February is Black History Month. It also happens to be one of the coldest months of the year, with this one in particular having reached record lows. Don’t those chilly temperatures make you just long for an escape to a warm, sunny beach setting?
To the modern local beachgoer, there is a whole history that has largely been lost over the years, detailing the Black perspective on beachy-keen fun that once ruled the roost throughout the Chesapeake. I am primarily referring to the multi-decade legacy of Carr’s Beach. Once hailed as the most popular African American beach in the area, Carr’s Beach packs a fascinating historic overview worth learning more about. Therefore, in honor of Black History Month and in our nostalgic attempts to reflect on warmer, sunnier temperatures to muddle through February by, Carr’s Beach makes a most befitting reminisce for this week’s Flashback Friday Feature.
A Beachy Keen Dream
The now-renowned Ocean City, Maryland, of today did have a handful of select accommodations catering to African Americans back in the day. The Henry Hotel is a prime example of a beachside resort both owned by and providing services to the Black population during times of segregation. But the harsh reality remains that most vacationing venues around these parts weren’t the most ideal for the demographic during the early half of the 20th century. That’s how Carr’s Beach and a series of other private bayside beaches based along the Annapolis Neck came about.
The Carr Beach story begins in 1902 when a formerly enslaved Maryland man named Frederick Carr bought up 180 acres of waterfront farmland along the Annapolis Neck (at what is now Edgewood Road). Intending to farm the premises as a family venture, along with his wife, Mary, Carr’s ambitions grew more hospitality-centric as the years passed. He found fulfillment in providing services to his visitors, including overnight lodging in on-site accommodations. Many guests made special trips to the waterfront location for picnics, family outings, and to celebrate various other occasions and special events.
Being on the coast provided an undeniably perfect beach setting. So, in 1926, they established exactly that—a beach resort. Upon its premiere, Carr’s Beach quickly garnered praise as the ultimate go-to for vacationing Black families in the greater region. Carr’s daughter, Elizabeth Carr Smith, took the helm in operating the Carr’s Beach resort as his younger daughter, Florence Carr Sparrow, founded a second resort right next door—Sparrows Beach in 1931.
Features and Amenities
Carr’s Beach would go on to host a broad range of beachgoers, among its versatile facilities. They were always up to par on providing all the essentials for running a lucrative beach operation, including picnic tables, pavilions, and more. Yet their onsite amusements and entertainment offerings continued to grow to broad new heights with each passing decade.
Following the death of Elizabeth Carr Smith in 1948, her son Frederick stepped in, teaming up with Baltimore businessman William L. “Li’l Willie” Adams. Together, they formed what came to be known as the Carr’s Beach Amusement Company. Adams invested a total of $150,000 to expand the Beach’s entertainment and recreation facilities. This resulted in the construction of the nightclub “Club Bengazi,” and even a midway with slots. The latter was significant, as Anne Arundel County was the first county in Maryland’s history to legalize slot machines.
Big-Name Musicians
As far as local celebrity status goes, Carr’s Beach became the long-term hosting site to a once-famous, live radio broadcast headlined by Charles W. Adams, Jr. of Annapolis radio station WANN. Better known as “Hoppy Adams,” he earned a major fan following as a well-respected disc jockey and executive among Blacks and Whites alike.
Hoppy wasn’t the only celebrity to put Carr’s Beach on the map, though. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the location grew in acclaim as a contested stop along what had been established as “the Chitlin’ Circuit.” The term, originally used to describe a specific soul food favorite among folks, came to be applied to various event venues throughout the country, renowned as African American-friendly hosting sites for some of the day’s peak performers. Owing to its location, Carr’s Beach frequently served as the final stop for entertainers returning from performances in Baltimore or Washington, D.C., before heading south.
One of the most widely famous events in Carr’s Beach history was a Chuck Berry performance on July 21, 1956. It alone drew in crowds topping 70,000. Only 8,000 could be accommodated on the grounds, though. A separate performance in 1962 by James Brown brought in 11,000 spectators. Other big-name musicians to have graced the grounds at Carr’s Beach included Cab Calloway, The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, The Shirelles, Little Richard, and Billie Holiday.
A Broader Beach Legacy Continued
In addition to Carr’s Beach, there were several other Chesapeake Bay beach communities and ventures on the Annapolis Neck that catered to African Americans between 1930 and 1970. As previously mentioned, Carr’s daughter ran Sparrow’s Beach right next door. There was also Elktonia Beach, located where Bay Woods currently stands. Others in the area included Venice Beach, Bembe Beach, Arundel-on-the-Bay, Highland Beach, and Oyster Harbor.
Ironically, it was the end of segregation that eventually put an end to the once-thriving black beach communities of yesteryear. With no need to remain separate, beach exclusion was made obsolete and redundant. But that doesn’t mean an integral part of the past hasn’t been preserved.
Visitors to Annapolis today can now visit the Elktonia-Carr’s Beach Heritage Park. What was once an ongoing goal two decades in the making, the park at last opened in 2022. It was made possible by the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation (BOCF) as a way to preserve the remaining five acres of the once hopping beaches.
While those days are over, the legacy and greatness created out of otherwise oppressed reflections of long ago serve as an ever-present reminder of local history in our immediate Chesapeake Bay region. It’s the age-old story of taking life’s lemons and making the best lemonade many old-timers still remember to this day!