In my time doing research on the Squirrel Run history, the topic of White Crystal Beach has come up many times, with many different people. I personally have not been there [yet], but many of my family members have, specifically on the Salvo side.
My Grandpop Salvo really enjoyed going to the beach in general, and even in his later years in life, I can remember going with him to “Lum’s Pond” on route 896 in DE (while it was still safe to swim there).
As mentioned, many folks of the Squirrel Run lineage have memories of visiting this beach. I am not certain if it is because of its locale, its prices, or simply because it was a nice beach that maybe wasn’t as crowded as Rehoboth or even the Jersey beaches. But I have seen pictures, and even heard tales, about the trips to that beach. The best one I have heard yet was while my mother, Marianne (Salvo) Brady, was headed to White Crystal Beach with my Aunt Alma (Tambourelli) MacCallum. Mom was behind the wheel, driving in my Uncle Ernie Salvo’s 1960 Impala. The trip was going to be a highlight of the girls’ summer, until an unforeseen event happened: while cruising down route 40 in MD, a large rock came up from behind a truck, and smashed into the windshield of my uncle’s car…. It came right up in front of the driver’s side, where my mother was behind the wheel. Mom said it hit the windshield so hard that not only did it crack the glass all of the way across, a section of the glass actually came inward, breaking away and falling onto the dashboard!
Knowing my mother, she was probably wishing the rock had taken her life, rather than having to turn back home and tell her brother what just happened to his car! Nevertheless, that particular trip to White Crystal Beach was suddenly postponed..
If your family has any memories of White Crystal Beach that you would like to share, please email Frank or myself, or you can add it right to the comments section below this post.
Well, actually the other side of your family visited "White Crystal" also.(The Brady Clan) We only got there, maybe 2 or 3 times a summer, but I recall specifically the time around "Jul. 4th" we would have a Family Reunion. I recall one time after 2 of my Uncle's got home from the War,"The Big One" as Archie would call it, we had one of those gatherings. By the late '40's into the early '50's I had 2 little Brothers come along so we didn't get there as often. As a matter of fact, as I recall, it started getting a little rough down there with the alcohol and more returning Troop's blowing off steam, so we started going a little farther up the Bay to "Port Herman" Beach, which is out at the end of "Augustine/Herman" Hgwy. We visited there all the way up to around 1958 or '59. By that time my Dad had gotten a boat. A 14' Fiber Glass Haveg Boat with a 33 1/3 HP Scott-Atwater outboard that would run close to 40 mph on the water as well as pull skiiers. As we progressed through the Coast Guard Auxillary Group, we were putting in at Port Herman, Charlestown , North East, Newport and finally Georgetown, Md. This is where we moved on up to a '59, 23' "Trojan" Cabin cruiser. Whoo-hoo! That lasted until around 1963 or so as I went off to college and my Dad got "Down-sized" in the '62-'63 economic crunch like we are having now.
ReplyDeleteThat's my 2-cents on that little part of history. You Guy's are doing a fine job with this site. Keep up the good work and fond memories.
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