Tilghman History Blog

The August Storm of 1933

In late summer of 1933 a great storm came in from the ocean. Hurricanes weren’t given names in those days, so this came to be known simply as The August Storm. It went inland a few miles, roared across the mid-Atlantic states, through Pennsylvania into New York state, and on to Canada-doing damage everywhere. 

On Tilghman, Dogwood Harbor was flooded, seas washed over Avalon and Devil’s Islands, and boats were wrecked. The next morning, everyone was out to see the damage and pick through the wreckage. In the scene at the top left, we may be standing on the shore near Chicken Point, looking south. In the background a boat lies on its side, broken, on the shore. The girl on the left has been identified as Nora Howeth, and that’s Virginia Moore with her back to us. That may be her sister Lorena on the right. 

The two lower photos of the twisted Avalon wharf show how much rebuilding was necessary to put it back in operation. The wharf was rebuilt with boards running lengthwise to smooth the ride for vehicle tires. The railings were not replaced until some years later. These two features help us date the various photos of the wharf. One informant distinctly remembers the wharf without railings in the 1930s, for he was just learning to drive then!