Bill and Sara Benson were close cousins who lived up the street from my family. Throughout their lives they enriched those who surrounded them with their community involvement, faith, grace, and generous neighborly manners. Sara kept a journal every year of her life in Oxford from 1943 until 2001and Captain Bill kept a daily weather book throughout his time as ferry Captain of the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry. They were anchors in the town of Oxford, steadfast and kind, they were a pleasure to know.

William Lindale Benson was born in Bellevue on October 20, 1908. Sara Valliant Newnam was born on August 10, 1913 and grew up in the Grapevine House in Oxford. They married on Christmas Day in 1936 at the home of Joseph Newnam, her brother. After living in apartment above the “Towne Shoppe” on the corner of Tilghman and Morris Streets, they moved to 315 N. Morris Street in 1943, the year their son Dale Jr. was born. At their new home, Sara could watch Captain Bill and the ferry from her sink window and front porch. Captain Benson took over operations of the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry in 1938. His summer schedule ran 80-105 hours per week. Only winter ice kept the ferry from running, and the only day he took off was Christmas Day which was also his anniversary. He retired in 1974.

The Benson family has graciously decided to share Sara Benson’s journal entries with the readers of Attraction. Smartly titled “Oxford Vignettes” by Susan Benson, I invite you to enjoy reading these daily snippets of life in Oxford in their day.

Sara Benson, loved a good church supper, dinner parties, and meals from local restaurants, so much that she wrote about them in great detail… so what was Oxford serving up in 1976? Enjoy the meals below. Warning, they will undoubtedly make you hungry!

May 26th, 1976 – Sara throws a dinner party.

The guests, Poke, Helen, Hazel, Bill, Joe, Gert and Herbert, arrived at 6:20 and I served them cranapple juice, tater puffs, wheat thins and dip. For dinner we had crab imperial, hot baked ham, buttered carrots, lima beans, baked pineapple, Parker House Rolls (Susan’s recipe, I made them yesterday), Susan’s crabapple jelly, pickles, cinnamon apple cream cheese salad, coffee, iced tea, key lime pie with whipped topping and green cherries, mixed nuts, and white and pink coated chocolate mint discs from Mary Mason. We had just finished dinner and were in the living room talking when the phone rang. Gert was next to it and answered it, To the surprise of us all Pat and Fran (Sara’s bother and sister-in-law) were on the other end. They are flying in on June 10th to attend the Oxford High School alumni reunion on June 12. Such wonderful news!

Wednesday June 9th, 1976 – Sara attends the Methodist men’s “Ladies Night” at the Robert Morris Inn.

Many of us wore long dresses to the dinner tonight. Sarah Crockett, Margaret Bates, Rose and Robert Wroten, Margaret Sullivan and Edwin Sinclair sat at a table with us. Everyone said dinner was delicious! We had a choice of fish, crab cakes, beef, or 1/4 chicken and crab cake. We started with apple butter, cottage cheese, three bean salad and crackers. then we had tossed salad. Bill had the fish and I had the beef. Everyone had baked potato and broccoli, corn muffins and hot biscuits, coffee, iced tea and ice cream, plus, a piece of Wesley Steinberg’s birthday cake. Her husband surprised her with a delicious 3 tier cake! The entire dinner cost $5.95 each – everyone thought it was a real bargain. There were about 68 or 69 at the dinner.

Friday June 11th, 1976 – Sara throws a dinner party.

Sara’s brother Fran and his wife Pat flew in. They had roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, crab imperial, corn, peas, Harvard beets, orange mandarin jello salad, figs, tiny heated Arnold rolls, tea, coffee and lemon pie.

Saturday June 12th, 1976 – Sara attends the Oxford Alumni Banquet

The banquet was held at the Elk’s Club in Easton. Over 100 attended. All of us with colonial dresses wore them. Lee Gillis played the organ while we ate. For dinner we had fruit cup, breast of chicken, dressing, broccoli, potatoes, rolls, coffee, tea and apple pie. Those attending in my class of 1931 were: Doug Hanks, James Balderson, Epps Abbott (Catharine Abbott), Miriam Bringman Saulsbury (Merrick Saulsbury), Elizabeth Lewis Bauer (Russ Bauer)Thompson Roth, Ethel Mears Crowley, and myself (Bill Benson). We were all seated together and had a grand time talking. Jerry Valliant was President and in charge of the reunion. Bill Tull and Hazel Stewart put on a skit. We all stayed and talked until 11pm.

Saturday June 26th, 1976 – Sara and Bill get dinner from Water’s Church

For $2.50: chicken or crab cakes, potato salad, string beans, pickled beets and rolls. For dessert, (.25 extra) a choice of sweet potato or apple pie. It was delicious!

Sunday June 27th, 1976 – Dinner in Bellevue at Karl Kaiser’s

We had V8 juice, cheese and crackers and unsalted nuts before dinner. Jane had a delicious dinner of chicken hearts, string beans topped with almonds, mushrooms and olives, crescent rolls and molded vegetable salad (jello), iced tea, and angel food cake mixed with jello and rolled in dream whip.   delicious! We had such a good time we stayed and talked until 10:30.

From time to time, Sara and Bill would order from the Oxford Carry-out. What was cooking at the end of Tilghman Street 50 years ago ? Enjoy reading the 1976 menu that Sara saved. My personal favorite was fried chicken and french fries or onion rings, but everything was good! I wish these prices held true at 85 cents for a crab cake with crackers. I will never forget the amazing aroma coming from the carryout kitchen – you could begin to smell it as you passed Cutts & Case.

If I need a break from the entanglements of the present, I lean back and close my eyes and think about Oxford 50 years ago. I breathe deeply and can almost smell that deep fried heaven in 1976!

Sara Benson’s Crab Imperial Recipe

 (Given to me by Susan Benson)

1/2 large onion and pepper – sautéed in 4 TBS of butter

6 soda crackers – crushed

1 T prepared mustard

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 lb crab meat

1 tsp mayonnaise

1 tsp cream or milk

1 egg plus white of egg used in topping

1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

1/4  cup of mayonnaise and 1 egg yolk beaten together.

Mix ingredients for crab cake together and put in greased casserole dish. Add topping. Bake 1/2 hour in 350 degree oven.

Serves 4-6.