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With a protected harbor
on Chesapeake Bay’s Tangier Sound, Crisfield welcomes a daily
parade of fishing and cruising vessels making their way into
port. Crabbers and oystermen bring their catch there for
processing and overnight delivery to East Coast markets. A
450-slip marina provides a haven to boaters cruising the
Chesapeake Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Centuries-old traditions of Eastern Shore watermen meld with
a state-of-the-art industry that delivers seafood throughout the
world. Yet, crab meat is picked and oysters are still shucked by
hand. The municipal wharf is built on a foundation of oyster
shells, reminding visitors how closely this community has always
been linked to the water surrounding it.
In the mid 19th century, Crisfield was a rambunctious place,
not unlike the gold rush camps of the Old West. Today, the
working waterfront displays a more restrained, mature image.
Along with the seafood industry, other companies are located
there, providing employment for a work force that has a long
history of perseverance and commitment.
Crisfield was the home of brothers Lem and Steve Ward, master
wildfowl carvers, who left a tradition of art and craftsmanship
along with a magnificent legacy of wildfowl likenesses. Both
aspects of their work that spanned a large portion of the 20th
century are honored in a special display at the Governor J.
Millard Tawes Historical Museum. The museum traces the history
of the Lower Shore with exhibits on the beginnings of the
Chesapeake Bay, seafood harvesting and processing, the history
of Crisfield, and the accomplishments of native sons such as the
late Governor J. Millard Tawes and Curly Byrd, founder of the
modern University of Maryland. Of particular interest are
exhibits describing the influence of Native Americans on the
early colonists. The indigenous people greatly assisted the
colonists, showing them, among other things, how to build eel
pots, how to tong for oysters, and how to build the famous
Chesapeake Bay log canoes—all the stock-in-trade of today’s
Crisfield watermen.
The town is commited to providing recreation and hospitality.
Fishing is unequaled. There is an 18-hole golf course bordered
by a terrain of woodlands, wetlands, and native grasses.
Visitors like to be in town on Labor Day weekend for the
world-renowned Hard Crab Derby, when crabs are raced and large
quantities are eaten in the festive mood prevailing at the
seafood restaurants around town. The 3,600-acre Janes Island
State Park is a perfect spot for bird watching, photography, and
painting. Janes Island is entirely undeveloped, with miles of
isolated shoreline and sandy beaches. History buffs enjoy the
area’s 17th-century architecture and artifacts—some of the
oldest in Maryland. They can observe one of the few remaining
smithies who fashion oyster tongs, clam rakes, and marine
equipment for watermen.
Crisfield is unassuming in its daily rhythm. It cherishes a
flexibility that has allowed centuries-old traditions of work
methods and diligence to survive amidst cycles of hard times and
prosperity.
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