The Weekend of April 23-24, 2022 is Earth Day Weekend and it is also the weekend of the “Museums of Kent” driving tour. One of the stops on the tour is in Betterton.

Betterton is a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Kent County, of around 400 on the Chesapeake Bay. Looking at it today one would hardly guess that it was once a major Victorian summer resort at the end of the 1800s through the 1st half of the 20th century. It was a major stopping point for ships going up the Chesapeake Bay and through the Chesapeake-and-Delaware Canal, which connects to the Delaware Bay and on to Philadelphia and New Jersey. There were daily scheduled steamship service by several lines.

The Betterton Museum is located in Town Hall, which at one time was a Catholic Church, has artifacts form those days. These are a few photos of the museum. As are many of the small museums on the Eastern Shore the museum is only opened a few times during the year.

The Beach, one of the main attractions during first half of the 20th Century, is always opened. It’s one of the few Chesapeake Bay Beaches that is still a public beach. The beach is owned by Kent County and is a County Park. Every Earth Day weekend the beach is cleaned and made ready to be enjoyed. These photos of the beach were shot during the clean-up process.

Before life was changed due to the pandemic the Fire Department would hold a Betterton Appreciation Weekend honoring the history and heritage of the town and the beach during the 1st weekend in August. I have been told that it may be returning this year. Let’s hope that it happens.

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About Drives With Steve
Nearly three years ago I began doing a series of posts I called “Drives with Steve” on my photography Website, SGAtkinson.com. The idea was to take a drive from my home in Chestertown to an randomly selected location and take photographs along the way.

This eventually turned into the “Point of Interest” Series. Along the way I’ve captured a pretty wide range of photos. Check back each Sunday to see photos from a latest Drive. Although due to weather or other circumstances some may be of previous drives.

If you are wondering whether you can get a print of one of myphotographs. You sure can. Three sizes are available. 8×10 (with 11×14 Matt) at $25, 11×14 at $50 or 13×19 at $75. However, if you would like another size, I’m sure I can get one to you. Just send an email to photos@shoretobefun.com if you are interested in purchasing or have any questions.

You can support this project and see additional photos if many of these “Drives” at Patreon.com/ShoreToBeFun.