Historical Highway Markers

Bay Shore Hotel

W-107

A group of prominent local African Americans formed the Bay Shore Hotel Company, purchased land here, and in 1898 opened a resort for black travelers. Ravaged by an Aug. 1933 hurricane, the resort was rebuilt and operated until the 1970s. Featuring a dance pavilion, café, private beach, and an amusement park, the resort hosted state and national conferences, sporting events, concerts, honeymoons, family vacations, and day trips. Jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington performed here. The American Bridge Association held its first national tournament here, and the Tri-State Dental Association, later the National Dental Association, was founded here.

Department of Historic Resources, 2014

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

American Bridge Association. History and Organization. Online. Accessed at <www.americanbridge.com/ABA%20History%20as%20on%20Webpage.htm>, November 18, 2010. Brown, R.C., editor. Tri-State Dental Society,” Journal of the National Medical Association 5(4): 1913, pp. 265-268. DuBois, W.E.B. Some Efforts of American Negroes for Their Own Social Betterment. Report of an Investigation under the Direction of Atlanta University; Together with the Proceedings of the Third Conference for the Study of the Problems, Held at Atlanta University, May 25-26, 1898. Original edition, 1898, Atlanta University Press, Atlanta. Electronic Edition, 2000, Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Accessed at <https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/duboisau/dubois.html>, on November 18, 2010, pp. 25. Fairfax, Colita Nichols. Hampton, Virginia, pp. 115-119. Black America Series. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005. “Meeting of the Old Dominion Medical and Surgical Society at Buckroe.” Journal of the National Medical Association 8(3): 1916, pp. 171-172. National Dental Association: About Us. Online. Accessed at <http://onsdsonlin.com/network/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&itemid=3>, November 18, 2010. Peabody, Francis Greenwood. Education for Life: The Story of Hampton Institute. Reprint. New York: McGrath Publishing Co., 1969, pp. 263.