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Before the Bay Bridge made access to the Atlantic easier, the Chesapeake Bay was dotted with beach-type resorts. Located in Calvert County, Maryland, Chesapeake Beach and neighboring North Beach were two of the most popular. Chesapeake Beach, the resort, officially opened on June 9, 1900 when visitors from Washington, D.C., stepped from the coaches of a brand new railroad specifically built to transport them there. Likewise, steamboat service from Baltimore to the resort was inaugurated the same day. The resort's success fueled the rise of North Beach, and the two destinations were popular with Washington and Baltimore residents for many years to come. Here is the story of their halcyon days as summertime resorts of the bay. More than 230 vintage postcards and other memorabilia recall early, happy times there.

Walk on the boardwalk at the Chesapeake Beach Resort, enjoy a boat ride along Solomons Island, and relax on the shores of North Beach as local history enthusiast, postcard collector, and lifelong resident Carter T. Gray takes you on a journey through Calvert County's unique story.

Begun in 1923 as a cluster of summer cottages, Holland Point has developed into a jewel-like residential community on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay at the southern tip of Anne Arundel County. Vintage photographs here capture the history of this community's early beach life that virtually vanished in an August 1933 storm. Behind rock seawalls, residents continued to celebrate with seafood, boating, and parties. Fourth generations of founding families now build luxury homes around "Grandma's cottage"” but appreciate the same waves, waterfowl, and wildlife that their ancestors admired when they first cut through the forest to discover the bay.

Limited edition cube from the Milestone Cube Company commissioned especially for Calvert County's 350th birthday celebration and the opening of the Bayside History Museum. Each cube is created with hand-etched ash wood and is individually numbered and signed by the artistic engravers.