Bay Shore Beach, Historical African-American beach resort in Hampton, Virginia.
Bay Shore Beach was a coastal resort featuring a three-story building with around 70 rooms, offering dining, bathing facilities, and a wooden boardwalk along the shore. The entire property was designed and equipped for relaxation and waterfront entertainment.
Frank D. Banks, a bookkeeper at Hampton Institute, founded the Bay Shore Hotel Corporation in 1897 to create a beach destination for Black citizens and students. It grew into a major vacation destination for Black Americans over the following decades.
The dance hall drew famous artists such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong to perform. Visitors experienced live music that made this resort a key gathering place for Black musicians and music lovers of the era.
Guests could reach the resort via regular railroad service from New York and Richmond during its operating years. Traveling there was straightforward, as direct rail connections made the journey convenient for visitors.
The resort remained the primary vacation destination for Black Americans on the mid-Atlantic coast until 1933. A devastating hurricane that year destroyed the property and brought an abrupt end to its era as a leading travel destination.
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