Crisfield in Somerset County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Hand Tongs
Hand tongs are a pair of toothed metal baskets attached to long wooden shafts, hinged together to form a scissors-like tool. They are opened and closed to collect oysters from the bottom of the Bay. It takes considerable strength and skill to operate hand tongs. The length of the shafts determines the depth of water in which hand tongs can be used, so they are best suited for shallow water.
The hand tongs used in colonial times were made entirely of wood, including the flat-basket and its teeth. Locust wood was preferred because it is very hard. By the 1800s wooden tong baskets were replaced by similarly designed metal baskets with metal teeth.
Shaft tongs with eel pot-shaped baskets became popular in the 1900s because they were less likely than flat-heads to drop oysters as they were hauled on board. At the time of the first colonial settlements, oyster shoals were so high that they were sometimes visible at low tide and could be harvested by hand.
Tongs were fitted with increasingly longer shafts as shallow water oyster beds were depleted and watermen ventured into deeper water to find new sources. The shafts can be as long as 30 feet.
Erected by Crisfield Heritage Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals
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Location. 37° 58.683′ N, 75° 51.574′ 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: 925 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Skipjacks and Bugeyes (here, next to this marker); Oyster Dredges (here, next to this marker); Crab Shedding Float (here, next to this marker); Drop Tongs (here, next to this marker); Crab Scrape (here, next to this marker); Crab Pots (here, next to this marker); Watermen of the Tangier Sound (here, next to this marker); African American Watermen of the Chesapeake (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Crisfield.
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 134 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 13, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
