History of Venice Beach

Venice Beach was carved out of the vast Duvall plantation of the early 1800s that stretched from the Chesapeake Bay to South River--over 300 acres. In 1850 William and Charity Brashears purchased 48 acres of land from a Duvall descendant named Enoch.  The Brashears' property was bordered by the Chesapeake Bay  on the east and Black Walnut Creek and Oyster Creek on the north and south, respectively.  The Brashears family farmed corn and tobacco on their plot of land until the early 1890s.  The descendants of William and Charity Brashears eventually sold 28 2/3 acres of their farm to Charles and Laura Douglass in 1893, that became Highland Beach, and 13 1/3 acres to Osborn T. Taylor in 1922, that became Venice Beach.  Collectively known over time as "the beach," they would become premier summer destinations for African Americans in the mid-Atlantic region for many decades.

The first lot in Venice Beach was purchased by Mr. Perry Howard in 1922 and the first house constructed was the Ridgely family cottage in the same year.  The Venice Beach Citizens Association was established as the governing body for the community in 1937, and its first president was Dr. John T. Leak, a prominent Washington, D.C. dentist.  Over time, the shallow wells, outhouses, and sandy roads of the early years have disappeared and instead Venice Beach has become a modern residential community in step with the ebb and flow of the 21st century.


Venice Beach Archival Project

During the summer of 2024 the VBCA Historical and Archival Committee in collaboration with the Maryland State Archives undertook a two-pronged project to document the history of Venice Beach.  In the first phase residents were asked to share historical documents in their possession.  Documents such as photographs, letters, legal papers, citations, etc. were either contributed to the project for safe keeping or copied and returned to the owners by the Archives.  In the second phase, oral histories were conducted in collaboration with Archives staff and interns using professional interviewers and videographers.  The results of these efforts culminated in the inclusion of the project’s efforts on the web site “Digital Maryland,” which describes itself as:

Digital Maryland is a collaborative, statewide digital preservation program of the Enoch Pratt Free Library/Maryland State Library Resource Center. Users can search and explore historical and cultural documents, images, audio, and videos that record Maryland’s history. Digital Maryland partners with institutions throughout the state to present unique and important primary source materials that document aspects of Maryland history from its inception to the present.

The materials presented in Digital Maryland are available to search, browse and view for personal research and educational purposes. We always ask that you properly credit Digital Maryland and our partner institutions by including a citation. Unless otherwise specified, you must request permission to use materials for publication or other commercial use.
The Venice Beach Community Archive collection on the Digital Maryland web site may be found at the following link:


https://collections.digitalmaryland.org/digital/collection/vbca