St. Michaels in Talbot County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Bugeye Design
Like the smaller brogans before them, bugeyes were essentially enlarged log canoes with two raked masts. Chunked from multiple pine logs, their hulls were then planked over, creating shallow vessels with wide decks.
Bugeyes were generally sharp in the stern, with shallow-draft rounded bottoms. Most bugeyes averaged around 55' (16 m) in length, although some later examples were well over 80' (24 m) long. The popularity of bugeyes peaked at the height of the oyster harvest, in the 1880s. They were used and constructed throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
As the less-expensive skipjack became the preferred oystering vessel in the 20th century, the construction of new bugeyes declined. Old bugeyes were often retrofitted for use as buy boats or were simply discarded in marshes once past their prime. Edna E. Lockwood was the rare exception. Built on Tilghman Island by famed boat-builder John B. Harrison in 1889, she was in use as an oystering vessel until 1966, when she was purchased by John R. Kimberly, and the following year exhibited at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
Location. 38° 47.24′ N, 76° 13.203′
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Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Edna E. Lockwood (here, next to this marker); Skipjack Centerboard (here, next to this marker); Restoration (here, next to this marker); Bugeyes and Oystering (here, next to this marker); For Whom the Bell Tolls (a few steps from this marker); A Mighty Pull (a few steps from this marker); Lost Overboard (a few steps from this marker); Delaware (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Michaels.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 22, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 262 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 25, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
