Worcester County Library's Special Collections can all be accessed physically at the Snow Hill branch. Included in the Special Collections are yearbooks for local high schools, ledgers for businesses, meeting minutes for local clubs, and more.
Some of these collections have been digitized, and can be viewed on our CatalogIt page.
If you have any questions about a collection, or would like to schedule a time to view one of the collections, please email History@worcesterlibrary.org or send us a message on this page.
By clicking on the name of the collection, it will take you to a page to view the entire finding aid.
The Richard Phillips collection contains a scrapbook consisting of newspaper clippings regarding a wide range of topics related to the Ocean City and Berlin areas. The main topics that emerge are photos and explanations of important attractions on the Board Walk of Ocean City through the 20th century. Also included are newspaper clippings of women’s fashion at Ocean City in the early 20th century. There are also some newspaper clippings referring to the founding of Berlin.
The folder in this collection contains information collected for the Old Homes of Worcester County group. Most of the collection includes correspondences of Reginald V. Truitt ( - ) trying to track down old home information. Included is a deed locating the Quaker burial ground near Worcester High School. This is important because Quakers do not use markers for their graves, meaning the burial site did not have an exact location for a long while. There is also mention of a Major Joshua Prideaux (1767-1836) of Worcester County, Maryland who owned a plantation and slaves in the late 18th century.
The Whaley Family records contain checks of Emma Catherine Purnell Whaley (E. Kate P. Whaley) (1861-1935). These checks range from 1912-1915 and are made out to the Exchange & Savings Bank of Berlin, Maryland. Also included are three letters to Thomas James Whaley (1862-1915) concerning settlements of the Gault property.
The Annual Churches Conference collection includes the journals and yearbooks of the yearly meeting of all Eastern Shore Methodist Churches, Methodist Episcopal Churches, and Methodist Protestant Churches. These annual conferences were held in many cities on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware. Included are twenty-four of the official yearbooks and journals for the annual conference. The years covered are 1920-1967.
The journals include various advertisements, meeting minutes, alphabetical and chronological roll of elders, deacons, probationers, retired and supernumeraries. Also included are reports of treasurers, memberships, schools, committees, and ordinations. There is also a directory of the local preachers in the area.
The Snow Hill High School collection mostly contains the yearbooks that the Snow Hill High School has released. Although this collection does not include every year’s yearbook, it does cover many years from 1904-2011. However, the majority of the yearbooks cover the years of 1928-1976.
The Snow Hill High School has changed the name of their yearbooks a few times. The yearbook names included in this collection are: “Fifteen-Two”, “The Representative”, “Round Up”, “The Keyhole”, “Eagle’s Eye”, and “Traces”.
Also included in this collection are various memorabilia pieces that pertain to the Snow Hill High School. These memorabilia pieces include newspaper clippings, handbills, programs, graduation announcements, and class notes.
WR 24: Stockton High School collection
The Stockton High School collection allows for a glimpse into what school was like in the early 1930s. Included in this collection is two of Stockton High School’s collection, “The School Bugle” that discusses the student body. The editions included are the 1931 and 1932 June volumes. The newspapers ask for student’s mottos, news about commencement, and other miscellaneous articles. “The School Bugle” also mentions activities happening in Worcester County from Pocomoke City to Berlin.
There are also three programs for plays and other performances that were developed and performed by the Stockton High School student body. One such performance was singing “Queen Esther’s Petition” by the Stockton High School Glee Club.
WR 26: Worcester High School Yearbook collection
The Worcester High School Yearbook collection contains one 1967 yearbook from the Worcester High School. This yearbook includes many black and white photographs of students who attended Worcester High School. Included in the yearbook are photographs of the 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970 classes. There are also detailed information and photographs of all the clubs offered at Worcester High School.
WR 27: Snow Hill Middle School Yearbook collection
The Snow Hill Middle School collection contains a 1985 and 1986 yearbook from the Snow Hill Middle School. The yearbooks include many black and white photographs of students who attended the Snow Hill Middle School. Included in the yearbook are detailed information and photographs of all the clubs offered at Snow Hill Middle School.
Also included in the collection are a few newspaper clippings. The newspaper clippings discuss students who were honored, Janice Ward (Library Media Specialist) winning an award, and the new program dedicated to teaching Snow Hill Middle School students about computers.
WR 28: Stephen Decatur High School Yearbook collection
The Stephen Decatur High School Yearbook collection contains yearbooks that the Stephen Decatur High School has released. Although this collection does not include every year’s yearbook, it does cover many years from 1955-1983. However, the majority of the yearbooks cover the years of 1955-1968.
WR 29: Pocomoke High School Yearbook collection
The Pocomoke High School collection mostly contains the yearbooks that the Pocomoke High School has released. Although this collection does not include every year’s yearbook, it does cover many years from 1953-1982.
Also included in this collection are various memorabilia pieces that pertain to the Pocomoke High School. These memorabilia pieces include graduation programs and invitations, newspaper clippings, and publications.
The collection also contains items from Pocomoke High School’s former names, Newtown High School, and Boston Public School.
WR 30: Worcester County Bicentennial records
The Worcester County Bicentennial records document the planning and implementation of the bicentennial celebration for Worcester County. The majority of the collection is centered round financial information. The financial documents included are donations, payments to companies, phone bills, and a full ledger. There are also meeting minutes that discuss what the committee is hoping to accomplish. Also included are newspaper clippings from local Worcester County newspapers discussing the progress of the Worcester County Bicentennial celebration. There are also promotional material regarding general bicentennial information, county and state wide.
WR 31: University of Maryland Eastern Shore Yearbook collection
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Yearbook collection contains one 2014 yearbook from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. This yearbook includes color photographs of students who graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The photographs include only those that graduated in 2014. There are also detailed information and photographs of many clubs, Greek life, sports, events such as homecoming, leadership retreats, the actual graduation, and pictures of every graduate organized by last name.
WR 32: Ocean City Elementary School collection
The Ocean City Elementary School collection contains one newspaper clipping regarding the Ocean City Elementary School. The newspaper clipping was published in the Democratic Messenger in October 23, 1947. The title of the clipping is “The Largest First Grade in History of Ocean City (Md.) School”. Included is a picture of the forty-six first grade students enrolled in Ocean City Elementary School in 1947, along with everyone’s name.
WR 34: Worcester County Telephone Book collection
The Worcester County Telephone Book collection contains thirty-one telephone directories that cover the Worcester County, Maryland area. Of special interest are the 1940, 1943, and 1945 telephone directories as they resemble the original directories. The 1960-1987 telephone directories cover the Area code 301 of Somerset and Worcester County residents.
WR 35: Berlin Merchandise Store Ledger
The Berlin Merchandise Store Ledger collection contains two ledgers. These ledgers are from a merchandise store in Berlin, Maryland. Inscribed on one of the ledgers is: “J. H. Primrose, Smyrna [Delaware] Agent for the American Sewing Machine”.
The first ledger is leather bound and is a general account ledger with customer names and the amount they owe. The second is a cloth bound daybook that contains the same information, the names of people and how much money they owe.
The Lumber Store Ledger collection contains one daybook and one journal. Both are filled with information on purchases made. Included in both are the names of people who have purchased products, how much their tab is, and if it was paid or not. The entries pertain to logging operations and the purchase and sale of lumber products.
WR 37: Eastern Shore Biography collection
The Eastern Shore Biography collection contains a published 1898 book titled “Portrait and Biographical Record of the Eastern Shore of Maryland”. This publication is split in two sections. The first section has an image and description of every US President up to the time of publication. The second section includes images and descriptions for prominent individuals on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The counties covered are Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester County.
Also included in this collection is an index for every individual and their location in the publication. The index was created in 1982 by Lottie Holsten, a library volunteer.
WR 38: White Front Drug Store Ledger
The White Front Drug Store Ledger collection contains two ledgers. These ledgers are from a drug store located in Berlin, Maryland. Both ledgers contain dates, names, debits, credits, and pharmaceuticals sold from the White Front Drug Store. The first ledger has a hand drawn map of the Warren Tract.
WR 39: Berlin General Store Ledger
The Berlin General Store Ledger collection contains two ledgers. These ledgers are from an unnamed general store located in Berlin, Maryland. One ledger contains the name of ever person who had an account with the store. The other ledger contains dates, names, debits, credits, and products sold from the general store.
WR 40: John R. Purnell & Co. Ledger
The John R. Purnell & Co. Ledger collection contains four ledgers. On Day Book No. 6, the name of the company is clearly labeled. This business also appears to be located in Berlin, Maryland. One of the ledgers is an order book for meals, bran, middling’s/fodder, and wood for the years of 1897-1899. Day Book No. 4 contains daily records for meal and flour sold for the year 1900. Day Book No. 6 and the Day Book have mostly middling/fodder sales for the year of 1901.
WR 41: Various Publications on Worcester County collection
This collection contains single issues of historic interest, reports, pamphlets, etc. A detailed explanation of the contents will be available in the Scope and Content section.
WR 42: Thomas J. Whaley Ledger
The Thomas J. Whaley Ledger collection contains six ledgers. Included is a 1901 Small Account Day Book, a 1902-1905 Day Book with lumber purchases, a 1904-1905 Day Book B with names and prices, a 1905-1906 Day Book B with delivery tickets from Berlin Brick Co., a 1908-1910 Day Book F with names and prices, a 1910 Day Book G with names and places, and a 1901 Small Accounts Day Book.
The Brittingham Bible collection contains a family bible of the Brittingham family. The owner appears to be a Sue Brittingham (1833 - ). Some of the Brittingham family members are from Hannibal, Missouri and the others are from Worcester County Maryland.
WR 44: Maryland Historical Society Publications
The Maryland Historical Society Publications collection contains thirteen articles that were published through the Maryland Historical Society. Each publication discusses historical events in Maryland. Of importance and relevance to Worcester County is the 1926 publication titled “The Worcester County Militia of 1794”. This article discusses how the militia was formed, and then gives the name of each person who served in the Worcester County, Maryland militia.
The Style Shop records collection contain financial documents of The Style Shop located in Snow Hill, Maryland. The Style Shop was in business for 29 years from 1926-1955. The Style Shop was mainly a hat shop for women’s fashion. The owner of the business for the entire 29 years was Lottie Fooks (1890-1981), a local of Snow Hill, Maryland.
Included in the collection are financial records of The Style Shop. These records include invoices and receipts of purchases made by Lottie Fooks to suppliers. Also included are checks from 1939-1941. There are also three Day Books from 1952-1954.
WR 48: Kennedy Magazine collection
The Kennedy Magazine collection chronicles the JFK assassination from November 1963 until 1965. There are two focuses in the collection. The first focus is on John F. Kennedy’s legacy following the assassination, with some information on the assassination. The other focus is how Jacqueline (Jackie) Kennedy reacted to the assassinating until 1965.
The Worcester County Maps collection contains over 50 maps. These maps cover the areas of Worcester County, the Eastern Shore, and Maryland as a whole. Due to the size of the maps, the majority of the collection has not been digitized.
WR 52: Historic Postcard collection
The Historic Postcard collection contains ~500 postcards. Most postcards are of Ocean City from 1960-1980. However, a few of the postcards are from the early 1900s for Snow Hill, Pocomoke City, Berlin, Showell, and Public Landing.
The Postcards are digitized and can be viewed on our Flickr page here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUtKxQf
WR 67: Kensey Pocomoke River Collection
The Kensey Pocomoke River Collection contains Charles C. Kensey’s research notes on boats over the Pocomoke River. This research was done in 1966, and was used to publish a pamphlet titled “The Pocomoke River” that same year. The pamphlet was published by Tingle Printing Company in Pittsville, Md. It contained notes on the geography of the river, the wildlife, steamboats and their captains, and homes, churches, wharfs, and landings along the river.
The Winnie Dryden Notebook contains newspaper clippings and a Composition Book belonging to Winnie Dryden of Snow Hill; all pertaining to World War I soldiers. Some clippings refer to local soldiers from the eastern shore. Other miscellaneous clippings are not specific to Worcester County. The composition book has handwritten notes and clippings pasted inside, including World War I soldier clippings and poems.
The Worcester County Budget records contains levies, budget documents, pamphlets and financial statements pertaining to the Worcester County Board of County Commissioners. The records span from 1950 to 1976.
The Howard & Louise Adkins collection consists of rent books, records, ledgers, and ephemera from various area businesses and churches ranging from 1839 to 1970. The bulk of the collection is made up of ledgers and rent books for a local canning business and tomato grading, as well as personal bank balances and time sheets for factory employees.
