Here are text and sample pages from Delmarva Millennium, Volume I, which covered the history of the peninsula.
By Terry Plowman
Unlike the loud and violent explosion that Big Bang theorists believe accompanied the creation of the universe, the birth of the Delmarva Peninsula began with the whisper of cold rushing water.
About 200 million years ago, the land mass that today stretches from the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean began to form from deposits of sediment carried by three river systems: the Potomac, the Susquehanna and the Delaware.
Those rivers, the lower parts of which later became the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, flowed eastward to the edge of the newly forming Atlantic Ocean, carrying tons of mud, sand and gravel from the eroding Appalachian Mountains to the west.
The loose material spread out along the shore in a great wedge thousands of feet thick, forming what is known as the Atlantic Coastal Plain. This huge wedge of sediment extends from New York to Florida, from a line connecting the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Richmond out to the edge of the continental shelf, about 75 miles east of the present shoreline.
The Delmarva Peninsula is really just a part of the Coastal Plain that is today above sea level -- but it wasn't always so. Over numerous ice ages and the intervening thousands of years of warmer periods, what we call Delmarva was alternately a much larger land mass, and was then completely under water. In fact, for most of its 200-million-year history, the Coastal Plain, including the Delmarva Peninsula, has been under the sea.
The last ice age
The Delmarva Peninsula took its present shape during, and as a result of, the last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. Although the giant glaciers, two miles thick in some places, never got closer to Delmarva than Long Island, they had a significant influence on the local topography. Here's why: During ice ages, most of the Earth's water was frozen into giant glaciers, causing sea level to drop by hundreds of feet, exposing the Coastal Plain. Rivers then carved more deeply into the soft sediment of the land mass, creating large valley systems. Those river valleys became today's bays when most of the ice melted and sea level rose, covering much of the Coastal Plain -- but leaving the Delmarva Peninsula exposed.
That's not to say that the influence of major geologic forces ended with the ice age. Sea level continues to rise, gradually reclaiming a land mass that will again be under water thousands of years from now.
"That's the battle we fight along the coast today," said Dr. Kelvin Ramsey of the Delaware Geological Survey. "The story (of rising sea level) still continues, but we've drawn a line in the sand by building along the coast."
Over the last 10,000 years, as the last giant glacier receded, changes in climate have dictated the changing flora and fauna of Delmarva, which evolved from pines to mixed woods, and from giant mastodons and musk ox to deer and rabbits. These climatic changes also brought forth inhabitants that would later have a dramatic influence on the peninsula: the first humans, who were nomadic hunters.
The next ice age
Jane Scott, author of Between Ocean and Bay: A Natural History of Delmarva, notes that geologists study structures that "are so ancient and the stretches of time involved in their formation so immense, that we find ourselves talking of geologic eras that cover hundreds of millions of years as if they were simple, orderly blocks of time." But she cautions against oversimplifying the huge geological processes that formed the Earth, which she says were "far from orderly."
Most people don't realize that these geological processes, which take
tens of thousands of years, are continuing. Geologists are sure the Earth
will experience another ice age, causing a dramatic drop in sea level --
but they aren't sure if the current warming trend will first cause polar
ice caps to melt, once again inundating the Delmarva Peninsula. In any
case, they are certain that the land on which we live will continue to
appear and disappear, reshaping itself as it has for eons.
By Terry Plowman
The Delmarva Peninsula is defined, physically and culturally, by water. The peninsula is actually an island, bounded by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the two massive bays linked by that channel, and the Atlantic Ocean.
And the peninsula's lifestyle is deeply rooted in those waters -- from dugout canoes on the Nanticoke River to oyster boats on the Delaware Bay, from commercial sailing rams on the Chesapeake to recreational vessels on the inland bays, Delmarva's maritime tradition is rich.
The evolution of sailing ships
Delmarva's original inhabitants were its first watermen. The peninsula's native people speared fish from large dugout canoes, or they simply waded into tidal shallows to harvest shellfish, much like casual clammers do today.
European colonists brought their shipbuilding knowledge to Delmarva, first improving the Indians' blunt-nosed log canoes with a sharper bow and stern, then later adding sails to larger versions of the log canoe. Thus began the evolution of sailing ships built and used for commerce around the Delmarva Peninsula for the next 200 years.
With names that sound quaint to modern ears -- bugeyes, shallops, sloops, schooners, pungies, skipjacks and rams -- the sailing vessels common during the 18th and 19th centuries (and into the early 20th century) defined the maritime industry. In those eras, before large-scale recreational boating, maritime activities consisted mainly of oystering, fishing and shipping.
The multi-masted schooner, especially the sleek "Chesapeake" version developed by Maryland and Virginia shipbuilders, dominated the oyster dredging industry in the Delaware Bay during its heyday between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The schooner was so well-designed for sailing in variable winds that author Joseph Conrad called them "birds of the sea whose swimming is like flying, and resembles more a natural function than a handling of manmade appliances."
But it was the skipjack, a smaller, single-masted vessel, that dominated the oystering industry in the Chesapeake, mainly because it was cheaper to build and maintain, and because it could be sailed by fewer crewmen. Today about a dozen skipjacks continue the "oystering by sail" tradition, as dictated by Maryland's restrictions on powered oyster boats.
Before the skipjack became popular, the quintessential oystering boat in the 1870s was the two-masted bugeye. Also common on the Chesapeake were the pungy, a smaller variation of the schooner, and the sailing ram, a large freighter designed and built in Bethel, Del.
Until World War II, these sailing ships ruled the waters of Delmarva, as they did all along the Atlantic coast.
Shipbuilding
Such an active sailing fleet spawned a bustling shipbuilding industry throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. Shipyards thrived in many small towns, including Bethel, Milton, Milford and Seaford, Del.; Salisbury, Cambridge, St. Michaels and Sharptown, Md.; and Onancock and Chincoteague, Va. Many vessels were built outside the noted shipbuilding towns as well -- all that was required was access to a waterway, a supply of oak, a few carpenters, and a blacksmith. These shipyards built all types of wooden sailing vessels, and steamships as well, until several factors killed the industry: the once-abundant supply of local white oak was severely depleted, railroads took over freight hauling, and the demand for wooden ships declined when thousands of surplus steel ships became available after World War II.
Fishing industries
Oystering was once the dominant seafood industry in both the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. The introduction of dredging, by which a large rake and net are dragged over oyster beds, made oystering lucrative. A dredge boat could take as many as 500 bushels a day from the bay, and hundreds of boats worked the beds at the industry's peak. But this overharvesting, as well as the decline in demand for luxuries such as oysters during the Depression, drove the oyster fleet ashore. Another blow came in the 1950s, when disease decimated the oyster population.
Though
oystering holds a prominent place in Delmarva's maritime history,
it was not the only successful fishery in the region. At various times,
depending on the health of the waters, population fluctuations and market
demand, fishing for menhaden, shad, sturgeon and other species was big
business.
Menhaden fishing was one of the biggest fishing industries in the U.S. during its peak in the 1950s, and Lewes, Del., was the epicenter of that industry, landing a record 360 million pounds of the small, oily fish in 1953. But the industry declined because of several factors -- overharvesting, natural population cycles, and new regulations that forced menhaden boats farther offshore, away from the shallow-water schools.
Today crabbing reigns as Delmarva's dominant commercial fishing industry, with multimillion-dollar catches in both the Chesapeake and the Delaware Bays. Other fisheries remain strong as well: weakfish, shad, striped bass and other finfish, as well as conch and horseshoe crabs.
Maritime tradition
Throughout the ups and downs of maritime industries, Delmarva's waters have played a huge role in the peninsula's economy and lifestyle. Although shipbuilding and oystering have faded from prominence, commercial crabbing and fishing remain viable endeavors, and unlike 100 years ago, recreational fishing and boating are now major industries. In addition, the region's waterways contribute to the economy in indirect ways -- especially as an attraction for the ever-growing tourism industry and a factor in steadily increasing real estate values.
Because the "island" of Delmarva is surrounded by water, its maritime
tradition -- like the tides -- will continue to exert a powerful
influence on the region.
By Terry Plowman
"The surf bathing is delightful, the atmosphere bracing, and the excellent amusements make this resort an ideal one for those who desire rest, health and pleasure."
-- 1908 promotional ad for Rehoboth Beach
In some ways, tourism on the Delmarva Peninsula has changed little in the last 100 years -- whether it's Rehoboth Beach, Del., Ocean City, Md., or Chincoteague, Va., the peninsula's vacation spots continue to rely on attractions provided by both nature and entrepreneurs. In 1899 and in 1999 you'd find visitors flocking to Delmarva's resorts for sand and surf as well as for boardwalks and beachfront hotels.
But tourism has changed in one big way: it has become an "industry," and one so large that it threatens to overtake agriculture, which for centuries has reigned as the king of Delmarva's economy. It's now big business, generating more than a billion dollars a year in just the oceanfront counties of Delaware and Maryland.
Railroads provide access
Before the advent of the railroad in the late 1800s, the most accessible tourist destinations on Delmarva were on its western shore, where steamships could deliver passengers from Baltimore and Annapolis to several popular vacation spots.
Then, in the era between the late 1800s and the early 1900s, the railroads brought tourism into full bloom on Delmarva's oceanfront. Just as it had brought prosperity to farmers by providing shipping to once-remote cities, railroad service opened new markets to those promoting vacations at distant oceanfront beaches. As early as 1874, even before Delmarva's ocean resorts had become well established, a Salisbury, Md., writer promised that a new branch of the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad from Berlin to Ocean City, Md., would "afford easy access to one of the most pleasant and popular places of resort on the Peninsula, and enable our citizens and strangers to avoid the tedious stage ride across to the ocean."
The development of Ocean City began in 1874-75, when the city's name was chosen and construction began on its first hotel, the 400-room Atlantic. Other hotels, private homes and cottages soon followed, streets were mapped out, and the train trestle across Sinepuxent Bay was planked to allow horse-drawn wagons and motor cars to cross. Tourism and development got another boost when a highway bridge was built in 1918.
On Virginia's Eastern Shore, the tourism boom began in 1884, when train tracks were extended through the length of the peninsula. Hotels, boardinghouses and private resorts sprang up on the barrier islands and on the mainland as well. The Eastern Shore's rich natural habitat attracted not only beachgoers, but hunters and fishermen as well, resulting in success for such tourist destinations as Cobb's Island Hotel and the fishing village of Chincoteague.
Delaware's main ocean resorts at Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island were founded as religious retreats -- Rehoboth in 1873 as a Methodist camp-meeting ground, Bethany in 1900 as a gathering place for the Disciples of Christ, and Fenwick in 1898 as a non-denominational resort.
But those religious purposes soon gave way to secular pleasures, as the railroad brought increasing numbers of vacationers who were more interested in the surf than in sermons. More hotels were built, boardwalks became popular promenades and the promotion of the healthful effects of a seaside vacation gained momentum. Ocean bathing was touted as having almost medicinal benefits, and the sea air was considered more than just refreshing: "Every ocean breeze is an ethereal tonic, pure as the quintessence of the elixir of life," raved an early newspaper description.
Highways give new freedom
Railroads created the tourism industry on Delmarva, but the construction of modern highways throughout Delmarva, starting in the 1920s, turned it in a new direction. Now vacationers could come and go on their own schedules, and from any city or town connected to the growing web of paved roads. Real estate values began to skyrocket and the resorts' first building boom began.
An often-overlooked factor in the blossoming of Delmarva's tourism industry is mosquito control, which was pursued in earnest starting in the 1930s. Marshes near resort areas bred a virtual plague of mosquitoes (and other insects) which drove vacationers indoors in the evening and on windless days, so modern methods of pest control went a long way toward making beach vacations more enjoyable.
While tourism on Delmarva grew at a steady pace before and after World War II, it was vaulted to a new level in 1952 with opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. An easy 10-minute drive replaced the slow, crowded ferry ride from Maryland's mainland to the Eastern Shore -- a convenience that opened the floodgates of tourism.
In 1964, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel linked the southern tip of Delmarva with Virginia's mainland, making the peninsula accessible by car from every direction.
Tourism today
Today tourism is truly an "industry" -- the states, counties and cities of Delmarva spend millions of dollars on tourism promotion and gain hundreds of millions in economic benefits in return. Officials tout tourism as a "clean industry" because it doesn't pollute the environment -- although critics say the tourism explosion has caused near-gridlock on some roads, the overdevelopment of natural areas, water pollution from increased sewer discharge and high-rise "visual pollution."
While summer beach vacations are the mainstay of Delmarva's tourist industry, off-season festivals and year-round outlet shopping have become new attractions. In addition, resort officials are hoping to increase business by promoting such niches as "ecotourism," (the formal packaging of nature-related visits) and the marketing of inland historic sites. Colonial cities such as Easton and Chestertown, Md., have long been successful in attracting tourists to their historic sites, and now such cities as Seaford and Laurel, Del., and Salisbury and Berlin, Md., are becoming more popular as tourist destinations.
Tourism continued to surge in the summer of 1999, with Delmarva resorts reporting a record-breaking crush of visitors -- all apparently seeking the "rest, health and pleasure" that have been the peninsula's attractions since the turn of the century.