Stuart Kingston damaged in Storm of ’62

We here at the Cape Gazette try to connect our weekly historic photograph with something in the current news. In this week’s case, we got a two-for-one deal. Shown is the Stuart Kingston Gallery in the aftermath of the Storm of ’62. March 6 marked the 60th anniversary of the infamous storm, one of the most destructive weather events to ever hit the Delaware coast. The storm pummeled the Delaware coast for three days, March 6-8, with five record high tides. Nearly 2,000 homes were destroyed from Rehoboth Beach to Fenwick Island, and damage was estimated at $50 million, which is about $450 million in today’s dollars. Among the buildings destroyed was Stuart Kingston Gallery, which has operated as an auction house and antique showroom on the north end of the Rehoboth Boardwalk near the Henlopen Hotel since 1930. Stuart Kingston held its final auction in Rehoboth Beach Feb. 26, as the business is moving to the Shoppes of Camelot, off Route 1 north of Rehoboth.