a publication of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
The Chesapeake Log
Winter/spring 2014
contents
Mission Statement
Winter/Spring 2014
NOTICE: HELP WANTED
CBMM Summer Sailing
Program instructor
19
4
5
6
22
chairman’s message
by Tom D. Seip
16
president’s letter
by Langley R. Shook
currents
CBMM awarded grants; new oyster drop-off
location; Oyster Stew Competition winner;
ALL announces new officers; New Governors
welcomed to board; New decoy exhibit in
April; New choices for Membership, and more.
12 Curator’s corner
Gloucester of the Merchants
& Miners Transportation Company
by Norman H. Plummer
24
26
CBMM receives several gifts to collection
15 lifelines
Volunteer Profile: Martha Austin
by Marie Thomas
2 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
features
Rosie Parks Floats
by Dick Cooper
Showboat Days are here again:
The James Adams Floating Theatre
by Kate Livie
calendar
Speaker Series, Member Nights,
education and boatyard programs,
WineFest, Elf Classic Yacht Race, Maritime
Model Expo, and save-the-dates for 2014.
ON THE RAIL
Updates on the Potomac River Dory Boat,
tug Delaware, draketail Martha, and Rosie
Parks' pushboat. Plus, meet the newest
addition to the CBMM Boatyard crew.
Help the Chesapeake Bay Maritime
Museum teach the fun, excitement,
and adventure of sailing on the
Miles River! We are currently seeking sailing instructors and volunteers
to assist the Education Department
with teaching children and adults
the basic fundamentals and technical
skills of sailing on our JY 15 vessels.
All instructors must be certified in
Boaters Safety and/or life guarding
through the American Red Cross.
Applicants for the head sailing
instructor position must additionally
be US Sailing Certified Level 1.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is
dedicated to preserving and exploring the
history, environment, and people of the
Chesapeake Bay.
In Loving Memory
of Chrys Alvarado
Museum Values
On January 20, 2014, our longtime volunteer and friend Chrys
Alvarado passed away. Chrys
became a CBMM volunteer in
2005, acting first as a docent and
a Crab Cakes and ecology cruise
educator before assisting as a
receptionist, membership assistant, volunteer association board
member, volunteer support committee member, and special event volunteer. Chrys
had her hand in almost every facet of what we do and was always here to help when
we put out a call.
Chrys was always a surprise—she regaled us at board meetings with stories
from her youth, including saving lives as a lifeguard. She led an amazing life and
we were fortunate to have her here with us to share her energy and enthusiasm.
Later we were awed by her strength as she fought an amazing battle for her life.
She will be very missed by the staff and volunteers at CBMM. Our sincerest
condolences are with her beloved husband Ed, and her lovely family.
Service learning hours are available
for Maryland high school students!
Authenticity. We seek genuinely to represent the people and cultures whose stories
we preserve and tell.
Stewardship. We value the priceless assets
entrusted to us and accept their preservation and enhancement as our paramount
responsibility—our collections, our campus
and facilities, our financial resources, and
the volunteers and staff who perform our
Mission and make our Museum the rich
enterprise it is.
Sign up for our e-Newsletter and
stay up-to-date on all of the news
and events at the Museum. Email
havefun@cbmm.org to be added to
our mailing list.
CONNECT WITH US:
Beautifulswimmers.tumblr.com
Chesapeakeboats.blogspot.com
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Navy Point, PO Box 636
St. Michaels, MD 21663
410-745-2916 • cbmm.org
Hours:
April to May, 9am–5pm
June to August, 9am–6pm
Sept. to Oct., 9am–5pm
Nov. to March, 10am–4pm
Employment dates:
June 10th – August 28th.
To apply for an instructor position
please send résumé to:
Human Resources
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
P. O. Box 636
St. Michaels, MD 21663
Résumés can also be emailed to
catwood@cbmm.org. To apply for a
volunteer position, please contact
mspielman@cbmm.org or 410-745-4956
for more information.
Relevance. We provide meaningful and
accessible experiences to everyone who
cares about our Mission—all of our
communities and constituencies.
On the cover:
The skipjack Rosie Parks was relaunched at the annual
OysterFest celebration on November 2, 2013.
Photo courtesy of William Wilhelm, williamwilhelm.com.
Apprentice for a Day Public
Boatbuilding Program
JOURNEYMAN'S SPECIAL :
Learn traditional boatbuilding skills under the
direction of a CBMM shipwright. Be a part of the
whole 17-week process or just sign up for those
aspects of boatbuilding you want to learn.
Current project: 17-1/2 foot lapstrake sailing skiff
Choose any four classes for $150 CBMM members
& $200 non-members. Drop-in rate $45 / $55.
Questions? afad@cbmm.org or 410-745-4980
Editors: Marie Thomas & Tracey Munson
Creative Director: Marie Thomas
Copy Editor: Mariana Lesher
Contributing Writers:
Dick Cooper, Esty Collet, Kate Livie,
Tracey Munson, Norman Plummer,
Tom Seip, Langley Shook, Marie Thomas.
The Chesapeake Log is a publication of
the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
Schedule: bit.ly/afad2014
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
3
Chairman’s Message
by Tom D. Seip, Chair of the Board
Board of
Governors
2013-2014
Museum Staff
President’s Letter
by Langley R. Shook, President
President
Langley R. Shook, President, 4951
It’s been a little over three months since the historic
relaunch of the skipjack Rosie Parks, and I can still feel
the excitement of that warm November afternoon.
More than 4,500 people joined us at OysterFest—the
largest, single day crowd in the Museum’s 48-year
history—to witness Rosie kissing the water for her welldeserved homecoming. From the rechristening ceremony
with Parks family members, to the solo performance
of the hymn, “A Closer Walk with Thee” as the iconic
skipjack headed down the railway, the day was filled
with moments many will remember for a lifetime.
To me, the relaunch marks one of the most significant
milestones in the 48-year history of this institution, one
that will remain a part of Museum President Langley
Shook’s rich legacy. With Langley’s retirement plans announced this past December, it’s
a great time to reflect on his four-plus years of contributions to the Museum serving as its
fourth President. And as he stays on board until his successor is found, Langley’s contributions continue to strengthen the Museum through this transitional period.
Coming out of his law practice retirement with a commitment to lead the Museum for
up to five years, Langley began his tenure guiding the Museum through tough economic
times. Today, his leadership is marked by a long list of major accomplishments, including fundraising for the Rosie Parks restoration, living shoreline extension and bulkhead
projects, as well as attracting more diversified audiences to the Museum. He’s doubled
Annual Fund donations and boosted planned giving toward the Museum, all while
recruiting and hiring what I believe is the Museum’s best-ever staff. Because of Langley’s
leadership, we are well-positioned to attract and engage the next leader of the Museum.
After Langley’s announcement, a search committee was formed to begin the process of
finding a new President for the Museum. The committee includes Emeritus and standing board members, staff, and the Executive Committee, including myself, serving as
ex-officio members. Throughout the process, other volunteers will be solicited for their
input as well. The process began in December with the search committee interviewing
five executive search firms ranging from solo practitioners to large international firms.
With a search firm now chosen, we are on our way to meeting the next President of the
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The interviewing and selection process is expected
to take approximately six months, during which time Langley will remain on board leading the Museum.
Until that time, we’re continuing to build upon your love of the Chesapeake Bay
through an engaging series of educational and boat restoration programs and a line-up
of special events to enjoy. From an oar-making workshop to public sailing days, to our
kids club and a new decoy exhibit, the Museum offers something to engage every interest
and age level. See our calendar on page 24 for more information. And if you missed the
relaunch of the skipjack Rosie Parks, be sure to go online and watch a short video of the
historic moment at bit.ly/rosieparks.
4 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
Tom D. Seip, Chair
Richard C. Tilghman, Jr., Vice Chair
James P. Harris, Treasurer
Richard J. Bodorff, Secretary
Schuyler Benson
Paul Berry
Harry W. Burton
William B. Carter
William S. Dudley
David E. Dunn
Dagmar D. P. Gipe
E. Brooke Harwood, Jr.
Christopher A. Havener, Jr.
Francis Hopkinson, Jr.
Fred Israel
Richard J. Johnson
Peter M. Kreindler
Elizabeth S. Loker
Frank C. Marshall, Jr.
Patrice Miller
Geoffrey F. Oxnam
Bruce A. Ragsdale
Mitchell B. Reiss
D. Bruce Rogers
S. Stevens Sands
Lelde Schmitz
Diane J. Staley
Henry H. Stansbury
Benjamin C. Tilghman, Jr.
Alfred Tyler, 2nd
Carolyn H. Williams
President
Langley R. Shook
Emeriti
Richard T. Allen
Howard S. Freedlander
Alan R. Griffith
Margaret D. Keller
Breene M. Kerr
Charles L. Lea, Jr.
D. Ted Lewers, MD
Fred C. Meendsen
John C. North II
Sumner Parker
Robert A. Perkins
Joseph E. Peters
James K. Peterson
Norman H. Plummer
John J. Roberts
Henry H. Spire
James E. Thomas
Joan Darby West
Donald G. Whitcomb
Breene M. Kerr Center
for Chesapeake Studies
Pete Lesher, Chief Curator, 4971
Richard Scofield, Assistant Curator of Watercraft, 4966
Rob Forloney, Director of the Kerr Center, 4959
Kate Livie, Director of Education, 4947
Eric Applegarth, Exhibits Specialist, 4945
Lynne Phillips, Collections Manager, 4972
Helen Van Fleet, Education & Reservations Assistant, 4941
Boatyard
Michael Gorman, Vessel Maintenance Manager, 4968
Mark Donohue, Rosie Parks Project Manager, 4967
Jennifer Kuhn, Boatyard Program Manager, 4980
Joe Connor, Vessel Maintenance Assistant
Bill Bronaugh, Shipwright Apprentice
Brooke Ricketts, Shipwright Apprentice
Communications & Special Events
Tracey Munson, Vice President of Communications, 4960
Marie Thomas, Communications Manager & Art Director, 4953
Melissa Spielman, Director of Events & Volunteer Program, 4956
Ida Heelan, Events Coordinator, 4944
Development & Constituent Services
René Stevenson, Vice President of Constituent Services, 4950
Debbie Collison, Membership Manager, 4991
Cheryl Miller, Constituent Services Assistant, 4943
Megan Fisher, Visitor Services Manager, 4945
Finance
Jean Brooks, Vice President of Finance, 4958
Craig Atwood, Director of Finance, 4958
Patti Miller, Store Business Development Manager, 4954
Digie McGuirk, Staff Accountant, 4957
Devon Duvall, Museum Store Manager, 4962
Tara Mores, Leslie Price, Museum Store Clerks
Operations
Bill Gilmore, Vice President of Operations, 4949
John Ford, Facilities Manager, 4970
Lad Mills, Boat Donations Program Manager, 4942
Sam Fairbank, Facilities Maintenance Assistant, 4969
Joseph Redman, Facilities Maintenance Assistant, 4969
Andrew Walter, Boat Donations Program
Assistant Manager, 4942
To contact, dial 410-745, and the number listed.
To email, use the first initial, full last name @cbmm.org.
Soon I will step down as President of the
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum when a
successor is named. It’s been an honor and a
privilege to serve for the past four years. Karen
and I have enjoyed almost every moment of it.
Sometimes the best things in life are serendipitous. This has been both.
Several things stand out in my mind—diversifying the Museum’s audiences with events like
Watermen’s Appreciation Day and Frederick
Douglass Day; restoring the skipjack Rosie Parks
to her former glory; increasing donations to the
Annual Fund and planned giving; enhancing the Museum’s waterfront with a new
bulkhead and living shoreline; and seeing our staff and volunteer forces strengthened.
None of this would have been possible without your support, and I thank you for it.
During the quieter winter months we’ve focused on how we can serve our members
and visitors better while increasing visitor related, or “earned” revenue that is an
important goal of the Museum’s new strategic plan to sustain the institution for the
long term. Besides improving amenities for our boaters—adding air conditioning in
the showers, at last!—we’ve restructured membership levels to better align dues with
the corresponding benefits. The new membership levels and their dues are set out on
page 10. A modest increase in general admission charges also will allow us to expand
many of our programs, upgrade our facilities, and better serve our members, visitors,
and the community at large.
CBMM is fortunate to have membership dues and paid admissions fund a larger
portion of operating expenses than many of its peers, but charitable gifts still provide
the lion’s share of revenue support. Please consider donating to this year’s Annual
Fund that closes on April 30, or making a second gift. Planned giving opportunities can be found on page 14, including an invitation to join the new Lighthouse
Legacy Society that should especially interest those who love CBMM and its mission,
but who may not feel comfortable making a substantial gift until lifetime financial
responsibilities are fulfilled. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has donated
or arranged a planned gift to the Museum. Your support is what enables us to connect
people from all walks of life to the Chesapeake Bay. Your belief in our Museum is
what allows it to be at the forefront of preserving and exploring the history, environment, and people of the Chesapeake Bay.
I cannot close without remembering and cherishing Chrys Alvarado, who we lost
after her long and courageous battle with cancer. For a decade Chrys was an absolutely
sensational CBMM volunteer and good friend, who had her helpful hands in almost
every facet of what makes CBMM so special. In my time, Chrys was the always
cheerful volunteer receptionist at the front desk, a few steps from my office door, on
Friday afternoons. Chrys never lost her lovely Roanoke, Virginia accent, and she never
lost her twinkle and always upbeat personality. Our hearts go
out to Ed, another champion CBMM volunteer, and the rest
of Chrys’s loving family.
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
5
currents
CBMM awarded Stories of the Chesapeake Grant;
works with SMHS senior to create interpretive panels
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was one of nine
recipients of the “Stories of the Chesapeake Small Grants”
for 2014, awarded by the Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage
Area organization. The Museum received funds to create and
install interpretive panels in the small boat shed detailing the
various Chesapeake Bay fisheries such as pound netting, gill
netting, and the significance of the small crafts featured in
the exhibit. Beginning in September and continuing through
mid-January, St. Michaels High School senior Charles
Danenmann interned at the Museum, assisting CBMM
Exhibits Specialist Eric Applegarth with the graphic design
of the new signage.
“I’ve really enjoyed interning at CBMM,” says Danenmann.
“I liked working with staff to create the new panels and
I’ve learned lots of new things that have helped me in my
Interactive Multimedia Design class at SMHS.” He hopes to
continue studying graphic design in college.
“We are pleased to have received this award as it will
allow CBMM to update and expand its interpretive labels
for a large number of small craft, all with tremendous
significance for the people of the Bay. Each one of these
boats has a unique story to tell and this grant gives us the
opportunity to highlight
how they were used, why
they are special and their
role in our communities,” says Director of the
Center for Chesapeake
Studies Robert Forloney.
Stories of the
Chesapeake Heritage
Area, focusing on
Caroline, Kent, Queen
Anne’s, and Talbot
counties, is a program of
Eastern Shore Heritage
Area, one of several
St. Michaels High School senior
Charles Danenmann.
designated and certified Maryland Heritage
Areas, where public and private partners make commitments
to preserve historical, cultural, and natural resources for
sustainable economic development through heritage tourism.
For more information, visit storiesofthechesapeake.org.
Theo's Steaks, Sides
& Spirits wins oyster
stew competition
Theo’s Steak, Sides & Spirits
owner Chris Agharabi
recently accepted a plaque
from the Museum for
winning the oyster stew
competition at the 2013
OysterFest celebration. Six
restaurants competed, with
more than 500 participants
taking part in blind taste
tests and voting by ballot for
their favorite stew.
Theo’s Steaks was served as stew ‘F’ in the tastings.
OysterFest participants also picked Roy’s Kwick Korner,
from Glen Burnie (stew ‘D’) as second, with third place
going to Bistro of St. Michaels, (stew ‘C’). Mark your
calendars for next year’s annual OysterFest on Saturday,
October 25, 2014.
MRYCF awards grant to
CBMM Sailing Program
Oyster Recovery Partnership oyster drop-off location now at CBMM
CBMM once again partnered with the Oyster Recovery
Partnership (ORP) to collect 500 gallons of oyster shells at
OysterFest. In addition, the Museum now has four 32-gallon
barrels installed alongside the access road off the CBMM
parking lot year-round. The barrels are available any time to
members of the public to drop off used shells to be collected
by ORP, who will then transport them to Horn Point for
processing. Each shell recycled is then seeded with an average
of 10 baby oysters and planted back into the Bay in an effort
to restore oyster reefs.
The Oyster Recovery Partnership is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to plan, promote, and implement
science-based and sustainable shellfish restoration, aquaculture and wild fishery activities to protect the environment,
support the economy, and preserve cultural heritage. For more
information, visit oysterrecovery.org.
6 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
The Miles River Yacht Club Foundation (MRYCF) in
St. Michaels, MD has awarded the Museum a grant to
help underwrite new equipment for the Summer Sailing
Program. The grant will replace torn sails and provide a new
dolly to move the sailboats. Currently, the Sailing Program
has only one new sail, which was generously funded by
MRYCF in 2012. The new equipment is imperative to the
success of the program. To find out more about our Summer
Sailing Program, visit cbmm.org/learn.htm.
ALL announces new
officers at January meeting
ALL Vice President Bob Lonergan with John Miller, a presenter of
“Master of the Modern Short Story: Alice Munro,” from January 14 to
February 4. Photo courtesy of Katie Wyatt.
The Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) held its
annual meeting and winter social on January 9 at CBMM.
Members elected new officers and learned who will serve as
board members and committee chairs for the organization.
ALL is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization committed
to promoting the exploration of ideas, exchanging knowledge, and sharing experiences.
The ALL officers for 2014-2015 are Wilson Wyatt, Jr.,
President; Robert Lonergan, Vice-President; John Ford,
Secretary; and Brice Gambler, Treasurer. Nominating
Committee members include Ed Delaney, Barbara Reisert,
and Ron Lesher, Immediate Past President.
The elected at-large board members will serve staggered
terms. Tom Hollingshead, Anne McCormick, and Ed
Delaney will serve in 2014. Kate Mann, Jim Adams, and
Barbara Reisert will serve for 2014-2015. Wyatt named
the committee chairs, who are appointed by the president
and also serve on the board and the executive committee
during their terms: Sam Barnett, Curriculum; Esty Collet
and Ann DeMart (co-chair), Marketing; Beverley Martin,
Membership; Brice Gambler, Finance; and Helen Van
Fleet, Registrar.
Attendees at the event also enjoyed hearing Vice
President Bob Lonergan describe the ALL Winter
Session courses and events. For more information about
these programs, to obtain a catalog for the full semester,
or to register for courses, please call 410-745-4941 or visit
cbmm.org/all.
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winter/spring 2014
7
currents
Fordham Brewing donates proceeds
from Rosie Parks Oyster Stout
CBMM welcomes new board members
The Museum’s Board of Governors
recently elected three new governors.
Joining for a three-year term are Beth
Loker of Royal Oak, MD, Bruce
Rogers of Easton, MD and Carolyn
Williams of Washington D.C. and
Easton, MD.
Beth Loker retired after 30 years
with The Washington Post in 2003,
serving the last 10 years as its vice
president of systems and engineering.
She has served on several boards of
directors, primarily in the health care
and media fields, including CareFirst
Inc., and currently with Quality
Health Strategies and the Copyright
Clearance Center.
In addition to corporate boards,
Loker’s volunteer work includes
supporting scholarship students at
University of Maryland’s Center
for Environmental Sciences Horn
Point Laboratory, and serving as honorary director with the
Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra,
as well as emerita member and past
chair of The George Washington
University’s National Council for
Arts and Sciences. Loker earned her
BA degree in philosophy from the
George Washington University and
completed graduate studies in operations research and economics.
Bruce Rogers has served as
president of Sherwood of Salisbury
for more than 25 years, after serving as its vice president for seven.
His community involvement includes
serving on the advisory council
for Salisbury University’s Franklin
P. Perdue School of Business and
as board member of the Salisbury
Foundation Board. He previously served as a member of the
Community Foundation of the
Eastern Shore, board member of the
Calvin B. Taylor Bank, and advisory
board member of the Wilmington
8 winter/spring 2014
Video of Fordham Tour:
bit.ly/fordhamtour
Pictured from left: Bruce Rogers, Beth Loker, and Carolyn Williams were recently elected as new
members with three-year terms to the Board of Governors of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime
Museum in St. Michaels, MD.
Trust Company. Rogers attended
Salisbury University before earning
his BS in business from Northwood
Institute in Midland, MI.
A graduate of Cambridge University
in England and Yale Law School,
Carolyn Williams practiced law for 35
years with the Washington, D.C. law
firm Williams & Connolly. She specialized in complex civil litigation representing companies such as General Electric
and Pfizer Inc., in defense of product
liability suits and The Washington Post
and The National Enquirer in defense of
defamation actions.
Williams serves on the boards of
several professional and charitable
organizations, including the United
States Court of Appeals for the D.C.
Circuit’s mediation program, the
Yale Law School Alumni Board, the
Vestry of Christ Church-Easton and
the Board of Trustees of the Academy
Art Museum in Easton.
the chesapeake log
CBMM Alumni Event
Beginning in the fall of 2012, CBMM Board
of Governors alumni have reconnected with
the Museum they have served so faithfully
since its founding. In October 2012, then
Chair of the Board CG Appleby and his wife
Nancy hosted a party to kick off this new
alumni effort, with two information sessions
following in the spring and fall of 2013.
Emeritus Board Member Howard
Freedlander is leading the alumni effort,
happily accepting CG's request to establish
an alumni group.
“This effort to enable former governors
to renew their ties to the Chesapeake Bay
Maritime Museum has been really gratifying,” Freedlander said. “The on-campus
session led by CBMM staff offered attendees an opportunity to learn about and
comment on the strategic plan, while learning about the Museum's current educational
activities. Both sessions were fascinating
and well-received. I hope that more and
more of our board alumni will attend our
staff-led activities.”
The next CBMM Board Alumni event
is scheduled for April 24. Contact René
Stevenson for details at 410-745-4950 or
email rstevenson@cbmm.org.
New Decoy Exhibit:
Carvers at the Crossroads
Members Preview: April 11, 2014 (see page 24)
Fordham & Dominion Brewing President & CEO Jim Lutz presents
CBMM Vice President of Communications Tracey Munson with a check
for $500, proceeds from the sale of the Rosie Parks Oyster Stout.
Decoys and tools from upper Chesapeake Bay carvers, including the
toolbox of Chesapeake City carver Leonard Pryor, will be featured in
the exhibit Carvers at the Crossroads.
Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company, of Dover,
Delaware, donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale
of the Rosie Parks Oyster Stout to the Museum, for the
second year in a row.
“Every year, we look forward to brewing Rosie Parks
Oyster Stout. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is
doing important work, and we are excited that our beer
can help draw attention to it,” says President and CEO Jim
Lutz. The Rosie Parks oyster stout is seasonally available in
Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Delaware for a
limited time.
The Chesapeake Bay’s Susquehanna Flats were a mecca for
waterfowl hunting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
At the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the
Chesapeake Bay, the rich bottom grasses and shallow open
water provided the perfect habitat for millions of migratory
ducks and geese that drew sportsmen and market hunters
alike to the region’s small waterfront towns.
In these communities of Maryland’s Cecil and Harford
counties, decoy carvers of all skill levels and walks of
life worked to keep up with the demand for expansive
decoy rigs to harvest the blizzards of wildfowl. Although
most carvers developed a unique, identifiable style, decoy
construction or decoration styles had a way of flowing
between counties, towns, and even states because of
connections between different craftsmen—familial ties,
friendship, and sometimes just fancy.
In the upcoming exhibit, Carvers at the Crossroads:
Sharing Ideas, Techniques and Styles Across the Chesapeake’s
Susquehanna Flats, the stories and connections between
these early 20th century carvers will be told through
artifacts, photographs, and above all, the decoys they
created. Like Leonard Pryor, a Chesapeake City carver
whose elegant birds communicated influences both deeply
local and surprisingly distant, Carvers at the Crossroads will
connect visitors with a period in Chesapeake history when
the carving techniques and skills of the Susquehanna
Flats were as abundant and nomadic as the canvasbacks,
pintails, and blackheads they artfully rendered. Exhibit
opens April 12, 2014 and continues through November.
CBMM Introduces Speaker's Bureau
Let the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum bring the
stories of the Chesapeake's culture, history, and environment to your organization or group with our new speaker's
bureau. Through hour-long presentations by CBMM's curators, shipwrights, and educators, your audience can discover
the history of the Bay's steamboat days, the adventure of log
canoe racing, the pleasures of early Chesapeake yacht cruising, and the stories of watermen making a living on Tangier,
Smith and Hooper's Islands.
The cost is $200 per presentation within a 30-mile
radius of CBMM. Presentations outside of the 30-mile
radius incur an additional mileage fee. Two weeks notice
is encouraged when booking a speaker. A list of topics is
available at cbmm.org/cbmmspeakers. Contact Director of
Education Kate Livie at 410-745-4947 or klivie@cbmm.org
for more information or to schedule a presentation.
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
9
currents
New choices for membership
In our ongoing effort to better serve CBMM members, we solicited feedback over the last year to see how we could better
suit your needs. In addition to increasing amenities for our boaters—including air conditioning in the showers—we have
restructured membership levels to create more choices. This new membership structure goes into effect when your current
membership expires. Until your membership expires, you will continue to enjoy your current level of membership and all its
benefits. When your membership expires, you'll be able to choose a new level of membership that best suits your needs and
budget. If you have questions, please call our Membership Office at 410-745-4991.
OLD LEVELS of membership
NEW CHOICES
Individual
Individual $60
• free general admission and reduced festival admission for one
adult for one year
• 10% Museum Store discount
Household $75
Family
Do you want
to bring in
extra guests?
NO
YES
Contributor
Do you want
overnight
docking
privileges?
NO
YES
• free general admission and reduced festival admission for two
adults & children under 18 for one year
• 10% Museum Store discount
• free day docking
Friends & Family $100
• all benefits of Household PLUS
• free general admission for two additional guests for one year
• Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) reciprocal
admission to over 80 museums nationwide
Mariner $125
• all benefits of Family & Friends PLUS
• overnight docking privileges
Supporter $200
Supporter
• all benefits of Mariner PLUS
• free docking on second night of visit
• free head pump out
Benefactor $500
Benefactor
• all benefits of Supporter PLUS
• 20% Museum Store discount
• free CBMM Burgee
Sustaining
Sustaining $1,000
• all benefits of Benefactor PLUS
• one free night of docking during peak season
Life
Life $2,500 (one time fee)
• all benefits of Sustaining PLUS
• free signed, limited edition maritime print
10 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
ALL MEMBERS
RECEIVE:
• reduced admission
to Museum programs
and special events
• member hospitality area
at special events
• exclusive monthly
Member Night programs,
concerts, presentations
CBMM Member Perks
Membership has its benefits, including discounts on lodging, dining, shopping, and
area attractions at 45 local businesses. Present your CBMM membership card
before purchase; discounts apply only to cardholder.
CBMM SPONSORS
Chesapeake Bay Outfitters • 410-745-3107
Five Gables Inn & Spa • fivegables.com
15% off lodging; mention CBMM discount for reservation
Ava's Pizzeria & Wine Bar • avaspizzeria.com
10% off regular menu Sun-Thurs
10% store discount
Pixel, Print & Post • pixelprintpost.com
10% off $25+ retail document services, packing & shipping
Patriot Cruises • patriotcruises.com
$49 Member Season Pass
Sherwood's Landing & Pursers Pub
The Inn at Perry Cabin • perrycabin.com
10% off food & beverage Sun-Thurs, no holidays
Visit bit.ly/memberperks to download a complete list
with more than 45 participating local businesses!
• discounts on Museum
classes, workshops,
and boat rides
• discounts at participating local merchants,
restaurants, hotels, inns,
and bed & breakfasts
• CBMM member decal
and membership cards
• annual subscription to
The Chesapeake Log
A big thanks to the
NEALL FAMILY
CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
We are pleased to announce
the Navy Point showers and
bathrooms will be air conditioned
to benefit our boating members as
well as our visitors, thanks to the
Neall Family Charitable Foundation.
The high efficiency units are
Energy Star approved and have
an 18 SEER (Seasonal Energy
Efficiency Ratio) rating by the U.S.
Department of Energy, making
CBMM a first class energy efficient
facility, minimizing operating costs.
Don't forget to use your
Museum Store discount!
Museum members get store discounts,
and your purchases support the children
and adults served by our educational,
exhibit, and boat restoration programming.
books • jewelry • artwork • model kits
clothing • ceramics • toys • ornaments
housewares • keepsakes • and more!
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Store
410-745-4962 / online store coming soon!
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
11
curator’s corner
Gloucester of the Merchants & Miners
Transportation Company
by Norman H. Plummer
T
he Museum is fortunate to have
in its collection an oil painting by
Otto Muhlenfeld of the Merchants
& Miners Transportation Company
steamer Gloucester. Muhlenfeld, who
died at age 35 in 1907, was known as
the “Port Painter of Baltimore.” He
was born in Baltimore and lived near
the harbor all his life and his paintings
of harbor activity include vessels of all
descriptions including tugs, pilot boats,
and steamers.
The Baltimore-based Merchants
& Miners Transportation Company
was incorporated on April 24, 1852.
During its existence, the company
operated passenger and cargo
steamships that served ports in
Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia,
Florida, Georgia, Rhode Island, and
Pennsylvania. International service to
Havana, Cuba was initiated in 1920,
and to Nassau, Bahamas, in 1939, but
unlike the company’s domestic routes,
neither of these services endured. Its
vessels served the Civil War, the
Spanish-American War, and World
Wars I and II.
In World War II, most of the
company’s ships were requisitioned
for war duty. Unfortunately, after the
war, the company could not afford
to re-purchase the ships sold to the
government for the war effort, or build
new ships. Operations ended in 1948
and the company was liquidated in
1952. Over the course of its long history,
Merchants & Miners had 64 vessels.
The steel-hulled Gloucester was built in
1893 by the Maryland Steel Company
at Sparrows Point in Baltimore for
$343,000. Her official dimensions were:
12 winter/spring 2014
CBMM receives several gifts for collection
(top left) CBMM President Langley
Shook stands with Ed Hatch (pictured
right) who recently donated his 36'' x 48''
oil painting of the log canoe Edmee S to
the Museum. “I was fortunate enough
to experience sailing on this elegant
lady and seeing her under sail is a thing
of beauty. It is my privilege to donate
this painting to such a prestigious and
informative institution, and it is my
desire that the painting be placed where
it can be enjoyed,” said Hatch.
(top right) Chief Curator Pete Lesher
holds up “Hammers and Tongs—Jennifer
Lynn,” by renowned Chesapeake artist
Marc Castelli, who donated this framed,
original watercolor to the Museum, in
honor of former CBMM Board member
Duane Beckhorn.
An oil painting of the steamer Gloucester, by the “Port Painter of Baltimore,” Otto Muhlenfeld.
length, 272.2; beam, 42.0; depth, 16.0;
and her original tonnage was 2,541.61
gross and 1,976.99 net. Her original
Certificate of Enrollment, issued
in Baltimore on November 2, 1893,
describes her as a “Steel Steamer—has a
Stem head and a Round stern.” She was
a coal-burning screw steamer.
You might say Gloucester was an
unlucky ship. Her first serious accident
occurred at 1:30am on September 16,
1898 while en route from Baltimore
to Boston, when she struck the fishing
schooner Alice C. Jordan off Martha’s
Vineyard. As described in The New
York Times, “The Gloucester struck the
schooner with fearful force nearly in the
centre of the port bow and cut into her
fully a third of her breadth.” Nine of the
schooner’s crewmen died, three killed
in the collision, the others trapped
below when the schooner sank. Seven,
the chesapeake log
including the captain, were picked from
the ocean by the Gloucester and carried
into Boston. Coincidentally, the Jordan
hailed from Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Her second disaster happened at
4:44am on March 16, 1912 when she
collided with the four-masted schooner
Herbert D. Maxwell off Thomas Point
in the Chesapeake Bay. The 186-foot,
Maine-built Maxwell was carrying
1,150 tons of fertilizer from Baltimore,
bound for Wilmington, North Carolina.
The schooner sank and four of her
crew went down with her. However,
Gloucester picked up her captain and
the remaining crew. Gloucester broke
her foremast and had considerable torn
rigging and broken rails. She made
port in Baltimore unassisted, guided
by Captain J. McDorman. For the
Gloucester’s next big adventure, she
was on the other side of the coin this
(bottom left) Larry DeBaugh and his
son Fred (pictured left) donated seven
model boats, three in exquisite glass
display cases. The models range from
a delicate mahogany runabout to a
detailed, rigged model of Admiral
Farragut's flagship, USS Hartford. As a
child, Larry spent his summers cruising
the Chesapeake with his family, and has
(bottom right) Beatrice Schirmer
donated her Bryan Quirk oil painting
of the skipjack Rosie Parks in memory
of her late husband, Howard Gibbons
Schirmer, who loved the water.
time, responding to a crash. On June 10,
1930, the Merchants & Miners’ Fairfax
rammed and sank the tanker Pinthis,
with the end result of 48 lives lost.
Fairfax left Boston in early evening
in dense fog, blowing fog signals repeatedly. The inbound Pinthis emerged from
a fog bank and blew one blast on her
whistle. Fairfax had only 100 to 200
feet of warning and distance after sighting Pinthis. The Fairfax hit Pinthis at an
estimated speed of three knots.
A gash in the Pinthis’s hull freed
thousands of gallons of high-test gasoline to enter her engine room, where
it met the open furnace fires. Pinthis
became a huge fireball, showering fiery
streams aboard Fairfax and adjacent
water before burning fiercely. All 30
of the crew were immediate victims of
the sudden holocaust, along with 18
passengers.
Immediately after the impact, the
captain sent an SOS, ordered the fire
alarms to be set off, and contacted
the Gloucester which was due to leave
Boston about that time. She came by
and took surviving Pinthis passengers to
shore. Captain Brooked backed Fairfax
away from the Pinthis and anchored
away from the burning pyre. Gloucester’s
career ended a few years later.
fond memories of the Museum and the
Chesapeake Bay.
Do you have an artifact, painting, or
Chesapeake Bay-related ephemera
that you wish to donate to CBMM?
Contact Chief Curator Pete Lesher at
410-745-4971 or plesher@cbmm.org.
Take a look inside the Museum's collection!
bit.ly/collectiontour
Her last master, from November
20, 1934, was H.E. Callis. Her last
license was surrendered at Baltimore on
February 21, 1938, the reason given was
“Vessel scrapped,” and under that was
rubber-stamped, “Abandoned.”
Gloucester herself may have been
abandoned, but her story lives on in
Muhlenfeld’s fine painting. Other
Muhlenfeld paintings in the Museum
collection show the Merchants &
Miners steamers Itasca, and the excursion steamboat Ontario, and Rock Creek,
as well as the tugs Dauntless, Savage,
and Pilot #1.
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
13
lifelines
Volunteer Profile: Martha Austin
by Marie Thomas
M
CBMM Welcomes Founding Members of the
Lighthouse LegaCy soCiety
LEAVING A LEGACY…These generous friends have pledged a legacy gift of $25,000
or more to ensure future generations of visitors will be able to experience and
appreciate the rich heritage, culture, traditions, and challenges facing the Chesapeake
Bay and the people who have shaped their lives around it.
NANCY & CG APPLEBY
ELLEN & RIChARd BodoRFF
GLoRIA & JAMEs GIBsoN
GREG GuThMAN
ChRIsToPhER hAVENER
JANE & FRANCIs hoPkINsoN
FRANk MARshALL
NANCY & FREd MEENdsEN
PAMELA & dENNIs PITT
ELLEN & NoRMAN PLuMMER
BRuCE RAGsdALE
RosA & sTEVE sANds
ALExA & ToM sEIP
kAREN & LANGLEY shook
LINdA & hENRY sPIRE
JudY & hENRY sTANsBuRY
RENÉ & ToM sTEVENsoN
BEVERLY & RIChARd TILGhMAN
The LIGhThousE LEGACY soCIETY was launched in June 2013 with a donor’s challenge to generously match
bequests of $25,000 or more. This challenge was met and extended by another anonymous donor, resulting in
over $8.2 million in legacy gifts committed in just the past six months.
We invite you to join these founding members by naming Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in your will or trust,
or as a beneficiary of your IRA or life insurance policy or other planned gift, so the Museum’s mission of preserving
and exploring the history, environment and people of the Chesapeake Bay will continue to impact generations to
come. or join our friends in the Museum’s PERPETuAL MARINERs soCIETY, who have previously named CBMM
in their estate plans. The future of the Museum is in the hands of generous people like you.
artha Austin began volunteering at the Museum in
the spring of 2013, donating her time at the reception
desk, where she answers calls from the public and assists
various other departments such as membership and marketing. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Austin moved
to the Eastern Shore in 1978, after graduating from the
University of Maryland at College Park.
Martha met and married her husband, Captain Jack
Austin, in 1979. The Austins have lived in St. Michaels
ever since, raising their three daughters, Arianna, Pacy, and
Claire, now grown. Captain Jack grew up on the mouth of
Leeds Creek and according to Martha, “knows the bottom
of that river better than any crab.”
Martha decided to volunteer at CBMM after the opening of Push and Pull: Life on Chesapeake Bay Tugboats exhibit,
which features her husband, Captain Jack, a tugboat captain.
“I really appreciated the recognition CBMM gave to mariners and the tugboat industry in general, because there is an
awful lot that goes on in the region that depends on them,”
says Martha.
“I realized, as a resident of St. Michaels, how important
CBMM is—it’s the backbone of this town, and I really care
about it. I appreciate the heritage, especially the maritime
history that is preserved here. And it’s just great how the
Museum shares this experience with such a broad audience—people who don’t live here can come and appreciate
it,” adds Martha.
In addition to
volunteering at
the Museum and
working parttime at Pixel,
Print and Post,
Martha also
helps with the
Children’s Home
Foundation of
the Episcopal
Diocese of
Easton, Maryland, which provides needs-based funding for
local students and adults wishing to pursue technical, job or
career training.
“Helping and encouraging students and adults to realize there are other options besides the traditional four-year
college route and helping them pay for vocational training
is very important,” says Martha. “There are so many career
opportunities out there, from nursing, electronics, welding,
maritime, hospitality, and so many others, and we want to
help people find what works best for them.”
“I’d really encourage anyone new to the area to get
involved at CBMM. This really is the jumping off point to
getting to know the area and its people,” says Martha.
Upcoming Volunteer Docent Training, Van Lennep Auditorium
These sessions are for docents who have completed the annual General Tour Training. The two-part sessions offer background and content information,
as well as practical and applied instruction in CBMM's exhibits and campus. Both sessions are mandatory for each program training to be successfully
completed. Contact Director of Education Kate Livie at klivie@cbmm.org or 410-745-4947 for more information or to register.
Bay Bounty Tour Training: March 11 & 13, 10am-12:30pm
St. Michaels Walking Tour Training: March 12 & 14, 10am-12:30pm
Bay Discovery Tour Training: March 18 & 20, 10am-12:30pm
Oystering Legacy Tour Training: March 25 & 27, 10am-12:30pm
Crab Cakes Program Training: April 1, 10am-12:30pm
Through a series of informative and hands-on orientation sessions,
the Museum provides volunteers with a wealth of knowledge about
Chesapeake culture, history, and its environment. All volunteers
participate in basic training sessions and have the opportunity to
expand their knowledge with specialized training sessions, focusing
on specific topics and programs. Contact Melissa Spielman at
410-745-4956 for more information or email volunteer@cbmm.org.
For more information, contact René stevenson at 410-745-4950 or rstevenson@cbmm.org.
14 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
15
Rosie Parks
F L O AT S
by Dick Cooper
O
ysterFest started out more like a September day than a Saturday in
November—warm and windless, the air fresh and clear. The campus
of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was scrubbed and painted and
the Lady of Honor, the skipjack Rosie Parks, sat high on the marine railway overlooking the gathering crowd, a bouquet of red roses gracing her
bowsprit. For most of the day, folks were queued up at the oyster-shucking
tables, slurping down the Bay’s bounty, judging an oyster-stew contest, or
taking in the wares of the gathered vendors. It was like so many other fall
festivals—but then it changed.
About 3:30 in the afternoon there was a quiet but noticeable movement toward the Boat Shop, the beating heart of the Museum. The crowd
started to form along safety ropes lining the marine railway. Those who
were savvy and quick enough had already taken up coveted places high
above on the Hooper Strait Lighthouse’s decks and cupola. After three
years of painstaking work by shipwrights, apprentices, volunteers and even
school children, the fully restored Rosie Parks, one of the most celebrated
skipjacks in the Bay’s oystering history, was being launched to resume her
life as the Museum’s floating ambassador.
“We counted over 4,500 people in attendance,” Museum President
Langley Shook said. “Which set an all-time record for a single day crowd
in the almost 48 years since the Museum was founded. And we set it by a
pretty good margin.”
The crowd hushed as Museum dignitaries spoke about how the rebirth
of the Rosie Parks had become a focal point for staff, volunteers, and visitors. They talked of how the project became a centerpiece to show off the
time-honored skills the Museum has a mission to preserve. Former Board
Chairman Joe Peters got a round of applause when current Chairman Tom
Seip presented him with a beautiful, scale-model half hull of the Rosie.
Peters is credited with being one of the strongest proponents for the
rebuild in the face of stiff opposition by some who thought the old boat
too far gone to bring back. They argued it would be a waste of good money
with so many other projects needing funding; a point of view that most, if
not all, have since reversed.
16 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
A view of the relaunch from the Hooper Strait Lighthouse. Photo by Tom Stevenson. Watch a video of the launch at bit.ly/rosierelaunch .
“Everything I have heard from every
board member has been entirely
positive,” Shook said. “Those who were
keen on the reconstruction saw it as a
way to generate some excitement and
be a unifying force to draw attention
and energy to the Museum. Now that
it is completed I can say that unquestionably it succeeded.”
Seeing Rosie on the railway that day,
all gussied up with her colorful name
boards, varnished brightwork, and crisp
waterline, it was hard to recall a time
when this queen of the oyster fleet
had been a derelict hulk, rotting in her
slip and in constant danger of sinking.
When she was hauled to prevent that
fate she instantly began falling apart.
In many ways she was a symbol
of hard times at the Museum in the
middle of the Great Recession and a
constant reminder of the ill effects of
years of deferred maintenance. Rosie
was suffering from the common disease
of her species, wood rot. Skipjacks
were designed and built to be stable
workstations for dredging oysters in the
days of sail power. Made of cheap local
pine fastened to ribs of local oak, they
were not built to last. Most skipjacks
that were worked hard and put away
wet did not survive much past 25 years.
Their captains often felt it easier to
have another built than to keep up the
tedious and expensive repairs.
Continued on page 18
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
17
feature
So how did Rosie make it to the
ripe old age of 59? To begin with, she
had good bones and a style and grace
uncommon in an oysterman’s world of
rough edges and quick fixes. And she
had a name and pedigree that made
her historically important to preserve,
in order to protect the history of the
Chesapeake Bay.
She was built in 1955 by Bronza
Parks, a self-taught master craftsman
whose southern Dorchester County
boatyard in Wingate, MD, built
hundreds of boats for more than three
decades in the mid-20th century.
Bronza built the skipjack for his older
brother, Captain Orville Parks, who
was known on the Bay as one of the
best oystermen to ever sail a lick.
Bronza’s life was cut short on May
13, 1958 when he was shot and killed
by a mentally ill client over the cost of
a custom boat being built. The murder
case dragged through courts on both
the Eastern and Western Shores for a
decade, garnering front-page headlines
at every legal twist. Captain Orville
went on to win numerous skipjack
races at the helm of the Rosie Parks and
was named “Admiral of the Chesapeake”
by then Governor J. Millard Tawes. In
1970, an ABC television show entitled
“The Chesapeake Oystermen” featured
him and the Rosie Parks. A news clip
promoting the show said Captain Parks
was “the embodiment of the skill,
determination and courage demanded
of this special breed of seamen.”
On the advice of his doctor, Captain
Orville got out of oystering at the age
of 78 and sold the Rosie to the Museum
in 1975. He died the next year just
weeks after his 80th birthday.
The rechristening during the 2013
OysterFest took on a more spiritual
tone as the Reverend Mark Nestlehutt,
rector of Christ Church in St. Michaels,
blessed the Rosie and led the crowd in
prayer. There was silence while Mary
18 winter/spring 2014
Parks Harding, Bronza’s daughter and
her son Pres Harding, and Sharon Weber
and Tom Parks, Orville’s grandchildren,
climbed up on a platform at the bow of
the skipjack. The petite Mrs. Harding
was handed a large bottle of champagne wrapped in burlap. She took a
two-handed swing at the bow with the
bottle but it failed to break. That did
not discourage the matriarch of the
extended Parks family.
(top) Bronza Parks. (bottom) Orville Parks.
The crowd waited patiently while
she took four more cracks at the bow
and then burst in cheers when the
bottle exploded white foam over the
skipjack like a wave. Sharon Weber
stepped up to represent her branch of
the family tree and fared a little better,
breaking her bottle on the second try.
As they stepped back, the Rosie Parks
began to slide slowly down the railway
as Arlinda Barnes—a vocalist from
Trappe, Maryland with a soulful, rich
voice—began singing, “Just a Closer
Walk with Thee.” When Bronza was
the chesapeake log
ready to launch a boat, he would
crank the handle on a fire engine siren
mounted on the wall of his boat shop
in Wingate and the residents of the
hamlet would come out their homes, in
from the fields and workboats to help.
Several members of his crew were musicians and would pull out their guitars,
fiddles, and mandolins and play gospel
tunes as the boats were rolled down on
large-wheeled wagons to the water’s
edge. When the tide was high enough
to launch, they would sing Bronza’s
favorite song of all, “Just a Closer Walk
with Thee.”
The crowd let out another cheer
when Rosie’s rudder touched the water
and later roared when she floated free
in the harbor.
“I was thrilled during the entire
ceremony,” Mrs. Harding said. “I can’t
think of a greater tribute to Dad and
Uncle Orville.”
Throughout the afternoon, Theodore
Cephas, a lean man with the weathered
hands and face of a waterman and gray
flecks in his beard and hair, watched
quietly from the VIP tent next to the
railway slip. Old friends and members
of the Parks family who have known
Cephas since they were children hugged
him and made small talk. Cephas was
Orville Parks’ first mate on the Rosie and
had worked her decks for 20 years side
by side with the Captain; a man he said
“could catch oysters on a state road.”
When the Rosie was tied off
securely along the dock, the assembled
Parks family members stepped back
making a path for Cephas. With a
quick and practiced motion, he was
on board the spotless white decks
and headed straight for the helm. He
reached a hand out and caressed the
cabin top and then a thin smile crossed
his lips as he touched a wooden spoke
of the wheel, his eyes sparkling as if for
only a moment he could see back over
the decades.
(top row, from left) CBMM Chair of the Board
Tom Seip (right) presents former Chair Joe Peters
with a scale-model half hull of the Rosie. The
crowd begins to gather. Pres Harding speaks
before the relaunch. Photos by CBMM.
(middle row, from left) Pres Harding, Mary
Parks Harding, Sharon Weber and Tom Parks
rechristen the Rosie. Photos by Dick Cooper.
(bottom row, from left) The crowd cheered as
the Rosie kissed the water. Photos by CBMM.
Theodore Cephas, first mate aboard
the Rosie for more than 20 years,
was the first person to step aboard
the newly relaunched skipjack.
Photo by Dick Cooper.
Watch the recap of the entire restoration project
by DelmarvaLife at bit.ly/RosieDelmarvaLife.
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
19
S
how Boat Days are here again:
The James Adams Floating Theatre
by Kate Livie
T
he posters came first. Screaming
with gaudy colors and emblazoned
with ladies emerging from a haze
of stars and clouds, legs extended
in a Jazz-Age salute, the imminent
appearance was heralded: “Coming!
Coming! Coming! Show Boat Days
Are Here Again!” Pasted on the walls
of Maryland and Virginia’s remote river
towns, these visual whoops of excitement shared the news of the James
Adams Floating Theatre’s hotly
anticipated arrival.
In the deeply rural and isolated
Chesapeake of the early 20th century,
tidewater communities like Crumpton,
Tappahannock and St. Michaels were
places where life revolved around
seasonal cycles on the water and the
land—tomatoes, peaches, and crabmeat
in summer, with oysters, waterfowl,
and muskrat in winter. For Bay folk
tethered to the river, it was an ordinary
life, stable but utterly devoid of glamour. From Reedville to Chestertown,
Chesapeake communities were starved
for an infusion of glittery escapism.
The James Adams Floating Theatre's
dockside bulk was a Faberge egg of
delights promising a panacea for
humdrum hamlet life: a week of
nightly romance, adventure, comedy,
and music in the 800-capacity auditorium. As long as they had water access
and a few dimes squirreled away, audiences along Bay tributaries could sigh
with the lovelorn ingénue in Tempest
and Sunshine, discover ‘whodunnit’
in The Boy Detective, and shout with
encouragement as winsome cowboys
defeated the magnificently-mustached
20 winter/spring 2014
(top) The Floating Theatre with its two tugs,
Trouper and Elk. In 1933, the vessel changed
ownership and had a name change to “The
Original Floating Theater,” a strategy of the
new owner, Nina Howard, to capitalize on the
success of Edna Ferber's novel, Showboat.
(opposite page) These posters, or “heralds,”
were used promotionally in small towns
along the James Adams Floating Theatre's
circuit. Pasted on walls a few weeks prior to
the showboat's arrival, heralds such as this
one from 1927 created a buzz of excitement
amongst potential theater-goers.
villain in Sunset Trail. From 1914 to
1941, the Floating Theatre enchanted
small towns and cities throughout
the Chesapeake’s tributaries. Long
after its circuit was abandoned for
newfangled “talkies” and “colored
pictures,” the legacy of the magical
little showboat lived on in the memories of its audiences.
The Floating Theatre was the
brainchild of a seasoned entertainer
and vaudevillian, James Adams, who
had made his fortune in the travelling
the chesapeake log
carnival business. In the late 19th
century, as a retinue of showboats
plied their trade throughout the rivers
of the Midwest, Adams discovered
while working in the Southeast that
the opportunity of a carnival circuit on
the East Coast was still wide open. It
was a time period when, according to
the U.S. census, more than 60% of the
American population still lived in rural,
agricultural communities. But even the
humblest of towns often boasted its
own theater, an outpost of civilization
and culture in remote locales. These
small stages, ranging from utilitarian
platforms to elaborately appointed
entertainment palaces, hosted various
troupes of travelling performers during
the heyday of the “American Repetoire
Theater Movement.”
During a peak of popularity lasting the first four decades of the 20th
century, travelling repertoire companies, comprised of a corps of versatile
actors and musicians, provided the
main source of entertainment for small
town America. Melodramas, musicals,
and romantic comedies were the most
popular offerings, followed by farces
and minstrel shows. Modern audiences
would find the fare lowbrow and hammy,
but in farm towns and fishing villages,
it was an escape from the hard physicality of a world where machines had just
begun to make everyday life easier.
Adams, a savvy showman, knew
well the demand for small-town
travelling entertainment, and set about
capitalizing on it in 1913 with the
construction of a 128-foot barge in
Washington, North Carolina, named
Playhouse. Within its 30-by-80 foot
auditorium appointed in a cream, blue
and gold color scheme, there was
room for 500 on the floor and 350 in
the balcony, providing the capacity to
perform for entire towns. Adams spared
no expense—his “Floating Theatre”
boasted a stage, room for a 10-piece
concert band and a 6-piece orchestra, a
galley, a dining room, running water,
and room for 25 live-aboard cast and
crew. The exterior was painted an
immaculate white, with dark trim,
porches, and balconies.
Its design, however, was pragmatic as
well as pretty—drawing only 14 inches
of water when it was empty of audiences
meant the Playhouse could easily reach
the little towns crowded like barnacles
alongside the Chesapeake’s shallow
tributaries. Towed on either end by
two tugs, Trouper and Elk, and emblazoned with “James Adams Floating
Theatre” in lettering two feet tall, the
theater’s buoyant bulk made its leisurely
way to river communities throughout
the watershed between April and
November annually.
Once the Floating Theatre appeared
dockside, its small-town hosts could
anticipate a week of nightly entertainment, from plays and musicales to
concerts of the latest popular tunes.
Vaudeville bits and specialties performed
by company actors and musicians added
variety and comedic relief to the playbill. While the company experienced
a seasonal flux in members, a few
regulars cottoned to the Playhouse’s
nomadic lifestyle and became featured
stars of the theater’s reviews. Beulah
Adams, the sister of James, performed
trademark roles as the paragon of the
blushing ingénue. Known as the “Mary
Pickford of the Chesapeake,” with her
trademark sausage curls, dimpled smile
and petite stature (as well as the help
of some artfully-applied stage makeup),
she continued performing convincingly
as a young girl on the Floating Theatre’s
stage until she retired at age 46.
Charles Hunter, Beulah’s husband,
was another longtime Floating Theatre
troupe member, playing character roles
from straight men to love interests.
During the vessel’s second season in
1915, he joined the cast, eventually
moving up to direct plays and provide
artistic oversight. Hunter, although
a versatile and competent actor, was
dogged by extremely poor eyesight.
To look younger for roles, he’d remove
his thick glasses before going onstage,
clinging to the curtain to enter and exit,
blindly groping his way back to the
wings once his act was over.
Pop Neel was another longtime
Floating Theatre cast member. A grizzled
veteran of the carnival circuit, Neel had
played with scores of circus bands until
he came aboard the Playhouse in 1914
at the age of 56. A cornet player, Neel
played competently until his age and
health began to take their toll on his
teeth. By the early 30’s, his dental state
was as dilapidated as an old picket fence.
Continued on page 22
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
21
feature
This headline from The Baltimore Sun in November, 1925 features three of the Floating Theatre's core staff—married actors Beulah Adams, left, and
Charles Hunter, right, with owner James Adams, below. Over the course of its run, the James Adams Floating Theatre attracted much press attention,
with writers traveling from as far as New York City to cover the showboat's colorful players and featured entertainment.
In order to keep performing, the
Floating Theatre’s management bought
him a bass fiddle, one he played until
his retirement in 1939 at age 79.
Locals were encouraged to support the
Showboat’s visits, which resulted in
some special perks for those willing
to pitch in. Young boys were often
singled out for minor chores, toting and
fetching, in exchange for tickets to that
evening’s entertainment.
Hartley Bayne, a Crumpton resident
in the 1930’s, remembers the thrill
of “working” for the Floating Theatre
as a 10 year-old: “The actors had their
private rooms on the Showboat. They
had to have fresh water, and water to
bathe in. So the boys in Crumpton, and
I guess, Centreville and Chestertown,
22 winter/spring 2014
we carried buckets of water up and I
would do two different actors’ rooms at
a time, so all of them had fresh water.
And that night, I’d get in free, because
I was a waterboy.”
Bayne later became a pen pal with
one of the actors, Thayer Roberts, whom
he’d befriended during a visit in 1935.
Roberts, a seasoned vaudeville performer,
went on after his stint with the Floating
Theatre to transition from theater to
film and played bit roles in B movies
for the rest of his career. Though his
life took him far from the sweltering
tidewater where he’d trod the boards
for small-town audiences, it seems
he never quite managed to forget his
summers aboard the Floating Theatre.
From time to time over the next decade,
the chesapeake log
he’d sit down in his Hollywood Hills
home to write to the scrappy water
carrier from Crumpton, who would
later grow up to eventually become
grandfather to the author of this article.
Not all audiences were equal, however,
for the Floating Theatre. This was
the heart of the Jim Crow era in the
Chesapeake, when separate-but-equal
was anything but, and the showboat
was no exception. Anticipating mixedrace audiences, the balcony was originally advertised in 1914 as “reserved
for colored people exclusively,” a novel
arrangement for the time that galled
many who preferred their entertainment be strictly segregated along racial
lines. However, the attempt to draw
more diverse audiences proved to be a
failure for the showboat—regardless
of their “forward-thinking” separate
seating. For the Bay region’s AfricanAmericans, many restricted to lowwage menial jobs, the ticket prices
were far from affordable. James Adams
acknowledged this disparity for The
Saturday Evening Post in 1925 when he
commented to the interviewer, “The
20-35-50 cent scale is a bit beyond the
range of the negro population. Most of
them… (wait) on the wharf, listen to
the music inside, and wait for the 15-cent
concert after-show.”
A showboat staffer in the late 20’s
and early 30’s, Maisie Comardo, identified another reason African-Americans
avoided the Floating Theatre—curfews.
Comardo reflected in an interview years
later that many African-Americans did
not want to linger in the white part of
town as the concert ended.
Frequently, small Chesapeake towns
restricted their main streets after-hours
for white-only use, with violent repercussions if those restrictions were
ignored. For many locations throughout
the circuit, that curfew would have
started before the showboat’s final
curtain call—effectively eliminating
any chance of attendance for all people
of color in the community. These racial
disparities were to become nationally famous when the Playhouse was
immortalized in Edna Ferber’s novel,
Showboat. Ferber had first visited the
Floating Theatre in 1924, while the
vessel was in Crumpton, Maryland for
a week, and later travelled to North
Carolina in the spring of 1925 for a
second, longer stay.
Through her own observations and
interviews with the Floating Theatre’s
cast, especially Charles Hunter, Ferber
compiled extensive notes onboard the
Playhouse, documenting the culture
and community of the little showboat and the isolated tidewater towns
it visited. Ferber later described the
rich content of her interviews with
Charles Hunter, who was a bit of a
raconteur once he finally opened up:
“Tales of river. Stories of show boat
life. Characterizations. Romance.
Adventures. River history. Stage superstition. I had a chunk of yellow copy
paper in my hand. On this I scribbled
without looking down, afraid to glance
away for fear of breaking the spell.”
Ferber published Showboat to public
acclaim in 1926—it spent 12 weeks on
The New York Times bestseller list, and
inspired a blockbuster Broadway musical of the same name in 1927. Although
the story was fictionalized with a
Mississippi setting and an imaginary
cast of characters, the glories of the
Floating Theatre’s limelight and the
cruelties of the Jim Crow Chesapeake
were addressed with arresting realism
on Ferber’s Cotton Blossom.
The success of Showboat—immortalized on the page, the stage, and in 1936
on the big screen—helped to ensure
the memory (albeit slightly embellished) of the James Adams Floating
Theatre would never disappear entirely.
The publication of Ferber’s Showboat
and the subsequent adaptations that
followed marked the acme of the
Floating Theatre’s history. As its star
set, the movie industry and radio were
becoming powerful cultural juggernauts,
supplanting repertoire companies as the
small-town choice for entertainment.
By the late 1920’s the Floating
Theatre was facing hard times. In 1927,
she sank near Norfolk Harbor, requiring expensive repairs, and again in
1929, near the Great Dismal Swamp.
The Great Depression only continued
the downward spiral for the showboat.
Entertainment became a luxury for
down-on-their-luck audiences who
felt keenly the pinch in their pocketbooks. By 1933, it was the end of an
era. James Adams sold the Floating
Theatre to a St. Michaels woman,
Nina B. Howard, who managed the
boat with the help of her son, Milford
Seymoure, and changed the name from
“The James Adams Floating Theatre”
to “The Original Floating Theater.”
Although Beulah Adams and Charles
Hunter stayed under new management,
times had changed and business continued to fall off. Audiences throughout
the showboat’s circuit were no longer
transported by the sentimental romances
and slap-stick comedy after experiencing
the elaborate sets and subtle, emotional
acting of the moving pictures.
By 1936, Hunter and Adams finally
quit and began a land-based touring
company. In 1938, the showboat sank
for the third time in the Roanoke
River. Three years later, again under
new ownership, the Floating Theatre
caught fire in Savannah, Georgia. Her
flocked wallpaper, dressing rooms with
knotty pine, cramped, oil-splattered
galley, and the gold and silver painted
seats of her auditorium flickered in
the blaze of her final curtain call. It
had been a good run. So many dusty
Chesapeake towns had drowsed under
the Floating Theatre’s spell, roaring
with laughter, crying in sympathy,
clapping their hands and singing along
to “Buffalo Girl” and “Let Me Call
You Sweetheart.”
Through World War I and the
Depression, the great monolithic hulk
of the Floating Theatre approaching
downriver meant diversion from your
troubles, a blissful cocktail of comedy,
razzle dazzle, and glittery fantasy.
Although audiences would never again
gather each night by the town wharf,
ticket in hand, the theater’s music and
mugging entertainers would live on in
their delighted memories, and in the
stories they told to their children and
grandchildren. Certainly, this author’s
grandfather was no exception.
“It was special to be picked, and I
went to help every day, so I could go at
night,” said Pop-pop, Hartley Bayne,
reminiscing about his waterboy days in
Crumpton. “It was the best week of the
year, and everybody in the whole town
was there, at the showboat.”
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winter/spring 2014
23
calendar
programs/member nights/special events
feb/march/april/may/summer
This Old Chesapeake House Speaker Series
Blessing of the Fleet
Per session cost is $10 for CBMM members and $15 for nonmembers. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by
contacting Helen Van Fleet at 410-745-4941.
Old houses are a part of the character of the Chesapeake landscape and serve as a reminder of history’s role in our day-to-day
lives. These sessions explore the history, restoration, and ongoing preservation efforts of old houses, large and small, public and
private, from throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
Wednesday, April 9
5pm, Hooper Strait Lighthouse. Members FREE.
RSVP to Debbie Collison at 410-745-4991 by April 8.
Help launch this year’s boating season with members, volunteers,
and boatyard staff for an official ceremony honoring our own floating
fleet of Bay boats, as well as local work boats. Ceremony will be led
by the Reverend Kevin M. Cross.
A Home to Heroes/House of Worship:
Friday, April 11
5:30pm in the Waterfowling Building. Members FREE.
Refreshments served. Pre-register with Cheryl Miller
at 410-745-4943 by April 7.
Buffalo Soldier House, Asbury & Bethel Churches on the Hill
Wednesday, February 26
10-11:30am in the Van Lennep Auditorium
Join Morgan State University Professor Dale Glenwood Green as
he explores The Hill Community Project in Easton, MD, which
historians and archaeologists believe to be the oldest United
States community of free persons of color still in existence.
Historic Walking Tour of St. Michaels
Friday, March 7, from 10-11:30am
Participants will meet at the Museum for a maritime walking
tour of historic St. Michaels, led by CBMM Chief Curator and
St. Michaels Historic District Commissioner Pete Lesher. Lesher
will make the houses of St. Michaels come alive by sharing the
stories of the town's shipbuilding past where privateers and
schooners were constructed, to its bustling heyday as a town
built on the Chesapeake's oyster and crab industries.
Member Nights
Early Yachting on the Chesapeake:
“A Perfect Paradise for the Cruiser”
Thursday, February 20, 2014
5:30pm in the Van Lennep Auditorium. Members FREE.
RSVP to Debbie Collison at 410-745-4991.
Using sources from the 1870s through the 19th century, Chief
Curator Pete Lesher explores the gradual discovery of the Chesapeake
Bay as an ideal cruising ground. The image of the Bay through the
eyes of the people who discovered its beauty has changed over time,
but some constants remain, from the Chesapeake’s picturesque
coves to the summer squalls so characteristic of the area.
“Magic Lantern Story:” An Evening with Marc Castelli
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
5:30pm in the Van Lennep Auditorium. Members FREE.
RSVP to Debbie Collison 410-745-4991 by March 7.
Renowned Chesapeake artist Marc Castelli will share a unique
slide presentation featuring his annual show of photographs
collected while out on the water with watermen in all seasons
of the year.
24 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
Members Preview - Carvers at the Crossroads
Get a sneak peek at the newest decoy exhibit. The Chesapeake's
Susquehanna Flats were a mecca for waterfowl hunting in the late
19th and 20th century. In these communities of Maryland's Cecil
and Harford counties, decoy carvers of all skill levels and walks of
life worked to keep up with the demand for expansive decoy rigs.
Their stories will be told through artifacts, photographs, and the
decoys they created.
Naval History of the Chesapeake Bay
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
5pm in the Van Lennep Auditorium. Member FREE.
RSVP to Debbie Collison at 410-745-4991 by June 6.
Join Associate Director/Senior Curator for the U.S. Naval Academy
Museum James W. Cheevers, for an in-depth illustrated presentation on the maritime history of the Chesapeake Bay relating to the
U.S. Navy.
Education Programs
Model Guild Lapstrake Skiff Model Workshop
Friday, February 28, 6-9pm and Saturday & Sunday, March 1 & 2
9am to 5pm in the Bay History Building. $80 for CBMM Members
and $95 for non-members. All tools and materials are supplied.
Pre-registration required by calling 410-745-4941. Contact
Model Guild Director Bob Mason for more information at
410-745-3266 or bobmason@atlanticbb.net.
A lapstrake skiff model-building workshop invites participants to
build, step-by-step, a 10 inch wooden rowing skiff with lapped
side planking and a flat bottom. CBMM's Model Guild welcomes
anyone 12 years of age and older to take part in these classes,
and encourages new members of all skill levels to participate in
the Guild, use its facilities, and trade model boatbuilding
experience with CBMM visitors. A special rate for a parent-child
team can accommodate younger children.
Model Guild Two-day Half-hull Carving Class
Saturday & Sunday, March 29 & 30
9am to 5pm in the Bay History Building. $80 for CBMM Members
and $95 for non-members. All tools and materials are supplied.
Pre-registration required by calling 410-745-4941. Contact
Model Guild Director Bob Mason for more information at
410-745-3266 or bobmason@atlanticbb.net.
This two-day half-hull model-building workshop invites participants
to create a half-hull model of the Pride of Baltimore II. Band sawed
from a block and carved to the rounded shape of the Pride's hull,
the half-hull model is then mounted on a baseboard to form a fine
wall display piece.
Boater Safety Courses
April 16 & 17, May 14 & 15, June 18 & 19
July 16 & 17, August 13 & 14
6-10pm in the Van Lennep Auditorium. The cost is $25 per twoevening session, with space limited and pre-registration required.
Register with Helen Van Fleet at 410-745-4941.
Any Maryland boater born after July 1, 1972, is required to have
a Certificate of Boating Safety Education, in order to operate a
vessel. The certificate is obtained by passing a Department of
Natural Resources-approved boating safety course, and once
obtained; the Certificate is valid for life. Participants completing
the Boater Safety course and passing the test will receive this
Certificate. The course is also recommended for anyone looking
to become a safer, more experienced boater.
Lighthouse Overnight Adventures
Select Fridays & Saturdays in April, May & June
Cost: $40 per person, 12-person minimum and 18-person
maximum, which includes the overnight program fee, two day’s
admission to CBMM, an official lighthouse patch, and a copy of
From a Lighthouse Window Cookbook. To register, contact Helen
Van Fleet at 410-745-4941.
Your group can spend the night in our 1879 Hooper Strait
Lighthouse! Travel back in time to experience the rustic life of a
lighthouse keeper with hands-on, interactive activities, games, and
stories. The program, designed for youth groups, children’s organizations and scouts ages 8-12 (and their chaperones) is available
Fridays and Saturdays in the spring and fall, beginning at 6pm
and ending at 9am the following morning.
Kids Club
June 16 - July 25. Session dates and themes to be announced.
Contact Director of Education Kate Livie at 410-745-4947
with questions or email klivie@cbmm.org
The Museum's weekly Kids Club is a half-day, hands-on Chesapeakefocused camp for kids ages 4 to 7, where children learn about the
Bay firsthand through activities, stories, games, and crafts.
Summer Sailing Program
June 16 - August 15. Session dates to be announced.
Contact Director of Education Kate Livie at 410-745-4947
with questions or email klivie@cbmm.org
Explore the Miles River and learn maritime skills while learning to
sail a boat in a fun, safe, and encouraging environment. Sessions
include Basic, Advanced, and Adult & Teen Sailing.
Boatyard Programs
CBMM Friday Open Boat Shop
March 7, April 18, May 9, June 9
5:30-8:30pm. $20 CBMM members & $30 non-members.
Register with Jenn Kuhn by calling 410-745-4980 or email
afad@cbmm.org. Participants must be 16 or older, unless
accompanied by an adult
Members of the public are invited to the boat shop to work on
small projects of their own, or bring ideas for a future project, and
receive the advice of an experienced shipwright and wood worker.
Oar Making
Saturday & Sunday, April 5 & 6 in the Boat Shop
Two-day session runs from 10am-4pm both days. $60 CBMM
members, $80 non-members, plus the cost of materials, approx.
$50, depending on oar dimensions. Pre-registration required to
Jenn Kuhn at 410-745-4980 of afad@cbmm.org. For ages 16 and
up unless accompanied by an adult.
Under the direction of CBMM Boatyard Program Manager Jenn
Kuhn, learn to handcraft your own set of oars specific to your
vessel, or just for decoration. When registering, be sure to specify
what type of vessel your oars are for, and we’ll help you determine its dimensions. White pine will be provided unless another
material is requested in advance, or provided by participants.
Bring a bagged lunch. Class size is limited.
Public Sailing Days at CBMM
Fridays, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19
Two-hour sessions from 1-5pm
Saturdays, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20
Two-hour sessions from 10am-4pm
$10 per person per session plus Museum admission. Drop-in participation is available, but reservations are encouraged as small
craft are limited. For more information call 410-745-4980 or email
afad@cbmm.org.
Get out on the water in one of the Museum’s wooden sailing or
rowing skiffs. Built by the Apprentice for a Day public boatbuilding
program, the boats used range in size and are built for one to two
people, with instruction provided for beginners.
Special Events
5th Annual WineFest,‘‘Wines from Around the World’’
Saturday & Sunday, April 26 & 27 – Town-wide, St. Michaels
Tasting venue located at CBMM (lawns of administration buildings)
12noon-5pm daily. Early bird discounts and advance tickets
available at winefestatstmichaels.com
Experience more than 300 international, national, and Maryland
wines at 15 pouring venues within walking distance of one another.
Proceeds from the festival benefit charitable organizations
throughout the region.
the chesapeake log
winter/spring 2014
25
on the rail
On the Rail
Elf Classic Yacht Race
Saturday, May 17
Race finishes at 4pm at the Museum, where
spectators can watch the boats come in. Free for
members or with Museum admission.
Join Elf and other classic sailing yachts for a true
yachtsman's race. The Eastport Yacht Club in
Annapolis will serve as the departure point. This
event is organized by the Classic Yacht Restoration
Guild to create the sensibilities of yacht racing of the
1880s when the races began on shore; including the
row to the boat on mooring or anchor, making sail
and reversing the process at the finish—in this case
signing the race log on the grounds of the Museum.
For more information, contact Rick Carrion at
elf1888@earthlink.net or visit cyrg.org/elfclassic.htm.
Maritime Model Expo
Saturday, May 31 & Sunday, June 1
Sat., 10am-4pm & Sun., 10am-3pm
Free for members or with Museum admission
Held in conjunction with the Museum's Model Guild
and the North American Steamboat Modelers
Association, this expo includes radio-controlled
models powered by steam, battery, and wind. Static
displays of highly detailed and realistic models by
the Washington Shop Model Society and others will
be featured, as well as activities for children.
save-the-date
Antique & Classic Boat Festival
June 13, 14, 15 (Father’s Day Weekend)
Big Band Night
July 5, (rain date: July 6)
Mosaic Workshop
August 9
Watermen’s Appreciation Day
August 10
Charity Boat Auction
August 30 (Labor Day Weekend)
Boating Party Fundraising Gala
September 13
Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival
October 4 & 5
OysterFest
October 25 – NEW DATE!
26 winter/spring 2014
the chesapeake log
Potomac River Dory Boat
The restoration of the Potomac
River Dory began in early January
and continues over the course of
this winter. The Dory is a 1931
oyster tonging boat built at Banks
O’Dee, Maryland. Shipwrights,
apprentices, and volunteers have
Meet our newest addition, resident salty
worked to replace the shaft log,
boatyard cat and Chief Mousing Officer.
keel section, and bottom planking, View more photos online at bit.ly/EdnaSprit.
which will be done in 6/4 white
cedar. Once the paint is finished and the Ford Straight-6 engine
is installed, the Dory Boat will rejoin the Museum’s floating fleet
of historic vessels with her relaunch out on the Miles River in St.
Michaels sometime in late March.
“With the Dory’s launch, the CBMM floating fleet will now be
maintaining 11 boats in the water, and all are operational,” says
Vessel Maintenance Manager Michael Gorman.
Delaware
The 1912 tugboat Delaware was hauled in September for her
annual maintenance and some additional repairs. Shipwrights
and apprentices replaced two garboard planks of Douglas fir and
removed the shaft to assess the condition of the shaft alley and
deadwood in addition to recaulking and painting. With assistance
from Kastel Brothers of St. Michaels, shipwrights updated the shaft
coupling and serviced the propeller.
Martha
The 1934 Bronza Parks-built Hooper Island draketail’s (or
dovetail) yearly maintenance consisted of fresh paint and the
replacement of zincs and cotton caulking. Shipwrights took
measurements for the new planks to be milled this winter and
ran her fuel clean for winter storage.
Rosie's Pushboat
Shipwrights constructed a new keel, made patterns of the top
side planks in order to make new ones, and shaped a new transom.
Work will continue through the spring. The boatyard is currently
seeking a donation of a four cylinder, 150 horsepower diesel
engine for the pushboat. If you have an engine or would like to
donate toward the purchase of one, contact Project Manager Mark
Donohue at 410-745-4967 or mdonohue@cbmm.org.
(first row) Potomac River Dory Boat.
(second row, first two photos) Potomac River Dory Boat.
(second row, last photo) Draketail Martha.
(third row) Tug Delaware.
(fourth row) Skipjack Rosie Parks's pushboat.
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winter/spring 2014
27