Buckroe Beach

Buck Roe, probably named for the Yorkshire, England, region of Buckrose, was a site of colonial experiments with wine and silk production in the 1620s. Buckroe plantation, located here and sustained by enslaved labor, was confiscated by the U.S. during the Civil War. Tourism began in the mid-1880s after Mary A. Herbert opened a beachside boarding house. In the 1890s, Hampton entrepreneur James S. Darling led development of a rail line, hotel, and park that later included an arcade, rides, and carousel. On adjacent land, Black entrepreneurs led by Frank D. Banks built the Bay Shore Hotel. Buckroe Beach Amusement Park closed in 1985, and the City of Hampton created a public park and beach.