History

Magothy Marina, prior to 1982, was a working boatyard known as "Lusby's". Like many older boatyards, the "office" was a trailer, the parking lot was dirt, and as shown in the photos, the dock was made of old Liberty Ship hatch covers.

Prior to the Marina being a boatyard, it was known as "Crystal Beach". This public beach was a popular summer attraction in the area with its bingo hall,bar, crab shack, and dance pavillion. Take a look at the panoramic photo in the Marina Office of the original Crystal Beach and you will see the very young staked and supported Mulberry tree that is on the beach between J-Dock and the property to the east, it is now over 50' tall.

The photo below is one of the postcards that you could buy at Crystal Beach. Dances with live bands were held most weekends and, because gambling was still legal in Anne Arundel County, slot machines lined the walls of the Pavilion building.

The boatyard was purchased by a group of developers in 1982 for the first phase of establishing a "Condo" marina where boat owners would buy their own boat slip. In 1986, the Marina was sold to the second Developer who rebuilt it from the original "working boatyard" style marina, to the "yacht-club" environment that we have today.

Below are a few photos of the rebuilding..

This is the original "Crystal Beach"...

This was the Lusby's home which was torn down to build the home, next to the Marina...

The former "Liberty Ship Hatchcover" docks were known to float downriver during high tides...

A small boat launching ramp is shared between Magothy Marina and the community of Manhattan Beach. It was built during the second phase of Magothy Marina's construction...