Sparrow's Beach was a beachfront resort on the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

that catered to

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

patrons during segregation in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

. Located just south of

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, Sparrow's Beach was established as a recreational area during the Jim Crow-era when African-Americans were denied entry into 'Whites-only' establishments. Other nearby beachfront resorts used for this purpose included

Carr's Beach Carr's Beach, founded in 1926, was a beachfront resort on the Chesapeake Bay that catered to African Americans, African American patrons during segregation. Located just south of Annapolis, Maryland, Carr's Beach was established as a recreational ...

, Elktonia Beach, Bembe Beach, Highland Beach, Venice Beach, Oyster Harbor, and Arundel-on-the-Bay. In August 2022, the City of Annapolis purchased what remains of Sparrow's Beach, Carr's Beach, and Elktonia Beach to preserve the land as a park.

History

Frederick Carr and Mary Wells Carr, Black Americans, purchased 180 acres of waterfront property on the

Annapolis Neck peninsula Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of W ...

in 1902. In 1926, they established a beachfront resort called

on the land. Their daughter, Elizabeth Carr Smith, operated Carr's Beach. Their younger daughter, Florence Carr Sparrow (1890-1989), established neighboring Sparrow's Beach on the land in 1931. Whereas Carr's Beach was popular for swimming and fishing, Sparrow's Beach was better known for family entertainment and featured a carnival, ball park, and beauty contests. Musicians

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, and

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

among others regularly performed at the beach on weekends as part of the Chitlin' Circuit. While many local Black residents frequented the beaches, visitors traveled from all over the East Coast and also Ohio to the west. Sparrow's Beach operated for about forty years. In 1971, Anne Arundel County condemned over 35 acres of Sparrow's Beach, making way for the Annapolis Water Reclamation Facility and condominiums.

Legacy and preservation

In August 2022, the City of Annapolis acquired five bay-front acres that included the remains of Carr's Beach, Sparrow's Beach, and Elktonia Beach. The acquisition was a result of collaborative efforts of the

Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ch ...

Chesapeake Conservancy Chesapeake Conservancy is a non-profit organisation, whose aim is to use technology and advocacy to support conservation of the Chesapeake Bay estuary on the east coast of the United States. The group is based in Annapolis, Maryland. History In ...

, the City of Annapolis, the

State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, and

The Conservation Fund The Conservation Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development. From 2008–2018, it has placed more than 500,000 acres under conservation management through a program wh ...

. Some of the acreage will be preserved for use as a public park.

References

{{coord, 38.95865, -76.47251, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-MD, display=title Annapolis, Maryland Historic sites in Maryland African-American history in Annapolis, Maryland African-American resorts