St. Michaels in Talbot County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Martha

Hoopers Island Dovetail

— Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum —

<i>Martha</i> Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 24, 2019

1. Martha Marker

Inscription. Dovetail boats were built in the early 1900s with gasoline engines and a special stern that looked like a motor racer. Martha was built in 1934 for $350 and was probably used for oyster tonging and trotlining for crabs. She was named after the owner's daughter, Martha Lewis. (While wives may change, daughters and mothers are said to be safe namesakes.)

These boats have many names; and are referred to as ducktail, draketail, torpedo-stern, or Hoopers Island launches, after the island in Dorchester County, Maryland, where they originate.

Built: 1934, Wingate, MD by Bronza Parks
Length: 43 ft, 0.5 in (13.26 m)
Beam: 8 ft, 3 in (2.53 m)

[Caption:]
A waterman crabbing with a trotline in a Hoopers Island dovetail, c. 1967. Photograph by Caryl Firth. Collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels, MD. Gift of the photographer.

Erected by 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 1934.

Location. 38° 47.309′ N, 76° 13.23′ W. Marker is in St. Michaels,

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Maryland, in Talbot County. It can be reached from Mill Street just east of Burns Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 213 North Talbot Street, Saint Michaels MD 21663, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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: Pot Pie Skiff (here, next to this marker); Old Point (here, next to this marker); What is a waterman? (a few steps from this marker); Catch a crab! (a few steps from this marker); Tools of the Oystermen (within shouting distance of this marker); Katie G., Deadrise Workboat (within shouting distance of this marker); Saving shorelines & wetlands (within shouting distance of this marker); Winnie Estelle (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Michaels.

Additional keywords. Martha

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 24, 2019

2. Martha Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 297 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 26, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.