Buckroe Beach

Buckroe Beach. “Invigorating Saltwater Bathing”. You are looking at America's first health resort. Buckroe Beach, named for Buckrose in Yorkshire, England, has been known since colonial days for its healthful climate and "invigorating saltwater bathing.", The name first appears in official records in 1617. It occupied part of a large plantation that the Virginia Company of London set aside. In 1620, the Company attempted to grow silk at Buckroe. The Frenchmen given the task failed to cultivate the industry or instruct others in the trade, and they were soon deported. By 1623, thirty colonists were listed as residing at Buckroe., The locale was mostly a fishing camp until after the Civil War when Mary Ann Dobbins Herbert obtained beachfront land. She opened a boarding house in 1883 and added a bathhouse for her guests and a pavilion for dancing. Soon after, Edward B. Chiles of Hampton built the first public bathhouse and brought patrons from town to the beach in horse-drawn wagons. Hampton oyster entrepreneur James S. Darling founded a street railway company and, in 1897, opened the Buckroe Beach Hotel and Pavilion. Soon, a rail spur of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway from Phoebus enabled special excursion trains to travel from Richmond to the resort and back on summer weekends., Soon to follow was the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park, with rides that included a carousel, roller coaster, "tunnel of love" and "aeroplane spin." There was an arcade, swimming pool, bathhouse and, near water's edge, a large dance pavilion. Other hotels, a casino and theater were added. Vaudeville acts at the casino were said to be "mirth-provoking to a high degree." Buckroe became one of the most popular vacation destinations on the East Coast, with an estimated half million visitors each year. A few blocks south, a separate beach and amusement park, Bayshore Beach and Resort, opened for African Americans. , Bringing History to Life , For more visitor information visit: www.VisitHampton.com , in partnership with Virginia Civil War Trails, www.civilwartrails.org. (captions) , Roller Coaster at the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park Courtesy of the Hampton History Museum, Cheyne Collection, Buckroe Beach Scene taken in 1910 Courtesy of the Hampton History Museum, Cheyne Collection, Buckroe Beach Hotel Courtesy of the Hampton History Museum, Cheyne Collection