Description
Book SynopsisThe Chesapeake Bay is the nation''s largest estuary, stretching 185 miles from the Susquehanna River to the Virginia capes, touching more than 8,000 miles of shoreline. This country of mists and tranquil waters harbours a rare abundance of wildlife, as well as the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States-the famous skipjacks, or oyster-dredging boats. The bay and its rivers are home to isolated villages that preserve early colonial dialects; to historic plantations, such as Mount Vernon; and to considerable cities, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Richmond. Beautifully photographed and written, Chesapeake Country tells the story of the bay in all its aspects: its waterscape and wildlife; its delicate ecology; its rich history as the seedbed of American liberty as well as American slavery; and its uncertain present, as the population of watermen who live by crabbing and oystering dwindles, and that of prosperous newcomers seeking a respite from city life grows. Th
Trade Review
"Sensitively photographed, sensibly written, and beautifully printed" --Washington Post Book World "Beg, borrow, or buy a copy of Chesapeake Country." --The Washington Times
Table of Contents
Chesapeake Country Contents Chesapeake Country Revisited 7 Introduction 17 The Landings 37 The Plantations 61 The Watermen 97 Tidewater Towns/Chesapeake Cities 141 Chesapeake Country: Back to the Future 187 Epilogue 205 Suggestions For Further Reading 221 Acknowledgments 223 Index 225
