Crisfield in Somerset County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Watermen of the Tangier Sound
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 12, 2024
1. Watermen of the Tangier Sound Marker
Inscription.
Watermen of the Tangier Sound. . The first documented use of the term waterman dates to the 1400s. In the early years of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry, participants tended to focus on harvesting either oysters or blue crabs, and were known accordingly as oystermen or crabbers. As harvests decreased and the industry evolved, many began oystering in the winter months and crabbing in the summer, giving rise to the term waterman. Over the centuries watermen working the Tangier Sound, the area of the Chesapeake surrounding Crisfield and Smith and Tangier Islands, have used methods of equipment that range from the simple dip net to complex hydraulic systems. While methods have changed, it continues to be the expert knowledge of the Bay and its creatures, passed down through generations, that is the hallmark of the waterman.
The first documented use of the term waterman dates to the 1400s. In the early years of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry, participants tended to focus on harvesting either oysters or blue crabs, and were known accordingly as oystermen or crabbers. As harvests decreased and the industry evolved, many began oystering in the winter months and crabbing in the summer, giving rise to the term waterman. Over the centuries watermen working the Tangier Soundthe area of the Chesapeake surrounding Crisfield and Smith and Tangier Islandshave used methods of equipment that range from the simple dip net to complex hydraulic systems. While methods have changed, it continues to be the expert knowledge of the Bay and its creatures, passed down through generations, that is the hallmark of the waterman.
Location. 37° 58.685′ N, 75° 51.571′ W. Marker is in Crisfield, Maryland, in Somerset County. It can be reached from the intersection of Spruce Street and 9th Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 927 Spruce St, Crisfield MD 21817, 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.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 12, 2024
2. Watermen of the Tangier Sound Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 13, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 163 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 13, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
