Kent Narrows in Queen Anne's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Working the Waters
Photographed by Shane Oliver, May 9, 2020
1. Working the Waters Marker
Inscription.
Working the Waters. . Large scale harvesting of the riches of the Chesapeake Bay did not begin until after the Civil War. By 1900 almost a quarter of all U.S. registered boats were making a profit on the Chesapeake Bay. During the height of the Kent Narrows seafood industry (1946-1983), as many as 100 vessels a day would arrive at the waterfront processing houses. They would offload oysters, crabs, clams and finfish for preparation and shipment to markets throughout the Eastern Seaboard and beyond.
The Chesapeake Bay could not sustain such growth. By the 21st century pollution, disease and overfishing had all but destroyed the Bays fisheries. Of the 30 processing houses in the state ten years earlier, only three survived. Two of these survivors are still operating on the Kent Narrows.
Large scale harvesting of the riches of the Chesapeake Bay did not begin until after the Civil War. By 1900 almost a quarter of all U.S. registered boats were making a profit on the Chesapeake Bay.
During the height of the Kent Narrows seafood industry (1946-1983), as many as 100 vessels a day would arrive at the waterfront processing houses. They would offload oysters, crabs, clams and finfish for preparation and shipment to markets throughout the Eastern Seaboard and beyond.
The Chesapeake Bay could not sustain such growth. By the 21st century pollution, disease and overfishing had all but destroyed the Bays fisheries. Of the 30 processing houses in the state ten years earlier, only three survived. Two of these survivors are still operating on the Kent Narrows.
Erected by Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 38° 58.107′ N, 76° 14.588′ W. Marker is in Kent Narrows, Maryland, in Queen Anne's County. It is on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grasonville MD 21638, 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: Crossing Point (within shouting
Another marker is no longer nearby. Maryland's Eastern Shore (was approx. half a mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Don Morfe, January 31, 2015
2. Working the Waters Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 525 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on May 18, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on February 14, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
