In the late 1800s, expanding railroad and steamboat lines made summer excursions possible for middle-class Americans. During segregation, Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County became a popular destination for white families from Washington, DC and Baltimore, offering swimming, hotels, a roller coaster, casino, carousel, and dance pavilion. In 1896, railroad magnate Otto Mears formed the Chesapeake Beach Railway Company to connect Washington, DC and surrounding communities to Chesapeake Beach, bringing new business and leisure opportunities to Prince George's County. Countless vacationers traveled there until the Great Depression ended the railway in 1935. Many landowners deeded rights-of-way across their properties, Mount Calvert became an official stop in 1899, and the railway crossed the Patuxent River there on a swing-span bridge whose pivot can still be seen in the middle of the river.