History

Dr. Wallace Spring

Board of Health officer · active 1938

Came before the Ocean City council twice in April 1938 on behalf of the Board of Health. On 4 April he recommended an ordinance compelling all dwelling places, especially shanties, to connect to the sewer and have flush toilets with water under pressure; he described the unsanitary conditions along the bay shore and suggested a place be provided in West Ocean City for shanties and trailers with proper sanitary facilities. On 12 April he returned in the interest of an ordinance compelling the elimination of outdoor toilets and took a copy away for his engineers to study before passage. Ordinance No. 100, forbidding cesspools and privies inside the corporate limits, passed on 10 May.

In the record (2)

  1. 1938 · 1938-05-10

    Ordinance No. 100 forbade cesspools and privies anywhere in Ocean City, and the town went after the shanties first

    The sewer was accepted in 1937. In 1938 it became compulsory. On 10 May 1938 'Ordinance #100 was unanimously passed forbidding use of Cesspools and Privys in corporate limits of Ocean City and Secretary instructed to notify owners of land where shanties were that they must connect to sewer.' The push had come from the state. On 4 April Dr. Wallace Spring of the Board of Health had appeared and 'recommended the Passing of an Ordinance Compelling all dwelling places Especially shanties to Connect to sewer and have flush toilets with water under pressure', described 'unsanitary conditions existing along bay Shore' and suggested 'place be provided in West Ocean City for shanties & trailers with proper sanitary facilities'. On 12 April he came back 'in interest of Ordinance compelling the Elimination of Outdoor toilets and taken Copy of Ordinance for their Engineers to study before passage'; at the same meeting F. W. Truitt told the council he would cooperate in removing shanties from his lots.

    A town that had argued for a decade about whether to build a sewer spent 1938 discovering the other half of the bargain: once you own the pipe, you have the power to make people join it - and the first people made to join were the ones living in shanties on the bay shore.

    Maryland State Board of HealthF. W. TruittFrancis J. Townsend

    Source · checked 2026-08-11

  2. 1939 · 1939-02-03

    Ocean City asked the state Board of Health to help it get rid of the shanties on St. Louis Avenue

    The minute of 3 February 1939: 'Secretary instructed to write Board Health asking their aid to getting rid of the Shanties on St Louis Ave, not connected to sewer.' In April Dr. Willard of the health department proposed that the town employ an inspector for three or four months at $450 to assist in improving sanitary conditions; no action was taken, and on 27 April the council decided 'best not to spend the money it would require for that purpose'. In the assessment list of 21 June the clerk entered 'T. J. Cropper Shanties 500'.

    In 1938 the state told Ocean City to make the shanties connect to the sewer. In 1939 the town asked the state to help it remove them instead. Somewhere between those two sentences the problem stopped being sanitation and became the people, and the town would not pay $450 to have anyone find out which.

    J. M. Mumford

    Source · checked 2026-08-11