Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum – St. Michaels, Maryland
Potomac River dory boat. When the oystering industry boomed in the years after the Civil War, oystermen working the Potomac and Potuxent Rivers tonged from boats like these. They were bigger than the older boats and had a V-shaped bottom. This means more room for oysters and a more seaworthy boat – traits no doubt appreciated by watermen venturing into the more open waters near the mouths of the Potomac and Potuxent to find new oyster bars.
Exhibits inside illustrate different aspects of life on the waterfront.
The Miles River carries freshwater down to the Chesapeake Bay. Twice a day, saltwater tides from the Atlantic Ocean push back the fresh water flow of the Miles River and some 150 other rivers, creeks, and streams. This mixing of waters creates an estuary – one of the most productive environments on earth. The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest and historically most productive estuary. The Bay’s nutrient-rich waters provide many different types of habitat that support diverse communities of plants and animals. But with an average depth of only 21 feet spread over its 200 mile length, the Bay is especially vulnerable to pollution. With 11,000 miles of shorelines, the Bay is the gathering place for millions of tons of dirt and pollutants running off the land.
The water is brown because every rainstorm brings more sediment washing into the river. Blooms of algae are caused by the over-rich nutrient load carried by the runoff.
A man-made tidal inlet was built to manage storm water runoff from the parking lots at the Maritime Center. The runoff is collected, slowed down and filtered by the marsh grasses on its way to the river and the Bay. The result is less sediment, less pollution, and improved water quality.
Attractive wayfinding signage and interactive exhibits further enhance the Maritime Center as a destination.