Elktonia-Carr's Beach Heritage Park
Elktonia Beach, a 5-acre waterfront parcel on the Chesapeake Bay, is the last remnant of the original 180-acre property purchased by freedman, Frederick Carr, in 1902. Carr’s and Sparrow’s Beaches were privately owned and operated by Frederick Carr’s daughters, Elizabeth Carr Smith and Florence Carr Sparrow. “The Beaches” (1930s-1970s), as they were called, represented the heart of entertainment throughout the mid-Atlantic region and welcomed Blacks during a time of segregation. The Beaches were a place of joy and recreation where Blacks danced to the music of Chuck Berry, Cab Calloway, The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, The Shirelles, Little Richard and Billie Holiday. It has been a nearly 20-year goal of Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation (BOCF) to preserve the remaining five acres of The Beaches.
From left to right: Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, Maryland Lt. Gov Boyd K. Rutherford, Blacks of the Chesapeake President and Founder Vincent Leggett, Chesapeake Conservancy President & CEO Joel Dunn, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley
Photo by Anne Delano Weathersby / Play Back Shots
After years of advocacy and fundraising, in 2022, the City of Annapolis, BOCF, Chesapeake Conservancy and the state of Maryland entered into an agreement with The Conservation Fund to acquire the property through a patchwork of funding including federal, state and city Program Open Space funds. Additional support was provided by Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and federal appropriations were secured by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. BOCF also received a Parks & Playgrounds Infrastructure Grant through the efforts of State Senator Sarah Elfreth. In August 2022, a signing ceremony took place, transferring the property to the City of Annapolis and creating a new city park with beach access, Elktonia-Carr’s Beach Heritage Park.
Park Expansion
In February 2024, an adjacent 0.67-acre-property once owned by Dr. Parlett Moore, a former president of Coppin State University, was acquired, expanding the park. This was made possible thanks to City funding as well as funding from Anne Arundel County, The Conservation Fund, Blacks of the Chesapeake, Chesapeake Conservancy, Maryland Heritage Area Authority and hundreds of private donors, including Merrill Family Foundation, France-Merrick Foundation and the William L. and Victorine Q. Adams Foundation, Inc. Park planners are envisioning a future interpretive center and headquarters for BOCF.
The City of Annapolis welcomes visitors to Elktonia-Carr’s Beach Heritage Park during the property improvement process. Access to Elktonia Park and Carr’s Beach is along a quarter mile interpreted walking path across the street from the Annapolis Maritime Museum Park Campus located at 7300 Edgewood Road, Annapolis MD.
.jpeg)
Photo by Jody Couser
Feature Photo by Maryland State Archives
