Beechwood Park

Beechwood Park. An Historic, Integrated Beach and Amusement Park. From 1948 to the 1960s, Rev. Hiram Smith and his family operated Beechwood Park, an integrated beach and amusement park. Located near the headwaters of the Magothy River, Beechwood offered swimming, boat rides, attractions, and entertainment to African American families and church groups. Despite racism and legal obstacles, Beechwood Park was a success, with hundreds of revelers arriving each weekend to swim and enjoy the outdoors.

In 1948, Beechwood Park opened, welcoming all races to its family-friendly waterfront. A haven in the era of segregation, it provided African Americans with music, food, rides, and waterfront activities at a time when most of the Chesapeake's beaches were whites-only.

As pastor and founder of Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, Rev. Hiram Smith envisioned a respectable waterfront retreat for his parishioners that combined wholesome recreation with spiritual celebration.

Though the 65-acre Pasadena property had restrictive covenants preventing buyers of "negro, Chinese or Japanese descent," Smith used a white straw buyer to purchase the property on his behalf. Later, Beechwood Park was sued by white neighbors, but the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in Smith's favor in 1949. That same year, Hiram Smith enlarged his park by 16 acres, purchasing the land from Beachwood Grove--an all-white resort.

Smith and his family made Beechwood a success. The park had picnic sites, a miniature train, and a wooden pavilion for music and dancing. Each Saturday, hundreds of families and church groups came from throughout the region to enjoy top-notch entertainment. For a 25-cent admission, there were motorboat cruises, carnival rides, an arcade, and beauty pageants officiated by celebrities like boxer Joe Louis, and performances by the biggest names on the Chitlin' Circuit. Baptisms were also held at the river's edge.

The official end to segregation in 1954 meant all local beaches were integrated. Suddenly, Beechwood Park had a lot of competition. Hiram Smith's son Gerald recalled, "People had a lot of other options. Things slowed down to a crawl."

In 1963, with Beechwood Park in decline, Hiram Smith lost the property to foreclosure. He passed away in 1964. Anne Arundel County acquired the property in 2002.

[Sidebar]:
What's In a Name?
Though Smith named his park, "Beechwood," perhaps to differentiate it from local competitors, the park's current name reflects its location on the Beachwood Branch of the Magothy River.

Beechwood Park was just one of several Black-friendly beaches in Anne Arundel County established during segregation. Some, like Highland Beach, were exclusive enclaves for well-to-do African American families. Others, like Carr's and Sparrows Beach, welcomed largers working-class crowds. In addition to swimming and waterfront recreation, several beaches were stops on the famous Chitlin' Circuit, welcoming top-billed acts like Chuck Berry, James Brown, Duke Ellington, and The Temptations.

[Caption]:
Advertisements and reporting about Beechwood Park's entertainment, special events and pageants were regularly featured in newspapers like the Baltimore Afro-American.