Highland Beach, Maryland

Highland Beach, Maryland, is the Ellison family’s summer setting and the landscape of Thelonious Ellison’s recollections of time with his father, Ben Ellison. Its house, beach, pier, and tidal creek give the family’s seasonal routine a particular shape: work to open the house, days together by the shore, and early walks shared by father and son.

The Summer House

When school ended in June, the family drove to its house in Highland Beach and prepared it for summer. They opened the windows, swept, cleared cobwebs, and chased away stray cats. The cleaning could exhaust Ben Ellison; when the family later played softball or croquet, he would sit on the porch and watch. He cheered Agnes Ellison when she took the bat and offered her pointers, remaining present even when he lacked the energy to join in. The family stayed at the beach for the summer, while Ben joined them on weekends.

Walks and the Tidal Creek

Ben had more energy in the mornings, and he and Thelonious Ellison took early walks from the house to the beach and out onto the pier. On the way back they passed the Douglass house and continued to a tidal creek, where they watched crabs move with the tide. Sometimes they brought a bucket and net, and Ben coached his son as he caught enough crabs for lunch. The creek was not just scenery: it was a place where the father’s attention took practical form, guiding the boy in an activity they could share.

A Place of Recollection

The remembered outings bring together the limits and tenderness of Ben’s presence. The man worn out by opening the house could still walk with his son in the morning, teach him to catch crabs, and encourage him beside the water. In one recollection, Ben falls onto the sand and tells Thelonious that he is a good boy. Highland Beach thus anchors a small but intimate family memory, shaped by ordinary seasonal work, the shoreline’s rhythms, and a father’s direct affirmation.