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Working on the Water
In Rock Hall, all roads lead to
water. And all water eventually flows to one of the world's greatest estuaries,
the Chesapeake Bay. With the advantage of easy access to the Chester River,
Gray's Inn Creek and Swan Creek as well as a direct link to the Bay from
Rock Hall Harbor, water-related occupations shaped Rock Hall's economic
and cultural development from the very beginning…and continue to
do so today. In the early years, the Bay served as a commercial link with
more populated areas. Rock Hall served as a shipping point for seafood
and agricultural products. Fishing and seafood processing were for years
Rock Hall's largest industry, providing an economic base for Main Street
commerce and community lifestyle. As commercial fishery interests declined
in more recent years, recreational interests filled the void. Today, Rock
Hall serves as one of the larger sailing and charter boat fishing centers
on the Eastern Shore. The Rock Hall Museum collection includes representative
examples of equipment used in the early years of harvesting the Bay, such
as oyster bed charts, ice buoys, a drift net lantern, a hand-winder mast
and boom oyster rig with patent tongs, a shucking box, a grass shrimp
net and a number of other commonly used tools.
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The ubiquitous "bateau", workhorse of the fleet:
a small, sturdy shallow-draft
boat powered by a simple engine or, historically, by sail. Perfect for working
inshore and on the many tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
Often used for crabbing with a trotline.
Most everybody had a bateau.
Simple but utilitarian tools, some of which remain in use to this
very day...
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