Hoopers Island, Maryland | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Maryland |
County | Dorchester |
Population (2000) | |
• Total | 441 |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 21634 |
Area code | 410 |
GNIS feature ID | 588389 |
Hoopers Island is a chain of islands in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. Upper Hoopers Island and Lower Hoopers Island are surrounded by water with the Chesapeake Bay on the west and the Honga River on the east. The remote set of islands has much wildlife and is well known for sport fishing and crabbing industries. Hoopers Island was issued one of the earliest land grants in Dorchester County, Maryland. [1]
Hoopers Island is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The islands are situated on the east shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Dorchester County.
Hoopers Island is roughly 20 miles (32 km) long and consists of three small islands. [2] The islands are very narrow in many places and one can easily see water, the Chesapeake Bay and the Honga River, on both sides of Maryland Route 335 which travels through the islands. [3]
Upper Hoopers island is located at N. 38°20' W. 76°14 and Middle Hoopers island is located at N. 38°16' W. 76°11. Lower Hoopers Island is now a marshland.
The early residents of what is now known as Hoopers Island were the Yaocomico people. According to some local folklore, the land was purchased from the Yaocomico tribe for five woolen blankets. [4]
Hoopers Island is considered the oldest settled area in Dorchester County. [5] The namesake of the islands is Henry Hooper. Hooper was friends with the Calverts, an important family many consider to be founders of the state of Maryland. In the mid-17th century, parts of the islands were surveyed for Hooper. The first parcel of land was surveyed by Robert Clift and aptly titled Hooper's Clifts. [6] An additional 400 acres (1.6 km2) of land was surveyed for Hooper later on in 1668. He received additional parcels of land in 1669 as well. [6]
Though much of the land was claimed by the Hoopers, other families such as William Chaplin, Richard Bentley and Philip Shapeley owned major plots of land. In addition, some indentured servants such as Thomas Hooten and Daniel Puddiford received land. [2]
The Hooper family made Dorchester County their family home in 1669. [7] Henry Hooper had a large family: he was married twice and had 14 children. [8] Henry Hooper was one of the first commissioners of Dorchester County. [9] Many descendants of the original Henry Hooper followed in his footsteps and served on the Dorchester County legislature as well. [8] Upon his death, Hooper left parcels of land, with names such as Hooper's Chance, Hooper's Lot, Hooper's Fortune and Hooper's Forrest to his children. [10]
Due to the geographical nature of Hoopers Island, the residents had to be self-sufficient and independent. Accordingly, the islanders maintained strong family and community ties. Once families moved to Hoopers Island, they stayed for generations. According to one source, for 300 years the population can be traced to just ten families. [5] The outside world did not rapidly influence the way of life on the island. While in the 21st century, many places find it difficult to remain isolated, Hoopers Island maintains a sense of pride on their independence and self-sufficiency.
Erosion is a serious threat to the island, as it removes an average of 24.19 acres (97,900 m2) per year. [11] In addition, storm and flood damage along with rising waters had and continue to have an effect on the environment and geography of the islands.
Since the early 20th century, Lower Hoopers Island is no longer inhabited. Prior to this, the island was home to the community of Applegarth which grew tremendously during the oyster boom in the 1880s. Due to erosion, the last resident was forced to leave in the late 1920s. For a short while, farmers continued to use the island to pasture their livestock. Unfortunately, a hurricane destroyed the bridge to Lower Hoopers Island in 1933. [3]
Another section of Hoopers Island has also been affected. Swan Island, originally owned by the indentured servant, Thomas Hooten, has almost disappeared but some of the buildings still stand. [3]
The islands are filled with wild geese and ducks throughout the marshlands. [12] Little and great blue herons, American oystercatchers, double-crested cormorants, willets, herring gulls, Forster's common, royal, and least terns, black ducks, gadwalls, egrets, osprey, and the boat-tailed grackle can all be found in and around Hoopers Island. [11]
According to a 2018 estimate, the population of Hoopers Island was 559. [13]
Most of the islands’ residents live in the communities of Honga, Fishing Creek and Hoopersville. Honga and Fishing Creek can be found on Upper Hoopers Island while the southernmost village, Hoopersville, is found on Middle Hoopers Island. As a reflection of life on the islands, oyster boats, tonging craft and crab houses are visible across the landscape. [12]
The islanders host many impressive and enduring social events. One such event involves fishing Hoopers Island. [11] Since 1973, the William T. Ruark Fishing Tournament is considered the island's largest event. Other events such as the Arts and Crafts Auction and Bazaar and the Ronald McGlaughlin Artisans Fair are community affairs that draw residents and visitors alike. [11]
There is a strong sense of community amongst the islanders. One endearing story painted the people and community of Hoopers Island in a very positive light: "strongly independent" "stout-hearted" "self-sufficient", great "sense of community" and "fellowship." [14] Between a strong work ethic and family ties, the community is a strong force that has weathered some negative publicity and difficult times. One such example occurred in the mid-20th century.
In 1954, there was a crabbers strike. Because of the large amount of crabs in the Bay, the price had been so reduced that the fishermen weren't making any money off their catches. Therefore, the crabbers went on strike. Usually strikes are organized by a union who would conduct negotiations in order to improve conditions. For this strike, there wasn't any organized union which promoted the strike but just a tight-knit group of fishermen who wanted their voices heard. Because this strike was not employed by a union, a Baltimore Sun editorial portrayed the crabbers as lazy, uncivilized and uncooperative. In response to this editorial, the Organization of the Volunteer Fire Company sent an eloquent response. [15] This response addressed the negative press the fishermen and the communities received, showing how the fishermen and the communities pride themselves on keeping up with modern ideas, that they were civilized and did not need to utilize unions to work together and make improvement to their lives.
Originally, the main industry on the island was crops. Hoopers Island was mainly known for tobacco crops but during the American Revolution, vegetables and grains were also grown. [8]
Today, most people who live on Hoopers Island have some connection to the fishing industry. The local families make a living as crabbers, oyster tongers and seafood packers. [12] Seasonal workers from Mexico also work in the processing plants. [16] Unfortunately, because of many factors such as water pollution, the fishing industry is on the decline. The number of crabs has been decreasing at an alarming rate, and the area governments have enacted a number of laws in order to slow the decline of the crabbing industry. As of April 2008, the governors of Maryland and Virginia considered cutting the number of harvested female crabs by one-third. According to an article in The Baltimore Sun, the crabbers of Maryland are not happy with this direction as it might force some watermen out of the business. [17]
The Department of Natural Resources issued new regulations in March 2009, for daily bushel limits for mature female hard crabs and periods of closure for harvest of mature female hard crabs. Mature female hard crab bushel limits were assigned based on license type. The regulation further provided the DNR with the authority to establish and modify a season or catch limit by public notice based on continuous monitoring of stock conditions and harvest rates. The Department withdrew the portion of the 2009 regulatory proposal that would have required a free registration for crabbers not currently required to have a license. [18]
Off the shores of Upper and Middle Hoopers Island is the Hooper's Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in 1906 and is only one of eleven pneumatic caisson lighthouses in the United States.
For over ten years, the Phillips Seafood Factory has been open to visitors. It is at this factory that blue crabs are processed. Phillips Seafood is a company that owns and operates seafood restaurants throughout the east coast. The company origins go back to 1914 on the island, where Augustus E. Phillips established what is now Phillips Seafoods' first seafood processing plant. [19]
Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts. The county is part of the Mid-Eastern Shore region of the state.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and the state of Delaware. The mouth of the bay at its southern point is located between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. With its northern portion in Maryland and the southern part in Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of those two states, as well as others surrounding within its watershed. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bay's 64,299-square-mile (166,534 km2) drainage basin, which covers parts of six states and all of Washington, D.C.
Crisfield is a city in Somerset County, Maryland, United States, located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 2,515 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. Crisfield has the distinction of being the southernmost incorporated city in Maryland.
Tangier is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States, on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 436 at the 2020 census. Since 1850, the island's landmass has been reduced by 67%. Under the mid-range sea level rise scenario, much of the remaining landmass is expected to be lost in the next 50 years and the town will likely need to be abandoned.
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Maryland shares with Delaware and Virginia.
Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is separated from Sandy Point, an area near Annapolis, by roughly four miles (6.4 km) of water. At only four miles wide, the main waterway of the bay is at its narrowest at this point and is spanned here by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The Chester River runs to the north of the island and empties into the Chesapeake Bay at Kent Island's Love Point. To the south of the island lies Eastern Bay. The United States Census Bureau reports that the island has 31.62 square miles (81.90 km2) of land area.
Maryland Route 335 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 16.36 miles (26.33 km) from the upper end of Hooper's Island north to MD 16 in Church Creek. MD 335 provides access to several communities along the Honga River in southern Dorchester County. The state highway also passes through Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. MD 335 was designated as one of the original state roads, but only the portion of the highway from Crossroads to the Blackwater River was completed by the early 1920s. The highway was constructed from Crossroads to Golden Hill in the mid-1920s, from Crossroads to Church Creek in the late 1920s, and from Golden Hill to Hooper's Island with the completion of a modern bridge over Fishing Creek in 1934.
Fishing Battery Light was the last lighthouse constructed in Maryland by John Donahoo. While still standing, it has been supplanted by a steel tower which stands adjacent to it.
The Hooper Island Light is a lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay, west of Middle Hooper Island in Maryland.
The Clay Island Light was a historic lighthouse located on Clay Island at the mouth of the Nanticoke River on the Chesapeake Bay. Constructed in 1832, it continued to serve the area until 1892, when it was replaced by the Sharkfin Shoal Light. Two years later, the building collapsed, and nothing remains of it.
Hooper Strait Light is one of four surviving Chesapeake Bay screw-pile lighthouses in the U.S. state of Maryland. Originally located in Hooper Strait, between Hooper and Bloodsworth Islands in Dorchester County and at the entrance to Tangier Sound, it is now an exhibit at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland.
Taylors Island is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States, in the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 173 at the 2010 census. It is known for hunting, crabbing and fishing. Ridgeton Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church and Grace Episcopal Church Complex were listed in 1979.
Holland Island is a marshy, rapidly eroding island in the Chesapeake Bay, in Dorchester County, Maryland, west of Salisbury. The island was once inhabited by watermen and farmers but has since been abandoned due to sinking of the land's surface associated with isostatic subsidence and sea level rise. It is located in the Holland Strait, between Bloodsworth Island and Smith Island, six miles west of Wenona, Maryland and Southeast of another former island, Long Island.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is located in St. Michaels, Maryland, United States and is home to a collection of Chesapeake Bay artifacts, exhibitions, and vessels. This 18-acre (73,000 m2) interactive museum was founded in 1965 on Navy Point, once a site of seafood packing houses, docks, and work boats. Today, the museum houses the world's largest collection of Chesapeake Bay boats and provides interactive exhibits in and around the 35 buildings which dot the campus. The museum also offers year-round educational seminars and workshops.
Phillips Foods, Inc. and Seafood Restaurants is a family owned and operated seafood company in the mid-Atlantic region, United States. Phillips Foods, Inc., seafood manufacturers as well as restaurateurs, specializes in crab meat and crab cakes, and produces a line of fish and shrimp products. The company is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Phillips Seafood Restaurants have casual dining, buffet service and carryout.
Carpenters Island was an island located at the head of St. Clement's Bay in St. Mary's County, Maryland, patented in 1847 to Susan E. Carpenter, Amanda Carpenter, Rebecca Carpenter, and Matilda Carpenter and certified in the name of William Carpenter. The land patented included surrounding waters and measured one and three quarter acres. In 2005, the island was included in a list of "lost islands" of Chesapeake Bay, which is situated between Maryland and Virginia in the United States.
Spesutie Island is a 1,500-acre (610 ha) island located in the Chesapeake Bay in Harford County, Maryland, United States. It lies 5.5 miles (8.9 km) southeast of Aberdeen, Maryland. Spesutie Narrows bounds the island on the west and the bay bounds it on the north, east, and south. The island is part of Aberdeen Proving Ground.
The Honga River is an estuary on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay, bounded on the west by Hooper's Island and on the east by the mainland of Dorchester County, Maryland. 14 miles (23 km) in length and over 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, it runs southeast to the west entrance of Hooper Strait, north of Tangier Island; the Hooper Strait Light stood between the two. Towns on the river include Crapo, Fishing Creek and Wingate.
The Tilghman Watermen's Museum records the maritime traditions of the people of Tilghman Island and the unique way of life of the watermen who lived on the island. It is located on Tilghman Island, Talbot County, Maryland, United States.
The Ozinie, also known as the Wicomiss, were a group of Native Americans living near modern-day Rock Hall, in Kent County, Maryland. They were hunter-gatherers and fished.
38°18′00″N76°12′29″W / 38.30000°N 76.20806°W