Frank Nicolette

Of all the sidewheel passenger steamers to come to Annapolis, none was better known or more popular than the Emma Giles, built in 1887 with a passenger capacity of 2,500.

For nearly a half century she carried weekend excursionists from the Inner Harbor in Baltimore to the beaches across the Bay at Tolchester, and on weekdays moved passengers and cargo to other points along the Bay: Port Deposit, Annapolis, West River, Little Choptank.

The Emma Giles was the fulfillment of a dream of William Eliason, the new president of the Tolchester Steamboat Company. He advertised the first excursion aboard the “Palace Steamer Emma Giles” for Monday, May 25, 1887. A round trip was 50 cents and supper was 50 cents. The Emma Giles was the primary mode of transport across the Chesapeake Bay.