H is for Hooper's Island, Maryland

H is for Hooper’s Island AND Halloween (note the date) - an eerie coincidence how the letters lined up for this blog!!!  

 
This two hour drive took me to a place that is simply where big city perks are not welcome. It is a place where residents happily embrace nature and respect the resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Hooper's Island is one of the oldest settled areas in Maryland (the oldest settled in the county) and is also a place rich in history and in heart.  

Hooper’s Island is located in Dorchester County a few miles south of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. It is actually a chain of three small islands - two of which are still populated. This community has very deep roots running back to the mid-seventeenth century when Henry Hooper found it to be a nice place for a tobacco plantation in 1669. Wikipedia reports the early residents of what is now known as Hooper’s Island were the Yaocomaco People. According to some local folklore, the land was purchased from this tribe of Indians for five woolen blankets.

In total, the population is 441 and the combined span of the islands is roughly 20 miles long. The Hooper's Island chain can be found in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The principal community, of about 400 people, is known as Fishing Creek.

Due to the geographical location of Hooper’s Island, the residents have to be self-sufficient and independent. Accordingly, the islanders maintained strong family and community ties. Once families moved to Hooper’s Island, they stayed for generations. According to one source, for 300 years the population can be traced to just 10 families.  

When I arrived at the first of the Hooper’s Island chain (Upper Hooper’s Island – Fishing Creek), I decided to drive around a bit before having lunch. I discovered quickly that there is really only one main road and the little offshoots I thought were other roads...were actually named driveways. Silly street signs! I also found that nearly every house had a hearty collection of crab pots stacked neatly in the yard. So, back in the day, President Herbert Hoover was obviously promising Hooper's Island residents, “a crab in every pot”! Haha! 

Crab Bushel Baskets

Upper Hooper’s Island is the busiest of the three islands housing a majority of the residents, churches, a general store, a restaurant, and a few businesses (mainly crabbing/fishing).

I drove a few miles and crossed a bridge leading me to the second island (Middle Hooper’s Island - Hoopersville) - same main road, but not many offshoots.  What I did see was more of the pristine water which surrounded the islands, waterfowl, and a smattering of homes.  I went a few more miles and the road quickly came to an end.  I am not sure if there was more of Middle Hooper’s Island continuing, but since I could not see beyond the brush and trees in front of me, I turned around and started the trek back to Upper Hooper’s Island to have lunch.

I found out the third island (Lower Hooper’s Island – Applegarth) is now a marshland – no inhabitants. However, it does house the Hooper’s Island graveyards, but access is only by way of boat as the bridge to the island was washed out during a storm in 1933 and was never rebuilt. The Hooper’s Island graveyards were identified as “an endangered Maryland treasure” by the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000.

The restaurant I was headed to was named “Old Salty’s”.  On the way there, I passed several businesses – The Charles H. Parks Seafood Packing House and the ever famous (at least on the East Coast of the United States) Phillips Seafood.

The Charles H. Parks Seafood Packing House is probably the oldest seafood processing company in Dorchester County and has been located in Fishing Creek since the late 1920s. Originally, the company exclusively packed oysters and later added crabmeat. Unfortunately, I was not able to tour the establishment.

Phillips Seafood (plant) was my next stop. Some history: this business dates back to 1914 as a family-owned company (started by Augustus E. Phillips) on Hooper’s Island. 42 years later, his son and wife took a surplus of crabs from Hooper’s Island to Ocean City, Maryland opening the first “crab shack”. It has since evolved into seven restaurants and a growing network of airport franchises around the country.  The restaurant is still family-owned and operated.  It is in this plant that blue crabs are processed.  Tours are given on occasion, but unfortunately, I was not able to reach anyone to schedule a tour in advance (trend?). 

My plan was to stop by the Hooper's Island General Store as well, but not before eating lunch at “Old Salty’s”. Walking in the building (which is actually a former schoolhouse), I found the place to be warm and inviting. There was a bar at the end of a long hallway and the restaurant was located at the other end.

The hostess/waitress led the way and I was encouraged to sit by the window as it was such a beautiful day. The view of the Chesapeake Bay, azure sky, and changing leaves was spectacular. There were local artists’ paintings on the walls (a few were for sale) and several people in quiet conversation. Looking over the menu, I, of course, decided to order the broiled crab cake. How could I not?

When the plate arrived, it was clear I made a VERY good choice. My taste buds would soon be privy to LUMPS of crab with no fillers and very minimal seasoning.  I could not detect any Old Bay (sorry, not a big fan) and the taste was what a crab cake should taste like. With a happy tummy, a “top off” of water, and the bill paid, I was on my way to the Hooper’s Island General Store.      

The Hooper’s Island General Store is LITERALLY a one-stop-shop. You do not have to “want for a thing” when you are in this establishment. You have: a gas station, a Post Office (which is a mailbox next to a desk with mailing envelopes), a hardware store, a grocery, ice cream bar, café, beer/liquor, and some clothing.   As you can see, a cooler of fruit and vegetables is directly across from the spray paint!

The Hooper's Island General Store is truly a very unique place and I am glad I decided to stop in for a visit. I found all the employees very friendly and helpful, especially when I asked for directions to the Hooper’s Island Lighthouse.  Ah, the lighthouse. This was something I was anxious to see, as well. However, the lady I spoke to at the General Store said I would have to go back to Middle Hooper’s Island to see it and that it would be a speck - would be difficult to get a picture. She “did” tell me that since it was a clear day I might have a better view of it, but it would still be a speck. I thanked her for the information and left on my quest.  

I ventured back towards the bridge connecting the upper and middle islands. When I was finally able to see the lighthouse, I discovered the lady was right – it was a speck, as it was three miles away.  In this photo, the tiny speck = the Hooper Lighthouse!  I read that this particular lighthouse was pretty unique, so it piqued my curiosity about the history of the lighthouse.  This is an excerpt taken from the Chesapeake Chapter, U.S. Lighthouse Society:

Hooper Island Lighthouse is one of only five lights constructed in the Bay during the 1900s. It is a caisson style light which was first lit in 1902. The height of the light above the water is 63 feet. The original 1902 lens was a fourth-order Fresnel manufactured by F. Babier & Company, Paris, in 1888. In 1904, the light was changed to a fixed white with an eclipse every 15 seconds. This light was automated in 1961 and the keepers removed. In 1976, the fourth-order fresnel was stolen and the Coast Guard replaced it with a solar optic. The fog bell, manufactured by McShane of Baltimore in 1901, was changed to a Cunningham air diaphragm foghorn in the late 1930s. The fog bell was retained as a backup. Hooper Island Lighthouse is the only cast-iron caisson lighthouse in Maryland with a watch room and lantern surmounted on the tower. 

It was getting late, so I decided to start my drive back home. However, I had one more place to find before I departed the area – the Hooper’s Island Oyster Aquaculture Company. 

I already knew I was not going to see the inside of this place either as tours only run through the summer. However, I discovered this company creates artificial reefs and transplants millions of oysters from their facility into the Bay. Oysters can be grown quickly and the process will make the oysters less susceptible to diseases which have devastated natural oyster populations in years past. The stability of aquaculture is appealing as the company is creating a sustainable product through an operation that is not subject to the same regulations as public fisheries. According to the owner, Johnny Shockley, "It's a private endeavor. We're not taking from the natural brood stocks; we're creating a renewable resource" (The Star Democrat, March 6, 2011).  Additionally, the company harvested 1 million of its branded Chesapeake Gold Oysters in the first year. That is about 850,000 more than Shockley harvested yearly as a conventional waterman.

Although, the day came up short with regards to tours, I found solace in the slower pace of the day and the beauty of everything around me. The outside world has not rapidly influenced the way of life on the island.  In the 21st century, many places find it difficult to remain isolated.  However, Hooper’s Island maintains a sense of pride with regards to their independence and self-sufficiency.  

I found it to be a perfect way to spend an afternoon.