D is for Deal Island, Maryland

D is for Deal Island, Maryland.   Making the 2 ½ hour drive to the town I personally nicknamed “Mayberry by the Bay” was not difficult at all (click here for a map).  My interest in visiting this town was prompted by wanting to see one of the few remaining working Skipjacks left in the world.  You are probably wondering what a Skipjack is, right?  Ah, you are just going to have to wait!

Deal Island is a Census Designated Place (CDP), which is a populated area lacking a separate municipal government, but which otherwise physically resembles incorporated places.  It is located in Somerset County and is included in the Salisbury, Maryland statistics.  Deal Island has a population of 471 and covers an area of 5.4 square miles - 3.2 square miles of it is land and 2.1 square miles of it is water.  Historically, it was known as Deal’s, Deil’s and Devil’s Island.  At least one source also attributes these nicknames to the area’s use by pirates.  

I found to be this to be an accurate description of Deal Island:  Deal Island is one of the last Bay type water and land mosaics on the East Coast left unblemished and untouched by the sprawl of modernism.

As I got a bit of a late start on my journey, lunch was the first order of business when I got to Deal Island.  I read earlier there were two restaurants to choose from, so I decided on a place called “Arby’s General Store”. 

Arby’s is a three part store – beer/bait/tackle; restaurant; bar located across from the newly-refurbished public marina.  As I found out, it is not only the “comings-and-goings” of the Maryland eastern shore fishermen and the trappings of a real fishing village that makes this place special, it is the food.  Arby’s has a varied menu with excellent food at modest prices.  It is a great place to eat if you are going on a fishing charter or you have a boat you are launching from the marina/boat ramp across the street.  As it was lunchtime when I got there, I was hoping to see some of the fisherman unloading their catch as I got to the restaurant.  I did, but not until I finished eating.

Initially, I was the only person in the restaurant-bar area (“areas 2 and 3” of the establishment).  About 10 minutes later, I saw some fisherman walking over from their recently docked boats.  The woman acting as cook/waitress/busboy/barkeep motioned me to sit down where a menu was already on the table.  As always on my visits to these small towns, I wanted to order something local.  As I am a fish/no red meat/no chicken eater, I settled on a Crab Burger (with no bun), which was described as crab meat, spices, and cheese.  In my mind, I’m thinking I would be getting something similar to a crab cake.  Wouldn’t you?  What I actually got was a hamburger patty, topped with crab meat, spices, and cheese!  BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!!  I simply ate everything but the hamburger - it was still delicious and filling.  Lesson learned – ensure you know what you are really getting before you order!

As I was getting ready to leave, an older gentleman walked by, smiled, said “hi”, and continued on back to the beer/bait/tackle area of the store.  Since water was sold back there, I decided to check out “area 1” and make a purchase.  I complimented him on his hat (Bacon Lover) and he proceeded to have a conversation with me – beginning with the history of the hat.  I found out his name was Arby – the owner of the store(s).  He was extremely proud to tell me he has been working in the store for 31 years.  He was born in the house that once stood in the backyard of the store and lived in there until 2003 when Hurricane Isabel struck and generously deposited 20 inches of water in the house, condemning the structure.  It was then demolished and he moved about a block down the road.  He joked the move increased his commute time, but he has a better view of the Bay.  As I was talking to him, locals kept coming in, friendly “hello’s” were thrown about (by name), and if someone wanted to exchange something (i.e., lures) or return something, he would always add on an imaginary “Restocking Fee” to the refund.  Arby was extremely entertaining with his stories – I could have easily listened to what he had to talk about for many more hours. 

However, I needed to start my adventure and at this point I asked Arby about the Skipjack.  Before I continue with what Arby had to tell me, here is a brief description of a Skipjack (per Wikipedia):

"The Skipjack is a traditional fishing boat used on Chesapeake Bay for oyster dredging.  It is a sailboat which succeeded the Bugeye as the chief oystering boat on the bay, and it remains in service due to laws restricting the use of powerboats in the Maryland state oyster fishery.  Due to state laws, the boat has no motor (other than for the windlass).  Most skipjacks were eventually modified with stern davits to hold a dinghy or pushboat to allow motorized travel as permitted by law. The Skipjack arose near the end of the 19th century.  Dredging for oysters, prohibited in 1820, was again made legal in 1865. Boats of the time were unsuitable, and the Bugeye was developed out of the log canoe in order to provide a boat with more power adapted to the shallow waters of the oyster beds.  The Bugeye was originally constructed with a log hull, and as the supply of appropriate timber was exhausted and construction costs rose, builders looked to other designs. They adapted the Sharpies of Long Island Sound by increasing the beam and simplifying the sail plan. The result was cheaper and simpler to construct than the Bugeye, and it quickly became the predominant oystering boat in the bay.

Maryland's oyster harvest reached an all-time peak in 1884, at approximately 15 million bushels of oysters.  The oyster harvest has since declined steadily, especially at the end of the 20th century.  The size of the fleet has likewise declined. New Skipjacks were built as late as 1993, but a change in the law in 1965 allowed the use of motor power two days of the week.  As a result, few of the boats are operated under sail in commercial use; instead, a pushboat is used to move the Skipjack, and little dredging is done except on the days power is allowed.  At one time, the number of Skipjacks produced is estimated at approximately 2,000; today, they number about 40 with less than half of them in active fishing.  The future of the fleet remains in doubt as efforts continue to restore the productivity of the oyster beds.  The Skipjack was designated the state boat of Maryland in 1985".
 

Arby told me there was a Skipjack located across the street in the marina.  Her name is Fannie L. Daugherty which was built in 1904.  She is one of the 35 surviving traditional Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks and a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States.  He continued to tell me Skipjacks are not permitted to harvest oysters until 1 November whereas the smaller boats are permitted to harvest on 1 October.  Arby also told me there was another Skipjack nearby.  He took me outside, pointed across the harbor, to the tall mast in the distance.  Arby told me the Skipjack named City of Crisfield (built in 1949) is captained by Captain”Daddy Art” Daniels, a 93 year old Skipjack captain who is the oldest captain still working the Chesapeake.  I asked Arby if he thought Captain Daniels may be over at the Skipjack so I could talk with him, but Arby said probably not because it was getting quite warm out.  We finished the conversation with Arby telling me about the Annual Skipjack Race occurring on Labor Day Weekend where usually 7 or 8 Skipjacks would be racing.  This year would be the 56^th year for this spectacular annual event and it is hosted by the Deal Island Chance Lions Club.  I told him it would be a strong possibility I would be back for the event, thanked him for his hospitality, and walked across the street to see the Fannie L. Daugherty.  I also wanted to see if any boats were coming back with crabs.

The Fannie L. Daugherty was beautiful!  Remembering she was built in 1904, she looked practically new and it was evident she was well taken care of.  The mast was beyond impressive and I can only imagine the sight of her when she is in full sail.  As I was snapping pictures of her, a commercial fishing/crabbing boat pulled into the docks.  I made my way over to the boat and saw it had quickly docked and the fishermen were unloading countless crates and bushels of crabs onto the back end of a pick-up truck.  Lots and lots of Chesapeake crabs!!!!  The driver then got in the truck and drove away.  The entire operation (likely, routine) was over in what seemed like a few short minutes.

I had one more stop to make – The Deal Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA).  On the way, I passed “The Deals’s Island 1908 Bank Building”, which is For Sale by Owner.  I also passed a church with a sign out front reading, “The John Wesley Restoration Project”.  After careful research, I found a short article in addition to a Facebook post, which read:

An article written in February 2013 about this church and cemetery:  “John Wesley United Methodist exhibits some greater past that’s been forgotten, neglected.  The church was once a cornerstone of the African American community on the island, but declining membership caused it to be shuttered, and a decade of neglect shows in the glass-less windows, and the cracked and waterlogged cemetery vaults.  A restoration effort appears not to have picked up much steam.”

Facebook post:  "Efforts are under way to help preserve the only remaining African American Church, on Deal Island, Maryland.  This Church is in desperate need of repair and if we don't act now the building will fade away."

I was able to roam around the small church yard and found some graves in the adjoining cemetery to be those of fallen Soldiers.  Sadly, there were also some small torn flags lying about the grave sites.  It would be wonderful if the grounds could be cleaned up in the near future.

On to the WMA.  What is the WMA, you ask?  Here is a little information about it:

"Expanses of tidal marsh, frequently broken by open water, characterize most of the habitat of this WMA. The 13,000 acre property also contains forested wetlands and a 2,800-acre man-made pond or "impoundment."  The water insects and crustaceans, as well as the abundance of Wigeongrass, Horned Pondweed and other favorite waterfowl foods makes Deal Island one of the best places in Maryland to watch, photograph and hunt ducks and geese.  [Basically] ducks, geese, swans! Waterfowl are the featured performers on Deal Island.  Many, many species of waterfowl, in all their colorful splendor, nest, feed, and migrate through this area.  Deal Island also supports one of the largest concentrations in the state of Herons, Egrets and Ibis.  One of Maryland's only breeding population of Black-Necked Stilts thrive here. The rare Eurasian Wigeon, a type of duck, is frequently seen in the large flocks of American Wigeon that spend the winter in Maryland".

I read you could park and walk the gravel/dirt road into the area.  However, the area began immediately as you turned off of the main road and there was not a parking lot I could find, so I decided to drive the one lane road.  I found the reeds and Cattails came right up to the sides of the road I was traveling, so if another car was coming from the opposite direction it would be a VERY tight squeeze and a very strong possibility one of us would probably go into the watershed!  Luckily, I was alone on the small road the entire time and what an experience.  I had the entire WMA to myself!  Cranes, Loons, and even a couple of Bald Eagles held my gaze along with plenty of Red Wing Blackbirds.  I never saw a Baltimore Oriole, though.  I have always hoped to see one since moving to Maryland, but never had the luck.  I read Orioles were pretty prevalent in the WMA, but they must have been playing an Away Game today!!!  I quietly drove the road for roughly ½ hour, was able to find a place to successfully turn around, and got back on the main road to head home.  I wish I could have stayed longer, but then I always do when I visit these types of places.  I “will” be back, though!

Earlier, I mentioned I personally nicknamed Deal Island “Mayberry by the Bay”.   The people were down-to-earth, charming, and friendly - I was made to feel welcome by everyone I came in contact with.  The slower/relaxed pace of life on the Bay is something not many people will ever get to experience, and I feel fortunate I had the rare chance to be afforded this opportunity.  Deal Island is definitely a hidden gem worth exploring!    

In memory of my friend Tom – a model Soldier and family man I had the honor and privilege to serve with.