Greenbook: A Local Guide to Chesapeake Living - Issue 6 | Page 13

stories of Mr. Rose heading North on Saturday nights, car laden with bags of cash money. By the 1907’s though, the site had been abandoned. Development of Herring Bay dates back to 1947, when Joseph E. Rose, a colorful entrepreneur and gambler with roots in Brooklyn, N.Y., bought 300 acres of shoreline near present day Rose Haven, Maryland. Rose had plans to redevelop a shallow tidal salt marsh known as Red Lion’s Pond. He dredged the marsh to create a protected harbor then built a marina, motel and club house, known for decades as the Rose Haven Yacht Club. When local developer E. Steuart Chaney heard Rose Haven Yacht Club was for sale in 1977, he convinced his wife and business partner to visit the property over Memorial Day Weekend. They were less than impressed. “The place was just a dump, it was covered with potholes and trash, just completely dilapidated”, Chaney said. “But I could see the possibilities, and it gave me goose bumps.” One year later, on April Fool’s Day 1978, he left his lucrative position as an engineer at Westinghouse and went to work full time to make his vision a reality. Chaney, a history buff and preservationist, changed the name to Herrington Harbor, a nod to a small village that occupied the area in the 1600’s. Over the years, Chaney made multiple improvements, including Through the 1970’s the Yacht Club was renown for boat races, beauty contests, fishing carnivals, oysters roasts and gambling. Anne Mulder, current manager of the Inn, says they're greenbook | fall & Winter 2015 13