Pocomoke City in Worcester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Shapes of Ships
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2021
1. The Shapes of Ships Marker
Inscription.
The Shapes of Ships. . , If you were standing here during the years surrounding the turn of the 20th century, your senses would be filled with the sights, sounds and smells of a hard working waterfront. The air would be thick with the smell of cut raw timber and burning wood. You would hear sounds of chopping, cutting, pounding and nailing broken only by a shrill whistle calling skilled men of all ages and color to work, or cheering as a new ship was slid into the Pocomoke River. Filling your vision on this side of the river would be worn docks, storage buildings, and shipyards hosting half built sailing schooners, river steamships and Chesapeake fishing boats. The Pocomoke waterfront was alive with maritime trades and activity!
Three shipyards once operated here the most notable owned by E. James Tull. Since 1882, Tull built a variety of boats including big schooners, sloops, bugeyes, skipjacks, tugs, freight boats and even pleasure boats. Pocomoke also boasted marine railways where boats could be hauled out and repaired on shore. In 1883 there were 54 ship carpenters operating around Pocomoke City alone. During the Chesapeake oyster boom of the late 19th century, Tull's yard produced up to nine vessels a year, unmatched by any other Eastern Shore shipbuilder.
The most popular vessel built here was the sailing schooner , the tractor trailer of her day. These sea going vessels carried a variety of cargo including coal, seafood, tomatoes and locally harvested lumber, connecting Pocomoke to the far reaches of the Atlantic coast and beyond. The huge Lillian E. Kerr, the largest sailing schooner built in Pocomoke, worked until sinking off Nova Scotia in 1942.
The end of Tull's shipyard came quickly. In 1922 a fire destroyed Pocomoke's downtown and James Tull died in 1924, ending one of the most successful shipyards in the Mid-Atlantic region. Pocomoke's shipyards eventually all closed when demand for wooden schooners and steamships diminished, railroads emerged and modern shipbuilding techniques developed.
If you were standing here during the years surrounding the turn of the 20th century, your senses would be filled with the sights, sounds and smells of a hard working waterfront. The air would be thick with the smell of cut raw timber and burning wood. You would hear sounds of chopping, cutting, pounding and nailing broken only by a shrill whistle calling skilled men of all ages and color to work, or cheering as a new ship was slid into the Pocomoke River. Filling your vision on this side of the river would be worn docks, storage buildings, and shipyards hosting half built sailing schooners, river steamships and Chesapeake fishing boats. The Pocomoke waterfront was alive with maritime trades and activity!
Three shipyards once operated here the most notable owned by E. James Tull. Since 1882, Tull built a variety of boats including big schooners, sloops, bugeyes, skipjacks, tugs, freight boats and even pleasure boats. Pocomoke also boasted marine railways where boats could be hauled out and repaired on shore. In 1883 there were 54 ship carpenters operating around Pocomoke City alone. During the Chesapeake oyster boom of the late 19th century, Tull's yard produced up to nine vessels a year—unmatched by any other Eastern Shore shipbuilder.
The most popular vessel built here was the sailing schooner — the tractor
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trailer of her day. These sea going vessels carried a variety of cargo including coal, seafood, tomatoes and locally harvested lumber, connecting Pocomoke to the far reaches of the Atlantic coast and beyond. The huge Lillian E. Kerr, the largest sailing schooner built in Pocomoke, worked until sinking off Nova Scotia in 1942.
The end of Tull's shipyard came quickly. In 1922 a fire destroyed Pocomoke's downtown and James Tull died in 1924, ending one of the most successful shipyards in the Mid-Atlantic region. Pocomoke's shipyards eventually all closed when demand for wooden schooners and steamships diminished, railroads emerged and modern shipbuilding techniques developed.
Location. 38° 4.548′ N, 75° 34.248′ W. Marker is in Pocomoke City, Maryland, in Worcester County. Marker is at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Willow Street, on the left when traveling north on Riverside Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Riverside Dr, Pocomoke City MD 21851, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 19, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 215 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 19, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
