On December 6, 1954, the half-century old Oakley Beach Hotel burned to the ground.
The Choptank riverfront establishment was owned by Harold and Celia Ashmore, who had bought it in 1947. Local newsboy Sewell Frey, Jr., spotted smoke in back of the building around 7am. He ran in, yelled “fire,” phoned the police, and went back to delivering his papers. Celia Ashmore fled without her glasses or shoes. All inside escaped unharmed.
The only injury was a cut hand suffered by local firefighter Gorman Willey. A strong, freezing northeast wind and low water pressure hampered the efforts of seven fire companies to extinguish the blaze. They did manage to keep sparks from setting nearby houses on fire.
The Ashmores had paid $25,000 for the hotel and put in many improvements. The cost of the damage was estimated at $75,000. It was only partly covered by insurance, and the hotel was not rebuilt.
