Benjamin Ogle, one of the owners, was governor of Maryland in the late 1700s. During his tenure, the Tolly Point farm became known as Ogleton, a name now extended to the lake, nearly replacing its nickname "Cat Hole."

Bay Ridge was developed in 1879 as a summer resort, with a large Victorian hotel at Tolly Point. First served by steamboats from Baltimore and Annapolis, the resort soon proved popular enough to warrant its own railroad.

The Bay Ridge and Annapolis Railroad was built in 1886, and for the next 17 years, thousands of people came by rail and water to enjoy the "Queen Resort of the Chesapeake."

Chief among its attractions were the gravity road, the hotel, dining and dancing pavilions, all-day band concerts, picnic grounds, and a two-mile electric trolley ride that wound along the river and the lake shores.

The resort closed in 1903, and there was little interest in the area until 1922 when the Bay Ridge Realty Company began selling small lots on streets named after naval heroes. Within five years, some one hundred families had built summer cottages in the community.

Bay Ridge remained largely a summer haven until World War II, when the need for year-round rental housing in the Annapolis area led many owners to winterize their cottages. Since then, the community has changed gradually from summer resort to permanent home for over 400 families, and today just a handful of its present dwellings are used only during the summer.

Just as many of the summer residents were those who remembered the pleasures of the resort era, so many of today's year-round residents enjoyed childhood summers in Bay Ridge. Perhaps for this reason, Bay Ridge has a special sense of history and permanence displayed in the pride and community spirit of its residents.

From "Bay Ridge on the Chesapeake" by Carol Patterson and Jane McWilliams
Published in 1986 by Brighton Editions, P.O. Box 3158, Annapolis, MD, 21403

As owner of the "Big Woods," the Bay Ridge Civic Association is responsible for complying with the Conservation Easements. In 2004, the BRCA established the Forest Management Committee (FMC) to develop and implement plans to restore our woods to the healthy coastal plains forest it once was.

As required by the Easements, the committee made arrangements with the State Department of Natural Resources to develop a Forest Stewardship Plan for our woods. This plan was completed for the BRCA in January 2005 by State Forester Brian Stupak.
 
Forest Stewardship Plan

The Forest Stewardship Plan divides our ninety-plus acres of woods into five major tree stands. The plan describes the age of each forest stand, and the trees dominant in the overstory and the dominant understory species. It recommends practices for each of the five tree stands.

The plan recognizes that the BRCA wishes to manage the property to improve the soil and water attributes, as well as to preserve the natural heritage of the property. In order to accomplish this, the plan calls for removal of invasive species and outlines specific steps to accomplish this.

The Forest Stewardship Plan is comprehensive and contains a wealth of information on wildlife management practices, timber stand improvement, forest buffer management and conservation of Forest Interior Dwellers (FIDS). The Forest Stewardship Plan is available on this web site. A map delineates the location of the various tree stands.

BRCA Forest Management Committee (FMC)

With the Forest Stewardship Plan as its guide, the BRCA and FMC developed a committee charter that prioritizes the list of actions that the committee should pursue. This plan is a work in progress as the committee refines its tasks. Bill Harmeyer is chairman of the FMC. He holds a degree in biology, is a Certified Wildlife Biologist, and spent years managing the natural resources at Fort Meade

Priority

Members of the FMC recognize the value of a healthy coastal plain forest. Healthy trees filter pollutants in the air and on the ground. The pervious forest floor improves the quality of the surrounding waterways and recharges the aquifers. The immediate priority is control of invasive species. Invasive species will be attacked in two ways: first, by volunteer days organized by FMC and trained volunteers working on their own; and second through hired contractors, such as the company that worked on the north side of Farragut.