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Carr鈥檚 Beach in Annapolis is an almost mythological name in Maryland history 鈥� one of a few Black-owned beaches along the Severn River that became a regular stop for top-flight performers on the 鈥淐hitlin Circuit鈥� during the Jim Crow era, as well as a place of recreation for families shut out of the region鈥檚 segregated beaches.
Today, there isn鈥檛 much evidence that the place ever existed, except for a small spit of sand and a few historical signs along a wood-chip path off a side road near a bustling boatyard.
But within a year or so, that will change. With substantial financial help from the federal, state and Anne Arundel County governments, as well as a few nonprofits, the City of Annapolis recently purchased a six-acre plot of land that includes the beach, and local officials plan to build a waterfront park there that will pay tribute to the area鈥檚 history.
鈥淭his land will now be a place for everybody,鈥� Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley (D) said Thursday.
Buckley was one of several state and local officials and community leaders who gathered at the spot to tout the collaborative effort to buy and preserve the property and hail it as a shining example of a new state initiative to preserve and protect parkland.
聽which passed during the most recent General Assembly session, was introduced in response to the great demands placed on state parks during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Marylanders flocked to outdoor recreation spaces that often became overrun by crowds. The measure provides an additional $162 million for the maintenance and acquisition of parkland and to hire more workers at state parks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the largest historical investment in state parks in our history,鈥� said state Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City).
The bill鈥檚 sponsors 鈥� House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke (D-Montgomery) and Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel), who represents Annapolis 鈥� were on hand, along with former Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D), who, with Elfreth and Luedtke, headed a commission that produced the legislation. Glendening, who lives just a few coves south of Carr鈥檚 Beach, said it鈥檚 rare to see such a substantive piece of legislation move through the General Assembly so quickly and with near-unanimous support.
All the speakers said the new initiative would improve and expand parkland, preserve Maryland history, prevent sprawl, and help fight climate change at a time when the use of state parks has doubled in less than a decade.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 always been good stewards of our parks,鈥� said Luedtke, who called this new era of government investment the third wave, following the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930鈥檚 and the post-World War II era. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been 50 years since we鈥檝e invested on this scale.鈥�
Some of the acquisitions won鈥檛 be cheap.
Vincent Leggett, founder and president of the nonprofit group Blacks of the Chesapeake, said in an interview that Annapolis bought the Carr鈥檚 Beach property for about $6.5 million. It had been passed down from the Carr family, the original owners, to 鈥淟ittle Willie鈥� Adams, a prominent Black business leader and political heavyweight in Baltimore, to Theo Rodgers, another Baltimore businessman and an Adams prot茅g茅. Rodgers has been under pressure for years to sell the property to real estate developers.
Leggett said that 鈥渨ithin 12 to 18 months this place will be transformed with trails and kiosks and history.鈥� He added that the goal of local political and civic leaders is to acquire more land along the peninsula 鈥� 鈥渁 string of pearls that tell a more complete story about African-American leisure, recreation and history, and more about African-American business.鈥�
Buckley, ticking off the names of famous artists who had performed at Carr鈥檚 Beach, like James Brown and Stevie Wonder, said the city would not have been able to acquire the property without financial help 鈥� and the new state legislation.
鈥淲elcome to a place where the coolest people on the planet used to play music and have fun and really put Annapolis on the map as a cultural place,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�hat they did is now a profound part of Annapolis history.鈥�
But there won鈥檛 just be investments in maintenance and construction projects in the future. There will also be investments in human capital: The state legislation provides about $12 million for the state to hire more park rangers, maintenance workers and administrative staff.
鈥淭he thing I鈥檓 proudest of is standing for our park rangers and government employees,鈥� Elfreth said.
Dean Hughes, superintendent of four state parks in Central Maryland and the president of the Maryland Rangers Association, said in an interview that the legislation provides 鈥渁 blueprint for success.鈥� The state currently has about 230 park rangers working, and the measure will enable the state to hire at least another 90 rangers and other park workers beginning in July 2023.
Hughes said he and his colleagues hope the program proves to be a success and that it leads to even more state investments in parks.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 good for the parks is good for the rangers and what鈥檚 good for the rangers is good for the parks,鈥� he said.
