Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Fall Calendar

St. Michaels, Maryland - Eastern Shore Events

 

September

 

15th Charity Boat Auction - Saturday, September 1

 

15th Boating Party Gala - Saturday, September 8

 

Member's Night:

Exhibit Spotlight:

Tolchester Beach Bandstand & At Play on the Bay

Thursday, September 13

 

St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance

Sunday September 30

 

 

October

 

30th Annual Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival

Fri, Sat, Sun, October 5 - 7

 

2nd Annual Maritime Monster Mash

Friday, October 21

 

 

November

 

OysterFest

Saturday, November 3

 

Member's Night:

Exhibit Spotlight:

Oystering on the Chesapeake

Wednesday, November 7

 

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Information can be found at

www.cbmm.org

photo: courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

St. Michaels Antique and Classic Boat Festival

 Enjoy a weekend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Antique and Classic Boat Festival at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD is a popular event to attend on the shore. 

 ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL, June 15, 16, 17

June 15, 2012

Saint Michaels, Maryland
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Musuem

Friday, June 15 ~ 11am to 5pm
Saturday, June 16 ~ 10am to 5pm
Sunday, June 17 ~ 10am to 2pm

Free for members or with Museum admission www.chesapeakebayacbs.org

This annual boat event is the largest of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region! It features more than 100 antique and classic boats, boat building demonstrations, maritime artists and craftsmen, craft vendors, classic used boats, motors, and nautical flea market, along with live music, food, and more. This event is hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society International in cooperation with CBMM.

Contact

410-745-2916

Web Site URL

www.chesapeakebayacbs.org

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Premier Maritime Museums on the East Coast

Chesapeake Bay Maritime MuseumSt. Michaels, Maryland
www.cbmm.org

"Opened in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has become one of the premier maritime museums on the East Coast. Well-presented exhibits, many of them interactive, bring aspects of the Chesapeake Bay's unique history and economy to life: crabbing and oystering, boat-building and boat design, the impact of steam engines and mechanical power on bay life, and the arts and sports associated with the Chesapeake's enormous migratory waterfowl populations. Just as important, this is a museum that knows how to have fun. Special events staged during the May to November high season include art shows, family concerts, and oyster, crab and boat festivals..."

-- Tim Zimmermann
Washington Post - Read the full article about Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Saint Michaels, MD Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Free Admission Special

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - FREE ADMISSION PRESIDENT`S DAY


February 20, 2012

President’s Day on February 20, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, Maryland is offering free admission to its 18-acre waterfront campus and 12 exhibit buildings. The Eastern Shore museum features an authentic working boat yard, a floating fleet of historic vessels, the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, and many hands-on exhibits that share the stories of the Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in Saint Michaels is open 10am to 4pm seven days a week, with admission regularly at $13 adults, $10 seniors, $6 kids 6-17 and free admission for kids five and under.



For more information, visit the museum in St. Michaels, MD
Online at www.cbmm.org, or call 410-745-2916.

Eastern Shore Maryland - Travel Tips

"For all its polish, St. Michaels hasn’t forgotten its seafaring, oyster-shucking history. The sprawling Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (housed in ten waterfront buildings) wows with its screw-pile lighthouse on stilts and its interactive exhibits. See boats being restored, meet working watermen, and haul up a surprisingly heavy net full of crabs. Consider taking a two-hour, hands-on sail (with advance reservation) on the H.M. Krentz, berthed at the museum. The single-masted skipjack, originating on the Eastern Shore as an oysterman’s boat, had its heyday in the 1890s. America’s last commercial fleet under sail remains in the Chesapeake Bay."

By Cynthia Hacinli

From the September 2011 issue of
National Geographic Traveler
Road Trip: Maryland's Eastern Shore

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Hosts Plein Air-Easton

Photo: - Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM HOSTS PLEIN AIR-EASTON!

July 20, 2011

St. Michaels, MD - Eastern Shore Event
The Avalon Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum have launched a new partnership as part of the 7th Annual Plein Air–Easton! Competition & Arts Festival, to be held July 18-24, 2011.

During this year’s Plein Air–Easton! the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will present an exciting all day event on Wednesday, July 20, 2011. On this date, the museum campus, including the grounds, harbor, and buildings, will be opened to competition artists for a day long painting extravaganza. This is an ideal setting for landscape and marine scenes—the museum’s floating fleet of historic Chesapeake Bay watercraft is the largest in existence and its small boat collection includes crabbing skiffs, workboats, and log canoes. Situated in the historic town of St. Michaels and boasting 18 waterfront acres on the Miles River, the museum is sure to attract many painters, art enthusiasts, and visitors to the area for this unique opportunity to experience two Talbot County’s treasures at one time.

Other components of this special day will include docent tours of the museum grounds and buildings, a Plein Air–Easton! information headquarters, and sights of evening sailboat racing.

To top off the day, the museum will host an invitational picnic open to Plein Air–Easton! artists, volunteers, and sponsors. The dinner includes a BBQ-style buffet, live music, and the opportunity to talk with artists and watch them at work. During this private gathering, attendees may stroll the museum grounds and enjoy the picturesque Miles River and Fogg’s Cove.

“This the first time our two nonprofit organizations have worked together,” says Avalon Foundation Operations Director Jessica Rogers. “We are both very excited about this partnership between two like minded organizations. As one of the region’s most scenic and favored sites, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a perfect match for a plein air celebration. If you haven’t been to the Maritime Museum lately, this is a great way to enjoy two of the area’s treasurers in one day!”

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the heritage and stories of the Chesapeake Bay. The museum offers exhibits, demonstrations, boat rides, and annual festivals that celebrate Chesapeake Bay culture, boats, seafood, and history. Shipwrights building authentic Chesapeake wooden boats are part of the museum experience, and they are available to share the heritage of traditional boatbuilding with visitors. In addition to hosting changing art exhibits from around the Chesapeake Bay and the maritime trade, the Maritime Museum creates and encourages a memorable, hands-on experience in its permanent exhibits, making it a fun place for all ages to visit.

For more information, visit www.cbmm.org. Mark your calendar now for this and other events during the 7th Annual Plein Air–Easton! on July 18-24, 2011.

For the latest information, visit www.pleinaireaston.com, email info@pleinaireaston.com or phone 410.822.7297.

Contact

410.822.7297

Web Site URL

www.pleinaireaston.com

Avalon Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum have launched a new partnership as part of the 7th Annual Plein Air–Easton! Competition & Arts Festival, to be held July 18-24, 2011.
Eastern Shore Art Event information sourced from - http://tourtalbot.org/showevent.asp?eid=6718

St. Michaels, MD - Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Museum keeps Chesapeake’s maritime history in shipshape
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network / By Karl Blankenship - Bay Journal

When John B. Harrison set out to build his seventh “bugeye,” the 24-year-old boat builder took to the woods: He needed 10 straight logs, each roughly 4 feet in diameter and 60 feet long.

When he found the right trees, he cut them, squared them, pinned the logs together, and ultimately hollowed them out — not unlike a giant dugout canoe. A bugeye, after all, is essentially a dugout schooner, a boat unique to the needs of the Bay’s watermen at the time.

The final thickness of the hull, cut from the 4-foot-timbers, would range from 2.5 to 7 inches. From the cutting of the trees to the final bit of paint, the building of the Edna E. Lockwood took about 9 months.

When it was launched in October 1889, half of Tilghman Island showed up to cheer. Harrison, a well-known builder of his time, sold the boat for $2,200 — dugout boats were cheap when milled wood was scarce. He made about $100 profit.

Back then, the typical Bay workboat had a 20-year life expectancy. But through a few twists of fate and good luck, the Lockwood is around today. The old bugeye, a larger cousin of the more familiar skipjack, was donated to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1973, where it was restored by experienced craftsmen.

Today, the museum is home to the largest collection of Chesapeake Bay boats in existence. And the Lockwood, now a National Historic Landmark, is the last sailing log-bottom bugeye on the Bay — maybe in the world.

The story of the Lockwood illustrates one of the key missions of the museum, which is part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. The museum, in St. Michaels, MD not only preserves boats of the Bay’s past, but part of the way of life that evolved around them.

The museum’s 18-acre grounds not only include a lighthouse and exhibits about the Bay’s history and resources, but also contains a working boatyard, which helps to ensure that the Chesapeake’s wooden boats don’t become a thing of the past.

In the boatyard, visitors can see everything from the “marine railway” used to haul boats out of the water to the wide range of gauges, rulers, axes, adzes, saws, planes, drills, caulking and rigging tools needed to build and maintain wooden boats.

Often, those tools are in action. Visitors can watch the museum’s master shipwright and his apprentices work side-by-side with boat captains to maintain and restore the handful of wooden workboats that survive out of a fleet that once numbered in the hundreds. (On the day of my visit, they were even working in the snow.)

The museum last year began a campaign to raise money, mainly through grants, to help pay for the work.

“The boats are expensive to maintain. That’s why we started our ‘Save the Skipjack’ campaign, to help the captains keep them working” said Pat Piposzar, of the museum staff. “We’re not only preserving the fleet, but keeping the skills alive that are needed to work on wooden boats.”

The museum holds 85 vessels dating from the 1880s through the 1970s, including wooden sail, power and row boats. It is also working to document, through photographs and oral histories, the vanishing culture in the communities that surrounded those vessels.

That interest in the way of life around the boats becomes evident as one explores the museum’s more than a dozen exhibit buildings.

Visitors learn about the oystermen who, in the days before rubber gloves, would nick and scrape their fingers so much doing their job that when they got up in the morning, they would have to pull their fingers apart — then go do it all again.

Visitors also learn about isolated lighthouse attendants, who earned only five days off a month and whose families could visit for only two weeks a year.

The museum recreates the past with more than 7,500 artifacts, from the fine china and silver once used for serving meals on luxury steamboats, to huge “pipe guns” with 2-inch barrels that were once used to recklessly blast waterfowl from the region’s sky. Giant floor-to-ceiling photos offer a “you-are-there” experience of oyster shucking houses from the past or waiting for a steamship at a rural wharf.

Perhaps fitting for a maritime museum, its oyster exhibit is in a building that was built around a fully operational skipjack, the E.C. Collier. Visitors can board, and explore, both the ship’s working deck and its living quarters below.

Today’s oyster harvests are at record lows. But the museum recreates an era when shucking houses surrounded the Bay, canning oyster meat into 1-gallon containers under dozens of brand names so the Chesapeake’s oysters could be shipped to such far-flung places such as the gold camps of Cripple Creek, CO.

Reprinted newspaper articles tell of the ancient oyster wars on the Bay, fought at various times between oystermen from different states, between different groups of oystermen, or between oystermen and the state. It also tells of oystermen fighting for the Bay: In the 1890s, they had so much political clout that they forced Baltimore to construct a modern sewage treatment plant to protect water quality.

Just as the oyster exhibit is built around a skipjack, the steamboat exhibit building was built around a working steam engine, El Toro. The exhibit tells the story of steamboats, which were once the main form of transportation on the Bay. The first commercial steamboat on the Bay, appropriately named Chesapeake, went into service June 12, 1813, offering one-day trips between Baltimore and Annapolis.

Soon, steamboats were offering fast transportation through the Bay, and up and down today’s rivers. Communities that had been largely isolated because of poor roads were suddenly able to trade with major cities; the wharfs became focal points for communities.

Multideck steamboats became common. Some offered passengers a chance to travel in luxury, dining on china, with silver place settings. By 1850, it was possible to travel by steamboat from Richmond, up the Bay, through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, to Philadelphia. By the 1960s, they had vanished, pushed aside by automobiles, highways and the Bay Bridge.

The waterfowl building features every major type of gun ever used for hunting ducks and geese on the Bay, including the multi-barreled battery guns and huge shotguns — one so big it was called a “headache gun” by its owner — that led to the overharvesting of the birds in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Visitors also see a gunning boat that hunters used to silently float among flocks of ducks.

Visitors can climb to the top of the Hooper Straight Light House, built in 1879, abandoned in 1954, and moved to the museum in 1966. On the floors in between, they learn about the sometimes perilous, but mostly dull, life in the houses, which once dotted the Chesapeake. Their scheduled drudgery: 30 percent standing watch; 25 percent painting, 15 percent handling boats; 10 percent scrubbing, cleaning and polishing bras sand filling lamp; 10 percent visiting minor lights nearby; and 10 percent recordkeeping, picking up mail and supplies.

The Bay comes to life during the summer months as visitors to the museum’s crab shack can get their hands wet pulling eel pots, tending to a shedding tank and baiting a crab pot. Throughout the summer, tall ships make regular stops at the museum docks.

Many of the exhibits are designed with children in mind. During warm seasons, they can board the miniature skipjack, Spat, and workboat, Katie G., which contain all the features of their bigger relatives. In the lighthouse, there is a keepers uniform for children to try on.

St. Michaels was once home to six shipyards, which were the birthplace of the famous Baltimore clippers.
In the late 1800s.

Tolchester Beach resort, the famous Kent County resort that included an amusement park, which — in the days before cars and bridges made the Eastern Shore easily accessible — was a popular destination for steamboat excursions by Western Shore residents. Its bandstand is now on the museum grounds, and features musicians and other events in the summer.

Those days are long gone. But the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is doing its part to give visitors a sense of what they were like.

Directions:

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is located in St. Michaels, MD on Mill Street along the Miles River.

It is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the spring and fall, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the winter. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and $3 for children ages 6-17.

For information, call 410-745-2916, or visit its web site, www.cbmm.org, or the Gateways Network web site, www.baygateways.net



Karl is the Editor of the Bay Journal.



Museum keeps Chesapeake’s maritime history in shipshape
Article from Bay Journal, March 2002

St. Michaels Winefest - CBMM to Host Home Winemaking Workshop

Photo Credit:
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

ST. MICHAELS, MD - Held in conjunction with Winefest at St. Michaels 2011, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is hosting a Home Winemaking workshop from 10am to 12noon on Saturday, April 30 in the Steamboat Gallery’s Van Lennep Auditorium.

With 38-years of winemaking experience, Ron Sasiela of Easton will take participants through an introduction of both the art and science of home winemaking.

Sasiela is no novice to the culinary field or the Museum for that matter, having previously won a silver-place award in the Museum’s Best-Ever Crab Recipe contest a few years ago. In addition to being an international food consultant, author, humorous lecturer and inventor – Ron is a professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists and the American Wine Society, and believes in having his audience "roll up their sleeves" to better learn the subject – thus the workshop format.

Sasiela has put together a "101" level session for participants that includes information about federal regulations, simple needed equipment, resources for juice, procedures, ageing and bottling. Expect to see how Ron weaves in some fascinating nautical facts about winemaking too – in keeping with CBMM's mission. The session may be topped off with a small tasting of some of his award-winning wines for workshop participants.

Participants are encouraged to register early since attendance is strictly limited to the first 60 registrants. The workshop is free to Museum members, or with the purchase of an individual membership ($55) for one participant, or with a family membership ($70) for a couple. To register, call Helen Van Fleet at 410-745-4941 or email her at hvanfleet@cbmm.org

Press release sourced from:

http://www.tourtalbot.org/pressrelease.asp

CBMM to host Home Winemaking workshop during

St. Michaels Winefest

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - St. Michaels, MD Exhibit - Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth

St. Michaels, MD - Eastern Shore

New CBMM exhibit opens April 16 –
Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1817-1894
 

Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1817-1894 — a major retrospective exhibition highlighting the work of famed 19th-century marine artist James Edward Buttersworth (1817-1894), opens at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, MD, on Saturday, April 16, 2011. The show is organized by Mystic Seaport, the nation’s leading maritime museum, and will be on view in CBMM’s Steamboat Gallery through Sunday, October 16, 2011. The exhibit is partially financed by the Maryland Historical Trust, a part of the State Department of Planning.

A ship portraitist who meticulously illustrated America’s Golden Age of Sail, Buttersworth captured a realistic view of sea and sky while incorporating the human element into his work. James Edward Buttersworth (1817-1894) has long been recognized as a premier maritime artist distinguished by his story telling prowess, as well as his meticulous attention to detail with the brush and palette.

He began his career in England studying under his father, Thomas, a respected marine artist. The younger Buttersworth immigrated to the United States in the late 1840s, at the height of the Golden Age of Sail and steam transportation, and became immersed in chronicling the maritime world of New York. In illuminating American maritime history on canvas, Buttersworth became one of the most prolific marine artists of the nineteenth century. His paintings detailed packet ships, ocean steamships, clipper ships, naval frigates, harbor craft and most especially, the world of American yachting.

In the 1850s, Buttersworth contributed numerous paintings and sketches to Currier & Ives depicting famous vessels and marine disasters for their popular lithographs. Like his contemporary "luminist" and Hudson River School artists, Buttersworth excelled in the dramatic renderings of sea and sky, elevating the precisely detailed renderings of ships beyond document to art.

Paintings in the exhibition span Buttersworth’s entire career, beginning with his early British period works and ending with the 1893 America’s Cup series, completed a year before his death. The exhibition features 24 paintings, some of which were part of a gift to Mystic Seaport.

In 2006, Donald C. McGraw Jr., grandson of McGraw-Hill Inc.’s cofounder, bequeathed his private collection of 24 Buttersworth paintings to Mystic Seaport. This bequest brought Mystic Seaport’s total number of Buttersworth paintings to more than 50, making it the largest single public collection of the artist’s work.

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world. Mystic Seaport also features a working preservation shipyard, a re-created 19th-century coastal village, numerous exhibits and a planetarium. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. For more information, visit http://www.mysticseaport.org/.

Founded in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is the premier institution for studying, preserving, exhibiting and celebrating the rich maritime history, heritage, traditions and culture of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal reaches. Situated on 18 waterfront acres in the historic town of St. Michaels, Maryland, the Museum offers exhibits, demonstrations, boat rides on the Miles River, and annual festivals that celebrate Chesapeake Bay culture, boats, seafood, and history. The Museum’s floating fleet of historic Chesapeake Bay watercraft is the largest in existence and its small boat collection includes crabbing skiffs, workboats, and log canoes.

An accredited member of the American Association of Museums, the Museum is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm during the spring and fall, and from 10am to 6pm in the summer. Admission is free for Museum members and children under six; otherwise admission is $13 for adults; $10 for seniors and military; and $6 for children six years of age and older.

Free, on-site parking is available and the Steamboat Gallery is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For more information, call 410-745-2916 or visit http://www.cbmm.org/.

Saint Michaels, Maryland Events on the Eastern Shore

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Tracey Munson, Director of Marketing

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

410-745-4960

tmunson@cbmm.org

(ST MICHAELS, MD – February 16, 2011)

Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks - Boat Facts, Video

Watch and learn about Chesapeake Bay Skipjack boats.

Skipjack (boat)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skipjack under sailThe skipjack is a type of sailboat developed on the Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging. It succeeded the bugeye as the chief oystering boat on the bay, and remains in service due to laws restricting the use of powerboats in the Maryland state oyster fishery.

Design & Construction of Skipjacks
The skipjack is sloop-rigged, with a sharply raked mast and extremely long boom (typically the same length as the deck of the boat). The mainsail is ordinarily triangular, though gaff rigged examples were built. The jib is self-tending and mounted on a bowsprit. This sail plan affords the power needed to pull the dredge, particularly in light winds, while at the same time minimizing the crew required to handle the boat.

The hull is wooden and V-shaped, with a hard chine and a square stern. In order to provide a stable platform when dredging, skipjacks have very low freeboard and a wide beam (averaging one third the length on deck). A centerboard is mounted in lieu of a keel. The mast is hewn from a single log, with two stays on either side, without spreaders; it is stepped towards the bow of the boat, with a small cabin. As typical in regional practice the bow features a curving longhead under the bowsprit, with carved and painted trailboards. A small figurehead is common. A typical skipjack is 40 to 50 feet in length. The boats use direct link Edson worm steering gear mounted immediately forward of the transom.

The dredge windlass and its motor are mounted amidships, between the mast and deckhouse. Rollers and bumpers are mounted on either side of the boat to guide the dredge line and protect the hull.

Due to state laws, the boat has no motor (other than for the windlass). Most skipjacks were eventually modified with stern davits to hold a dinghy or pushboat to allow motorized travel as permitted by law.

Skipjack History
The skipjack arose near the end of the 19th century. Dredging for oysters, prohibited in 1820, was again made legal in 1865. Boats of the time were unsuitable, and the bugeye developed out of the log canoe in order to provide a boat with more power adapted to the shallow waters of the oyster beds.

The bugeye was originally constructed with a log hull, and as the supply of appropriate timber was exhausted and construction costs rose, builders looked to other designs. They adapted the sharpies of Long Island Sound by increasing the beam and simplifying the sail plan. The result was cheaper and simpler to construct than the bugeye, and it quickly became the predominant oystering boat in the bay.

Debate remains to this day about the origins of the name. Some speculate it came from a name New England fisherman called the flying fish, bonita. Still others claim it is derived from an archaic English term, meaning an "inexpensive yet useful servant."

Maryland's oyster harvest reached an all-time peak in 1884, at approximately 15 million bushels of oysters. The oyster harvest has since declined steadily, especially at the end of the 20th century. The size of the fleet has likewise declined. New skipjacks were built as late as 1993, but a change in the law in 1965 allowed the use of motor power two days of the week. As a result, few of the boats are operated under sail in commercial use; instead, a pushboat is used to move the skipjack, and little dredging is done except on the days that power is allowed.

At one time, the number of skipjacks produced is estimated at approximately 2,000; today, they number about 40, with less than half of them in active fishing. The future of the fleet remains in doubt as efforts continue to restore the productivity of the oyster beds.

The skipjack was designated the state boat of Maryland in 1985.

Remaining Skipjacks
Chesapeake Bay skipjacks drying sails while inport1.Ada Fears, Ridge, Maryland. Built in Oxford, Maryland in 1968.
2.Ada Mae, New Bern, North Carolina. Built in Rose Bay, North Carolina in 1915.[1]
3.Anna McGarvey, Kent Island, Maryland. Built in Wenona on 1906.
4.Bernice J.. Built at Young's Creek, Virginia in 1904.
5.Caleb W. Jones, Deal Island, Maryland. Built in 1953.
6.City of Crisfield, Deal Island, Maryland. Built in Reedville, Virginia in 1949.
7.City of Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia. Built in Deale, Maryland in 1900.
8.Clarence Crockett, Wenona, Maryland. Built in Deep Creek, Virginia in 1908.
9.Claude W. Somers, Reedville, VA. Built in Accomack County, VA in 1911.
10.Dee of St. Mary's, St. George Island, MD. Built in Piney Point, Maryland in 1979.
11.E.C. Collier, St. Michaels, MD. Built in Deal Island in 1910.(Currently an onshore display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum)
12.Elsworth, Worton, MD. Built in 1901.
13.Fannie L. Daugherty, Deal Island, MD. Built in Crisfield, Maryland in 1904.
14.F. C. Lewis, Jr, West Denton, MD.
15.Flora A. Price, West Denton, MD. Built in 1910.
16.Helen Virginia, Queenstown, Maryland. Built in Crisfield, Maryland in 1948.
17.Hilda M. Willing, Tilghman Island, Maryland. Built in Oriole, Maryland in 1905.
18.H.M. Krentz, Saint Michaels, MD. Built in Harryhogan, Virginia in 1955.
19.Howard, Wenona, MD. Built in Deep Creek, Virginia in 1909.
20.Ida May, Deal Island, MD. Built in Urbanna, Virginia in 1906.
21.Joy Parks, St. Mary's County Piney Point Museum. Built in Parksley, Virginia in 1936.
22.Kathryn, Tilghman Island, Maryland. Built in Crisfield, Maryland in 1901.
23.Lady H, Tilghman Island, MD. Built in Oxford, Maryland in 1944.
24.Lady Katie, Cambridge, MD. Built in Wingate, Maryland in 1956.
25.Maggie Lee, West Denton, MD. Built in Pocomoke City, Maryland in 1908.
26.Mamie A. Mister, Easton, MD. Built in Deal Island, Maryland in 1911.
27.Martha Lewis, Havre de Grace, MD. Built in Wingate, Maryland in 1955.
28.Mary W. Somers, St. Mary's City, MD. Built in Mearsville, Virginia in 1904.
29.Minnie V, Baltimore, MD. Built in Wenonah, Maryland in 1906.
30.Nathan, Cambridge, MD. Built Cambridge, Maryland in 1992.
31.Nellie L. Byrd, Tilghman Island, MD. Built in Oriole, Maryland in 1911.
32.Ralph T. Webster. Built in Oriole, Maryland in 1905.
33.Rebecca T. Ruark, Tilghman Island, MD. Built in Taylors Island, Maryland in 1886.
34.Reliance. Built at Fishing Creek, Maryland in 1904.
35.Rosie Parks, St. Michaels, MD. Built in Wingate, Maryland in 1955.
36.Ruby G. Ford, Built in Fairmount, Maryland in 1891.
37.Sea Gull, Deal Island, MD. Built in Crisfield, Maryland in 1924.
38.Sigsbee, Baltimore, MD. Built in Oriole, Maryland in 1901.
39.Somerset, Built in Reedsville, Virginia in 1949.
40.Stanley Norman, Annapolis, MD. Built in 1902.
41.Somerset, Deal Island, MD. Built in Reedville, Virginia in 1949.
42.Susan May, Wenona, MD. Built in Pokomoke City, Maryland in 1901.
43.Talbot Lady, Canton, New Jersey. built in Skipton Md. 1986.
44.Thomas W. Clyde, Tilghman Island, MD. Built in Oriole, MD in 1911.
45.Virginia W, Port Kinsale, VA. Built in Guilford, Virginia in 1904.
46.Wilma Lee, Kinsale, VA. Built in Wingate, MD in 1940.

References

• Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks
• Skipjack History
• Skipjack: Maryland State Boat from State of Maryland Archives site
• National Historic Landmark Study for Chesapeake Skipjack Hilda M. Willing
• Chesapeake Bay Skipjack Fleet MPS

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Credit: Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Chesapeake Bay Beaches - Before Ocean City

Sandaway B&B in Oxford, MD dates back to 1875 and is still a popular beach getaway.
Oxford is located on the Eastern Shore about 90 minutes before Ocean City, MD.

For a long time, visiting the 'beach' meant the Bay
Until the advent of autos and the Bay Bridge, resorts on the shores of the Chesapeake attracted tourists by the boat (and train) load
By Lara Lutz - Bay Journal

Beach vacations in the mid-Atlantic are a timeless tradition.


Long boardwalks, plied by vendors, musicians and novelty shops, draw tourists of all ages. The smell of food is in the air, and sea gulls coast over clusters of beach umbrellas. Squeals and clanks carry through the air from carousels, roller coasters and kiddie rides. Young people hit the dance floors, and lines form at the slot machines.


Today, you find it at the ocean. Not long ago, you'd find it all on the Chesapeake Bay.


"The Seashore with its Healthful Climate, Saltwater Breezes is at Your Very Door," proclaims a vintage poster for Chesapeake Beach, once an elaborate resort town in Southern Maryland. Visitors from Washington, D.C., and beyond poured off the trains to enjoy "saltwater bathing" and an impressive boardwalk almost 400 feet offshore with a dance hall, bowling area, bandstand and casino. A dramatic roller coaster named the Great Derby extended in dramatic curves over the Bay.


The resort's grand opening in 1900 even earned coverage in the New York Times.


Surprisingly, little evidence of these resorts and beach areas remains along the Bay. But their presence altered the shoreline forever.


In colonial times, life was focused on the Bay. Its waters offered the easiest means of travel, so towns and commerce hugged the shore. Over time, though, Americans moved inland. More town centers opened to the west, with roads to connect them. For large stretches, the shores of the Bay took on the sleepier feel of the rural hinterland-the domain of farmers and watermen.


Then city dwellers returned to the Bay, this time for vacation. This renewed interest in the Bay, for play rather than work, marked a shift in its fate. People who came to the Bay for summer refuge soon began to stay year-round.


As car travel became easier and more affordable, these old summer communities became anchors for the region's earliest suburbs. Some became so well-populated that they merged with other city centers. Their growing presence has put immense pressure on the Bay's water quality and contributed to the overall demise of the resource that first attracted commuters to its shores.


Recreational beaches began sprouting on the Bay's Western Shore by the late 1900s. Buckroe Beach, now a part of Hampton, VA, can even trace its origins to a recreational interest in the area dating to the 1820s. But the beaches got their biggest boost from the proliferation of transportation options that arrived at the turn of the century.


Mass transportation by train and steamboat helped greater numbers of people take affordable trips out of the city. Trains were integral to Chesapeake Beach, because the entire resort was developed to entice passengers onto a new rail line between D.C. and the Bay.


"In terms of the human story, this was the first time that transportation allowed people of moderate means to travel beyond where their legs could take them," said Harriet Stout, curator of the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum.


Yet the suite of new travel options usually ended at the Bay, not the ocean. While steamboats carried some tourists to the Eastern Shore, the trip to the Atlantic was a long one. And when automobiles entered the scene, no bridges spanned the Bay. Maryland's Bay Bridge didn't open until 1952. Virginia's bridge-tunnel debuted in 1964. So the Bay's Western Shore became a prime destination for generations of vacationers from Baltimore, D.C. and Richmond.


The Bay's safety was a draw, too. A Chesapeake Beach brochure promised "fine white sand... entirely free from objectionable features. There being no undertow or dangerous currents, the bathing is entirely safe for all ages... children may be allowed to splash and play in the invigorating waters to their hearts content."


A 1908 advertisement for Buckroe Beach boasted the area to be "free from all kinds of fever... the healthfulness of Buckroe and its environs are unsurpassed... Nowhere along the Atlantic Coast will be found such delightful bathing, absolutely free from treacherous shoals or undertow."


Chesapeake Beach and Buckroe Beach were among the largest attractions on the Western Shore, paired with amusement rides and hotels, some of which were quite luxurious. The Victorian resort at Bay Ridge, now part of Annapolis, was once hailed as the "Queen Resort of the Chesapeake." The dining hall at Bay Ridge could seat 1,600 people, and the bathhouses contained more than 600 dressing rooms.


But more modest vacation spots, both public and private, dotted the shoreline in Maryland and Virginia.


Gibson Island, a short way south of Baltimore, became a private summer retreat where families could enjoy a cooler and healthier summer, and fathers could make a reasonable commute to the city. By the 1920s, the island had emerged as a major East Coast yachting center.


Sherwood Forest, on the Severn River north of Annapolis, began as a cottage community with a whimsical name. Life centered on the river and a huge range of activities for children, while the dining halls, clubhouse, and community store created a summer-camp feeling for all ages. White cottages were banned after the first few were built-they disrupted the lovely green view of the shoreline. Green or brown exteriors only, please.


Highland Beach, also near Annapolis, had ties to a remarkable number of important African-Americans.


Charles Douglass, son of the abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass, founded Highland Beach after being denied access to Bay Ridge because of his race. He left Bay Ridge by way of land that was owned by an African-American farmer. Douglass later purchased the 27-acre tract and offered parcels for summer homes. W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar each spent time at Highland Beach. Frederick Douglass died while his home there was under construction. The house, known as Twin Oaks, still stands today.


Virginia had fewer beaches on the Bay, in part because it has more direct access to the Atlantic Ocean on its western shore. Gwynn's Island was an upscale Bay retreat for residents of Richmond. Buckroe Beach was especially popular, expanding from a 19th century beach at Old Point Comfort.


"The Hygeia Hotel, the first hotel built at Old Point, became a watering hole for leaders of the antebellum South and North. Important people of this time vacationed here," said author and historian Wythe Holt.


Buckroe developed later into a full-blown public beach and amusement park. It was already booming by the mid-1890s, and grew further when the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad connected it to Richmond in the early 1900s.


Bayshore emerged as an African-American beach next to Buckroe Beach, with one of the earliest resort hotels exclusively for African-American use.


Grandview Beach lay to the north. "From my grandfather's times in the 1890s, there was a dance hall at Grandview beach," Holt said. "Young people would bump down there on the corduroy road with their horses and buggies and dance into the wee hours. Grandview was an old-style, small community, even through the 1940s."


In Norfolk, Ocean View Beach (on the Bay) had a practical start. Michael Cobb, curator of the Hampton History Museum, points to the contrast. "In this area, wealthy Hamptonians were making money from the seafood industry and setting up summer cottages along the shore," he said. "Ocean View started as a resort after the Civil War. People didn't have much money, so they would rent their homes out to make a meager existence."


By the middle of the 20th century, Western Shore beaches were dealt a series of blows that eventually ended the era.


World War II closed many of them. Some never reopened and others limped along with less to offer. In 1952, the Bay Bridge opened in Maryland and ocean resorts became the rage. Resistance to racial integration at the beaches caused attendance to drop further and at least one beach closed in protest. In Maryland, the end of legalized slot machines sent even more tourists to the other side of the Bay.


Some buildings and summer homes were dismantled for redevelopment, while others fell victim to fire and disrepair. A few mutated into public parks, minus the boardwalk flair. Buckroe Beach and Grandview Beach were absorbed into Hampton. Ocean View now exists as a Norfolk park. Both Buckroe and Ocean View Beach have long since lost their amusement parks.


All of the historic amenities at Chesapeake Beach are gone, including the amusement park, but the town continues to be a hub for Bayside tourism. Its golden days are retold at the Chesapeake Bay Railway Museum, a member of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, located in the original train station.


The most lasting impact of this era is symbolized through the clusters of summer cottages-"summer colonies" as they were known in Maryland-where city folks rediscovered the joys of the Bay. Many of these shoreline neighborhoods still exist, in unincorporated communities with narrow streets, where the remaining cottages contrast with their larger, modern neighbors. Gibson Island, Sherwood Forest and Highland Beach are small but thriving private communities, along with many others on the Magothy, Severn and South rivers.


Today, the number of summer homes is few. The lights are on year-round, and commutes to the city take place each day.


The vacationers from a century ago were in many ways suburban pioneers. They were the first to look over their shoulders-back to the sleepy shorelines where watermen and farmers made their lives-and think of the Bay as a place to play. They came for the day, then the weekend, and then the summer. A select few moved in full time, and many of their children and grandchildren are living there today.


The cottage neighborhoods grew quiet when the beaches closed, but their presence set the stage for new waves of residential development that hit the Bay's shoreline in the late 1980s. Although that earlier, playful era left little direct evidence of its size or longevity, it changed the shores of the Bay forever.


Lara Lutz is the author of "Chesapeake's Western Shore: Vintage Vacationland," a new collection of historic photographs depicting the beach era of the Chesapeake Bay. Wythe Holt and Michael Cobb are co-authors of "Hampton," which includes historic images of Buckroe Beach. Both are available from booksellers and at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.


Gateway Sites Tell Resorts' Stories


Many of the sites in the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network introduce visitors to various aspects of the Bay's largely vanished resorts. These exhibits are found at:


The Chesapeake Maritime Museum, in St. Michael's, MD, has a number of exhibits highlighting the area's maritime history, including an extensive exhibit on steamboats featuring the resorts they served around the Bay. The bandstand from the Tolchester Beach resort, a famous Kent County resort that included an amusement park, is now on the museum grounds and features musicians and other events in the summer
.
The Steamboat Museum in Irvington, VA, honors the era of the steamboats that plied the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including those that brought tourists to beachfront resorts. Some of these luxurious vessels were outfitted with carved oak staircases, polished brass and dining rooms set with white linen and silver.

The Chesapeake Beach Railroad Museum, in Chesapeake Beach, MD, recreates memories of the Bayside resort of nearly a century ago with exhibits featuring the history of the Chesapeake Beach Railway, as well as artifacts, photographs and exhibits portraying resort life and transportation in the early 1900s.

North Point State Park, near Edgemere, southeast of Baltimore, has six miles of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay, Back River and Shallow Creek. Most of the park is covered by forests, wetlands and fields, but visitors can also check out the Old Bayshore Park ruins-evidence of a premier turn-of-the-century amusement park that includes the 1,000-foot Bayshore pier, trolley station, restaurant and fountain.


The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which is coordinated by the National Park Service, connects visitors with the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through 150 exceptional parks, wildlife refuges, museums, sailing ships, historic communities, trails and more.


For information about these and other Gateways Network sites, visit www.baygateways.net.



For a long time, visiting the 'beach' meant the Bay
Until the advent of autos and the Bay Bridge, resorts on the shores of the Chesapeake attracted tourists by the boat (and train) load
By Lara Lutz - Bay Journal

Fall Events - Easton, Maryland area

Country music star Terri Clark will be live at the Avalon this Wednesday November 10, 2010. Terri Clark in concert at the Avalon Theatre at 8 p.m. - tickets $30 - 410-822-7299 or www.avalontheatre.com - Info: www.terriclark.com



Easton, Marlyand Area Events for November 2010

Amish Country Farmers Market Every Thursday through Saturday - Indoor market offering fresh produce, meats, dairy products, furniture, handcrafted items, and indoor and take away dinning and more! Thurs 9 AM - 6 PM; Fri 9 AM - 7 PM & Sat 9 AM - 3 PM. Easton Plaza, 101 Marlboro Avenue, Easton, MD 21601. Phone 410-822-8989.

Bingo Every Friday Night - Doors open at 6:30 PM; games start at 7:30 PM. Food provided by the Easton Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. Easton Volunteer Fire Department, Creamery Lane, 315 Aurora Street, Easton. 410-822-4848.

Easton Farmers' Market Every Saturday - Quality & variety of produce, and crafts. Saturday 8 AM - 1 PM. Live music from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Parking Lot on N. Harrison St., Easton. 410-820-8822.

Nov 1: The Robert Cray Band - 8 PM. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Admission charge $55. Tickets 410-822-7299

Nov 1-8: Realism Perfected - New Works by Matt Zoll - Featured show of exciting new works by Baltimore artist, Matt Zoll. Using Old Masters' techniques, Zoll achieves extraordinary realism in his paintings, characterized by remarkable color and vibrancy. Troika Gallery Fine Art Studio, 9 South Harrison Street, Easton. 410-770-9190.

Nov 1- 16: Steve McCurry: Afghanistan Photographs - Mon & Fri 10 AM - 3 PM; Tues - Thurs 10 AM - 8 PM; Sat & Sun 10 AM - 4 PM. More than a dozen photographs by internationally recognized photojournalist, Steve McCurry. Academy Art Museum, 106 South Street, Easton. 410-822-2787.

Nov 4: Elizabeth and the Catapult - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 5: Danielle Ate The Sandwich - 8 PM. The Stoltz Listening Room, 2nd floor Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Handcrafted beers on tap, fine wines served. Admission charge $15. 410-822-7299.

Nov 5: Opening Reception of Potters of the Eastern Shore - 5 - 8:30 PM. Works of five local potters: Paul Aspell, David Crane, Signe Hanson, Ken Sadler, and Joan Titus. Work will range from functional to cultural, hand-build and pieces thrown on the wheel. Wine & Cheese will be offered and live music will be provided throughout the evening by Buckets and Keys. Gallery 26, 26 W. Dover Street. 443-521-4084.

Nov 5:Charlie Mars - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 5 -8: Maggie Siner - Strengthening Visual Sensitivity through Direct Oil Painting Artist Workshop - 9 AM - 4 PM. For intermediate and advanced students. Limited to 20 students. Contact Easton Studio & School at 410-770-8350. Sponsored by South Street Art Gallery, 5 South Street, Easton. 410-770-8350. E-mail: southstreetartg@aol.com Fee $600.

Nov 6: 2nd Annual Clues Cruise - Treasure hunt and poker run. Competitors will visit 12 historic sites at 10 different locations. At each site, you will find 1 or more answers to questions on a quiz. And at 7 of the sites, you will receive 1 playing card for your poker hand. Prizes will be awarded to fastest times with most correct answers and best 5-card poker hand. Registration begins at 10:30 AM in the municipal parking lot next to the Historical Society of Talbot County; cruise to begin at 11 AM sharp! Finish at the Irish Crab Waterside Pub at Easton Point, Port Street, Easton. Historical Society of Talbot County, 25 S. Washington Street, Easton. Charge per vehicle:$15 members/$25 non-members. 410-822-0773.

Nov 6: Oysterfest - 10 AM - 4PM. Live music, food and family activities including boat rides, demonstrations and oyster tonging. Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 213 N. Talbot Street, St. Michaels. Admission: charge. 410-745-2916.

Nov 6: 3rd Annual Moon Glow Golf Tournament - 6:30 PM Shot gun start. Easton Club, (Pro Shop), 28449 Clubhouse Dr., Easton. A moon glow golf tournament held just after dark with golf balls and fairway markers that light up at night through the use of glow sticks. Flashlights will be used to navigate the course safely and may only be used to line up your putts. Entry fee $60 per person includes, two glow balls, one glow necklace, drinks, (keg beer, water & soda), and light food and prizes to follow event. Advanced registration required by Sept. 29th. Don't forget your flashlights!

Nov 6: Curtis Peoples - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 6: John Eaton: Jazz, Blues & Broadway - 8 PM. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Admission charge $25. Tickets 410-822-7299

Nov 7: Sweet Leda, Jenn Grinnels, Bryan Russo and Joey Harkum - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 8: Acoustic Slam - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 9: Peter Mulvey and Andy Friedman - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 10: Terri Clark - 8 PM. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Admission charge $30. Tickets 410-822-7299.

Nov 11 - Dec 30: Exhibit of New Works by Ed Cooper and Tim Bell - South Street Art Gallery, 5 South Street, Easton. 410-770-8350 or e-mail: southstreetartg@aol.com

Nov 11: Jim Bianco & Bleu - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 11: Scrapomatic - The Stoltz Listening Room, 2nd floor Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Handcrafted beers on tap, fine wines served. Admission charge $25. 410-822-7299.

Nov 12 - Dec 31: 13th Anniversary Gala Group Show - Original works by all 34 of the gallery's renowned artists. Troika Gallery, 9 S. Harrison Street, Easton. 410-770-9190.

Nov 12: 13th Anniversary Gala Champagne Opening Reception - 5 - 9 PM. Original works by all 34 of the gallery's renowned artists. Troika Gallery, 9 S. Harrison Street, Easton. 410-770-9190.

Nov 12: The Roadhouse Clams CD Release Party - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 12: Jesse Harper - The Stoltz Listening Room, 2nd floor Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Handcrafted beers on tap, fine wines served. Admission charge $20. 410-822-7299.

Nov 12 - 14: Tim Bell - Extreme Plein Air Artist Workshop - 9 AM - 4 PM. For all levels. Limited to 20 students. Contact Easton Studio and School at 410-770-8350. Sponsored by South Street Art Gallery, 5 South Street, Easton. 410-770-8350. E-mail: southstreetartg@aol.com Fee $450.

Nov 12-14: 40th Annual Waterfowl Festival - Wildlife paintings, sculpture, carvings, decoys, photography and crafts in 18 exhibit sites throughout colonial town. Also retriever, shooting and fly-fishing demonstrations, Goose and Duck Calling Contests, seminars, masterclasses, decoy auction. Fri & Sat 10 AM-6PM, Sun 10 AM-4 PM. Phone 410-822-4567. E-mail: facts@waterfowlfestival.org. Admission charge.

Nov 13: Reception for Ed Cooper and Tim Bell - New Works - 5 - 8 PM. South Street Art Gallery, 5 South Street, Easton. 410-770-8350 or e-mail: southstreetartg@aol.com

Nov 13: Don Pasquale (Donizetti) Live in HD from The Met - Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Admission charge. Tickets 410-822-7299

Nov 13: Jamie McLean Band - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 13: Session Americana - 8 PM. Avalon Theatre, Stoltz Listening Room, 2nd floor, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Admission charge $20. Tickets 410-822-7299.

Nov 14: Sunday Bird Walk n' Talk Series - Feeder Birds - 2 - 4 PM. An exploration of the habitat, identification and calls of different bird groups. Following a group introduction, adults and children will split up for specialized hikes. Pickering Creek Audubon Center, 11450 Audubon Lane, Easton. Cost $10.00/adult; $5/child. 410-822-4903.

Nov 16: Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 18: Comedy at the Stoltz! Feat. Chipps Cooney - The Stoltz Listening Room, 2nd floor Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Handcrafted beers on tap, fine wines served. Admission charge $20. 410-822-7299.

Nov 19: Elizabeth Cook - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 19: BettySoo - The Stoltz Listening Room, 2nd floor Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Handcrafted beers on tap, fine wines served. Admission charge $15. 410-822-7299.

Nov 19-21: John Michael Carter-Figurative Workshop - 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM. Three day workshop to create a painting from a costumed model. Carter will discuss drawing & achieving correct proportions, with a focus on color and value arrangement & how they serve to develop composition. Limit to 15 students. Contact Easton Studio & School at 410-770-8350. Sponsored by South Street Art Gallery, 5 South Street, Easton. 410-770-8350. E-mail: southstreetartg@aol.com Fee $450.

Nov 20: Arty Hill - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 20: World Movie Premiere "The Lost River" - The untold story of Delmarva's own Anna Ella Carroll, Lincoln's Secret Revealed!. Film Premiere 7 PM. Tickets at door $15; Special VIP reception & Film Premiere tickets 5 PM, $35. Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort, Cambridge. Presented by the Friends of Anna Ella Carroll in partnership with the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. 410-943-1694.

Nov 21: Talbot Bird Club Walk at Pickering Creek - 7 AM. Carpool to Pickering with the Talbot Bird Club leaving from Easton Acme parking lot. Join skilled and novice birders in search of fall migrants and wintering species. Pickering Creek Audubon Center, 11450 Audubon Lane, Easton. FREE. 410-822-4903.

Nov 24: Bearkat - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 26: Run/Walk for Hospice - 10 AM. 10K Run or 5K Fun Run/Walk. YMCA, Peachblossom Road. 410-822-0566.

Nov 26: Preview Gala 25th Annual Festival of Trees - 6 - 8 PM. Gold Ballroom, Tidewater Inn, Dover and Harrison Sts. Light fare, libations and an auction amongst the beautifully decorated trees. Benefit Talbot Hospice. 410-819-FEST.

Nov 27: Create Victorian Christmas Ornaments - 11 AM - 1:30 PM. Historical Society of Talbot County, 25 S. Washington Street, Easton. Appropriate for all ages. Antique clippings, tinsel, laces, images, and what-nots are provided. Pre-registration required. Charge. 410-822-0773.

Nov 27: Clones of Funk - 8 PM. Avalon Theatre, 40 E. Dover Street, Easton. Admission charge $20. Tickets 410-822-7299

Nov 26: Kentavius Jones Band (2 Shows) - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 27 & 28: 2010 Festival of Trees Homes Tour - 10 AM - 4 PM. Benefit Talbot Hospice Foundation. Admission charge. 410-819-3378

Nov 27 - 30: 25th Annual Festival of Trees "A Celebration Remembering 25 Years" - various locations throughout Easton including the Gold Ballroom at the Tidewater Inn. Benefit Talbot Hospice Foundation. Admission charge. 410-819-3378.

Nov 28: Holiday Bingo - 2-4 PM. Easton Volunteer Fire Department. Fun and games for all ages. Cash, prizes and a jackpot make this a favorite event!

Nov 27: Angel Band - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. www.nightcattickets.com

Nov 30: Tony Lucca, Matt Duke, & Jay Nash - NightCat, 5 Goldsborough Street, Easton. NightCat will be serving beer & wine. An impressive variety of beers and glasses of wine ranging from $5-$10. Lite fare menu and table service. Admission charge. 410-690-4544. http://www.nightcattickets.com/




Easton, Maryland area events for November 2010 sourced from http://www.eastonmd.org/ebmasite/calendar.htm#nov10

Lady Maryland Comes to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Come see the ship Lady Maryland at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum – a replica of a Chesapeake Bay 19th century pungy schooner used to carry perishable cargo such as oysters, watermelons, tomatoes, fish, peaches, and grain. OCTOBER 24 - 29, 2010 Saint Michaels, Maryland.

"Photo Courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,"
Photo copyright the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

LADY MARYLAND COMES TO CBMM, OCTOBER 24 - 29
October 24, 2010


ST. MICHAELS.... From Sunday, October 24 to Friday, October 29, come see the ship Lady Maryland – a replica of a Chesapeake Bay 19th century pungy schooner used to carry perishable cargo such as oysters, watermelons, tomatoes, fish, peaches, and grain. The Lady Maryland now trades in educational programs as part of the Living Classrooms Foundation.

For more information, contact Kate Livie at 410-745-4947 or e-mail klivie@cbmm.org
Contact
410-745-4947
http://www.cbmm.org/




Lady Maryland Comes to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum event information sourced from http://www.tourtalbot.org/showevent.asp?eid=6499

Oyster Fest 2010 - St. Michaels, Maryland

Who loves Eastern Shore of Maryland oysters from the Chesapeake Bay? This Fall visit the OysterFest in St. Michaels, MD.

OysterFest - St. Michaels, Maryland

November 6, 2010


ST. MICHAELS....From 10-4pm on Saturday November 6, come celebrate the Chesapeake’s oyster at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s (CBMM) OysterFest in St. Michaels. The event features live music, oysters and other food, children’s activities, boat rides, oyster demonstrations and harvesting displays, oyster tonging, cooking demonstrations and an oyster stew competition among local restaurateurs.

Live music with Blues Deville and Three Penny Opera will entertain guests with everything from blues to rock and roll throughout the day. The Talbot County Watermen’s Association will have several boats dockside to display oyster harvesting techniques including dredging, hand tonging, patent tonging and diving.

The Talbot County Watermen’s Association and the Choptank Oyster Company will offer fresh Chesapeake Bay oysters on the half shell for sale. The Talbot County Watermen’s Association, who recently hosted the inaugural Watermen’s Appreciation Day at CBMM, promotes Chesapeake seafood and supports the industry through ecological as well as economic revitalization measures. The Choptank Oyster Company is the only privately-funded oyster hatchery in the state of Maryland, culturing only the Crassostrea virginica, the Chesapeake’s native oyster species.

Oyster stew tastings and a competition begin at 11am, with bragging rights awarded to the winning Eastern Shore restaurant. Early registrants include Characters Café, the Crab Claw, Sherwood’s Landing at the Inn at Parry Cabin, Rupert’s Bar and Tea Room, and Two If By Sea. Fried oyster sandwiches, platters and more will also be available.

Local restaurants will also offer cooking demonstrations of their signature oyster dishes throughout the day. Early registrants include 208 Talbot, Sherwood’s Landing at the Inn at Perry Cabin, and the Tilghman Island Inn. Cooking demonstrations will begin at 10:30am and follow at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30pm. For those who prefer to learn about oysters rather than eat them, a variety of other food along with cold beer, hot chocolate and coffee will be available.

Throughout the day, boat rides and ecology cruises at 1 and 3pm will be available on CBMM’s replica buyboat Mister Jim at a nominal cost. Martha Lewis, a skipjack built by legendary Bay boat builder Bronza Parks, will be dockside for visitors to walk aboard and tour.

OysterFest boasts plenty of family educational and fun activities designed to help kids get to know the oyster and how important the bivalve is to the Chesapeake Bay. Families will be able to design their own oyster cans and labels, explore an oyster nursery, participate in a scavenger hunt or face painting. Mr. Oyster and Johnny Oysterseed will show kids and their parents how oysters filter the Bay’s water. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory will have its touch tank at the event. CBMM’s Model Boat Guild will also offer a hands-on build-a-boat activity at a small boat pond, with model boats available for children at a $3 fee. Dip net making and knot-tying demonstrations will also be available.

Two films will be featured at OysterFest. Watermen, a 1960s documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Holly Fisher, follows the life and work of Captain Art Daniels and other skipjack captains of the era. The second film, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Common Ground looks at the history of the oyster fishery, examines the biology, habitat, and explores critical role of the oyster in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Both films will be screened in the Museum’s Van Lennep Auditorium throughout the day.

Festival goers can also explore the Museum’s ten exhibit buildings, including Oystering on the Chesapeake, an entire building dedicated to interpreting the history of the oyster and the Bay, and Waterman’s Wharf, where visitors can try their hand at tonging or nippering for oysters. The Museum’s bugeye, Edna Lockwood, a log-bottom oyster dredgeboat and a National Historic Landmark, will also be on display during her restoration at the Museum.

Admission to OysterFest, which includes general admission to the Museum, is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $6 for children between the ages of six and 17. Children five years and under and CBMM members are admitted free. Food and boat rides are an additional cost. For more information about the festival or upcoming events at the Museum, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

OysterFest also concludes the month-long “Fall into St. Michaels” celebration hosted by the St. Michaels Business Association. For more information, visit www.stmichaelsmd.org or call 410-745-0411.


Oyster Fest St. Michaels, MD Contact
410-745-2916www.cbmm.org

 
Oyster Festival information for St. Michaels, MD on the Eastern Shore sourced from http://www.tourtalbot.org/showevent.asp?eid=6319

St. Michaels, Maryland Map with Reviews - Saint Michaels, MD Map

• Saint Michaels Vacation Rentals

St. Michaels, Maryland map with reviews visitor hint - Experience Oxford, Maryland on the way to Saint Michaels, MD. The Oxford-Bellevue Ferry creates a shortcut from Oxford to St. Michaels, Maryland.

Ghosts of Chesapeake Bay Port Towns

Did you know ghosts have been reported in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's attic in St. Michaels, Maryland? Other historic Chesapeake Bay port towns have also had some ghost sightings. Let's hope they are friendly like Casper.



Ghosts of Chesapeake Bay Port Towns


"It's no surprise that the confluence of waterways has spawned some of the oldest communities in the modern Chesapeake region. From rural wharfs to raucous seaports, the Bay's port towns have centuries of history, evocative settings and plenty of ghostly tales.
Middleton Tavern in the Annapolis's historic district is thought to be haunted by a man who was killed there in the 1800s. People call him Roland. "Roland has the reputation of being quite a drinker," said Mike Carter of Annapolis Ghost Tours. Bottles have been moved and slid off shelves, and one customer reported a bottle hovering in the air, then smashing to the floor. "It's almost always the good bottles," Carter said. "Top shelf stuff."

Onancock, VA, on the Delmarva Peninsula, was once a designated royal port in the American colonies. Its historic district, a member of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, is home to The Inn at Onancock, where a feisty elderly lady who once owned the house has appeared to its present-day owner.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, a Gateways member in St. Michaels, MD, has ghosts in the attic. Disembodied sounds have been heard on the upper floor of the building, which at one time hosted a brothel and now serves as the museum gift shop.

In Chestertown, MD, local residents continually offer new material for the annual ghost walk. "It was amazing once we started doing this, how much we heard," said Diane Daniels, director of the county historical society that sponsors the walk. "
 
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network / By Lara Lutz
Read the full article about Ghosts of Chesapeake Bay Port Towns at http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=3941

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD

Did you know the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is just 25 minutes from Oxford, Maryland?

"It's hard not to love the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. It has an intact 1879 "screwpile" lighthouse that can transport you into the life of a lonely lighthouse-keeper in the middle of Hooper Strait on the bay (no indoor plumbing and the wife and children were only allowed to visit two weeks a year). It has an eye-catching fleet of 85 traditional Chesapeake Bay craft ranging from an 1889 log-bottom "bugeye" to a duck-hunting "sneak box." You can learn how to bait a crab trap and "nipper" for oysters. But even if absolutely nothing about the Chesapeake Bay and its history interests you, there is this: The museum sprawls across 18 beautiful acres smack in the middle of the harbor of one of the Eastern Shore's prettiest towns (with an excellent crab restaurant right next door). And you can bring the dog."

-- Tim Zimmermann
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/chesapeake-bay-maritime-museum,796944.html
Click above to read the full article and review of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in Saint Michaels, Maryland at WashingtonPost.com

Annual Boat Auction in Saint Michaels, Maryland

13th Annual Boat Auction


Date: September 4, 2010


Time: 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM


http://www.cbmm.org/


Boating experts and novices alike have the same opportunity to bid on the boat of their dreams! Offering everything from wooden rowing skiffs to classic sailboats and modern power cruisers.
 
Event Location Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, 213 N. Talbot Street, St. Michaels

Date/Time InformationSaturday, September 4, 11am to 3pm


Contact Information Lad Mills, 410-745-2916 x112

lmills@cbmm.org

Fees/AdmissionWith Museum Admission.




St. Michaels, MD event information sourced from - http://www.stmichaelsmd.org/CM_events.html

Talbot County Itinerary - Explore the Eastern Shore of Maryland

Suggested itinerary brought to you by the Talbot County Office of Tourism

Small Towns
What makes Talbot County so special? The sound of gently lapping waters and the aroma of fresh-baked muffins at a waterside B& B... The plantive cry of wild geese as their "V" traces its way across the blue clear sky...The echoes of rogues and seafarers on the docks at St. Michaels and Tilghman Island...The memories of genteel colonists in Easton and Oxford...the gentle majesty of a skipjack plying its way across the Bay...The reassuring beam from the Hooper Strait Lighthouse at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum...The sound of music dancing across the water at night...The morning mist hanging in the quiet, sheltered coves...The roadside stands overflowing with fresh produce...The back roads and deserted lanes beckoning bikers...The waterside restaurants designed for long, lingering lunches and dinners...The shops filled with antiques and treasures waiting for browsers to discover...

DAY ONE: Start your visit in Easton, the Colonial Capital of the Eastern Shore, recognized as one of the "Best Small Towns in America." Soak up the atmosphere and history with a stroll along the self-guided tour available from the Historical Society of Talbot County. The Society maintains a Federal period garden and two historic houses on Washington Street. Easton is also recognized as one of the "100 Best Small Arts Towns in America." You’ll see part of the reason why when you visit The Academy Art Museum. It houses a permanent collection of works by prominent 19th and 20th century artists and regularly hosts special traveling exhibits. In addition, the Academy Art Museum presents a rotating exhibition program featuring local, regional and nationally respected artists.

What to do for lunch? What’s your pleasure? Easton’s restaurants range from casual pub grub to sophisticated dining. From June through November, you can graze through the Saturday Farmer’s Market or take your treats to one of Easton’s parks for a picnic. After lunch, travel to Oxford. You’ll cross the Tred Avon River on the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry. The oldest family-run ferry in the nation, it holds just twelve cars as it cruises across the picturesque, peaceful river. Oxford itself is an oasis of tranquility. Share an afternoon on the beach areas of the Strand or the Town Park. Take time to review its 300-year history in the town’s museum, located in the recreated Federal Customs House. You can enjoy dinner in Oxford or return to Easton for the evening. Oxford’s Tred Avon Players stage four productions throughout the season and the Community Center’s calendar offers a variety of activities. In Easton, the Avalon Theater and Academy Art Museum both have full calendars of productions and special events.

DAY TWO: St. Michaels, on the broad Miles River, has been a welcome port on the Chesapeake since the earliest Colonial Days. Another town filled with Colonial charm and atmosphere, its main street is also filled with a collection of antique stores and specialty shops that demand to be browsed. Explore the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museums, the only museum dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the entire Bay and its people. In its nine exhibit buildings on 18-waterfont acres, you’ll learn about the history and the technology that shaped the Chesapeake Region. Get a waterside view of Talbot County and learn the history of the area with a historical narration on board the Patriot, a 65-foot steel vessel. View historic homes, waterfowl, and the watermen who harvest the blue crabs, clams and oysters as you cruise the Miles River, a beautiful arm of the Chesapeake Bay. From St. Michaels, it’s a short drive to Tilghman Island. To reach Tilghman, you must cross the busiest drawbridge in the country at Knapp’s Narrows. Not very long or very wide, but it services the many work and pleasure boats that pass through the Narrows. The waterside restaurants at the bridge or on Tilghman itself are the perfect places to sample Eastern Shore cuisine.


An Abundance of Art
EVENTS
FIRST FRIDAY GALLERY WALK, Easton
Atmosphere and art combine during a candlelit stroll in one of the Top 100 Small Art Communities in America. First Friday of every month. 5 - 9pm.
410-770-8000

ARTS MARKETPLACE, Easton
Over 60 national, regional and local artist offer paintings, watercolors, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, glass and other works of art for purchase and pleasure. October.
410-822-ARTS

WATERFOWL FESTIVAL, Easton
The world's premiere waterfowl art show, with painting, sculture, etching, watercolor, and - of course - decoy carvings, over 600 artists. Second weekend in November. 410-822-4567
www.waterfowlfestival.org

OXFORD FALL FESTIVAL
Showcasing local and regional professional and casual artists working with oils, watercolors, wood, metal, glass, film and fiber. September, Oxford Community Center, 410-226-5904
www.oxfordmd.com/oba



GALLERIES - Easton
ACADEMY ART MUSEUM
Debut and traveling exhibits, concerts by national performers, lectures, and special shows. 106 South Street, 410-770-ARTS
www.art-academy.org

GALLERY 13
Modern, minimalist gallery, 13 Goldsborough Street, 410-770-9044

SOUTH STREET GALLERY
Fine art by 42 nationally known artists, 5 South Street, 410-770-8350

TROIKA GALLERY
Orginal art by national, international, and regional artists displayed in a working studio, 9 South Harrison Street, 410-770-9190
www.troikagallery.com


GALLERIES - St. Michaels
ARTISTE LOCALE
An ever-changing selection of paintings, pottery, and jewelry by local artists, 112 North Talbot Street, 410-745-6580

ST. MICHAELS' HIDDEN ARTISANS STUDIO CO-OP
Working studio where members create glass, jewelry, textiles, garden art, and bronze sculptures, Canton Alley & Freemont Streets, 410-745-4125


GALLERIES - TILGHMAN ISLAND
TILGHMAN ISLAND INN
Rotating shows by regional artists capturing the ambiance of life in the Chesapeake region, 410-886-2141
www.tilghmanislandinn.com



PERFORMING ARTS
AVALON THEATRE, Easton
Restored art deco theatre with a schedule of music, dance, drama and comedy, 40 East Dover Street, Easton, 410-822-0345
www.avalontheatre.com

CHESAPEAKE ASSOCIATION OF PERFORMING ARTS
A calendar of plays performed outdoors, under the lights and under the stars. Dinner theatre and shows only, August. Mason's, 22 South Harrison Street, Easton, 410-822-3204 or Chesapeake Summer Stage, 410-770-5838

TRED AVON PLAYERS
Community theatre with a year-round schedule of hits and undiscovered theatrical gems, Oxford Community Center, Oxford, 410-226-0061

Talbot County....A Rich, Relaxed, Romantic Experience


Bay, Boats, Birds, Boutiques
DAY ONE: Start Your Day On The Bay! From the waterman village of Tilghman Island, there are many ways to get onto the water. If sailing is your pleasure, look into a skipjack cruise with the Herman M. Krentz, the Mamie A. Mister, Rebecca T. Ruark or on the Lady Patty, a lovingly restored 1930s yacht. If you want to meet some of the bay aquatic natives, join a charter boat trip for a half or full day of sport fishing. Harrison's Sport Fishing Center, All Aboard Charter or J.B. Charters are known throughout the East Coast as some of the best sport fishermen around. Become one with nature as you explore the Chesapeake in a sea kayak. The shoreline of the island offers a limitless number of areas to explore, and the kayaks are the ideal vessel. Lunch, of course, must be enjoyed at one of the waterside restaurants. There are several on the island where you can dine while watching the busiest drawbridge in the nation letting pleasure boats and sailboats through the narrow passage. Leaving Tilghman, it is a short drive to St. Michaels. This colonial seaport is home to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the Bay and its people. The town of St. Michaels maintains its colonial and nautical ambiance. The pleasant maze of winding streets let you wander past delightfully-restored Victorian houses and well-tended gardens, while the main street is heaven for any browser with its unique shops and antiques. Enjoy a horse-drawn carriage through the town in the afternoon and dinner at one of the nationally-acclaimed award-winning restaurants. Live entertainment is featured at various locations in town after dark.

DAY TWO: Begin with a visit to Oxford. To reach this oasis of tranquility, you will cross the Tred Avon River on the Oxford Bellevue Ferry, a small passenger car ferry that is the oldest family run operation in the country. The best way to explore Oxford and the surrounding countryside is by bicycle. Rent a bike in Oxford and take advantage of the flat terrain and wide roadways to meander past colonial mansions and farmland. You will undoubtedly meet deer, foxes, groundhogs, geese and other residents as you travel. If you did not pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on your biking trip, don't worry. Oxford boasts many places to eat from casual waterside bars to upscale dining in three star restaurants. Easton is your next stop. The handsome architecture of its shops and historic buildings recall its role as the Colonial Capital of Eastern Shore. Take your camera to the Pickering Creek Environmental Center outside of Easton. Over 400 acres of protected land includes forests, wetlands and a nature preserve. You can stroll on the trails or rent a canoe to get closer to the birds and wildlife in their natural habitats.


Fun Adventures

EVENTS
CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM, St. Michaels
Spend a day learning about the life and lore of the Chesapeake Bay. Many Hands-on exhibits. Events during the year include "Crab Days" in August and summer evening outdoor family concerts, 410-745-2913
www.cbmm.org

OXFORD BELLEVUE FERRY, Oxford
Ferry crossing of the Tred Avon River started in 1683. Continuous crossing every 25 minutes from early morning until sunset, 410-745-9023
www.oxfordmd.com/oba

PICKERING CREEK AUDUBON CENTER, Easton
400 acres of protected wetlands is home to eagles and osprey, otter and foxes. Kid-friendly programs on weekends, 410-822-4903
www.pickering creek.org

WYE GRIST MILL, Wye Mills
The 19th century grist mill operates the first and third Saturday of each month, 410-827-6909


James Michener's Chesapeake
Spanning over 300 years, Michener's Chesapeake follows the lives and fortunes of four families who both shaped and were shaped by the Eastern Shore. The village of Patamoke is a composite of several towns in the area, but the Choptank River and other sites are authentic. Spend a day tracing the real footsteps of James Michener and the fictional ones of the Turlocks, Steeds, Paxmores, and Caters.

Easton: The original manuscript for the novel is kept at the Talbot County Free Library, 100 W. Dover Street. It's not on public display, but the Maryland Room, where Michener did much of his research is open during the library's normal hours. Monday 9-9, Tuesday & Wednesday 9-6, Thursday & Friday 9-5, and Saturday 9-1. Open until 9 on Thursdays and 5 on Saturdays in the Summer. Closed on Sundays.

The Third Haven Meeting House mentioned as the place the Quaker family Paxmore worshipped is located at 405 S. Washington Street. It's the oldest religious building in continuous use in the country.

Oxford: Michener wrote the original outline for the novel in the tavern of the Robert Morris Inn. He frequently ate there, and declared more than once that the crab cakes served at the Inn were the best on the Eastern Shore.

Stop at Cutts and Case Shipyard to see Byeberry, the oldest house in Oxford, possibly dating to 1668, as well as several other historic houses. Visitors can watch workers build elegant wood yachts, combining traditional materials with state-of-the-art engineering and design.

Cross the Tred Avon River via the Oxford Bellevue Ferry and head for the Jean duPont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary. Use the nature trails to get close to the herons, osprey, deer, geese, and other creatures so loved by Michener and his characters.

From there, continue to Tilghman Island. This waterman community is home to the skipjacks, the Retrievers, and the independent people who are more at home on the Bay than on its shores. Continue through town to Black Walnut Point. Park in the lot at the end of the road by the Naval Radar Station, and amble through the refuge maintained by the Department of Natural Resources. It's open 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. The view east across the Choptank River includes the spot where the fictional Devon Island was located.

Returning through Tilghman Island, stop to see (and even cruise on) the skipjack Rebecca T. Ruark, the oldest skipjack on the Bay, at Dogwood Harbor. The "Rebecca" has a schedule of cruises in the summer.

St. Michaels is another town that was incorporated into Patamoke. This town actually was bombarded one early morning during the War of 1812. But the wily locals hung lanterns in the trees, so the British aimed too high and mostly missed the buildings. Only the Cannonball House on Green Street was hit.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is the perfect place to see log canoes and other wooden boats that played such a vital role in the life on the Bay. There's always a vessel under construction in the Boat Building Shed. Buy boats, like Mr. Jim, were used to circuit the Bay and purchase the day's catch from the watermen. These boats carried their purchases into port while allowing watermen the opportunity to continue with their harvest.

The Museum's efforts to save the remaining working skipjacks helped to earn one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Eleven Most Endangered Places for 2002. The skipjack Rosie Parks is docked at the Museum, while the E.C. Collier, is the focal point of the exhibit called "Oystering on the Chesapeake", which demonstrates the hard work of harvesting the bivalves. In town, the H.M.Krentz takes passengers on daily cruises in season.

Leaving St. Michaels, look for Railroad Avenue. Michener lived in a house at the end of this street while working on Chesapeake.

The Choptank River is as much a character in the novel as any of the people. Spend some time with it by visiting the fishing pier off Route 50. It's a good place to have a picnic while appreciating the wide river. The site of the fictional Patamoke is approximately where the bridge crosses the river. It's a good place to contemplate the saga of the Chesapeake and its people.





Itinerary for St. Michaels, Easton, Oxford, Tilghman and the rest of Tablot County sourced from http://tourtalbot.org/sugitinerary.asp