Stingray Point Hotel

by

Gracious Living

One of the most breathtaking sights in Deltaville is at a small beach near where the infamous explorer John Smith is alleged to have tangled with a stingray. Smith skewered a stingray only to have the stingray deal him a near fatal slice with its venomous tail spine. It was close to that spot at Stingray Point where once stood a much loved and long remembered hotel. The view from the front porch once included the Stingray Point Lighthouse off in the distance to the left. Gwynn’s Island stands directly across the water, which generally shimmers like sunlit diamonds and is often dotted with the multicolored sails of a regatta in progress. At that spot there was a hotel. In fact, there were two hotels in years gone by.

The land and its sandy beach were once part of the Stingray Point Farm owned by Mr. John T. Saunders of Deltaville. Its ownership by the Saunders family dates back to 1851. In 1923, Saunders sold the farm to Deltaville businessmen, Jerry Harrow and Samuel Moore. The Hotel Samore was built there and opened for business on Memorial Day in 1932. The name Samore was a combination of Samuel Moore’s first and last names. Located where General Puller Highway (Route 33) meets the Chesapeake Bay, it was a success from the day it opened. The average family stayed for two weeks enjoying bathing, fishing, great food and relaxation. All the rooms had private baths, and those facing the bay were $18 a week. Samuel Moore died in 1939. The property was sold in 1941, but in August of that year, fire from a bottled gas leak leveled the building and the nearby structure, bowling alley, dance hall and bathhouse owned by E.W. Harrow.

Seeing a good opportunity, E.W. Harrow began construction on the Stingray Point Hotel and opened in 1942. It featured a bowling alley, snack bar, restaurant, sandy beach and an incredible view of the bay. Folks could come by car, bus or boat. Saturday nights were busy with dances to the music of a five-piece orchestra until 11 p.m.

John Melvin Ward has fond memories of the Stingray Point Hotel. Ward grew up there. His grandfather owned the hotel. He recalled that his grandfather, Edward Walling Harrow, developed the land around Stingray Point. For as long as he can remember, Ward spent as much time as he could with his grandfather. He recalls riding in his grandfather’s Chevrolet and said they went everywhere together. E.W. Harrow built the Stingray Point Hotel with lumber he provided from his own sawmill. Harrow’s sons all helped to build the hotel. He had three sons, Edmond, Eugene and Walter. All were carpenters. His son Edmond eventually became a renowned builder of deadrise boats.

John Melvin Ward remembers having full run of the three floors of the hotel. He remembers the massive foyer, the bowling alley, the restaurant and the snack bar. In particular, Ward remembers the majestic views of the Chesapeake Bay from the front porch and the wonderful cooling breezes from the bay. He said you could see Gwynn’s Island from the porch and off to the left the old Stingray Point Lighthouse.

Richard B. Cohen, writer and photographer in the Chesapeake Bay Magazine, February 1984, wrote, “What Stingray Point Hotel may have lacked in elegance it made up for in size. Eddie Harrow liked to do things on a large scale. Spanning almost the entire 150-foot depth of the lot, the hotel dwarfed neighboring cottages. Despite the protests of his sons, Harrow insisted on the addition of a third story which had no purpose other than ornamentation ‘if it hadn’t been for a shortage of materials, he would have gone even higher’ sighed one of Harrow’s sons.

”No liquor was served at the hotel, but diners remember the food as being delicious. The cook was a man named Victor Burrell. He cooked up the greatest fried chicken and all kinds of fresh local seafood. John Melvin Ward remembers that in the fall, folks from all around the area would bring all sorts of ducks, other birds and wild game that they had caught for what they called a “game supper.”

Lifelong Deltaville resident Jack Hurd remembers Chef Victor Burrell in his 12-inch-high snow-white chef ’s hat and white chef ’s coat. Hurd said he believes that Victor Burrell was one of the most respected men in Deltaville at the time. Hurd said he certainly was a great chef.

Garland Harrow, grandson of E.W. Harrow, grew up spending time at the hotel. He is John Melvin Ward’s cousin and said he recalls working the ice shaving machine to make snow cones. He also worked setting up the duck pins in the bowling alley. Harrow remembers the delicious aroma of the yeast rolls Chef Burrell baked every day.

Thanksgiving Day was a special day for all the Harrow family. They would enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, featuring turkey with all the trimmings in the dining room at the hotel. Garland Harrow loved the windows in the dining room. There was a wonderful view of the bay for diners to enjoy. Harrow pointed out that his grandfather, E.W. Harrow, had a passion for providing access to the beach at Stingray Point. In fact, he said, the Harrow family still owns a small section of the beach they maintain for use by the public

. Harrow said the family wants to be sure to preserve the wish their grandfather had for the beach to be enjoyed by everyone. E.W. Harrow wanted everyone to enjoy the beach as he did.

In 1964, E.W. Harrow sold the hotel to Miss Louise Schooley, a registered nurse who specialized in the care of handicapped children. Her intention was to establish a treatment and rehabilitation center for handicapped children. Unfortunately, the building did not meet the various codes, and she could not get the needed licenses. Miss Schooley and her partner, Lance Parker, decided to rename the hotel the “Old Red Barn.” In keeping with the name, she had the building painted red and hung a wagon wheel on an exterior wall and reopened it as a hotel resort. The decor included multiple wagon wheels. Booths were added to the restaurant along with wagon wheel overhead lights. Seating capacity of the restaurant was increased from seating for 45 diners to 75 diners.

A newspaper clipping tells of an Independence Celebration at the Old Red Barn which included a beauty pageant to choose Miss Lower Middlesex of 1967, then at 9:30 p.m. the Fireman’s Ball. For a time, it was the fun place in Deltaville. It catered to local people and folks from as far away as Richmond. The Old Red Barn closed in the late 1960s. Abandoned for years, it was razed in August of 1982.

There is nothing left now of the Old Red Barn save for two stone markers showing the spot where it once stood. The sounds of laughter, music, the rattle of dinner plates and the crash of bowling balls against pins is heard no more. The beautiful Stingray Point Lighthouse, a beacon to marinas for more than 100 years, was replaced with an automatic navigational marker in 1965. The aroma of fried chicken and baking yeast rolls no longer perfumes the air. The folks are gone, the buildings are gone, but the memories still linger. The balmy breezes still blow across the bay. The waves lap the beach in a relentless harmony. The sun still sets, often in glorious fiery red glows and the tall grass now grows on the land on which the Stingray Point Hotel once stood.