Edgewater in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Beach Resorts on the Bay

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 5, 2025

1. Beach Resorts on the Bay Marker

Inscription.

Beach Resorts on the Bay. . In the 19th and 20th centuries, vacationers from congested urban areas boarded steamboats and trains seeking recreation and relaxation along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

The opening of the Bay Bridge in 1952, integration of beaches after enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and ban on slot machines in 1968 all contributed to the demise of resorts and summer enclaves.

Fort Smallwood
Baltimoreans found a welcome reprieve at this park, designed in the spirit of the Olmstead Brothers and still open today.
Mago Vista
Visitors to this Magothy River amusement park enjoyed a fishing pier, dance halls, a roller coaster, and even alligator races.
Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches
Families and people of all ages enjoyed these popular African American beaches, including these children learning to swim.
Bay Ridge
Developed in 1879, this summer resort featured a Victorian Hotel and was accessible by both steamboat and the Bay Ridge and Annapolis Railroad. This area is now an established suburb.
Highland Beach
After being denied access to the Bay Ridge resort, Charles and Laura Douglass established the first African American-owned beach resort in the United States.
Herald Harbor
Woodland Beach
In the 1920s, lots in these two summer colonies were given away with newspaper subscriptions.
Beverly, Triton, and Mayo Beaches
Bingo halls and slot machines made these resorts popular gaming complexes on the East Coast in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
Shady Side Beaches
Waterman's enclaves transformed into summer communities like Idlewilde, Avalon Shores, Columbia Beach (African American), and the Fishing Club at Shady Side (Jewish American).
Fair Haven
The Weems Steamboat Line established a resort here in 1839. In the 1870s it cost only $2.50/night to stay at the hotel.
Chesapeake Beach
The Chesapeake Beach Railway ran from Washington, D.C. from 1900 to 1935. This resort featured a bandshell, carousel, the Great Roller Derby roller coaster, and other amusements on the boardwalk.

(Caption):
Map of Maryland Showing Highways, Steam and Electric Railways, and Steamboat Lines, Maryland Geological Survey, 1920, Courtesy Library of Congress.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, vacationers from congested urban areas boarded steamboats and trains seeking recreation and relaxation along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

The opening of the Bay Bridge in 1952, integration of beaches after enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and ban on slot machines in 1968 all contributed to the demise of resorts and summer enclaves.

Fort Smallwood
Baltimoreans found a welcome reprieve at this park, designed in the spirit of the Olmstead Brothers and still open today.
Mago Vista
Visitors to this Magothy River amusement park enjoyed a fishing pier, dance halls, a roller coaster, and even alligator races.
Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches
Families and people of all ages enjoyed these popular African American beaches, including these children learning to swim.
Bay Ridge
Developed in 1879, this summer resort featured a Victorian Hotel and was accessible by both steamboat and the Bay Ridge and Annapolis Railroad. This area is now an established suburb.
Highland Beach
After being denied access to the Bay Ridge resort, Charles and Laura Douglass established the first African American-owned beach resort in the
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Herald Harbor
Woodland Beach
In the 1920s, lots in these two summer colonies were given away with newspaper subscriptions.
Beverly, Triton, and Mayo Beaches
Bingo halls and slot machines made these resorts popular gaming complexes on the East Coast in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
Shady Side Beaches
Waterman's enclaves transformed into summer communities like Idlewilde, Avalon Shores, Columbia Beach (African American), and the Fishing Club at Shady Side (Jewish American).
Fair Haven
The Weems Steamboat Line established a resort here in 1839. In the 1870s it cost only $2.50/night to stay at the hotel.
Chesapeake Beach
The Chesapeake Beach Railway ran from Washington, D.C. from 1900 to 1935. This resort featured a bandshell, carousel, the Great Roller Derby roller coaster, and other amusements on the boardwalk.

(Caption):
Map of Maryland Showing Highways, Steam and Electric Railways, and Steamboat Lines, Maryland Geological Survey, 1920, Courtesy Library of Congress.

Erected by Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans

Beach Resorts on the Bay Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 5, 2025

2. Beach Resorts on the Bay Marker - wide view

• Civil Rights • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 38° 53.561′ N, 76° 29.535′ W. Marker is in Edgewater, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. It can be reached from Honeysuckle Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4150 Honeysuckle Dr, Edgewater MD 21037, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

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 one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Beverly and Triton Beaches (approx. 0.6 miles away); Wildlife of the Chesapeake Bay (approx. 0.6 miles away); Dino (approx. 1.8 miles away); a different marker also named Thomas Point / Our Abundant Chesapeake (approx. 2 miles away); Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse (approx. 2 miles away); Gresham (approx. 2.2 miles away); Arundel-on-the-Bay (approx. 2.3 miles away); Java History Trail (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Edgewater.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Thomas Point / Our Abundant Chesapeake (was approx. 2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 5, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 238 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 5, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.