Dolly’s Bait & Tackle Shop at Love Creek
A letter to the editor penned by Dr. James H. VanSciver appeared in the July 14 edition. In the letter, VanSciver reminisces about growing up near Love Creek.
Just northeast of the old bridge, his mother Dolly Mickel operated Dolly’s Bait & Tackle and Dolly’s Marina, which she opened in the mid-1960s. Upon request, VanSciver and his family provided these photographs of the shop.
The shop once stood along the path of the new Route 24 bridge built just to the north of the old span in the early 1990s. VanSciver said the bridge runs right through where the kitchen used to be.
Hundreds of people passed through the door of the business each summer. The business also featured a small tugboat that towed rowboats filled with crabbers into Rehoboth Bay. The visitors would tell the tugboat captain when they wished to return and that was that.
The old bridge was built in 1939, replacing an even older span. The bridge was included as a highlight in the 1939 Highway Department’s Annual Report. It was touted as a major improvement to a highway “carrying pleasure-bound motorists, bound for Rehoboth and Oak Orchard during the summer months.” It was also noted the bridge eliminated one of the danger spots on the road.
A 1939 News Journal article noted that the road over Love Creek was closed for about 60 days while the new bridge was constructed. Eastbound motorists were detoured through Georgetown. Although closed since 1992, the old bridge still remains a popular spot for fishing and crabbing.
