African American resorts

During the decades of segregation in the United States, African Americans established various resorts.^[1] The resorts were self-contained commercial establishments. Varying resort accommodations included rooms for rent, meals and fine food, cocktail bars, dancing, sporting facilities (such as golf, horseback riding, tennis, swimming pools, fishing, badminton), and beaches.^[2] Also in some cases entire communities (or towns) were known as resort areas for African Americans. The Negro Motorist Green Book helped guide African Americans to accommodating and safe places,^[3] including Idlewild, Michigan, which was among the most well known.^[4]

Promotional flyer for Paradise Park, Florida

California

• Bay Street Beach (also known as "the Inkwell") in Santa Monica, California^[5]
• Bruce's Beach in Manhattan Beach, California^[6]
• Eureka Villa (now Val Verde) in California
• Lake Shore Beach Club on Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, California^[7]
• Murray's Dude Ranch in Apple Valley, California^[8]
• Pacific Beach Club in Orange County, California
• Peck's Pier and Pavilion in Manhattan Beach, California

Colorado

• Lincoln Hills Country Club in Gilpin County, Colorado^[9][10]

Florida

• American Beach, Florida^[11]
• Bethune Beach, Florida
• Bruce Beach in Pensacola, Florida
• Butler Beach in St. Johns County, Florida
• Hampton House in Miami, Florida^[2]
• Manhattan Beach (now Hanna Park) in Jacksonville, Florida^[11][12]
• Paradise Park, Florida
• Virginia Key Beach in Virginia Key, Florida

Indiana

• Fox Lake in Angola, Indiana^[6]

Maine

• Jewell Inn in York Beach, Maine^[2]

Maryland

• Arundel on the Bay, Maryland
• Carr's Beach in Anne Arundel County, Maryland^[13]
• Highland Beach, Maryland^[6]
• Sparrow's Beach, south of Annapolis, Maryland

Massachusetts

• Camp Twin in Kingston, Massachusetts^[2]
• Jones' Cottage in Hyannis, Massachusetts^[2]
• Kingston Inn in Kingston, Massachusetts^[2]
• Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts^[6] (also referred to as The Inkwell)^[14]
  • Dunmere-by-the-sea in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts^[2]
  • Shearer Cottage in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts^[2]
• The Roost in Osterville, Massachusetts^[2]
• The Wigwam in Mashpee, Massachusetts^{[citation needed]}

Michigan

• Blue-Bird Motel in Covert, Michigan^[2]
• Brooks Castle Farm in Grand Junction, Michigan^[2]
• Glover's Chi-Acres in Paw Paw, Michigan^[2]
• Idlewild, Michigan^[3][15]
  • Dulin's Motel in Idlewild, Michigan^[2]
  • Lydia Inn in Idlewild, Michigan^[2]
• Pitchford's La Maison in Covert, Michigan^[2]
• The Linwood Hotel in Detroit, Michigan^[2]

Mississippi

• Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Mississippi^[6]

New Jersey

• Beach 3 in Long Branch, New Jersey
• Missouri Avenue Beach in Atlantic City^[16]
• Chicken Bone Beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Liberty Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey^[2]
• Park Plaza Motel in Atlantic City, New Jersey^[2]
• Efra Court Motel in Wildwood, New Jersey^[2]
• Harmon Motel in Wildwood, New Jersey^[2]
• Rose Marie Manor in Wildwood, New Jersey^[2]

New York (state)

• Coleman's Lodge in Bloomingburg, New York^[2]
• Eastville in Sag Harbor, New York^[6]
• Greenwood Forest Farms (also known as "The Colony") near Greenwood Lake in New York^[17]
• Kings Lodge in Otisville, New York^[2]
• Maple Valley Farm in Pine Bush, New York^[2]
• Morgan Hill Lodge in Kingston, New York^[2]
• Paradise Farm in Cuddebackville, New York^[2]
• Peg Leg Bates Resort in Kerhonkson, New York^[18]
• Rainbow Acres in Kerhonkson, New York^[19][2]
• Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Beach Subdivisions Historic District in Sag Harbor, New York
• Smith Haven in Pine Bush, New York^[2]
• Utopia Lodge in Greenfield Park, New York^[2]

North Carolina

• Freeman Beach (now Freeman Park) in North Carolina^[6][20]
• Shell Island, North Carolina^[21]

Pennsylvania

• Hillside Inn in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania^[2][22]

South Carolina

• Atlantic Beach, South Carolina in South Carolina^[13]
• Mosquito Beach, now part of Mosquito Beach Historic District, in South Carolina^[13]

Virginia

• Bay Shore Beach (now Buckroe and Fort Monroe) in Virginia^[23][6]
• Mark Haven Beach Hotel in Tappahannock, Virginia^[24][6]
• Buckroe Beach near Hampton, Virginia^[6]

Washington, D.C.

• Hains Point with Langston Golf Course in East Potomac Park^[25]

West Virginia

• Hill Top House Hotel in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Wisconsin

• Al's Silver Ridge Resort in Webster, Wisconsin^[2]
• Goplana in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin^[2]
• Lazy M Ranch in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin^[2]
• Lake Ivanhoe, Wisconsin^[26]

See also

• Black-owned businesses
• Chitlin' Circuit
• Index of articles related to African Americans
• List of African-American neighborhoods
• Racial segregation in the United States
• Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, 1953 in South Africa

Further reading

• Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites During the Jim Crow Era by Alison Rose Jefferson

References

1. Algeo, Katie (August 2013). "Underground Tourists/Tourists Underground: African American Tourism to Mammoth Cave". Tourism Geographies. 15 (3): 380–404. doi:10.1080/14616688.2012.675514. ISSN 1461-6688.
2. "Resorts". Ebony. Vol. 18. Johnson Publishing Company. June 1963. p. 132. ISSN 0012-9011.
3. "Before the Green Book, These Resorts Offered Hidden Safe Havens for Black Americans". HISTORY. January 7, 2019.
4. Nelson, Angela M. "Idlewild: The Rise, Decline, and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town". The Journal of American Culture. 38 (4): 426–427 – via ProQuest.
5. Walser, Lauren (June 10, 2016). "Exploring Los Angeles County's Historic African-American Beaches". savingplaces.org. National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
6. Moultrie, George (February 21, 2013). "History of African American resorts". Lake County Star.
7. Meares, Hadley (2020-05-04). "A Look Back at California's Long-Lost Black Beaches and Vacation Spots". LAmag. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
8. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/5views/5views2h76.htm
9. "Nearly 100 Years Later, Black-Owned And Operated Lincoln Hills Recognized In Colorado History - CBS Colorado". CBS News. 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
10. "Gilpin County's historic Black-owned resort Lincoln Hills celebrates 100 years". Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH). 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
11. "Manhattan Beach, a resort for African-Americans, once flourished in Hanna Park dunes". The Florida Times-Union.
12. "Recovering Manhattan Beach: Florida's First African American Beach Resort in the Segregated South | Beaches Museum". 28 April 2020.
13. "Preserving Black Historical Resorts Is a Radical Act".
14. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/inkwell-martha-s-vineyard-1890s/
15. Nugent, Tom (1 January 2003). "Idlewild, 'the Resort That Segregation Built'". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
16. Missouri Avenue
17. DeSanto, John (December 22, 2019). "Story of Greenwood Forest Farms is our history". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
18. Dunning, Jennifer (1998-12-08). "Peg Leg Bates, One-Legged Dancer, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
19. https://community.village.virginia.edu/greenbooks/content/rainbow-acres
20. "BLACK HISTORY: The history of Freeman Beach". February 23, 2019.
21. "When Luxury Was a Luxury: The Rise and Fall of NC's First All-Black Resort - Cardinal & Pine". cardinalpine.com. 6 August 2021.
22. https://routes-mag.com/ssue-1993-7/
23. "Va.'s Historic Black Beaches Spotlighted in New Exhibit". 21 September 2021.
24. "Green Books". community.village.virginia.edu.
25. Hodge, Paul (1982-01-07). "Park Service to Determine Future of Historic Hains Point". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
26. https://thegrio.com/2022/10/17/wisconsins-first-black-owned-resort-property-receives-historic-marker/