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HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM, Inc.
Millers Island
Millers Island was settled as farmland but developed an inviting tradition of recreation because of its access to marshes and waterways offering the best in hunting, fishing and crabbing.
During the 1930s and 40s farmland gave way to the construction of vacation cottages and
shore homes that came with the growth of Bethlehem Steel and the development of Edgemere. Trolleys brought visitors from as far as Baltimore to North Point Peninsula where they crabbed and caught rockfish, catfish, snapper and perch at Ramona’s Pier.
A wooden bridge extended from Millers Island to Pleasure Island where there was a small
amusement park and picnic pavilion. A storm destroyed the bridge during the 1950s and the park was never reopened. A decade earlier, Bayshore Park, on the site of the present North Point State Park, was demolished. Both parks offered entertainment and memories to generations of residents.
Tropical Storm Isabel struck the entire region in 2003 but hit Millers Island hardest, flooding the entire peninsula and destroying hundreds of properties. Residents were resilient and rebuilt, and today many of the homes on Millers Island have been improved to provide better protection.
In recent years, Hart-Miller Island has become a recreational haven for boaters in the northern Chesapeake Bay. Originally part of a peninsula that extended from Millers Island, it was designated as a park following construction of a dike in 1981. The 1100-acre island is accessible only by personal boat and offers safe mooring, wading and access to a 3,000-foot sandy beach. An observation platform that provides great views of the marsh is open to the public from May through September. Although the population is relatively small, there is a strong community association and an effective business association.