Vineyarders came together on Sunday in a jovial celebration of Ambler B. Wormley, a Black man who ran a gas station and auto repair business for two decades in the first half of the 20th century.
David deBettencourt had the honor of unveiling the plaque as he removed its covering on Sunday. Back in the 1940s, Wormley shouted out to David’s brother Buddy one day on his way home from school, asking whether his father Nelson wanted to buy the garage.
The plaque commemorates an “African American entrepreneur, veteran and local politician who bought this gas station in 1929 and sold it to Nelson J. deBettencourt in 1946. In appreciation of the deBettencourt family who have made this history known.”
With the dedication of Wormley’s garage on New York Avenue, the African-American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard now boasts 39 stops, which includes the nearby Powell House, which belonged to U.S. Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and author Dorothy West’s home.
In front of a crowd a few dozen strong, members of the trail’s board of directors made a point to publicly appreciate the deBettencourt family’s preservation of Wormley’s story, after Nelson deBettencourt bought their family business from Wormley in 1947.
If not for the deBettencourts, Wormley’s story as a Black business owner was in danger of being forgotten.
Wormley was born in Virginia in 1892 and came to the Vineyard at the age of 10, growing up in Oak Bluffs. In 1926, he purchased property where the Barn Bowl and Bistro now sits. In the late 1920s, he opened his Socony Vacuum Oil Co. gas station on New York Avenue in Oak Bluffs, also providing auto repair services there. He also served for several years on the Oak Bluffs finance committee, and was well-known and respected in the community.
Joe Carter addressed the crowd on Sunday morning, highlighting Wormley’s accomplishments as a business owner despite the challenges against Black men at the time. “He was born in Virginia in 1892, where his chances of succeeding as an entrepreneur were minimal,” Carter said.
“At a time when African-Americans could not participate in civic or business life in most parts of this nation, Ambler B. Wormley did not accept those limitations, and he serves as a role model and a historic figure for all of us,” he added.
Trail board members also praised the deBettencourts for keeping Wormley’s history.
Hanging inside the deBettencourt’s garage is the only existing photograph of Wormely, which shows him standing proudly outside his business. “The deBettencourt family’s role in preserving Ambler Wormley’s story and advocating for his recognition on the African-American Heritage Trail is invaluable,” Carter said.
Mike deBettencourt spoke on Sunday, recalling his surprise at how often his older relatives mentioned the man they bought the family business from.
“Mr. Wormley must have been a character, because when my father and uncles and aunts talked about buying the business, they always mentioned this Wormley guy,” deBettencourt told the crowd. “He must’ve been a special person, to buy a business and accomplish that in the 1920s in the United States,” he added.
Following Sunday’s unveiling ceremony, a temporary plaque commemorating Wormley now hangs outside the deBettencourt & Sons garage, part of the heritage trail and Black Business Trail of Martha’s Vineyard. This plaque is to be replaced by a larger, permanent installation.
This is a wonderful story and hopefully it will be shared in the full edition of the MVTimes.The deBettencourts and all involved in the African American Trail are to be commended for bringing this history to the greater community.This again is why the Vineyard is such a wonderful place.May we all continue to help light the trail!
.The deBettencourts and all involved in the African American Trail are to be commended for bringing this history to the greater community.This again is why the Vineyard is such a wonderful place.May we all continue to help light the trail!
Thank you to the deBettencourts for their efforts in recognizing black history on the island.
As a black man, I’d like to know something…
When Trump said “black jobs” when referring to the jobs of black people who had lost said jobs due to the rampant immigration that has resulted from an open border policy over the last four years and the lower wage that these immigrants will work for, he was chastised as “a racist”. Now the MVTimes has refered to Mr. Wormley as a “black entrepreneur”. Is it really any different?
Black job vs black entrepreneur?
We are so grateful to the deBettencourt family who preserved this history and advocated for Ambler B Wormley to be honored on the African American Heritage Trail. They kept the memories and honored the history. We owe them so much.
I own the home next to the gas station on New York Ave. I also have the story featured in the MV Times, regarding Mr. Wormley, framed in my kitchen. This story was such a wonderful tribute to this man and his bravery and determination during a time when a black man was held back by the racist attitudes of that era.The Debettencourt family has always been welcoming and very helpful to me and my entire family since moving to the Vineyard over 42 years ago.
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