Hoptown

Hoptown. Commercial Hub. , 1. Crab pickers, as shown here at a typical seafood processing house in Crisfield, produce thousands of pounds of crab meat each year. Although the number of crab picking houses has dwindled, Crisfield is still referred to as the "Crab Capital.", 2. The Hoptown area, located at the western end of 7th Street, has varied history of commercial enterprises ranging from crab picking to barge repair. In the mid-20th century, some Hoptown seafood house owners diversified their operations by canning vegetables. They also build housing in the area for their employees, as shown to the right., 3. During the oyster production "boom" years, oyster house owners dumped shucked oyster shells in the waters adjacent to their businesses. This practice created a firm foundation for additional commercial property and was largely responsible for Crisfield's reputation as having a downtown literally "built on oyster shells." Another Hoptown enterprise emerged when it was determined that lime could be produced by grinding oyster shells. AS seen in the photo to the right, the lime plant at Hoptown processed massive piles of shells., 4. The soft shell crab, a delicacy known worldwide, is carefully tended in buildings like this. This structure is typical of crab-shedding operations in Hoptown and other downtown waterfront locations. Blue crabs which are ready to shed their shells are placed in floats where they can be regularly monitored. After shedding, they are packed in trays before being shipped to virtually every continent.