| Introduction
| Bay History | Hooper
Strait Lighthouse | Oystering on
the Chesapeake | Floating Fleet
Steamboats on the Bay | Waterfowling | Small Boat Collection | Waterman's Wharf |
 Oystering
on the ChesapeakeStep onboard an oyster harvesting skipjack, the E.C. Collier, and enter the world of the working watermen. Eavesdrop on the captain and crew-the captain shouts orders to the crew; the cook talks about lunch; the crew brings in the dredge, sorts the oysters, talks about the captain behind his back.
The oyster's journey from the Bay to the table is portrayed in
both artifacts and historic photographs of a bygone era. Once so
bountiful that the Chesapeake oyster found its way in quantities
across the country, the exhibit tells the story of how the oyster
fishery affected the culture and fortunes of generations. Today's
harvests are one hundredth of what they were at their height in
the late nineteenth century. The exhibit concludes with the message
that the oysters are worth preserving and that the measures required
to bring the oysters back will demand something of us all. |
This
participatory exhibit tells the story of how the Chesapeake Bay's
oyster fishery has shaped the region's history, culture, and landscape.
After leaving the boat, you can examine oyster harvesting equipment
-- from hand tongs to the dredge imported from New England which
precipitated the Oyster Wars, a fierce and violent struggle between
traditional hand tongers and the new dredgers. 
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