The West Denton Memories of George W. Swartz
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, Maryland
Below are stories re-published from Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, by George W. Swartz.
Digitized, edited, and prepared for re-publication by CCHS volunteers Dave Ellis and Don Barker.
The title page, foreward, dedication, and table of contents are here.
You can download the full text here: PDF DOCX RTF
The Three Oil Giants of West Denton
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter Six - The Oil Storage Yards" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the...
Working in the Cannery for 25 Cents an Hour
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter Five - The Canneries" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the Eastern...
Truck Patch Farming in the 1920s
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter Four - Truck Patch Experiences" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the...
Fighting the Choptank’s Strong Tide
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter Three - Activities Along the River" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on...
One of the Best Volunteer Fire Companies in Maryland
Below is text from "Chapter Three - Activities Along the River" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, by George W. Swartz. Digitized, edited, and...
Lyman Redden’s Boat with the Airplane Engine
Below is text from "Chapter Three - Activities Along the River" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, by George W. Swartz. Digitized, edited, and...
Keeping a Young Lad Busy and Entertained
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter Three - Activities Along the River" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on...
The Bustling Port of West Denton in the 1920s
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter Three - Activities Along the River" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on...
Growing Up “Across the River”
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter 2 - Across the River" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the Eastern...
The Denton drawbridge in the 1920s
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from "Chapter 1 - The Drawbridge" of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River on the Eastern...
Title Pages and Table of Contents, Bridges to My Maturity, by George Schwartz
Life in West Denton in the 1920s, on Choptank River, Caroline County, MarylandBelow is text from the cover, title page, and introductory pages of Bridges To My Maturity, Delightful Memories of What It was Like to be a Young Lad in the 1920s Along the Choptank River...
The black blacksmith with a bellowy laugh
In West Denton … there were two blacksmith Shops serving the farmers and residents of the area. One was operated by a Negro named Walter Moore … I doubt if any kingdom ever fell because Walter’s nails came loose.
#blackhistorymatters
Skipjack, fertilizer sack, mule, boy. Repeat.
As many as four or five two- and three-mast sailing vessels at a time were often tied up at the Denton wharves. I often had the job of leading the mule forward to lift the bag out of the vessel’s hold, and backing him up again to drop the bag onto the wharf and to lower the tongs back into the hold for another bag. You get the picture – the mule and the boy – back and forth all day until the last bag was out of the hold.
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