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Sunday, August 04, 2013

Rising Seas 2: Former Seafood Capital Crisfield Struggles To Survive

CRISFIELD, MD — Crisfield was founded as a fishing village in the mid-1660’s on a finger of land that juts out onto the Chesapeake Bay. It’s the southernmost city in Maryland, just a few miles from the Virginia border.

In the 1800s, large beds of oysters were discovered in surrounding waters. Oysters were so plentiful that much of downtown near the shoreline was built on a foundation of oyster shells.

Residents would dredge for oysters in the winter and fish for crabs in the summer.

Recognizing a business opportunity, the town’s namesake and a former congressman, John W. Crisfield, brought the railroad into town. By the beginning of the 20th century, Crisfield was shipping so many oysters and crabs that the city attracted workers from as far away as New England and the Midwest, briefly becoming Maryland’s second-largest city, behind Baltimore.

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13 comments:

Anonymous said...

God will decide if Crisfield survives,not man.

Anonymous said...

If the lawmakers keep imposing more laws and regulations against business and development, yes Crisfield is done.

Anonymous said...

I was down in Newberry,SC for a week and for a population of about 10,000 they have 15 manufacturing factories from Komatsu,Cat, Kis Tire,etc.Is Maryland that unfriendly to business that big companies don't want to come here?

Anonymous said...

The sea level is not rising, the land is sinking.

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love this town. I recently had work to do there and am truly amazed by the perseverance of the people that call Crisfield home.

I think Somerset Co gets the short end of the stick in a lot of things sadly. I wish their schools were "better", and I would call it home, sadly it does not seem like a priority.

Anonymous said...

4:18. The land Crisfield sits on is NOT sinking.

Anonymous said...

4:43. I love this town too. The people are wonderful and hard working. It truly is a special place.

Anonymous said...

I'll agree to a point that the schools are not on the better end of the spectrum, but they are what you make them. I went to school on Deal Island, ended up with a Master's degree and retired in my 40's thanks to Somerset schools, involved parents and a strong work ethic.

Anonymous said...

cyclical, cyclical, cyclical...

Anonymous said...

Yeah, they put in a flood gate down by my house. Ever since it has been installed, the tide comes in the yard and under the house. The tide can't go through the gate so now it backs up in my yard.....

Anonymous said...

Glug, glug, glug...

Anonymous said...

Too many fat people living in Crisfield. It's causing the land to sink.

Anonymous said...

This entire area has been on a decline for decades. Tourism kept the eastern shore afloat along with farming. With no new industry in years you can't create new jobs. The state of Maryland is so poorlÿ run that it's going to be nearly impossible to fix. The good jobs have left,kids leave and most don't come back. The few jobs that remain pay little. The local media paints the area as if nothing is wrong and that's not true. The gangs and crime are well involved here. ECI has been releasing imates into Somerst county and that makes things worse. The tourism numbers don't lie,they are going down. The area doesn't offer anything new and looks rundown in many places. If things aren't looked at clearly here things won't improve..........this area isn't a good place to live and work anymore unless you want to be poor and bored.