Calvert Beach-Long Beach in Calvert County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Shanty Living at Flag Ponds

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 2, 2025

1. Shanty Living at Flag Ponds Marker

Inscription.
Known as the Buoy Hotel, the shanty shows the close quarters and simple lifestyle of bay watermen. Bunking together over the summer months, the men plied the waters and tended and tarred their nets, away from their homes and families. The shanty housed up to six men at a time, many of whom lived full-time on the Eastern Shore.

As the commercial fisheries collapsed, many of the fishermen retired or moved on and the compound at Flag Ponds fell into disrepair. The cove at Flag Ponds has several spring-fed ponds, which now bear the names of the men who stayed in the shanties: Duncan, Todd and Richardson.

Erected by Battle Creek Nature Education Society/Calvert Nature Society; Calvert County Natural Resources Division; Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 38° 26.975′ N, 76° 27.447′ W. Marker is in Calvert Beach-Long Beach, Maryland, in Calvert County. It is on Flag Ponds Parkway one mile east of Solomons Island Road (Maryland Route 2/4), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Flag Ponds Pkwy, Saint Leonard MD 20685, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

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.

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At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Tons of Fish Tons of Work (here, next to this marker); The Fisherman's Trail (a few steps from this marker); All About Net-Tarring (within shouting distance of this marker); All About Flag Ponds Shoreline (within shouting distance of this marker); North Ridge Trail (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. Leonard Creek (approx. 2 miles away); Early Settlements (approx. 2 miles away); Brewhouse (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Calvert Beach-Long Beach.

Markers on the grounds of the "Buoy Hotel" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 2, 2025

2. Markers on the grounds of the "Buoy Hotel"

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 33 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 3, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.