Rockaway Beach / Turkey Point

Rockaway Beach History: 1949: Rockaway’s New Firehouse Begun

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(The Baltimore Sun, 8/31/1949)

Foundation work for a new firehouse for the Rockaway Beach Volunteer Fire Department has been started, and members hope to have the station in service by the time cold weather arrives.

They will do all the work on the one-story concrete block structure, which will have a tower for drying hose.

Organized three years ago, the company has about 100 active members.

Pending construction of a permanent station, their fire engine is housed in a converted double garage.

Charts H. Doing, county zoning commissioner, yesterday approved a commercial rating for the site of he new station, on the east side of Greyhound road at Turkey Point road. He stipulated that two-and-a-half times the area of the building shall be reserved for off-street sored by the firemen.

The Rockaway company protects the Back River Neck area south of Cape May road.

A. B. Fitzwater is fire chief, and other officers include John Neis, president; William Motschleidler, vice president; Fred Siegman, secretary: L. A. Sinclair, treasurer; William Flees, Charles Ziegler and F. L. Decker, trustees.

The new station will be financed from the proceeds of a series of crab feasts and bull roasts sponsored by the firemen.

How can a wildlife creature be so human?

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By Jackie Nickel, 9/6/2006

A couple months ago I discovered a box turtle in my yard and was delighted with this increasingly rare sighting. He or she had two white scars on his/her back and seemed to have seen some tough times so, of course, I immediately identified with the poor thing and we sort of bonded. Almost every week I’d see the turtle which was easily identifiable by the scars. Might they have been caused by a lawn mower? A fight with a snapping turtle? I could only imagine…

This shelled critter seemed to crave human companionship as I found out when speaking with neighbors. He/she has traveled four or more houses down the road and back several times, using the roadway instead of cutting under fences and through back yards and we’ve had to move the daring traveler to safer ground on more than one occasion.

Before the heavy rains last week, my turtle friend seemed to sneak up on me every time I watered my garden so I figured he needed a good soaking and gave him a sprinkle from the hose. He (I was thinking the turtle was a boy then) kept hanging around so I put out some water in a large plastic plate and no sooner had I turned my back than he climbed right into the dish and took a bath. I just fell in love with this little guy!

After all the rain on Friday, I figured I wouldn’t see the turtle again for a while but yesterday as I was cleaning up storm debris, there he was, right behind me as I stepped backward and onto his shell! I thought I’d stepped on a rock and as I turned around was distraught to see my poor turtle in a puddle of fluid I’d squished out of him. Lucky the little creature seemed none the worse off from my misstep and just looked up at me with an understanding look in “her” eyes. I decided it’s a girl because she’s so understanding.

My turtle friend kept hanging around seeming to want something from me, so I put out another plate of water and some ground beef. She completely devoured the hamburger then found a secluded spot between my porch steps and the wall and crawled in to take a rest. When I next went back to check, she had moved on, but she’ll be back I’m sure.

This turtle is not shy and doesn’t hide in her shell. She likes to be around people and obviously trusts them. She has seen hard times and has the scars to prove it. She has a tough outer shell but is soft inside. She has eyes, a nose (well, two nostrils), and a mouth just like me. She can get hurt and get over it. In drought and flood, in hardship and dangerous conditions, my friend the box turtle still sticks her neck out, holds her head up high and keeps going. No wonder it’s so easy for me to relate.

Plaque dedicated in Jackie Nickel’s honor

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Photo By Anna Ren­ault
Thomas Nickel, grandson of the late Avenue News columnist, editor and reporter Jackie Nickel, is pictured with a plaque in Jackie’s honor which was dedicated on what would have been Jackie’s 68th birthday on July 28.

Plaque dedicated in Jackie Nickel’s honor

By Anna Renault

The Avenue News, (http://avenuenews.com)
Published: Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The name Jackie Nickel still rings bells of fond memories, political fights, and controversial editorials for many ‘Avenue News’ readers and tugs at the hearts of family, friends, former co-workers, and neighbors.

Remembering Jackie Nickel is a daunting task. The woman was simply amazing. She was sweet, kind, and caring. Jackie loved helping others, researching history, as well as being a community activist. If she thought something was wrong, she set about trying to ensure it was corrected. In the case of community development, sometimes this meant stopping something from happening before harm was done.

On July 28, Jackie would have been 68 years young. Unfortunately she went to her heavenly reward three years ago. However, she is still fondly remembered by so many whose lives she touched. Many of those who remember, especially her Turkey Point/Rockaway Beach neighbors, attended a plaque dedication ceremony in Jackie’s honor on this anniversary of her birth.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do since we lost Jackie,” stated Kim Goodwin, President of the Rockaway Beach Improvement Association (RBIA). “She did so much for us, she deserves this and more.”

Many of the local residents agreed. Goodwin welcomed everyone to the ceremony and read a beautiful poem expressing the love and loss felt by those in attendance.

Denise Woutila, Secretary – RBIA, also spoke of Jackie’s impact on the community as well as on herself. As a relatively new Essex/Middle River resident, Woatila quickly learned much of the area’s history and the importance of having pride in one’s heritage as a result of her friendship with Jackie. She pointed out how much more she learned about her dear friend after reading an online blog by Tom Warner. She said, “Just Google Jackie Nickel and you’ll get a long list of sites telling you all about her.”

Kevin McDonough, local resident and high school student at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, also spoke of the impact Jackie Nickel had on his young life. He explained how he chose Jackie as the subject of a “Champion of Courage” essay he wrote due to her neighborliness, friendship, wisdom, and her love of history. Jackie’s influence on McDonough’s life has led to his willingness to be an active member of his community, taking pride in his community and environment. He credits her inspiration with encouraging him to always be willing to give back.

Jackie’s family, including her beloved grandson Thomas Nickel along with his parents Michael and Christina Nickel were in attendance along with Jackie’s oldest son, Scott Huffines and his wife, Kristen. Thomas did the honors of hanging the plaque onto the Rockaway Beach sign at the corner of Turkey Point Road and Rockaway Beach Road. It was noted that Kim Maigetter painted the plaque and her husband Brennan installed the hardware necessary to hang it.

Michael Nickel thanked all who attended and shared the family’s appreciation for the love and honor that is continuously expressed by so many for their mother, Jackie Nickel. They are grateful that her legacy continues to shine through those who continue to advocate for those things that Jackie held so dear – the community, the environment, and the pride in knowing one’s history.

For those who are new to the area and didn’t know Jackie, just ask around. You’ll hear lots of stories. Briefly, she was proud that her maternal grandfather owned the Gayety Theater in East Baltimore. She was a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of one. She was a teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Back River Elementary School. She was editor to both ‘The Avenue News’ and ‘The Essex Times.’ In her semi-retirement she returned to The Avenue News as a weekly editorial columnist and freelance reporter. In 1999, she published “A History of Essex” to honor the 90th Anniversary of Essex. In 2002, with the help of Chesapeake Publishing (The Avenue News’ parent company) and a grant from Baltimore County’s Office of Community Conservation, Jackie published her book, “Memories of Old Middle River.” In April 2007, just a few months before her death, she published her dream book, “Essex,” a pictorial history of the area published by Arcadia Publishers as part of their ‘Images of America’ series. She was an environmentalist, a community leader and activist. Her shoes are too big to be filled!