|
Water has always shaped the historical development of the Eastern Shore. The four counties
possess more than a thousand miles of coastline along the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. From the earliest inhabitants to contemporary residents, water has been the basis on which every group built its
culture. The Native Americans were intimately tied to the water--most archeological sites are clustered along the waterâs edge. Water conveyed the first European settlers here, powered their mills, and
fed them. The bay and rivers teemed with abundant fish, oysters, and waterfowl. Like the Native Americans, European settlers clustered their settlements around the water. Every major town on the
Upper Eastern Shore has direct water access. The county seats, Denton, Easton, Centreville, and Chestertown, were placed close to the center of each county while maintaining water access. During the early
history of European settlement on the shore, the waterways were the primary, if not sole, means for getting around. Roads were non-existent or in poor condition, so travel and transportation occurred by boat.
Many distinct cultural groups evolved around uses of the water. Watermen harvested seafood from
the bay and rivers. Their settlements in places like Claiborne retain their fishing village character. Seafood pickers and packers processed the catch for shipment. The shanties of Kent Narrows
recall the hey-days of the Upper Eastern Shore seafood industry when hundreds of houses clustered around packing facilities across the region. Mariners and shipwrights sailed and built vessels in the shipbuilding
centers such as Chestertown and St. Michaels. Recreational boaters, who occupy most of todayâs marinas, fuel a major contemporary, local industry. Boat retailers and maritime supply stores can be found in most
major towns, and marinas are often constructed as components of new residential developments.
By far, the most enchanting expressions of life on the water of the Upper Eastern Shore are the boats
people have used for hundreds of years. Venerable craft such as skipjacks, bugeyes, log canoes, skiffs, schooners, sloops, dinghies, ketches, yawls, cutters, gaff rigs, and square riggers have plied
these waters over the last 375 years, a number being uniquely adapted to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Many can be seen and sailed today. These vessels shaped national, state, and local
histories. For this reason, many have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Water-oriented sites lie along the shorelines of each county. With the Chesapeake Bay, many
smaller bays, and the rivers, the Upper Eastern Shore possesses more than one thousand miles of shoreline. While most of the water-oriented areas lie in the western section of the region, sites are also
located in the eastern section along the rivers which cut deep into the interior. Talbot, Queen Anneâs, and Kent Counties are technically peninsulas.
Marinas ring the Upper Eastern Shore from Denton to Federalsburg, Preston, Oxford, Tilghman Island,
Claiborne, St. Michaels, Easton, Kent Narrows, Queenstown, Centreville, Chestertown, Rock Hall, Betterton, and Georgetown. Most of these harbor recreational and work craft.
Resources of the Upper Eastern Shore listed in the National Register of Historic Places:
Skipjacks
- Claude W. Somers
- E. C. Collier
- Elsworth
- F. C. Lewis, Jr.
- Hilda M. Willing NHL
- Kathryn NHL
- Maggie Lee
- Minnie V.
- Nellie L. Byrd
- Ralph T. Webster
- Rebecca T. Ruark
- Ruby G. Ford
- Sigsbee
- Stanley Norman
- Thomas W. Clyde
- Virginia W.
Bugeye
Buy-Boat
Log Canoes
- Billie P. Hall
- Edmee S.
- Flying Cloud
- Island Bird
- Island Blossom
- Island Image
- Island Lark
- Jay Dee
- Magic
- Mystery
- Noddy
- Persistence
- Rover
- S. C. Dobson
- Sandy
- Silver Heel
NHL = National Historic Landmark
|
