A 1940s fish camp is reborn at Pier 450

By Susan Moynihan, Chesapeake Bay Magazine

Everyone who grew up in St. Mary’s County knows about Scheible’s fish camp. Built in 1946, this family-run fish camp and restaurant was a favorite for charter captains around the Bay for 50-plus years. So when Oklahoma-born, D.C. transplant Peggy Binzel decided to turn it into something else, she knew she needed to tread carefully, respecting the past while birthing a new concept. The result is Pier450, a mid-century style motel and restaurant with a cheeky feel that nods to its roots while offering something completely different.

If you haven’t been to St Mary’s County in a while, you’ll find that not much has changed—and that’s exactly the appeal. There are no big-box stores, no traffic jams, no hustle and bustle; just acres of rolling farmland, plentiful boat launches and back roads, a few mom and pop shops, and some of the prettiest beaches around the Bay. It’s the latter that first drew Peggy Binzel to St. Mary’s County back in 2007, when she was working in communications in Washington, D.C. and looking for a weekend escape.

“I was looking for a beach house that was two hours from Washington and didn’t involve crossing the Bay Bridge,” said Binzel. “I knew nothing about St. Mary’s County. By process of elimination, I ended up finding this house that needed renovation in Scotland. I saw the photos, and said to the realtor, ‘This is it.’”

She started coming down on weekends and fell in love with the area, as did the friends who accompanied her. She decided to buy a second house on a larger plot of land, intending to renovate it and sell the first. Then came the real estate crash of 2008—so she changed tack. “It was very early in the vacation rental business. But I thought I’d give it a try, and it worked.”