History

Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway Company

railroad · active 1908-1935

Interurban electric railway between Washington and Baltimore whose joint tariffs, filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission in the summer of 1910, put Ocean City on a through ticket from Washington for the first time: trolley to Baltimore, then a Chesapeake Bay steamer down to the Eastern Shore. The tariffs were concurred in by the Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway, the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway, the Tolchester Company and the Baltimore and Philadelphia line. Its weekend 'seashore ticket' to Ocean City, Md., and Rehoboth Beach, Del., sold on Saturdays and good returning Mondays, cost $3.60 — more than twice its $1.50 day excursion to Tolchester Beach.

In the record (6)

  1. 1910 · 1910-07-10

    For the first time a Washingtonian can buy a single through ticket to Ocean City — trolley to Baltimore, then the bay steamer.

    The Washington Herald reported joint tariffs newly filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission by the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway, which 'make directly available to Washingtonians for the first time at low cost every point reached by Chesapeake Bay steamers from Baltimore. Ocean resorts as well are included for the first time, and now one may buy a through ticket via trolley from Washington to Ocean City, Md. and Rehoboth Beach, Del., the two famous ocean resorts of the Eastern Shore, taking the steamer at the end of the electric railway journey to Baltimore.' The tariffs were concurred in by the Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Railway, the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway, the Tolchester Company and the Baltimore and Philadelphia line. The Herald's own summer rate card priced it: 'Seashore tickets to Ocean City, Md., and Rehoboth Beach, Del., sold Saturdays, good returning Mondays, $3.60' — against $2.00 for a day in the Blue Ridge and $1.50 for Tolchester Beach. Ocean City is now, for the first time, on the map that a Washington clerk reads on his way to work.

    Baltimore, Chesapeake & Atlantic Railway

    Source · checked 2026-08-06

  2. 1925 · 1925-07-12

    The Board of Trade published a hotel census in the Sunday Star: twenty-two houses, about 2,545 beds, the Atlantic alone holding 450.

    The Board of Trade's display advertisement in the Washington Sunday Star of 12 July 1925 — headed "Finest and Safest Bathing Beach on Atlantic Coast" and offering "Golf, Fishing, Sailing, Surf Bathing and many other sports… Relief for Hay Fever" — printed a two-column table of "Hotel Capacity": Atlantic 450, Plimhimmon 250, Colonial 185, Seaside 185, Shoreham 185, Breakers 125, Rideau 125, Belmont 100, Mt. Pleasant 100, Idlewild 100, Hastings 100, Del-Mar 80, Dennis 80, Nordica 80, Maryland Inn 75, Avondale 70, Baltimore Cottage 65, Gables 45, Lin-Mar 40, Kaye Cottage 35, Ocean View 35, Talbot Inn 35. The advertisement directed enquiries to "these hotels or Secretary, Board of Trade, Ocean City," and gave the route as "Reached by W. B. & A. R. R., Annapolis Ferry and B. C. & A. R. R. or Eastern Shore Transit Line. Invites you to take a trip from the National Capital through historic Annapolis, seeing the United States Naval Academy, across the beautiful Chesapeake Bay by ferry to the far-famed Eastern [Shore]."

    The single most useful document this campaign has found for sizing Ocean City: twenty-two hotels and about 2,545 beds in July — and by 30 December the Atlantic and the Seaside, 635 of those beds, were ash.

    Atlantic HotelPlimhimmon Hotel / Plim PlazaBoard of Trade of Ocean CityBaltimore, Chesapeake & Atlantic RailwayEastern Shore Transit Line

    Source · checked 2026-08-06

  3. 1928 · 1928-07-22

    Three dollars bought a Washingtonian a Sunday at Ocean City in 1928 — leave 12th and New York Avenue at 6.15 a.m., arrive 12.30 noon, home at ten at night.

    The Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railroad advertised the trip in both Washington evening papers through July and August: "$3.00 ROUND TRIP — OCEAN CITY, MD. — Children 5 Years and Under 12, Half Fare — SUNDAY, JULY 22 — GOOD FOR DAY ONLY. Special train leaves 12th and New York Ave. N. W., 6:15 a.m., running direct to Ferry wharf at Annapolis and connecting with non-stop train at Claiborne for Ocean City. (Arriving Ocean City 12:30 noon.) Return leave Ocean City 4:15 P.M. Arriving Washington 10:00 P.M. Ocean City, famous for Surf Bathing Of Uncommon Excellence. Trip includes cool, clean ride through Heart of Maryland, view of U. S. Naval Academy, delightful sail across Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis to Claiborne, thence completely crossing Del-Mar-Va peninsula by rail. GO AND TAKE YOUR FRIENDS." It ran again for Sunday 12 August and Sunday 26 August.

    Six and a quarter hours each way for four hours on the sand. That is the shape of the day-trip market the automobile was about to destroy: the Star's own motor page, printed six weeks earlier, put the same journey at four hours' driving.

    Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry, Inc.

    Source · checked 2026-08-06

  4. 1930 · 1930-08-24

    The Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis runs its Sunday day-trip to Ocean City through the summer, and 24 August is advertised as the "LAST EXCURSION" of the season.

    Standing advertisement in the Evening Star and Washington Daily News through July and August 1930: "Round Trip Ocean City, Md. Children 5 years and under 12, $1.51. Maryland's Ocean Resort. Surf Bathing. Sunday, Aug. 24. Good for Day Only. Special train leaves 12th and N. Y. Ave. N.W. 6:30 A.M., running direct to ferry wharf, Annapolis, and connecting with non-stop train at Claiborne for Ocean City (arriving 12:37 noon), returning leave Ocean City 4:15 P.M., arrive Washington 10:00 P.M. Tickets on sale Friday and Saturday. Wash., Balto. & Annap. Elec. R. R." From 17 August the copy is headed "LAST EXCURSION." The 1931 printing of the same standing advertisement (Evening Star, 2 August 1931, p.21, and 26 August, p.23) reads $3.00 ROUND TRIP, children 5 years and under 12, $1.51 — read from an IIIF region crop at full resolution after the OCR gave 'SO.OO'. Every other element of the copy is identical to 1930's: 6:30 a.m. from 12th and N.Y. Ave., ferry wharf at Annapolis, non-stop train at Claiborne, arrive 12:37 noon, leave Ocean City 4:15 p.m., arrive Washington 10:00 p.m., tickets on sale Friday and Saturday. This makes $3.00 the near-certain 1930 adult fare too, and consistent with the $3.00 the 1928 pass documented — but the 1930 image has NOT been read and the fare is still not asserted for 1930. One IIIF crop of the 1930 page would close it.

    Six hours and seven minutes each way for three hours and three quarters on the sand — the same shape of day the 1928 pass recorded, run by the same electric railway, and still leaving Washington at half past six in the morning. The adult fare is the one number the OCR will not give up.

    Unverified — sourced but not confirmed against a primary record.

    Source · checked 2026-08-10

  5. 1931 · 1931-08-02

    A passenger train still reached Ocean City in 1931 — non-stop from Claiborne — and the Baltimore & Eastern, invisible in 1930, advertises all year.

    The W.B.&A.'s Sunday excursion advertisement routes its passengers by special train to the Annapolis ferry wharf and then "connecting with NON-STOP TRAIN AT CLAIBORNE FOR OCEAN CITY (arriving 12:37 noon)", leaving Ocean City at 4:15 p.m. The Baltimore and Eastern Railroad, whose name the 1930 pass could not find on a single one of 704 pages, appears on 32 pages of the 1931 corpus, advertising the Love Point car ferry weekly in the Peninsula Enterprise: "Lv. LOVE POINT (B. and E. R.R. Pier) daily... Autos (incl. driver) $2.50 each. Trucks (incl. driver) $4 to $7 each. Fare, one way 65 cents. Round trip (10-day limit) $1.00. SHORTENS the WAY to and from the Eastern Shore." Washington, Marlboro & Annapolis Motor Lines meanwhile advertise "Connections with Ferry for Eastern Shore and Ocean City, Md."

    The 1932 pass had to leave open whether a passenger train still reached Ocean City. For 1931 the answer is on the face of a Washington excursion advertisement: yes, non-stop from Claiborne, arriving 12:37. And the railway that ran it was selling car-ferry space in the same breath.

    Baltimore & Eastern Railroad CompanyClaiborne-Annapolis Ferry, Inc.

    Source · checked 2026-08-10

  6. 1931 · 1931-08-09

    Three dollars, Washington to Ocean City and back in a day — train, Chesapeake ferry and a non-stop connection at Claiborne.

    "$3.00 Round Trip — Ocean City, Md. — Children 5 years and under 12, $1.51 — Maryland's Ocean Resort — Surf Bathing — Sunday, August 9 — Good for day only. Special train leaves 12th and N.Y. Ave. N.W. 6:30 A.M., running direct to ferry wharf, Annapolis, and connecting with non-stop train at Claiborne for Ocean City (arriving 12:37 noon), returning leave Ocean City 4:15 P.M., arrive Washington 10:00 P.M. Tickets on sale Friday and Saturday. Wash., Balto. & Annap. Elec. R. R., 12th and N. Y. Ave. N.W." Repeated for Sunday 30 August. Six hours out, three and a half hours at the beach, five and three quarter hours home.

    The retry log has owed this number since the 1930 pass, which had the identical advertisement with the adult fare OCR'd variously as "SO.OO", "$9.75" and "$.00" and only the children's $1.51 legible. One IIIF region crop at full resolution settles it: the figure is $3.00. The 1930 half is still owed, but the layout is identical and the children's fare is the same.

    Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry, Inc.

    Source · checked 2026-08-10