And the ambitious vine
Crowns with his purple mass
The Cedars Reaching high
To kiss the sky,
The cypress, pine and useful sassafras
And Cheerfully at sea,
Success you still entice,
To get the pearl and gold
And ours to hold
Virginia,
Earths only Paradise.
– From Ode to the Virginian Voyage, 1607; Michael Drayton, English Poet (1563-1631)
This installment of Amy Waters Yarsinske’s Virginia community and travel histories, Virginia Beach – Jewel Resort of the Atlantic, takes us back in time to the days when the sparkling resort strip at Virginia Beach drew crowds by the train-full.
Get your copy today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Prince Books (available in store).
This new book takes readers back to the days when there were only Summer cottages and inns at Virginia Beach. In days gone by, sea breeezes and incomparable landscapes created the backdrop for excursionists, and the wild country of Back Bay, Coratan, Sandbridge, and Fort Story was untouched. You will follow the development of the resort area. From its salad days to the growth of grand hotels, clubs, nightlife and water sports to attract and accommodate excursionists from up and down the East Coast.
Step Back in Time
Readers are invited to take a walk on the Virginia Beach – Jewel Resort boardwalk of yesteryear and follow Virginia Beach through World War II and the unforgettable big band era. And going forward, to the fabulous fifties and the 1960s, when formally enjoined with Princess Anne County and incorporated as an independent city in the Commonwealth.
Readers are visually taken back in time to a Virginia Beach that is no more. An oceanfront lined with summer cottages and welcoming inns, untouched seascapes and the wild country of Back Bay, Croatan, Sandbridge and Fort Story.
Photographs and artwork for Virginia beach, came in large measure, from the author’s own collection. Also from the Norfolk Public Library, Sargeant Memorial Room, and other private collections. With her usual flair for description and impeccable attention to detail, Amy Waters Yarsinske, author of Winter Comes to Norfolk and Ocean View, takes us on an amusement park ride back to the days of glamour and laughter in the warm Virginia sun.
Enjoy Amy’s other treasured books on Norfolk: Norfolk’s Church Street, Lost Norfolk, and the book that started it all – Norfolk, Virginia – the Sunrise City by the Sea
Copyright © 1998 (first published) by Amy Waters Yarsinske
ISBN 0-7524-0932-8 Arcadia Publishing