Frankford Delaware’s Urban Legend of Catman the Gravekeeper
For those of you who have read the infamous Legend of Devil’s Road and the Duponts, you may have heard of Catman, the urban legend of Frankford Delaware. (To read…
For those of you who have read the infamous Legend of Devil's Road and the Duponts, you may have heard of Catman, the urban legend of Frankford Delaware. (To read the full true story of what happened on Devil's Road and what the urban legends are based off of, click here.) Catman is a creature that apparently was a caretaker of the Long Cemetery and graveyard in Frankford, Delaware, whom had catlike features. Long Cemetery is located on a dirt road path in Sussex County and has been there since the 1800's.
Sources say they have spotted Catman watching over the cemetery from beyond his grave. One of the most popular sightings of Catman was while some teenagers wandered into the cemetery at night to drink some booze. They soon were scared off, seeing ghostly images of a dark manlike creature standing in the distance. Legend has it, while he lived, Catman took his job as caretaker of the graveyard very seriously.
Others have said he is buried in the center of the Frankford graveyard, in an above tomb according to Delaware Haunted Houses. The story is, if you knock three times on the brick wall behind the cemetery, he will tamper with your car so that it won't start when you try to leave. I'm not sure who's willing to test this theory, but it ain't me.
One forum writer on Delaware Haunted Houses wrote...
"I literally live next to it and drive my ATV around there and I have seen some unusual things that I can't explain. My ATV wouldn't start for a couple of minutes."
All in all, Delaware's Catman doesn't want to harm or hurt you. Even with tampering with your car, he's just trying to show you who's boss and keep you from messing around in his cherished and most beloved graveyard, Long Cemetery. So stay out!
Inside the Abandoned Cine’Mart Theater in Wilmington Delaware
In the late 60s and early 70s, movie theaters, drive-ins, and strip mall cinemas were popping up all over the nation. They were the new craze. Branmar Cinema had just opened their doors, along with Tri State Mall's old theater. And then came the Cine'Mart Theater on Governor Printz Boulevard in Wilmington, Delaware. The first date of the box office opening at the Cine'Mart was January 20th, 1969.
According to the credited research that Edwin Graf Diemer contributed to Cinema Treasures for this story, "The shopping center [across the street from Cine'Mart] was built just following World War II and quickly became the most popular shopping destination in Wilmington." The theater seated 984 people and there was only 1 screen, similar to Branmar Theater just a couple miles away. A newspaper released at the time of the closure stated, "The CineMart, Northern Delaware's largest motion picture theater was closed over the weekend. Employees of the 984-seat theater on the Governor Printz Boulevard said they were notified of the closing just hours before it was shut down."
The theater was steadily losing "$50,000 to $60,000 a year" and fell behind on rent. The owners did ask the owners of the Merechandise Mart to twin the theater, but they declined. At the same time of the CineMart closure, the Edgemoor Theater, which was only a few hundred yards up the road, would close when their lease expired.
Edwin cited that "The auditorium was completely in gold with wide rocking chair seating. The front was deeply curved to allow for the screen, with curtains that went to the rear of the auditorium." According to local WJBR listener, Gary Rauso who has been to the Cinemart as well as Branmar Cinema, stated "It was the first theater in the area to have surround sound." This theater, along with many others across America, actually were booking shows ranging from G-rated to explicit pornographic films. The theater was originally built to operate solely on X-rated pornographic films, but the Budco company acquired the theater from Hallmark Theaters of Massachusetts and started showing all varieties of films. The first film ever shown at the Cinemart was in 1968, titled "The Odd Couple". The last ever film shown there was "The Exterminator".
The downfall of the Cine'Mart was actually due to the Concord Mall on Route 202 in Wilmington. The Mall had been built with a theater of its own and sucked the life out of the Cine'Mart. This also resulted in the abandonment of the entire Merchandise Mart. Today, the Cine'Mart is fully abandoned, but remains standing with boards up on every possible entrance.
CineMart Building Exterior
Cine'Mart Governor Printz Boulevard Wilmington Delaware
Cinemart Box Office Poster
Inside Cinemart Movie Theater
Cinemart Photo Dated 2011
Cinemart Box Office Poster 2
Cinemart Exterior
Cinemart Exterior 2
Budco Quality Theatre, Owners of Cinemart
Cinemart Bathroom
Inside the Cinemart Theater
Cinemart Theater Chandelier
Cinemart Balcony Seating
Inside the Cinemart Theater
Exit Sign Still Glows Red
Panic Buttons
Curtain Open and Close Buttons
Budco Quality Theaters Patch
The Infamous Film Screen
Golden Curtain Walls
The Infamous Film Screen
Cinemart Seating Area
Cinemart Movie Poster
Cinemart Movie Poster
Cinemart Jaws Movie Poster
Saturday Night Fever Movie Poster at Cinemart
X-Rated Movie Poster
X-Rated Movie Poster at Cinemart
Monty Python Cinemart Movie Poster
Poseidon Movie Poster Cinemart
Cinemart Movie Poster Alex in Wonderland
Branmar Plaza Shopping Center in Wilmington Used to Have a Movie Theater
Branmar Plaza, owned by Capano Management, in Wilmington, Delaware is home to many great establishments. From El Diablo, to Branmar Wine and Spirits, Acme, and now a brand new Kid Shelleen's. Located on Marsh Road and Silverside, the shopping plaza frequents many shoppers all hours through the day. The exterior of the storefronts are currently being renovated to match the aesthetic of the new Kid Shelleen's, Branmar Wine and Spirits, and the Walgreens on the opposite corner.
In the early 2000's two video rental stores were in business, but ended their lease when Netflix and streaming services came about. But what came before those video rental stores was something only some Wilmington residents remember. The Branmar Cinema.
The Branmar Cinema was located at 1812 Marsh Road, right in Branmar Plaza. It was in the back corner, right around where the current Karate storefront is. It was a strip mall movie theater, which were very popular in the late 60s and early 70s across America. The Branmar Cinema opened on August 12, 1970 and hosted only one screen. According to Jordan Lage of Cinema Treasures, "From the entrance, it had a modest-sized lobby with concession stand attached to the main auditorium, resulting in an L-shaped layout. During its life it was operated by Budco and AMC Theatres." 10 years after opening, the theater was twinned on March 14, 1980, yet closed some time in the 90s. Apparently, for some time, the theater posters that once were plastered to the windows could still be faintly seen in the correct light. The windows have probably been replaced.
Installing the Sign on Branmar Cinema
Movie Poster Promotional Box
Caddyshack Movie Poster for the Branmar Twin
Homework Movie Poster for Branmar Cinema
Where the Theater Once Stood
Halloween Movie Poster with Various Locations
Class of 1984 Movie Poster featuring 202 Drive In Date
Branmar Cinema Contact Card
Just Tell Me What You Want Movie Poster Branmar Twin
MASH Showing at Branmar
The Last American Virgin Movie Poster Branmar Twin
8 of the Rudest Things You Can Do While Shopping at the Grocery Store
Although the grocery store doesn't have stop signs and yields, there are common rules of traffic flow that every shopper is to abide by. Furthermore, there's grocery shopping etiquette that is important to follow. One of the most commonly known polite etiquettes is putting your shopping cart back where it belongs when you are finished with it. Obviously, not everyone does it. There's many more on the list below...
Leaving a Shopping Cart in the Parking Lot
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Probably the most popularly known. Always put your cart back people...and push it into the cart in front of you.
Leaving the Checkout Isle for Another Item
(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)Get everything you need BEFORE checking out.
Blocking the Isle With Your Cart
(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)Just park it to the side as you would when driving a car!
Cutting the Line
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)This doesn't only apply to shopping at grocery stores...
Cheating the Express Line
(Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)If it says 10 items or less, you ought to have 10 items or less.
Kids Misbehaving
(Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)Make sure if your kids are coming with you, that they don't knock things over or lick the frozen isle glasses.
Not Putting Items Back You No Longer Want
(Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)If you end up not needing an item in your cart, don't just place it on a random shelf. You can actually take it to the cash register and tell them you don't need it.
Sampling Food When It's Not A Sample
(Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)For safe health practices we advise you to not sample the food that isn't at the sampling station. It's just gross.
