Buckroe Beach, named for Buckrose in Yorkshire, England, was known since colonial days for its healthful climate and invigorating saltwater bathing, and its name first appeared in official records in 1617. It occupied part of a large plantation set aside by the Virginia Company of London, which in 1620 attempted to grow silk there, but the Frenchmen assigned to the work failed to cultivate the industry or teach others and were soon deported. By 1623, thirty colonists lived at Buckroe. The area remained mostly a fishing camp until after the Civil War, when Mary Ann Dobbins Herbert acquired beachfront land, opened a boarding house in 1883, and added a bathhouse and dancing pavilion. Soon afterward, Edward B. Chiles of Hampton built the first public bathhouse and transported patrons from town in horse-drawn wagons. In 1897, Hampton oyster entrepreneur James S. Darling founded a street railway company and opened the Buckroe Beach Hotel and Pavilion. A Chesapeake and Ohio Railway spur from Phoebus soon brought special excursion trains from Richmond on summer weekends, and Buckroe Beach Amusement Park followed with a carousel, roller coaster, tunnel of love, aeroplane spin, arcade, swimming pool, bathhouse, and large dance pavilion near the water's edge. Other hotels, a casino, and theater were added, and vaudeville acts at the casino were said to be mirth-provoking to a high degree. Buckroe became one of the East Coast's most popular vacation destinations, drawing an estimated half million visitors each year, and a few blocks south, Bayshore Beach and Resort opened as a separate beach and amusement park for African Americans.