September 8, 1911

The most stirring event of the past week were the races at the Milton Driving Park on Thursday afternoon.
Wednesday afternoon people from a distance began to arrive in town, and booked themselves and their teams for the night. At about 12 o’clock On Thursday the tide of humanity began to pass thru Milton en route for the Park. They came from Millsboro, Georgetown, Lewes and all intervening places. They came in carriages, automobiles, runabouts and other modes of conveyance, and all converged to the one point, the Driving Park. At 2 o’clock Milton was nearly deserted, the citizens had impressed all the teams to be had; the buses were all crowded, and many walked. The canneries were shut  down for the afternoon, all the churches were closed but one—and in that work was in progress, in preparation for the event of the following day—and what was never known to occur before, S. J. Wilson & Son’s place of business was closed, and the whole establishment had gone to the races. It is estimated there were 800 people on the ground -$175 was the receipts, and many were there who got in surreptitiously. Now I am unacquainted with the nomenclature of the race course, and I did not go; not for that reason alone, but because I did not want to go. I, being afraid another fire might occur in the absence of so many, stayed at home to take care of Milton. However, after the races were over I endeavored to ascertain the result, but no one appeared to know how many horses were entered, nor anything about the result. Finis.

Advertisement for Milton Driving Park

The “Grand Organ Recital” that has been so extensively advertised, came off at the M. E. Church on Friday evening. Prof. Robert LeRoy Haslup, of Baltimore, was present and did the work, church was well filled with an admiring and appreciative audience and the result is: “O, we have got our organ now!” A silver offering was taken at the door, which amounted to fifty dollars. The dedicatory services will take place on October 1st.

Capt. S. B. Atkins, of Wilmington, has been visiting his brother on Walnut St.

Mrs. A. W. Irwin and daughter Anna, are visiting in Philadelphia.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hudson, of Collingswood, N. J., are visiting relatives.

H. A. Kemp, who has been employed in the Philippines for the past year, is in Milton with his family.

Mr. and Mrs. William Mcllvane, of Camden, N. J., are the guests of Mrs. Mcllvane’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Ingram.

Joseph M. Lank has had his property on Walnut Street repainted.

On Thursday while Dorman Porter was coming down North Union Street in a wagon, the shaft bolt dropped out causing the horse to break into a run. After passing over the bridge it struck a team driven by Charles Veasey, which also started to run. Porter was thrown out of his wagon, and one shaft and the crossbar broken. Veasey and his team were unhurt.

B. B. Johnson is making considerable improvement in front of his property on North Mulberry Street. Besides a pavement, he is putting up concrete steps and coping, and much other concrete curbing in the yard.

The house of John Clifton being built by Fred Pepper on N. Mulberry Street is nearly enclosed.

C. A. Conner went to Philadelphia last week and came home – with three horses.

Mrs. J. B. Welch, after spending some time with her children in Wilmington and Philadelphia, has returned to her home.

The new pavement and curbing in front of the P. E. Church is a decided improvement not only to the church edifice, but also to that part of Federal Street.

The item we wrote a few weeks ago about those unsightly lots, corner Front and Federal streets, has created some comment, but not enough to awaken Town Council. Milton’s town charter needs the “recall.”

A man from Ellendale was in town last week, talking about a fine piece of plowing “Paul Pry” had done on his farm at or near Ellendale. He was enthusiastic over the mechanism of the work and asked us to go to Ellendale to look at it, but we are no judge of plowing: and declined to go.

Capt. Lubker and a party from Lewes steamed up the Broadkiln in his launch Saturday and took a glance at Milton.

A “medicine man,” with a troupe of Negro minstrels, is now doing the town; likewise the people. The minstrels are not of the burnt cork variety, but genuine Negroes. The minstrels are used as the ad captanum vulgus[i]—and their performances are very good, of the kind—while the man who is traveling under the sobriquet of ‘ ‘Doctor’ ‘ does the rest. And he is selling medicine. On Saturday evening there were many people in town, many of whom were purchasers. We know nothing of the virtue of these compounds, but, of course, they will cure somebody of their ailments. We heard a druggist say that persons have passed his store carrying home bottles, whose names have been on his books for many months. They will remain during the present week—the minstrels; and the names also.

The Thirty-Second Annual Convention of the Delaware Women’s Christian Temperance Union will convene in the M. E. Church, this town, on Wednesday. The session will continue three days. The citizens of the town will furnish lodging and breakfast to those from a distance. Dinner and supper will be furnished by the local Union in the lower room of the Masonic Temple. Thus it will be that from Wednesday to the end of the week Milton will have a grand musicale that may be the envy of all the towns on the peninsula. 

The sidewalk on the right hand side of Lavinia Street has been badly washed by the recent rains, and should be repaired by someone.

Botany informs us that there are over 2000 varieties of the aster. 1999 of these varieties are along the road leading across Lake Fanganzyki, and goldenrods galore.

Captain J. C. Palmer has this week moved an attachment from his property on North Union Street that was partly occupying the ground belonging to the M. P. Church.

Wm. G. Fearing, having completed painting the exterior of the property occupied by David Gifford on Broad Street, is now papering the interior.

Samuel Fithian’s new store, also that of Hazzard and Virden, near the river, are nearly completed and will be ready for occupancy in a few days.

H. K. Wagamon is suffering with erysipelas of the face.

It is said Prof, Robert LeRoy Haslup, the Baltimore organist who came here to prove the new pipe organ in the M. E. Church, complimented the choir of said church on its efficiency, and “did not know Milton could produce such singers.” And here is another case of didn’t know. Truly: “Where ignorance is bliss” efficiency loses prestige.

One of the women employees at the Goodwin cannery developed appendicitis, on Monday and was sent to her home in Baltimore.

Butter beans and lima beans are yet the chief menu of Milton. It is not an uncommon occurrence for a family to have them on the table fourteen times a week; and the visitors this week may expect to get their fill of this much flattered vegetable.

The following we quote from the editorial column of the Boston Daily Globe, and the words are said to have been carved over the mantle of the man who wrote them: “I am an old man and have seen many troubles, but most of them never happened.”! How near does the above fit the reader?


[i] Latin phrase meaning “to captivate the masses” (literally, to ensnare the vulgar)