437 Bay Ave, Joy Rust Feulner and husband Terry. Research and compilation done by Diane McFaul Hindman, SBHS, summer of 2021.
Many thanks to Joy and Terry Feulner, who met with me during the summer of 2021. They shared wonderful examples of life on Slaughter Beach (SB) near their Rust Bay House starting back in the late 1940s. This included several interviews, and sharing of memorabilia and many photos, both original and digital to help us all walk in Joy’s shoes… or flip flops!
Joyce/Joy Rust was born in Milford in 1939 to Harry S. Rust and Alma Tease Rust who were married for 70 years! Their family made day trips to Slaughter Beach prior to buying the house at 437 Bay Ave in 1947. The original cottage was built by a fisherman before WWII, approximately 1940. The house shown above in 2021 is very similar to the original, with some additions and improvements. It is not winterized, and the only shower is the same outdoor shower, but nicely improved! Currently Joy and family live in southern CA, but even as adults, the family including their 2 daughters have always spent summers at SB. Joy feels it was those summers here that made her the happy, Joyful person she is. Her parents were welcoming to all her Milford friends growing up, and at this writing, she was planning her Milford High School 64th reunion to be held there at the Rust Bay House.
Originally, the town Boardwalk stopped a few cottages south of theirs (Henry Wilkins 433). However, the owners of a few cottages to the north built personal extensions in front of their houses. All houses in this area connected to the boardwalk shown below with short perpendicular walkways. Below is neighbor Essie Evans, wife of Ed Evans who was a local Justice of the Peace, who would collect fines issued by the Slaughter Beach Constable in his garage office. He also served as mayor for many years.
The beach was not real wide in the 1940s-50s, the tides coming closer to the houses than it does now. The 1964 beach replenishment added significantly, and has held well there until now. In front of 441 Bay Ave. (former Evans/current Ward cottage), a pier out into the water was added, with a gazebo at the end. See it during a cold spell in the winter below!
Most families had speed boats, and built long ramps made of 2 parallel tracks to pull the boats down to the water. Quite an art to do this…. see picture below.
Long jetties were also built along the beach, too tall to climb over. In order to walk the beach, you could walk around the ramps and jetty at low tide, or at high tide go up into neighbors’ yards to go around, or use the boardwalk. The picture below (Alma Rust and Terry Rust) illustrates the boat ramps and jetties, quite a unique arrangement.
Every house had kids in them. A picture of Joy and friends, the “Slaughter Beach Buzzards” is below, with the names of the kids and dogs, approximately 1952.
They spent most of the day swimming in the water, even at low tide. When it was time to come home, each family had a way to communicate, e.g. bells, a foghorn, police whistle, trombone, etc.
They also went out in boats which had old Evinrude motors and didn’t go very fast! They pulled water skis, surfboards, and saucer/discs… all usually home-made of wood by their fathers. They often went fishing at the Coral Beds (located off the now south end of beach). They could see their homes from the water (using binoculars), and each cottage had a very tall flagpole. In an emergency, the flag would be lowered to communicate with the people on the boats. Once home, they ate what they caught: clams, crabs, fish. After a day on the bay, everything had to be washed because of all the silt in the water…. People, clothes, boats, including the Evinrude motors which were run in a large barrel of fresh water (picture below shows Harry Rust and neighbor William Draper). Next in line for the hose would be the young muddy boy (identity unknown) showing off his clam rake and a wooden box he pulled along on a leash to carry his catch!
Other memories:
- In the 50s, the kids rode their bikes out to the Mispillion Lighthouse, which they considered an adventure/haunted house because it was in such bad shape and smelled horrible.
- During the school year, the bus came in on Slaughter Beach Road and picked up the kids at the old non-functioning SB Hotel, which was destroyed by the Storm of March ’62, then burned afterward.
- There were many Firemen living in town, so when the Fire Whistle blew, even one fireman could drive the truck immediately to a kitchen fire, etc., and put it out very quickly.
- Major beach replenishment of 1964: 2 pictures below, including Joy’s father Harry. He worked for the Milford Police, later the DuPont Company in Seaford, as did many Milford residents at that time. He also took his turn being a Mayor of Slaughter Beach.
Joy Rust: personal memory (email 7/27/21).
“We used to be almost the last house on the North end. Going North: Rust house, Draper, Evans, Zook. Going South: Empty lots, then Mayhew at the end of the board walk and houses past that south toward the fire hall. No more houses for many, many years. The beach hasn’t changed at all except for the jetties that are buried from sand being blown in. The mud started exactly where it is today. We went clamming EVERY full low tide and crabbing each day with a pot because we lived off the land. I have pictures of the pier Ed Evans built for us Slaughter Beach Buzzards. What a perfect life. No wonder I come back every summer.”
And below is our friend and neighbor Joy Rust at Slaughter Beach: Then and Now!
