Buckroe Beach in Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Bay Shore Beach & Resort
Early Vacation Spot for Blacks in the South
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, January 20, 2019
1. Bay Shore Beach & Resort Marker
Inscription.
Bay Shore Beach and Resort. Early Vacation Spot for Blacks in the South. This is the site of a popular alternative to Buckroe Beach, which had opened as a whites-only facility in the 1880s. Desiring to have a vacation resort by the sea for their own people, a group of African American leaders in Hampton formed the Bay Shore Hotel Company in 1887, and the next year bought beach front land adjacent to Buckroe Beach, south of the fishing pier. The effort was led by Frank Banks of Hampton Institute. Bay Shore Beach and Resort, considered the first vacation spot for blacks in the South, attracted thousands of vacationers from the mid-Atlantic region, including many who came by excursion train from Richmond. There was an amusement park with rides like the “Dixie Flyer” rollercoaster and a carousel., What began as a four-room cottage in 1898 grew into a four-story beachfront hotel with 70 rooms and long porches facing the water. There was a dance hall that brought in famous entertainers like Cab Calloway, James Brown and Dizzy Gillespie. On August 23, 1933, a major hurricane decimated the resort. It was later rebuilt by the New Bay Shore Corporation and the new Bay Shore Amusement Park operated well into the late 1960s. In 1973, the directors were forced to sell the property to private developers, but Bay Shore's existence continues to hold a memorable place in the history of Hampton. , , (sidebar) , Members of the Bay Shore Hotel Company were J.H. Evans, J.L. Fountain, Thomas Harmond D.R. Lewis, F.D. Banks, Robert R. Morton, Alexander Gardiner, Jr., John M. Phillips, and Richard R. Palmer.
This is the site of a popular alternative to Buckroe Beach, which had opened as a whites-only facility in the 1880s. Desiring to have a vacation resort by the sea for their own people, a group of African American leaders in Hampton formed the Bay Shore Hotel Company in 1887, and the next year bought beach front land adjacent to Buckroe Beach, south of the fishing pier. The effort was led by Frank Banks of Hampton Institute. Bay Shore Beach and Resort, considered the first vacation spot for blacks in the South, attracted thousands of vacationers from the mid-Atlantic region, including many who came by excursion train from Richmond. There was an amusement park with rides like the “Dixie Flyer” rollercoaster and a carousel.
What began as a four-room cottage in 1898 grew into a four-story beachfront hotel with 70 rooms and long porches facing the water. There was a dance hall that brought in famous entertainers like Cab Calloway, James Brown and Dizzy Gillespie. On August 23, 1933, a major hurricane decimated the resort. It was later rebuilt by the New Bay Shore Corporation and the new Bay Shore Amusement Park operated well into the late 1960s. In 1973, the directors were forced to sell the property to private developers, but Bay Shore's existence continues to hold a memorable place in the history of Hampton.
(sidebar)
Members
Click or scan to see this page online
of the Bay Shore Hotel Company were J.H. Evans, J.L. Fountain, Thomas Harmond D.R. Lewis, F.D. Banks, Robert R. Morton, Alexander Gardiner, Jr., John M. Phillips, and Richard R. Palmer.
Location. 37° 2.21′ N, 76° 17.568′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Buckroe Beach. Marker is on South Resort Boulevard, 0.1 miles south of Point Comfort Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Located 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.
Hampton History Museum, Cheyne Collection, January 20, 2019
3. Bay Shore Hotel
John Lawson and the Hampton Bay Shore Postcard, January 20, 2019
4. Bay Shore Beach & Resort Postcard
Photographed By Hampton History Museum, January 20, 2019
5. Bay Shore Beach
Photographed By Hampton History Museum, January 20, 2019
6. W, LeRoye Jones, Bay Shore Security Guard
Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 3, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 925 times since then and 119 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 3, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.