HAMPTON, Va. — Dozens gathered on the Peninsula Thursday for the unveiling of Virginia's first Green Book location marker.
During the Jim Crow Era, the Green Book served as a travel guide for Black Americans, detailing where they could stop safely.
One of those locations was known as Bay Shore Beach and Hotel.
"They said the music was so good, that the white vacationer over at Buckroe would jump over the fence to come listen," Mayor Donnie Tuck of Hampton said.
Bay Shore was a resort for Black Americans during the time of segregation with cool waters, a dance hall and an amusement park.
The Bay Shore Hotel was listed in Virginia’s Green Book from 1947 to 1958, and again from 1962 to 1964 and 1966 to 1967.
The beach was divided by a fence near the pier up to Buckroe Beach which was designated for white people.
"Now it separated the races, but it didn't do a thing for the jellyfish because they still stung everybody," Reginald Robinson, who grew up going to Bay Shore, said.
With the vacation spot listed in the Green Book, Robinson said he and his mom would pack up lunch and head down to the beach from Richmond all the time.
"I'll probably be back down here as soon as everybody leaves just so I can sit there and look at it [Green Book marker] for a while and think about all the good times I had down here when I was small," Robinson said.
The Department of Historic Resources said this marker is only one part of how it's looking to better tell the Green Book story.
It's also working with the University of Virginia to document the nearly 300 sites that were mentioned in the book during its circulation.
Robinson said he hopes it serves as a place for the next generation to reflect on how far we've come.
"They're able to go to Virginia Beach, Nags Head, and all those other places that are way better than Bay Shore was," Robinson said. "They're able to go there because of the contributions of the men and women who helped build Bay Shore and run it."
The Department of Historic Resources hopes over time as more markers are placed around the state, it will create a network to educate travelers about the importance of the Green Book.
These are planned to be placed at original sites including the Yancey House & Grasty Library and the Holbrook-Ross Historic District in Danville, Fayette Street in Martinsville, along with Jackson Ward, Navy Hill and the Miller's and Eggleston Hotels in Richmond.
