Tolchester photograph collection

In 1877 the Tolchester Steamboat Company opened the Tolchester Beach Amusement Park in Kent County, Maryland. Due to the advent of steamship routes on the Chesapeake Bay, Tolchester Beach quickly became a favorite destination for Baltimoreans, which was only 27 miles across the bay. Steamers ran daily between Baltimore and the park, which grew to over 150 acres and included a hotel, pavilion, bathing beach, and a variety of attractions--such as horse-racing, a carousel, and roller coaster--and games, including a shooting range and tenpin bowling alley.

The Tolchester Steamboat Company, incorporated in 1878, ran excursion steamships to Tolchester Beach from its pier at Light Street in Baltimore. One of the most popular excursion steamers on the bay was the company's side-wheeler "Louise," acquired in 1882. With a capacity of 2,500 passengers, the "Louise" is said to have carried 5 million passengers in 40 years of operation.

At times, the Tolchester Steamboat Company operated routes to Annapolis as well as along other Maryland waterways including the Susquehanna, Sassafras, and Little Choptank Rivers. The Susquehanna, a screw steamer built in 1898, ran to Betterton, Port Deposit, and Havre de Grace under the direction of Captain John Kirwan. The "Express," purchased in 1925, was a double-end side-wheeler with an extra deck to carry automobiles.

The original Tolchester Steamboat Company closed in 1936, and was taken over by a new company, Tolchester Lines, Inc. In the late 1950s the company was sold and resold, with the Tolchester Beach excursion service and park lands remaining in operation through the early 1960s. The land at the Tolchester Beach Amusement Park was finally sold for development in 1962.