Becky Lee Tourist Home
The era before a large number of motels dotted our highways saw a number of larger homes turned into “tourist homes”. Before the Salisbury Boulevard was built in 1939, Route 13 ran from N. Division St. to Camden Ave. through Salisbury (or from Camden Ave.to N. Division St. if you were heading north).
Along this route was the Becky Lee Tourist Home. It was listed at 1307 Camden Ave. The number of the address was changed by the City of Salisbury in October, 1952, to 1008 Camden Ave., when all the street numbers in Salisbury were changed. The home is now cut up into five apartments. It is on the north corner of Somerset Ave. and the west side of Camden Ave.
The Becky Lee Tourist Home was established around 1930 by Mrs. T. H. Pusey. It was described as being situated in the best suburban section of the city.
Some of the amenities offered were shower baths, spacious porches, shade trees and telephone service.
Most of the old tourist homes have been converted in apartments now due to their size. One family could not possibly heat a house of such dimensions – many rooms, high ceilings, etc. When these homes were built, they probably provided living quarters for the father, mother, several children and other family members such parents, aunts or uncles.
People do not rent out rooms by the night anymore. If they rent a room, it is probably to someone for an extended period.
4 comments:
Good post.If I recall correctly there was a tourist home on the corner of one street past the Delmar Fire Dept.People could rent it by the night or for weeks at a time.
And now there's legislation on the books for Bed & Breakfasts so that some of these huge homes can be something like those tourist homes.
I hate seeing these grand old homes chopped up into apartment houses.It just cheapens the history of the home.I understand its expensive to pay utilities and upkeep on a home that big but nevertheless,they lose all their charm when they are turned into apartments.
People do rent rooms out by the night now on AirBnB. Great alternative to hotels in many places like NYC.
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