Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Historical narrative

Before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge transformed travel between Maryland’s Western and Eastern Shores, ferries provided the vital link across the Bay. Regular service between Annapolis and the Eastern Shore began in 1919, while the shorter Annapolis–Matapeake route began in 1930. In 1943, the Western Shore terminal was moved to Sandy Point, creating the route that essentially paralleled today’s bridge. For Steve, riding that ferry as a small boy was an adventure in itself. Standing on deck, he could feel the cool Chesapeake breezes and smell the salt-tinged water as the boat slowly carried him away from Annapolis. Ahead lay the broad sweep of the Bay—and, beyond it, the anticipation of what awaited on the opposite shore. When the Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened on July 30, 1952, the ferry era ended, replaced by a four-mile-long span that forever changed the journey across the Bay.

Oil

© Stephen B. Hales — All Rights Reserved