Reedville in Northumberland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Trap Skiff
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 4, 2021
1. Trap Skiff Marker
Inscription.
Trap Skiff. . Boats of this type are used in the pound net industry. It is towed to the trap and one or several men use it to go inside the net that forms the pocket of the trap. Standing in this boat they pull the net up so that the fish are tightly contained. A dip net is then used to bail the fish from the net into the larger boat. A trap skiff is also used at the other times to maneuver around the trap and to make repairs. This particular boat was built in the 1950s for Captain Walter Biddlecomb of Fairport by George P. Butler of Reedville. It's somewhat wider and deeper than most 16 foot skiffs built during that period so that it could, if necessary, serve as a lifeboat for the fishing crew.
Boats of this type are used in the pound net industry. It is towed to the trap and one or several men use it to go inside the net that forms the pocket of the trap. Standing in this boat they pull the net up so that the fish are tightly contained. A dip net is then used to bail the fish from the net into the larger boat. A trap skiff is also used at the other times to maneuver around the trap and to make repairs. This particular boat was built in the 1950s for Captain Walter Biddlecomb of Fairport by George P. Butler of Reedville. It's somewhat wider and deeper than most 16 foot skiffs built during that period so that it could, if necessary, serve as a lifeboat for the fishing crew.
Location. 37° 50.607′ N, 76° 16.533′ W. Marker is in Reedville, Virginia, in Northumberland County. It can be reached from Main Street just south of Reed Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 504 Main St, Reedville VA 22539, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Northern Neck. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, 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 the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 4, 2021
2. The Pound Trap Skiff Exhibit
Credits. This page was last revised on July 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 287 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 5, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
