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"Crab Capitol" a Crisfield Travel Page by grandmaR

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"Crab Capitol" a Crisfield Travel Page by grandmaR

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grandmaR   
"..an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered." G.K. Chesterton


Real Name: (grandma) Rosalie B.
Lives In: Leonardtown, US
Member Since: Oct 18, 2002
VT Rank: 40

 

Page Views: 2,549            Last Visit to Crisfield: July, 2003      

Crab Capitol

by grandmaR - last update: Sep 6, 2007

Crabby Crisfield water tower between buildings
Board outside Museum
Crisfield is a tiny village of less than 2800 people on the Delmarva peninsula.
Latitude: 37.983N
Longitude: -75.854W

Crisfield calls itself the crab capitol. It is the town that is the fartherest south in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay before you get to Virginia. Because of the diminishing seafood catches in the Chesapeake, Crisfield has been somewhat of a ghost town, and it is in the process of reinventing itself.

Community festivals include:
· National Hard Crab Derby & Fair - Aug. 29-31, 2003 (including crab races) (Event dates often change. Check ahead.)

Nearby parks and recreation: (pictured)
* Pocomoke Sound Wildlife Management Area
* Janes Island State Park
* Cedar Island Wildlife Management Area
Window box with shells & eating utensil 'flowers'

History

The town was originally called Somer's Cove after one of two settlers in the area. They started out as farmers, but soon became watermen. The harbor and marina are still called Somers Cove.

Then a businessman named Crisfield got the railroad extended as far as Somer's Cove so that their product could be shipped quickly. Billions of oyster shells were used in the foundations for local roads, buildings and railroads. That's because of the low lying marshy land. Some places in Louisiana use oyster shells in a similar fashion.

Some stories go that the town was renamed in honor of Crisfield to appease him when he fell through a rotten pier.

Another claim to fame that Crisfield has is that it was the home of the Ward Brothers who made fantastically realistic decoys. Their workshop can be visited from the J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum. J. Millard Tawes was governor of Maryland. He also has a Coast Guard boat named for him. The Tawes family was and is very prominent in Crisfield.

Another Crisfield son who is buried here is Curley Byrd, famous or infamous President of the University of Maryland from the mid 30s to to 50s. Another well-known resident was Wesley Nelson, founder of Del Monte.

> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]

Pros:"Plenty of seafood, and easy to get around"
Cons:"Touristy"
In A Nutshell:"Seafood and Schlock"
grandmaR's Crisfield Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 7 - Photos: 27
 
Restaurants
Tips: 7 - Photos: 19
Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 2 - Photos: 3
 
Nightlife
Tips: 2 - Photos: 3
Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 7 - Photos: 7
 
Tourist Traps
Tips: 1 - Photos: 5
Warnings Or Dangers
Tips: 3 - Photos: 7
 
Transportation
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2
Local Customs
Tips: 3 - Photos: 9
 
Packing ListsShopping
Tips: 9 - Photos: 9
 
Sports Travel
Tips: 4 - Photos: 13
General Tips
Tips: 4 - Photos: 12

grandmaR's Crisfield Travelogues
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
Sailboat trip to Crisfield - June 2003 & Aug 2004August, 2004 8
Crabs in Crisfield - from Bay to PlateJuly, 2003 8
Visiting Crisfield - Tawes Museum & Trolley TourJuly, 2003 8
Leaving CrisfieldJuly, 2003 8
Labor Day Cruise 2007August, 2007 8
Overnight in JuneJune, 2008 8

Comments for grandmaR about Crisfield
freckles0026 Thu Oct 23, 2008 18:38 UTC
 Charlie Adams started selling the local newspaper, The Crisfield Times, as a young boy and continued for over 60 years until his recent retirement. Every Wednesday, residents looked for Charlie on this corner to pick up the news of the week.
mvtouring Fri Mar 9, 2007 05:26 UTC
 Get your point, not a shoppers paradise this little place. ;-)
Dutch_Apples Mon Oct 23, 2006 09:48 UTC
 Some places on your page have since closed. You should back to town, a lot has changed in the last few years.
littlesam1 Wed Mar 17, 2004 14:17 UTC
 Great page on Crisfield. I never realized that Governor Tawes was from Crisfield. Always good to learn something new every day.
See More Comments

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