Showboat (James Adams’ Floating Theater), Bayard House - Circa 1920

Here’s an early photo of South Chesapeake City when the Showboat docked near the Harriott Hotel (Bayard House). You may have read the Edna Ferber’s novel entitled Showboat. Eloise Davis and John Sager, life-long town residents, told me that they attended some of the performances. Several other people talked about lurking on the dock and peering through the windows at the shows. Notice the ice house and the small building on the corner next to it. The latter became a grocery store managed by Lewis Collins, Sr. He later opened his long-standing store on the North Side. Notice, also, Franklin Hall just left of the Bayard House.

Old South Chesapeake City

View from the bridge of South Chesapeake City, circa 1951

This is a view of South Chesapeake City from the newly-erected over-head bridge. Let me know how many of these buildings you can find: Bayard House, Ralph Rees’ Granary (gone today), Nichols’ Restaurant (gone), Franklin Hall, Shipwatch Inn, Shine Crawford’s service station (gone), Jumping Jim’s barber shop (moved to North Side in 60s), Rio Theater (gone), Postell’s store, Borger’s store (gone), James Adams’ house on Mt. Nebo, the basin. Can you identify any others?

Chesapeake City Basin Area

The Chesapeake City Basin Area, circa 1958

 

Here’s an over-head view of the Basin area, with parts of north and south Chesapeake City. At bottom left is the fire house before it was doubled, with Lock Street extending past Schaefer’s at right. Note the Basin area before the Chesapeake Inn was built. At top left is the Back Creek stream running under the small stone bridge where as a kid I hooked school to fish all day for yellow neds, catfish and carp. This stream runs up to the back creek mill pond. John Sager said that he saw the mill in operation when he was a boy. Note City Dock at middle right. How different it is compared to the Pell Gardens of today.

Dockside Restaurant

Dockside Restaurant in 1984

This is the Dockside restaurant, located on the site of what is now the Chesapeake Inn. It was owned and operated by Frantz Kappel, who owned the Chesapeake Boat Company before establishing this. The building burned down sometime in the late eighties. Photo courtesy of Lewis Collins, Jr