Voices of the Coastal Bays
A project aimed at exploring the history of Ocean City, MD's only commercial fishing harbor & uplifting the voices of those who depend on it
Commercial harbor in West Ocean City packed with boats, circa 1960. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum.
Pound net diagram borrowed from National Park Service
Ocean City pound fishermen walking the nets in circa 1930. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum
This image depicts the pound fishing scene that took place on the barrier island of present-day Assateague. Catches from the pounds were brought in by rowboats, sorted into baskets, and loaded onto horse carts to be taken to the railroad. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum c. 1910.
The Cropper Brothers Fish Company employed relatively many men in the early 1900s. The fish camp consisted of sleeping quarters and provided three meals a day to the fishermen. They paid a fair wage of $7/week, and provided a pleasant atmosphere. In addition to the Cropper Brothers, other fish companies included the Ludlam, Hagan, Quillin, Davis, Lynch, Munford, Thomas, Ellitt, Belrose, Worcester, and Atlantic. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum c. 1915.
Fishmonger, Mr. Hazzard Taylor, was responsible for delivering fresh fish to the doorsteps of OC residents. Often fried, the fish were a staple for many restaurants. John Bergman continued to cart fresh fish to houses and hotels around the island well into the 1950s. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum c. 1900.
This aerial photo was taken looking south towards the pound fishing camps. Dated August 24, 1933, the inlet was only 50 feet wide just two days after the fateful hurricane carved it open. All buildings shown were eventually destroyed by the expanding inlet, including all of the fish camps. Photo courtesy of OC Life Saving Station Museum
Captain Frank D. Parsons aboard his boat, the Katherine. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum c. 1940.
The inlet provided a safe passage into the Atlantic. Millions have passed through since its creation. Photo courtesy of the Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum c. 1940s.
Commercial fishing boats docked in the OC Fisherman's Marina. Photo courtesy of the Martin family
This early aerial of the commercial harbor shows commercial fishing vessels and the fish houses where seafood would be processed. Activity in the harbor was high, while the surrounding area remained mostly undeveloped. Color photo by F. W. Brueckmann - Pub. by Tingle Printing Co., Pittsville, MD. Photo courtesy of the OC Life Saving Station Museum
After the creation of the inlet, commercial fishermen saw evidence of huge marlin off the coast. Rumors quickly spread, and soon marlin sportfishing took off thanks to the observations of the commercial fishers. Photo courtesy of the Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum c 1960s.
The first few decades of the harbor's existence brought record landings of surf clams. Fishermen leaving before sunrise to dredge offshore was very common before the Magnuson Stevens Act of 1976. Sorting clams was known as "picking and scratching". Photo courtesy of the Martin Family.
Photo courtesy of the Martin family.
Captain Kerry Harrington of Seaborn Seafood writes in a book in his harborside shop. Photo by Zach Garmoe, 2022
Aerial photograph shows the development surrounding the commercial harbor. Photo courtesy of Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum c. 2006.
Kerry Harrington is currently working on his third boat in the shipyard.
Photos
Sources and citations for this StoryMap can be found here .
