The town of Port Deposit decided to build a community pool in the late 1940s. Their first step was to demolish the Jacob Tome mansion in August 1948.Once that lot was cleared, the Port Deposit Lions Club excavated the lot and cleared all the rocks from the space. Citizens of the town eagerly awaited the opening of the pool. Finally on July 15, 1950 the pool unofficially opened.
The formal dedication of the Jacob Tome Memorial Swimming Pool took place on August 25, 1950. The principal speaker at the ceremony was Capt. J.J. O’Donnell, USN – the former commanding officer of the Naval Academy and College Preparatory School at Bainbridge. Other speakers included Donaldson Brown of Mount Ararat Farms, Frank Brown, Jr., president of the Lions Club, and Robert Ryan, president of the town council.
After the ceremony, those attending were entertained with a water pageant, with exhibition swimming, diving, and formation underwater maneuvers. The show featured a special swimming team from the University of Maryland.
The pool remained open until 1982. The Lions Club did not want to manage the 40 by 100 foot Olympic style pool, and the town of Port Deposit was not interested in taking over the responsibility. The pool stayed open until 1982, but did not reopen in 1983.
Source: Cecil County History Facebook page
