UPDATE: Museum of Ocean City to showcase history of town, now open

OCEAN CITY, Md. - The Ocean City Museum Society and Town of Ocean City held a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 6. at noon. The ceremony celebrated the opening of the museum, which was once the Bank of Ocean City. The construction began in January.

The restoration of the Bank of Ocean City building is made possible through private and state grant funding.

The former Bank of Ocean City building is an extension of the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. The bank first opened its doors for business in 1916. The Bank of Ocean City closed its branch on Dorchester Street in 2019, and plans for the transformation to a museum began in 2021.

According to Joseph Kurtz, the senior project manager, the museum will feature a display about the former bank, artifacts that were found in the building during construction, a Native American display and display of restaurants and hotels in Ocean City. 

"When we were doing construction, we found stuff hidden in the walls," said Kurtz. "It was very neat."

On the floor above the museum, there will be a research library that the community can access by appointment. 

Kurtz says in the next couple of weeks, visitors can expect books, displays and tables to go in the area.

"It's a really bright, clean, airy space," said Kurtz.

He believes the museum defines Ocean City as a community, saying, "Throughout my career in engineering and construction management, I've built shopping centers and houses and things like that, and it was all fine. But this is something that everybody can use and everybody can be a part of. In fact, it was a community effort."

Kurtz says the whole community chipped in on this project, including the mayor, council and state representatives.

"It was a genuine community effort to get this thing up and running," said Kurtz.

Lizzie Dietz, who has visited Ocean City her whole life, checked out the museum on its opening day and enjoyed seeing the showcased history.

"I love watching the mix of the new and the old because Ocean City has kept its old feel but also brought in a little bit of new and has integrated it very well," said Dietz. "So, this museum represents our history."

Dietz says while a lot of people may think of Ocean City as just a party place, the diverse history of the town is so interesting.

"...so many artifacts and so many stories... I feel like this brings a real vibe to Ocean City that people should understand and get to know."

For more information on the museum, click here.