Last summer fling on quiet shores

Otto Mears had big plans for the resort he was building on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The financier envisioned a lavish place with waterfront hotels, casinos and boardwalk rides that rivaled Coney Island and Atlantic City. To ensure that people could reach his Calvert County entertainment mecca, he built a railroad to Washington and constructed a pier to accommodate steamboats from Baltimore.

By Robin T. Reid

August 28, 2003