The photo up top here and the text below don’t quite match up, but it’s close. The family shown in that photo is from Philadelphia, and they are aboard an Ericsson line steamboat on their way to the then-popular summer resort of Betterton Beach, Md. The date is 1898. (The photo is repeated below, so that you can see it without headline type in the way. I’ll put some more photos down below the story as well.)
The text is from a year earlier, in 1897. It’s an account in the Midland Journal newspaper of a day trip to Betterton taken by a large group of folks from the Cecil County town of Rising Sun, Md. (also referred to in this story as “the Sun”). I was a little jealous while reading, wishing I could have been a part of such an unforgettable summer day. Here is the headline and text of the story:
The Trip to Betterton
One of the most delightful trips ever enjoyed by our citizens was the private excursion to Betterton last Friday. A party numbering about 40 persons left Rising Sun at 12:30 and drove to Port Deposit where the little steamer, “City Belle,” was in waiting to take them down the Bay to Betterton, 22 miles below Port.
After lunch baskets were stowed away, supplemented by six large watermelons which were purchased at the wharf, the party boarded the boat, and Capt. Hohn headed the “City Belle” down the river. The weather was perfect and everyone in fine spirits. A number of points of interest were passed on the way, including the various points and indentations of the Bay, the U. S. fish hatching station, and Spesutia island.
Betterton Beach was reached two and a half hours after leaving Port and the party went ashore to explore. Betterton is a beautiful little hamlet in Kent Co., and is a famous fishing resort. Three fine hotels are located here for the accommodation of sojourners and an excellent pier and wharf for the shipment of peaches and other produce.
Through the kindness of Mr. Turner, the owner, tables were constructed on the pier from a pile of lumber stacked thereon. Soon a jolly spread was ready and all fell to with appetites whetted to keenness by the breezes from the Bay. But there was plenty [to eat, even enough] to spare for a late lunch on the return trip.
Leaving Betterton shortly after 7 o’clock, the trip back to Port was a dream of loveliness, with fair Luna shedding her soft rays over bay and river.
Arriving at Port Deposit about 10 p.m. the party procured their teams and concluded the pleasant trip with a delightful moonlight drive to the Sun, arriving about 12 o’clock.
That’s the end of the story–remember, photos below.
–posted by Jim Duffy for Secrets of the Eastern Shore/Whimbrel Creations LLC in July 2024. Thanks for spending some time with this glimpse into days gone by. Feel free to wander around the site while you’re here.
Notes
• The story was published in the Midland Journal on Aug. 20, 1897.
• The photo of the group from Philadelphia is in the collection of an independent research repository called The Library Company of Philadelphia.
• Three Betterton photos below–the steamboat arriving in Betterton Beach in the 1890s; the beach and movie house showing “High Class Moving Pictures”; and the beach scene with the Chesapeake Hotel–are in the collection of the Historical Society of Cecil County.
• The photo of the bathing beauties in Betterton Beach in 1922 is in the collection of the Maryland Center for History and Culture.
A steamboat arrives in Betterton Beach, 1890s
Betterton Beach scene with movie house, date unknown. Note sign on building–“high class moving picture!”
Swimmers at Betterton Beach, 1922
A Betterton Beach scene with the Chesapeake Hotel in the 1920s–the hotel was torn down in the 1980s
