Mallows Bay

Mallows Bay. Wildlife Refuge from world war one Shipwrecks. , Nearly 90 wooden skeletons of World War I cargo ships, discarded by the U.S. Shipping Board, sold for salvage, and then burned to their waterlines now host an amazing array of fishes, wildlflowers, painted turtles, bald eagles, river otters, and even deer on these isolated wetland sanctuaries., This mile-long natural bay served many purposes before it became a "ship graveyard," including thousands of years of Native American uses evidence by archaeological remains. Remnants of ships dating to the American Revolution, and early 1900s four-masted schooner, a steel-hulled car ferry, a log canoe, and several hundred abandoned fishing boats from the 19th and 20th centuries make this the largest collection of shipwrecks in North America!, In the 1800s, the area took on a local family's name, Mallow's Bay, and a ferry landing (Cook's Ferry) ran service to Widewater, Virginia. Because of Southern Maryland's sympathies for the Confederacy, Union troops halted passage across the river early in the Civil War. From September 1861, April 1862, General Hooker's 25,000 Union troops encamped on the adjacent hillsides anticipating a Confederate invasion that was never launched. Captain Morgan L. Monroe's sturgeon caviar cannery was located here. More than a decade later after scuttling the world war one ships, Bethlehem Steel leased the waterfront property to build a massive salvage basin for the recovery of the metal remains. Nature now reclaims all this maritime history, and this stretch of the Potomac River now supports some of the best bass fishing in the country., Built, Bought, and Burned , The quickly-made vessels of the U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet had many problems, including the lack of space for troops and cargo due to the large amount of coal required to power the giant 265-285 foot wooden steamships. Shortly after World War I, the ships were sold to investors for scrap. In 1925, The War Department issued a permit to "ground, burn, and beach in Mallow's Bay, Potomac River, some two hundred hulls." This was the first time the area was referred to as Mallows's Bay, instead of Marlow's Bay., Many of the ships were initially anchored across the Potomac River at Widewater. Early in the morning of November 7, 1925, 31 wooden steamships were set afire. According to the Washington Post, "a horde of squealing rats plunged into the water." The rest of the fleet met a similar fate at Mallow's Bay, creating one of the most amazing wetlands preserves in the Nation., (Black and white drawing of a ship.) , Above Left: Hough Type wooden cargo steamship courtesy of Ferris the the report "The Steamwrecks of Mallows Bay," Maryland Historical Trust. , (Photos of shoreline.) , Above and Left: , Infrared and aerial photos courtesy of Don Shomette. , (Plat map.) , Background: , 1928 Plat of Mallows Bay courtesy of Don Shomette. , (Images of shipwrecks.) , Below: , 1. Wooden ships burning in Potomac at Widewater, VA. Nov. 1925. Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, DC, from Calvert Marine Museum, Fred Tilp Collection. , 2. Wooden Ships Burning at Mallows Bay, MD. Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, DC, from Calver Marine Museum, Fred Tilp Collection. , 3. Three wildlife and shipwreck photos, courtesy of Don Shomette. , (Logo of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium) , Wayside exhibit developed by the Southern Maryland Heritage Partnership. Funding provided by the National Park Service. For more information call the Charles County Office of Tourism at 800 766-3386 or 800 SO MD FUN.