I'll tell you what I have and I don't need to be on list, just thought I could contribute to some beach history. I went there with high school friends in spring of 62. No body around and the more we asked about the old hotel the less we were told. Went to the police station the gas station, and people on the street. We got the idea it was a sore subject with all of them. We looked it over and it was closed up very securely. Boards on all lower windows and first floor entrances. Gave up, went home, thought it over, four 17 year old geniuses and came up with a possible basement window not so well covered. So the next day we came back and let ourselves in. Head first into the piles of stored outdoor furniture in the dark basement. We found the strangest conditions, all the rooms were in a different state of readiness, the lobby didn't have any dust. It looked like they shut the doors in the middle of a regular day. Bumper stickers on the counter, a rack of glasses, some wrapped in paper, a safe on the floor behind the counter and very little dust. Some of the ventilator doors were open, others closed, sometimes locked others unlocked. Some of the regular doors open, some closed, some vent windows open, some closed. Just no ryme or reason to the pattern. When we went into the open rooms some were ready for guests and other partly prepared. Sheets on or folded ready to spread, sinks cleaned or some just left the way they were when the last fellow washed.
Interesting layout was that the halls jutted out so that there wasn't a straight passage without a quick left, right turn and that meant one could only see a few doors in any one direction unless you traveled to the jog in the layout then the next section of doors would be visible. There wasn't a path all the way up the stairs because fire doors were closed and that meant going to a different staircase to continue to the next floor.
There was some strange stuff up there; a wooden leg, big wooden airplane propeller, cancelled checks from the hotel business, piano rolls and in the basement I found a guest register from May 28, 1927 to Jan 28, 1930. This is signed in the guests' own hand and in ink of course. Room number and time of arrival. The majority were from Richmond and Washington D.C.. The rates were apparently $16, $18, $20 with day rates of $2.30, $2.60, $3. The orchestra in 1927 was listed as: Toy Boyd- violin, Dick Richardson - piano, Louis Fishman - cornet, Roy Corcoian - bango, Allen Sousa - drums, Ted Newell - sax, Bob Smith - ?.
Wonder why we found it closed at that time. I was told it was open until 81? There is a ghost story as well, but that was another night and I've written enough.
Let me know if there are any names that mean anything to you or some to look for in the register. Wonder what happened to the hotel archives when it closed offically.
Years ago, Colonial Beach was the playground for Washington, D.C. At one time, Colonial Beach had hotels, such as, Walcott's, DeAtley's, and Fries'. Then there was the sounds of thousands of beach goers and the smell of hot dogs, cotton candy, beer, and crab cakes. The din of Bingo from Joyland and Rock's, the sounds of pins from the bowling alleys, shooting galleries, the penny arcade, and the barkers at the ball pitches. There was the smell of peanuts and popcorn from Mamie and Jimmy Jordan's place near the Palm Garden that contained a bowling alley, dance hall, and skating rink and was opened during the summer months.
The Renshaw House, a large boarding house located where the Catholic Church was built; the Wakefield Hotel, now the site of the Wakefield Motel; the Logan House located on Irving Avenue; the Willard Hotel now called the Colony Inn; Mt. Rose House, operated by Mrs. Smoot, was located across from the high school; Kosher Hotel, owned by Henry Mench, later named the Crown Castle; the Byrd Hotel, first named the Alpine later would be called the Ambassador, now Quigley's; the Washington House owned by F. A. Church located next to Coakley's Drug Store was used as the town hall for several years; the Potomac Boarding House, the Flamingo Hotel, Peyton's Boarding House, the Saco House, Pocomoke, the Plaza, Fries' Hotel, and the Hampton Tavern were just some of the rooming houses from the past.
Frank Schwatz, who owned the Breakers, was the town's first mayor. George Mason, Sr., a town attorney, became the mayor in 1904.
In that year, Henry Mensh operated the Working Man's Exchange, it was described as a first class bar. In those days, there were a number of saloons or bar rooms located throughtout the town serving liquor by the drink. Ben Fox operated a general store located where Frances Karns' house sits. Fox had the first safe in town, so before the bank was built in 1904, all of the merchants would put their money in the safe for safekeeping.
Harris Fox, father of Herman Fox, had the first general merchandise store in town. His store was located where the Gem Store was on Hawthorne Street. Fox sold everthing from candy to caskets. Fox came to the area from Baltimore before the turn of the twentieth century and peddled goods he would bring from Baltimore to the Beach and surrounding areas. All of Fox's children were born in Colonial Beach and his sons operated the Joyland from 1934 to 1952.
Kate Smith and Arthur Godfrey visited Colonial Beach in the early days and it is said that Kate Smith sang in the pavillion. The pavillion, built by Mr. Blackstone, was the only dancehall in town in the early 1900's.
At the end of Boundary Street, Emmanuel Carter and Critcher Stuart picked crabs in an old shack by Miller's Restaurant for years. Janie Green Johnson sold crab cakes and devil crabs to townspeople and tourists where F&A Auto Sales, owned and operated by Frank Coates, III, is located. "Tight Boat" Jones rented boats and canoes at the point. Later, Mr George Tate rented then in that same area, when paddling up and down the Potomac was the thing to do.
