Researched and compiled by Diane McFaul Hindman, SBHS, including interviews, emails and pictures shared by both Curt and Mary Lyde Esposito.

Curt Esposito and Mary Lyde Foster, 279 Bay Ave, both come from families with long military histories, including generations at West Point. Both have ancestors involved in many American wars: including Revolutionary, 1812, Civil, WWI and WWII, Viet Nam. The Esposito side had a fifer/drummer in the Delaware Regiment (the Blue Coats) during the Revolutionary War. And Mary Lyde continues the tradition of her interesting name that began during the Civil War when a Confederate soldier named Elias had the nickname of “Lyde”. After he was killed in action at the Rappahannock River, his new niece was named Lyde in his honor. So, Mary Lyde is the 4^th of now 6 generations of daughters in that family carrying the tradition of the “Lyde” name.

Curt’s family has a long history in Milford, including 100 years at Slaughter Beach!  The two actually met in Europe in 1979 while working for Civil Service and the Army. He brought Mary Lyde here to meet his family, who were living in the Causey Mansion in Milford where Curt’s mother Eleanor Vinyard and her siblings had grown up. Curt proposed at Slaughter Beach in 1980. They had 2 children: daughter Lyde, son Garrard “G”. They spent every summer at Slaughter Beach. Son “G” later proposed to his bride in a row boat at Slaughter Beach, continuing the family tradition!

The Milford Connection with Slaughter Beach:

Curt’s grandfather was Wilson Marvel Vinyard, owner of the Causey Mansion and Vinyard Shipyard in the 1930s.. His daughter was Eleanor Vinyard, who met and married Vincent J. Esposito through West Point connections.

The Esposito family’s 100-year history at Slaughter Beach began in the early 1920s at the Vinyard Family cottage, built by Curt’s grandfather on Lot 10, now 331 Bay Ave. (purchased from Simpson for $400). Curt spent much time there with his family in the 1940s-50s. Below see photos of the house and family circa 1947: Eleanor with her 3 sons “Mikey (nickname for Vince Jr)”, Curt, and Michael below.

In 1931, Eleanor’s brother “Uncle Sonny” (Wilson Vinyard, Jr) built a cottage at Lot 62 now 279 Bay Ave. Fires destroyed the homes on either side in the 1950s (Barnard north, Newton south). Because of this, in 1954, Sonny sold their smoke damaged cottage for $1 to his sister Eleanor and brother-in-law Vincent “Mike” Esposito, Curt’s father. He was a West Point graduate and professor in Engineering and a skilled woodworker, so was able to make extensive renovations, rebuilding much of the interior including the staircase, cedar panel walls, and kitchen cabinets. See the photo with boardwalk below.

Both Esposito parents died in 1965, leaving the house to their 3 sons. Curt bought out his 2 brothers in the 1980s. The current home (picture below taken in 2021) is the original cottage, brown cedar shake with some minor renovations over the years, and it still remains very true to its old cottage roots. Note the wood pile used for additional winter heat.

Curt’s childhood memories at SB, life in the 50s/60s:

• The boardwalk was still present at 279 Bay Ave. in 1954, ending one property south at Newton’s. Curt remembers walking the boards, getting splinters; riding bikes as far north as Frank Draper’s cottage (approx. 1 mile). There were lights along the way for an evening stroll, and on a hot summer day, it was cool underneath!
• 3 neighbors built personal cement sea walls on the house side of the boardwalk for extra protection (Barnard, Esposito and Newton). Their end of the boardwalk was destroyed in the Big Storm of 1966. In 1968 a big beach replenishment occurred. Prior to that, the water was so close that Curt can remember jumping off the boardwalk into the water at high tide.
• The water was much clearer then; Curt’s dad and brothers would use a drag net/seine in front of the old house at Lot 10 for fishing, and later Dad used his Fyke at Lot 62. See Fyke “Tidbit” at end of this article.
• Curt’s engineer father modified their section of the boardwalk so portions could easily be removed. This allowed them to pull their fishing boat down to the water on a rolling ramp using the crank shown in picture below. They would fish at the Coral Beds near Fowler’s Beach, and sometimes out farther near the tankers.

• The Esposito boys and friends would water ski three abreast behind the larger Barnard boat north to the inlet canal, all the way up Cedar Creek to the drawbridge (at Rt 36). On windy days on the Bay, Curt would pull the kids farther up the Mispillion to ski on flat water. Both sides of the inlet were intact and the current was very fast, so the challenge was “Don’t fall!”
• Curt’s mother would pack sandwiches for the boys, and drop them off at the Harbor to spend a day fishing on the party boat, the “Thomas E”. They also would crab off the docks, where the fishermen had cleaned their catch, dropping the heads and guts into the water nearby…. great crab bait! They would only keep the big ones, and would easily come home with a bushel of fat crabs!
• Neighbor Warren C. Newton, Bill McSpadden’s grandfather, owned property off Lighthouse Rd, where he hoped to build a boat launch. A memorable adventure was when the whole Esposito family went up to watch Mr. Newton blow up the swampy marsh in this area with explosives! This later evolved into what is now the State improved Boat Launch area. (This story has been verified by both Curt and Bill)
• Horseshoe Crabs were much more numerous, smelled bad, and the residents would dig big pits in the sand to cover them.
• A road existed from Argo’s Corner in late 40s: one lane paved, one lane dirt.

Stores

• Curt remembers being in the Corner Store that he said evolved from the 2^nd Hotel Dance Hall. It still had a bar and décor. Was burnt down at some point. Near this location, a 2^nd store (Palumbo sub shop) was built in the late 60s, but is now converted into a private residence.
• Scorchy’s was a General Store where families could get groceries, produce, milk and bread. Gas pump in front. Curt thought Scorchy got his name from having holes in his T shirts, always sunburned!
• Lemuel’s Liquor store would trade potatoes/goods for liquor. Had gun on wall behind counter.

2023 Update:

There is now a new generation coming to SB; both Garrard and Lyde have contributed grandchildren (Lyde had triplets in 2021). This makes 5 generations of Vinyards and Espositos coming to Slaughter Beach over more than 100 years.

Historical “TidBit”: “Fish and Fyke”

“A fyke net is a fish trap. It consists of cylindrical or cone-shaped netting bags mounted on rings or other rigid structures. It has wings or leaders which guide the fish towards the entrance of the bags. The fyke nets are fixed on the bottom by anchors, ballast or stakes. Usually hauled by hand. The fish enters voluntarily, but is hampered from coming out. Fishermen visit traps every day collecting only the captures and leaving in the same place for several days.”

This photo is Curt’s father Brigadier General Vincent Joseph Esposito, nickname “Mike for Michelangelo”, fishing with a fyke in front of their cottage in the 1950s. He was a full professor at West Point after retiring from active duty.

Below are friends and family still helping to harvest the fyke in the1980s! From left Mark Bliss; Mary Lyde; Junior Hitchens; cousin Katie Bliss, and Irene Hitchens, Junior’s wife, holding baby Lyde.

Note to Readers! We hope you have enjoyed this first in a Series of “Meet Your Neighbors” and “History Tidbits”. If you have brief stories or memories from family, friends or neighbors that you’d like to share, we may be able to include them on the website! Please send them in written form to info@sbhistory.org.