Hobson in Suffolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
African American Oystermen
Photographed by James Thomson, January 19, 2011
1. African American Oystermen Marker
Inscription.
African American Oystermen. . Hobson is an example of an African American oystering village that developed during the last quarter of the 19th century on the James River, the Chesapeake Bay and their tributaries. As in other watermen communities, people also farmed and worked at nearby shucking houses and canning facilities. Hobsons black oystermen worked oyster beds in the James and Nansemond Rivers and Chuckatuck Creek that were leased primarily from the state. Bay region oyster beds were once among the richest in the world. Starting in the late 1950s Virginia's oyster production declined because of pollution, such as the chemical kepone, oyster diseases, weather, and overharvesting which caused many of the oystermen to leave in the search for other employment.
Hobson is an example of an African American oystering village that developed during the last quarter of the 19th century on the James River, the Chesapeake Bay and their tributaries. As in other watermen communities, people also farmed and worked at nearby shucking houses and canning facilities. Hobsons black oystermen worked oyster beds in the James and Nansemond Rivers and Chuckatuck Creek that were leased primarily from the state. Bay region oyster beds were once among the richest in the world. Starting in the late 1950s Virginia's oyster production declined because of pollution, such as the chemical kepone, oyster diseases, weather, and overharvesting which caused many of the oystermen to leave in the search for other employment.
Erected 2005 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-322.)
76° 30.811′ W. Marker is in Suffolk, Virginia. It is in Hobson. It is at the intersection of Crittenden Road (Virginia Route 628) and Macedonia Drive on Crittenden Road. Marker is in the community of Hobson. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8300 Crittenden Road (Hobson), Suffolk VA 23436, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads, specifically in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2011, by James Thomson of Chesapeake, United States. This page has been viewed 2,945 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 19, 2011, by James Thomson of Chesapeake, United States. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
