Levin D. Lynch
hotelier · active 1878–
Proprietor of the Ocean House at Ocean City in the 1878 season, the third hotel to advertise from the beach alongside John Tracy's Atlantic and S. J. Massey's Seaside. His card in the Wilmington Daily Gazette ran all summer: "Terms, $2 per day, and $10 per week. Meals 50 cents. Superior Accommodations," with Geo. E. Bowen as superintendent. Nothing else about him has been established — not his origins, not whether 1878 was the Ocean House's first season, not what became of the house.
In the record (5)
1878
A third hotel advertises from Ocean City in 1878 — the Ocean House, Levin D. Lynch proprietor, at $2 a day and fifty-cent meals.
"OCEAN HOUSE, LEVIN D. LYNCH, Prop'r. GEO. E. BOWEN, Sup't. OCEAN CITY, MD. Terms, $2 per day, and $10 per week. Meals 50 cents. Superior Accommodations." The card ran beside the Atlantic's and the Seaside's in the Wilmington Daily Gazette all summer under the same July 12 insertion code. It is the first appearance in this campaign's record of the Ocean House and of both men. In 1877 a Delaware paper had reported that "Owens will keep his house open through the winter for gunners" and that a Wilmington hotelier meant to build at Ocean City the next season; whether the Ocean House is either of those houses is not established. The name should not be confused with Scott's Ocean House, the 1869 hotel down on Assateague.
Three advertised hotels and a fifty-cent meal. The Atlantic set the price in 1875; by 1878 there was a floor under it.
Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1912
Over 400 barrels in a day: "one of the largest catches of fish ever known along our coast" comes ashore at Ocean City.
From the Democratic Messenger of 19 October 1912: "One of the largest catches of fish ever known along our coast was brought in at Ocean City Monday. The number of barrels shipped was over 400, and of that number L. D. Lynch got 90 barrels." Lynch had been elected to the Ocean City City Council ten weeks earlier. The 1912 fishery is a recurring presence in the year's record from several directions: a visitor's note that "the [visitor] is surprised at the magnitude of the fishing industry" and that "the landing of the fish by surf boats is an interesting revelation to the uninitiated"; the fish crews of Thomas & Mumford, whose men tarred Mary Holzman in May; and Harry Ludlam driving his fish-camp hands home from Berlin in August, when one of them was killed.
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1912 · 1912-08-05
Capt. William B. S. Powell beats council president Francis J. Townsend for mayor in "a warm municipal election" — and Daniel Trimper, Sr. takes a council seat.
W. Lee Carey, mayor since 1908, signed the notice of his own succession: "an election will be held at the usual place for holding municipal elections in Ocean City, Maryland, on MONDAY, August 5th, 1912, for the purpose of electing a Mayor and five City Councilmen. The polls will be open at 1 o'clock P. M. and close at 6 o'clock P. M. W. LEE CAREY, Mayor." The Democratic Messenger reported the result on 10 August: "A warm municipal election was held at Ocean City last Monday... The principal contest was for the Mayoralty, the candidates being Captain William B. S. Powell and Mr. Francis J. Townsend. Captain Powell won out, although the contest was close. The election was non-partisan, both candidates for Mayor being Republicans and the Councilmen being mixed." The council elected was Daniel Trimper, Sr., Ashley M. Gould, William J. Laws, Levin D. Lynch and John M. Mumford — "all residents of Ocean City with the exception of Judge Gould, who is Judge of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia." Powell, the paper said, "is a well-known citizen and a large property holder and will no doubt make a good mayor of Maryland's only seaside resort." Two things are worth noticing: the town elected FIVE councilmen, where the 1908 slate had six names for four or five seats; and it was a contest between two Republicans in a county the Democratic Messenger spoke for.
William B. S. PowellFrancis J. TownsendW. Lee Carey
Source · checked 2026-08-06
1951 · 1951-07-26
Sheriff raids the boardwalk: the operator of 'Fascination' vows a test case over whether it's gambling.
On Thursday night, July 26, 1951, Worcester County Sheriff Edwin B. Lynch and two deputies toured the boardwalk and arrested John Fields and William Gottlieb, owners of two boardwalk entertainment establishments, on gambling charges; both posted bond and asked for jury trials in Worcester County Circuit Court. Fields ran a place called "Fascination," where players rolled balls across a table toward a gridwork of 25 holes, winning prize coupons for five in a row — he contended it was a game of skill and said he would make a test case of his arrest. The sheriff warned other concession operators they would have to close on order of the State's Attorney.
Source · checked 2026-08-05
1964 · 1964-05-19
The boardwalk could not be widened north of 15th Street because the beach in front of it had not come back after the storm
"Mayor Cropper stated that widening of the walk had been considered, however, the beach had narrowed to such an extent after storms that it was not deemed advisable to widen the walk with such a little beach." Irving Bainum had asked for the widening when he owned the Ocean Park and told Mr. Church so when he sold it. Bainum and Mike Lynch also wanted the boardwalk extended north of 27th Street, pointing out that they paid boardwalk taxes and suggesting the town build one or two blocks a year so that "the people north of 41st Street realize that the boardwalk was coming towards them."
Source · checked 2026-09-02