Buckroe Beach in Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Bay Shore Hotel

Photographed by Will Hrachovina, February 23, 2025

1. Bay Shore Hotel Marker with Virginia Green Book Location marker attached

Inscription. A group of prominent local African Americans formed the Bay Shore Hotel Company, purchased land here, and in 1898 opened a resort for black travelers. Ravaged by an Aug. 1933 hurricane, the resort was rebuilt and operated until the 1970s. Featuring a dance pavilion, café, private beach, and an amusement park, the resort hosted state and national conferences, sporting events, concerts, honeymoons, family vacations, and day trips. Jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington performed here. The American Bridge Association held its first national tournament here, and the Tri-State Dental Association, later the National Dental Association, was founded here.

Erected 2014 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-107.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list.

Location. 37° 2.211′ N, 76° 17.568′ W. Marker is in

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Hampton, Virginia. It is in Buckroe Beach. It is on South Resort Boulevard 0.1 miles south of Seaboard Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Marker is near the James T. Wilson Fishing Pier. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 330 S Resort Blvd, Hampton VA 23664, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Peninsula

and in Coastal Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Virginia Green Book Location (here, next to this marker); Bay Shore Beach & Resort (here, next to this marker); Buckroe Beach (approx. ¼ mile away); Buckroe (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also

Bay Shore Hotel Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 20, 2019

2. Bay Shore Hotel Marker

named Buckroe Beach (approx. 0.3 miles away); Harbor Defense Regimental Distinctive Insignia (approx. 1.8 miles away); Chesapeake & Ohio (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Legend Of The Oozlefinch (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hampton.

Also see . . . First Virginia Green Book Location Marker Added. A small marker, for the first of many other Virginia Green Book locations, was dedicated on Oct. 12th, 2023. The Green Book was an annual guidebook for African American travelers. It was started and published by African American New York City postal worker Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1966, during the era of Jim Crow laws, when open and often legally prescribed discrimination against African Americans was widespread. (Submitted on October 13, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 20, 2019

3. Bay Shore Hotel Marker

Bay Shore Hotel, circa 1910 to 1920 image. Click for full size.

C.E. Cheyne Postcard/Buckroe Historical Society

4. Bay Shore Hotel, circa 1910 to 1920

C.E. Cheyne Postcard/Buckroe Historical Society

5. Bay Shore Hotel, circa 1910 to 1920

Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,562 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 23, 2025, by Will Hrachovina of Newport News, Virginia. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 11, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.