Book Release: 'North Beach: Yesterday and Today'

North Beach, Maryland is fond of calling itself "Jewel of the Chesapeake," and a newly published book offers a trove of photographs past and present to back up that claim.

North Beach Yesterday and Today is the work of Grace Mary Brady, founder and president of Bayside History Museum, and Vincent P. Turner II, a University of Maryland graduate student and longtime Museum employee.

The 90-page, soft-cover publication presents North Beach in a kaleidoscope of photography sometimes featuring century-old black-and-white shots alongside deep-color, modern-day photos of progress.

Readers tempted by North Beach's rich and wild history can view images of the town's appealing features, from the the early 1900s fishing pier, Atlantic Avenue of the 1920s, and hotels including the Calvert on Bay Avenue (above), in 1908, its staircase descending to the beach below.

The book can be purchased for $25, cash or check, at Bayside History Museum, 4025 4th Street, in North Beach, Wednesdays through Sundays, from nine-til-noon. Proceeds go to the museum.

Grace Mary Brady (left) and Vincent Turner drew a packed house of more than 100 people at the North Beach Town at a book release on Sunday, Feb. 25. The event was sponsored by the museum, the John Hanson Chapter of NSDAR and the Calvert Library Brady, who spent much of her career as a top aide in the Maryland General Assembly, is known widely as a Maryland historian, fundraiser and formidable community advocate. She produced four books while serving as Historic Preservation Planner for St. Mary's County after leaving state government. In its Introduction, North Beach Yesterday and Today is described as the first in a series of books highlighting the town's vibrant history.

"I feel like I need to do it while I can, and while I still remember everything," she said. "So much of North Beach is in my head."