It’s All About The Water

Rockview Beach’s Residents Love The Outdoors

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Marcia Patterson recalled a simple time during her childhood in Rockview Beach, the community that became her home in 1951.

“The creek was clean and we lived in our bathing suits all summer long while we swam and fished and crabbed,” said Patterson, whose family moved to Rockview Beach when she was 8 years old. “When the sea nettles appeared later in the summer, we just rowed around in the row boat and dipped them with the crab net and put them in a bucket.”

Patterson moved when she got married, returned to Rockview Beach in 1969 and left again last year. Her former house now belongs to her grandson, John Patterson, who first lived in the community from ages 1 to 19.

“I like being able to see the water from my kitchen window,” said John, who lives with his wife and two children. “My hope was that my kids would grow up in the same neighborhood and go to the same schools: Jacobsville Elementary, Chesapeake Bay Middle and Chesapeake High.”

A former teacher at Annapolis High School, Eunice Seamour has called Rockview Beach her home since she was born in 1941.

“I was comfortable here and I knew people here,” said Eunice, who raised her two children in Rockview Beach with help from her husband, Earl. “It’s a relatively safe community.”

Minnie Bush wasn’t far behind Marcia Patterson. Bush moved to Rockview Beach in 1953 with her family when she was 4 years old.

She said her grandmother, Clara Meeks, bought a summer cottage in the area in 1932. Bush’s parents later bought a waterfront house around the corner. At one point, her son lived across the road, as did one of her sisters.

“Until about 15 years ago, no one really knew where Rockview Beach was,” Bush said. “People grow up here, get married and stay. It’s only a few of us that are ‘originals.’ Most everyone minds their own business – that, I like.”

She called Rockview Beach a “plain, water-privileged community,” and that’s why residents love calling it home.

“A handful of people try to keep the improvement association going along with Riviera Isles, which is on one side of Elizabeth Road coming into Rockview Beach,” she said. “We have a new president, Allan Straughan, who has done a fantastic job.”

Since moving to the community two years ago, Taylor Blake has witnessed the neighborhood’s charm.

“What drew me to the community was the school district and how it is water privileged,” said Blake, who lives with her husband, Chris; daughter, Quinn; and Chesapeake Bay retriever Chance, who loves swimming at the Rockview Beach boat ramp. “Also, it is not a huge community like some others in our area, so it seemed like it would be a close-knit and quiet community.”

Blake also likes the people she has met and the safety she feels when walking Chance or playing with Quinn. But that’s not all.

“What makes it unique is how it has county water and it’s inside Chesapeake school district,” she added. “Growing up in Pasadena, I know firsthand the struggles of dealing with well water!”

Blake’s family is thrilled to be in Rockview Beach. One day, like Marcia Patterson, Minnie Bush and Eunice Seamour, she may have stories to share about Rockview Beach and the people who make it a special place.

“We also love that our county councilman, Nathan Volke, has been involved in our neighborhood by helping to resolve community issues and by listening to members’ concerns and input on district and county matters,” she said.

“We love living in this community and plan to stay here awhile.”

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