful; boating and fishing." The houses and their proprietors: THE ATLANTIC HOTEL, ocean front, European plan, garage accommodations, W. B. S. Powell, prop.; PLIMHIMMON HOTEL and cottages, ocean front, "Best service. Ballroom. 'Morris' novelty' string orchestra"; THE COLONIAL, "On boardwalk; remodeled & enlarged; private baths, running water... Open June 15th to October 1. Ownership management"; THE HASTINGS, "Newest hotel on Boardwalk; excellent rooms and private bath," Mrs. K. C. Hastings; THE HASTINGS COTTAGE, Mr. Graves; THE RIDEAU, "On boardwalk. Ocean front dining room. Excellent table," La Fayette Johnson, prop.; HOTEL HAMILTON, ocean front, J. L. Massey & Son; THE LIN-MAR, "Running water in rooms. All conveniences. Bath houses attached," Mrs. H. F. Boyd; THE DENNIS, "Comfortable and homelike. Porticos overlooking ocean and bay. Terms reasonable. Bathing free," Mrs. R. J. Dennis; THE BELMONT and Cottages, "With ocean view. Cool, delightful rms. Rates reasonable. Excellent table," L. B. Hearne; THE BREAKERS, ocean front, "Phone connection. Excellent cooking. Bathhouses attached," Mrs. C. Timmons, prop. The county papers add three more trading names that summer. The Hamilton took the Eastern Shore Society of Baltimore's touring party in July. The Herring Cottage on the boardwalk, "only a few doors from the Atlantic Hotel," was run in 1921 by Isaac H. West of Pocomoke City. And the Hastings housed the Philadelphia family whose father drowned in August.

   Atlantic HotelPlimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaOcean City BoardwalkWilliam B. S. PowellMrs. K. C. Hastings

   Source · checked 2026-08-10

4. 1922

   Eleven Ocean City houses advertise in the Washington Evening Star's summer-resort block in 1922 — the Plimhimmon now has a ballroom, a grill room and the Morris Orchestra — and not one of them prints a price.

   The Evening Star ran its standing "OCEAN CITY, MD." block through the summer of 1922 under the banner it had used since 1917: "Finest beach in world: ocean on one side, bay on other; cool, healthful; boating and fishing." The houses: the PLIMHIMMON HOTEL and Cottages, "Ocean front; best service; ballroom, Morris Orchestra; grill room"; the ATLANTIC HOTEL, "Ocean front. New management. New steward. Running water in rooms. American plan. C. W. Purnell, Prop."; HOTEL HAMILTON, "Ocean front. J. L. Massey & Son"; THE RIDEAU, "on boardwalk. Ocean front dining room. Excellent table. La Fayette Johnson, Prop."; THE LIN-MAR, "Ocean front. Running water in rooms. All conveniences. Bath houses attached. Mrs. H. F. Boyd"; BREAKERS, "on boardwalk. Large, airy rooms. Hot, cold water in rooms. Phone 76. Mrs. A. Timmons, Prop."; THE BELMONT, "Running water in every room. With ocean view. Cool, delightful rooms. Excellent table. L. R. Hearne"; THE DEL-MAR, "Cool, airy rooms. Overlooking ocean and bay. Homelike. Rates reasonable. Mrs. S. I. Carey, Owner-Prop. Bathing free"; MOUNT PLEASANT HOTEL, "On Boardwalk. Rooms with running water. Home cooking. S. M. Mason, Prop."; THE DENNIS, "Comfortable and homelike. Porticos overlooking ocean and bay. Terms reasonable. Bathing free. Mrs. R. J. Dennis"; and the SEASIDE, "Street near Boardwalk. OPEN JUNE 29. Everything new and modern. Running water in all rooms. Private baths. American plan." The Rideau, the Breakers and the Seaside are new to this registry, and the Del-Mar has changed hands from Mrs. Harry Forman to Mrs. S. I. Carey. Running water in the rooms is now the standard boast; three years earlier only the Lin-Mar claimed it.

   Plimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaAtlantic HotelMrs. S. M. MasonRosalie Tilghman Shreve

   Source · checked 2026-08-06

5. 1923

   The Evening Star's Ocean City banner changes for the first time since 1917 — and now sells golf, tennis and dancing.

   Since 1917 the Washington Evening Star's standing resort block had headed its Ocean City houses "Finest beach in world: ocean on one side, bay on other; cool, healthful; boating and fishing." In 1923 the banner reads: "OCEAN CITY, MD. Finest and safest bathing beach on Atlantic coast; ocean on one side, bay on other; cool; golf, tennis, fishing, boating and dancing." The 1922 block carried eleven houses and not one price. The 1923 block runs to roughly eighteen, including several new to this registry — the COLONIAL ("running water in every room; private baths"), the NEW AVALON ("$3 per day up… Dancing, bathhouses", D. Oliver Ditto), KAYE COTTAGE (Mrs. M. Kaye), THE IDYLWILD (Dr. E. L. Brittingham), THE GABLES ("Southern cooking; same management as Blue Lattice Inn"), THE MERVUE (T. W. Taylor, American plan), THE SHOREHAM ("A New Hotel Just Completed"), and a "NURSING COTTAGE, centrally located at Ocean City, Md.; ideal spot for rest and recuperation. Apply GRADUATE NURSE." The Hastings now advertises under two names — "Mrs. GEO. B. CONNER. Mrs. CHAS. LUDLOW" — and the Atlantic Hotel as "Opens June 23… 2nd yr. under present management… C. W. PURNELL, Prop. & Mgr."

   Atlantic HotelPlimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaOcean City BoardwalkDr. Charles Washington PurnellMrs. S. M. Mason

   Source · checked 2026-08-06

6. 1924

   Washington's resort columns carry about eighteen Ocean City houses, a golf course with 'New Tea Room attached', and for the first time a restaurant open day and night.

   The Evening Star's standing banner is unchanged from 1923 — 'OCEAN CITY, MD. Finest and safest bathing beach on Atlantic coast; ocean on one side, bay on other; cool; golf, tennis, fishing, boating and dancing' — but the golf line has grown: 'Ocean City Golf Course. New Nine-Hole Course. New Tea Room attached.' The 1924 houses, across the Evening Star and the Washington Times: MT. PLEASANT ('NOW OPEN … most exclusive', S. M. Mason); THE GABLES ('Centrally located. Home cooking … New management. O. M. Chandler, Prop. Tel. 45'); THE SEASIDE ('American plan; running water; private baths … garage free to guests', H. G. Cropper) — new; HOTEL HAMILTON ('OCEAN FRONT', J. L. Massey & Son) — new; THE AVONDALE ('Open now. Accommodations for tourists and week-end parties', G. W. Rounds) — new; TARRY-A-WHILE ('Cool, attractive rooms near water front', Mrs. T. J. Cropper) — new; THE CASINO RESTAURANT ('A place at Ocean City to get a real meal and some good home cooking. Open day and night', W. M. Ruark) — new; THE MARYLAND INN ('On the Boardwalk; comfortable outside rooms; American plan', Mrs. W. I. Purnell); THE RIDEAU (La Fayette Johnson); THE IDYLWILD (Dr. E. L. Brittingham); KAYE COTTAGE; THE DEL-MAR ('Second house from Boardwalk … Homelike Maryland Cooking. Private Bathhouse', Mrs. S. I. Carey, opening 15 June); THE BELMONT (L. H. Hearne); THE ATLANTIC (C. W. Purnell); THE HASTINGS ('Newly painted and renovated. Garage in connection', Mrs. Charles Ludlam); THE BREAKERS ('Rebuilt … Golf. Phone 76', C. H. Timmons); THE SHOREHAM (Mrs. K. C. Hastings); THE DENNIS ('Comfortable and homelike. Enlarged … Special rates to auto parties', Mrs. R. J. Dennis); THE PLIMHIMMON ('Ocean front. Best service. Orchestra. Ballroom. Grill. Tearoom. Golf. Garage.'); THE COLONIAL ('Boardwalk; strictly modern. Special rates to July 15'). Private baths and golf privileges were the 1923 boast; in 1924 the new words are garage, tea room, and open day and night.

   Plimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaAtlantic HotelOcean City BoardwalkMrs. S. M. MasonDr. Charles Washington PurnellCapt. William I. Purnell

   Source · checked 2026-08-06