Bellevue's Ferry Landing Is Becoming a Place of Its Own

"Property adjacent to an existing public park is a limited resource, and opportunities like this don't come along often," Talbot County Manager Clay Stamp said in the county's September announcement, published by the Talbot Spy, that Talbot County had bought the waterfront lot next to Bellevue Community Park.

He was talking about one parcel. But the purchase came in the same season as a museum groundbreaking a short walk from the ferry landing and the reopening of Royal Oak's best-known dinner spot down the road. For most people in Easton, St. Michaels, and Oxford, Bellevue is where the ferry lets you off. In 2026, three separate groups made it worth stopping there.

The county bought the lot next to the landing

The parcel is at 25826 Orchard Terrace in Royal Oak, directly beside Bellevue Community Park and the Bellevue Public Landing. The county paid $535,000 for about 1.6 waterfront acres. That takes the public site from about 6.746 acres to 8.35, nearly a quarter larger than before.

The money came from the county's General Fund for now, and the county may seek reimbursement through Program Open Space later.

No new amenities have been announced. According to the county, the extra land allows for "future passive recreational amenities," possibly including more shoreline access and a fishing or crabbing pier. These are options the county is keeping open, not a construction schedule. Parks and Recreation Director Emily Gilmer said it "could mean more opportunities to fish, crab, enjoy the shoreline or simply spend time outdoors."

The quote that best explains the timing came from Council Member Dave Stepp, the council's liaison to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He tied the purchase to a second project already underway: "With the Bellevue Passage Museum moving forward and now the addition of this property, we have an opportunity to build on what is already here while protecting public access."

A museum in one of the village's last historic buildings

The museum he meant broke ground this summer. As the Star Democrat reported, the Bellevue Passage Museum will put a digital gallery inside the converted John U. Green Store. A two-story annex will add exhibit space, programming rooms, and a gathering space. Attached to the property will be an outdoor community space, the Bellevue Passage Reflection and Heritage Garden.

In that paper's account, the project's purpose is preserving the history of "one of America's oldest Black waterfront communities." The founders are Drs. Dennis and Mary DeShields. Dennis DeShields is a fourth-generation descendant of Bellevue. Mary DeShields told the Star Democrat the project was "six and a half years in the making." Peggy Moore, one of the people who first proposed a museum in Bellevue more than two decades ago, called it "worked for, prayed for and sacrificed for over and over."

The ceremony was the result of steady public groundwork. At its July 14, 2026 meeting, the Talbot County Council unanimously approved a letter supporting the museum's application for a FY27 Maryland Historical Trust African American Heritage Preservation Program grant, with no county funding attached. Council Member Keasha Haythe, whom the Star Democrat called a native daughter of Bellevue, presented the council's recognition to the founders at the groundbreaking.

No opening date has been announced. The museum's own site places it in a short run of heritage sites around the Tred Avon. It lists the ferry, Bellevue Landing Park, and the Port of Oxford as neighbors, and the project has formed a working partnership with the Water's Edge Museum in Oxford. The county's new acres sit on the same stretch of shoreline the museum lists as its setting.

Dinner in Royal Oak came back in September

One road over, the reason to drive out after dark has returned. T at the General Store, at 25942 Royal Oak Road, reopened for dinner on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, after a brief hiatus.

The Talbot Spy reported that owner Paul Turczynski brought in chef Makendy Marc, a classically trained cook who spent more than 20 years in the Miami area. He describes his style as leaning Mediterranean. The plan is to keep T's classic dishes and add new ones over time, and most of the front-of-house staff were expected back. The menu posted on the restaurant's OpenTable page, updated October 11, already shows the new direction: an autumn roasted pear salad, chicken mattone, and Parisian gnocchi.

The Spy called T a longtime community dining spot for Royal Oak and a low-key change of pace for people coming from St. Michaels, Easton, and Oxford. The Spy and OpenTable both list dinner Tuesday through Saturday, with OpenTable showing 5 to 9 p.m. The restaurant's own reservations page lists a different schedule, so call before you go.

The ferry is the one piece that keeps a season

The museum and the park expansion are long-term projects, and T serves five nights a week. The Oxford–Bellevue Ferry is the one link that shuts down for winter. That makes the next few weeks the easy window to cross on the boat.

While the season runs, the ferry operates daily from 9 a.m. to sunset. Boats leave Oxford from Morris Street at The Strand at the top of the hour and leave the Bellevue Road landing at the bottom of the hour, weather permitting. The ferry's site gives no 2026 closing date. Last year's schedule, as Talbot County's tourism office described it, ran daily service through October and then the first two weekends of November before the winter break. Check the ferry's site before planning a November crossing around that pattern.

Current fares on the ferry's booking page:

The pass works out to $15 a crossing, compared with $17.50 a leg on a round-trip ticket and $20 one way. That only pays off for people who cross the Tred Avon often, but anyone who now has a dinner reservation on the Royal Oak side may cross more often than they used to.

This is the second season under new ownership. In February 2025, Captains Judy and Tom Bixler sold the ferry to Jim Andrews, owner of JettyLight, LLC, the Talbot Spy reported. The boat is the same one: the Talbot, a 65-foot double-ended steel ferry that carries about nine cars, as Chesapeake Bay Magazine described it.

Between now and January

The ferry stops carrying cars for the winter, but it still has a role in December. The holiday ferry lighting, which started last December, returns as part of Oxford's Christmas on the Creek. Here is the near-term calendar on and around the Tred Avon:

According to Tour Talbot, once Santa switches the lights on, the ferry stays lit at the dock through January 9. The Holy Trinity market is a few blocks from the dock, so the two events fit into one Saturday.

OysterFest is in St. Michaels, but it has a Bay Hundred connection. The festival's oyster stew competition is judged by visitor votes, and the 2025 winner was The Oaks Waterfront Hotel's team, led by Chef Dave Donohue. T at the General Store also entered last year, according to the Talbot Spy. No 2026 entrants have been named yet. Other parts of the day:

1. Oysters from the Talbot Watermen Association and local oyster farms, plus local craft beer and cocktails, all priced separately.
2. Swamp Donkey at the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand, and The Folk Villains on Fogg's Landing from 1 to 4 p.m.
3. An oyster slurp-off contest with same-day sign-up.
4. A christening ceremony for CBMM's historic buyboat Winnie Estelle.

Advance tickets bought online cost $2 less than tickets at the gate, and CBMM members get discounted pricing.

If you own on the Bay Hundred side, or are thinking about it, and want to talk through what the county's park plans and the museum project could mean for your corner of Talbot County, The Fredeking Team follows these projects closely and is glad to talk. Work With Us.