From the 1920s to the 1960s, people flocked to Beverly Beach Club and later Triton Beach to swim, play, gamble, and relax by the Bay with friends and family. Beverly Beach Club, to the south, was one of the largest resorts on the East Coast, with nettle fencing stretching far into the Bay to protect swimmers from jellyfish and a dance pavilion with an amusement arcade and slot machines just off the wide, sandy beach. Vacationers seeking a quieter reprieve could enjoy camping, swimming, and picnics at the less developed Triton Beach to the north. Beverly Beach Club closed in 1968 when slot machines became illegal and the owners refused to comply with a civil rights court order to integrate. The once thriving resorts slowly deteriorated as the forest reclaimed much of the land and the Bay washed away the sandy beaches. People have lived here for at least 12,000 years, and archaeologists have discovered ancient Native American campsites and oyster shell middens in the area. There is also evidence of a colonial plantation nearby, once the home of the Saunders family and their slaves in the 1700s.