Chesapeake is an Algonquian word meaning "great shellfish bay," and for decades, the oyster was the undisputed king of Chesapeake Bay shellfish. Early settlers reported them to be as large as dinner plates, and the reefs or rocks in which they lived were large enough to be hazards to navigation. In 1884, fifteen million bushels of oysters were harvested and shipped around the world. The skipjack was the perfect vessel for sailing into the Chesapeake Bay's shallow waters and dredging for oysters, and each winter, hundreds of these wooden craft set out across the bay's cold waters. The oyster population of the 21st century is a fraction of what it once was, and the skipjacks have disappeared along with them. No longer economically viable, the boats have been left to rot in the marshes along the bay. Only 25 boats are still operational, and fewer than five still dredge.

In the 1900s, skipjacks were a familiar fixture in every port on the Chesapeake. Their captains and crews were tough, hardy souls who earned a living in the harsh conditions of the wintertime Bay, dredging for oysters under sail. The author has gone among skipjack captains, gathering stories of exciting events in their lives and reminiscences of how it was in the good times when oysters were healthy and plentiful. They told too about the bad times, when storms endangered their lives, or ice threatened their boats, the times when harvests were meager or the price they could get for oysters was too low to cover their expenses. Throughout, the author threads the history of the skipjack, from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century when dredging by sail was the only legal method, to the 1990s when the twin scourges of disease and water quality threatened to put an end to the country's last commercial sailing fleet.

From big, exciting cities to beautiful nature preserves to bay access, Maryland's diverse geography offers something for everyone. This book demonstrates that the Old Line State's diversity is not just limited to geography, though. One of Maryland's assets is the unique makeup of the people who call the state home. The book explores the history, industries, and government of Maryland. Readers will find interesting facts, interactive activities, and more.

For more than two years, John Sherwood roamed Maryland's small towns and city neighborhoods, traveled Appalachian back roads, and sailed the Chesapeake looking for people whose work or way of life recalled the state's rich and varied tradition. Maryland's Vanishing Lives is his vivid account of the people he met on those journeys. Working in a country store or an old-time movie house, on a small tobacco farm or a weathered skipjack, Sherwood's subjects interest us as people, as stubborn survivors who have watched—sometimes defiantly, sometimes wistfully—as the world moved on. These Marylanders' stories poignantly show what happens to family businesses and ordinary folk in the face of new technology, suburban sprawl, franchise outlets, and changing tastes. But Maryland's Vanishing Lives is also an engaging celebration of pride and craft, and the ability to survive. In this collection of sixty-six short profiles, illustrated with memorable photographs by Edwin Remsberg, Sherwood preserves for posterity the lives of Marylanders who hang on to values and skills that are quickly disappearing.

E. James Tull’s innate artistic talent, his caring, nurturing personality, his mechanical skills and attention to detail advanced him from apprentice to owner of the shipyard, and from a young man fixing the drawbridge to town councilman and Pocomoke Mayor. E. James Tull’s flowing graceful curves in his ship plans, the hand polished wooden pegs, which reinforced the joints of the ship, and the words “E. James Tull, Builder” proudly engraved into the bowsprit reflected quality craftsmanship in each phase of the building process. Valuing diversity and quality, E. James Tull designed and constructed 200 of the most exquisite bateaux, pleasure yachts, master sailing ships and steamers on the East Coast

The perfect reference guide for students in grades 3 and up - or anyone! This handy, easy-to-use reference guide is divided into seven color-coded sections which includes Maryland basic facts, geography, history, people, places, nature and miscellaneous information. Each section is color coded for easy recognition. This Pocket Guide comes with complete and comprehensive facts ALL about Maryland. Riddles, recipes, and surprising facts make this guide a delight! Maryland Basics section explores your state's symbols and their special meaning. Maryland Geography section digs up the what's where in Maryland. Maryland History section is like traveling through time to some of Maryland's greatest moments. Maryland People section introduces you to famous personalities and your next-door neighbors. Maryland Places section shows you where you might enjoy your next family vacation. Maryland Nature section tells what Mother Nature gave to Maryland. Maryland Miscellaneous section describes the real fun stuff ALL about Maryland.

In 1966 Congress passed the National Sea Grant College Program Act to promote marine research, education, and extension services in institutions along the nation's ocean and Great Lakes coasts. In Maryland a Sea Grant Program -- a partnership among federal and state governments, universities, and industries -- began in 1977, and in 1982 the University of Maryland was named the nation's seventeenth Sea Grant College. The Maryland Sea Grant College focuses its efforts on the Chesapeake Bay, with emphasis on the marine concerns of fisheries, seafood technology, and environmental quality. A description of the Chesapeake's waterman, this book details fishing for crabs, oysters, soft clams, hard clams, eels, cat-fish, menhaden, and other fish. Each chapter describes a day with a waterman, capturing the personality of the boat's crew as well as the techniques they use to catch their prey. Bay artist Neil Harpe has produced original lithographs for the book, and the combination of words and pictures helps to capture a slice of time in the lives of the watermen. The full-color cover reproduces an original lithograph by Neil Harpe of two skipjacks dredging the oyster beds of Tangier Sound.