Tangier Island and the Way of the Watermen
In the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, a culture struggles to survive as aquatic life becomes scarce
- By Kenneth R. Fletcher
- Smithsonian.com, April 01, 2009, Subscribe
Tangier Island is an isolated patch of Virginia marshland in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, just south of the Maryland line. For centuries the island has been a community of watermen, the Chesapeake term for people who harvest the crabs, oysters and fish in the bay.
"Tangier is a living history. We've been doing this hundreds of years," says James Eskridge, the mayor of Tangier. "We are really not that far from D.C. or Richmond, but you can come here and step back in time."
Houses line narrow streets that follow patches of high ground in the town of Tangier, population 535. With no bridge to the mainland, supplies and people arrive on the daily mail boat from Crisfield, Maryland, 12 miles away. Most people get around the 3-mile-long island by foot, golf cart or bicycle.
Residents speak with an accent so distinctive that after a quick listen they can easily tell if someone is from Tangier or another nearby harbor. And the island has its own vocabulary, prompting a resident to compile an extensive dictionary of local terms (including "mug-up" for hearty snack, "cunge" for deep cough). Conversations are peppered with expressions like "yorn" for yours and "onliest" for only.
Almost everyone on the island goes by a colorful nickname; favorites include Puge, Spanky, Foo-Foo, Hambone and Skrawnch. Locals call Mayor Eskridge "Ooker" after the sound he made as a boy when he imitated his pet rooster.
But Tangier's distinct culture is at risk as the Chesapeake's once bountiful aquatic life becomes scarce. The bay's oyster population collapsed in the 1980s and has yet to recover. Now crab levels have plummeted, from more than 800 million total crabs in the bay in the early 1990s, to around 200 million in recent years.
Tangier's woes are linked to the 17 million other people who live in the 200-mile-long bay's watershed, which encompasses parts of six states and the cities of Baltimore, Washington and Richmond. Runoff from farms, suburban lawns and urban areas pollutes the estuary. This smothers underwater grasses that provide crucial habitat to crabs and creates algae blooms that cause oxygen-depleted "dead zones.".
According to Bill Goldsborough, fisheries director at the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation controlling this pollution takes years of political will calling for tough measures. With crab numbers plummeting, "we had no other choice than to cut back on the harvest" he says.
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To whom it may concern!
I am looking for the meaning of Yakenzee,Tangiers??? THanks
Posted by Pastor Ken Lane on February 25,2012 | 12:13 PM
We visited Tangier last summer and spent one night although we had originally planned on spending two. We brought our bikes with us and rode all over. The locals are like anywhere, some friendly and others not. One thing I really noticed and was saddened by (and will keep me from ever going back) was the cat population. While I don't think they were necessarily feral, there were tons of kittens about and we saw several wounded and uncared for adults. A good spay/neuter program (such as that implemented on Smith Island, MD) is needed. I really enjoyed Smith Island and given the choice between the two islands, MD gets my vote.
Posted by karina on November 16,2010 | 11:25 AM
I'm from the Island, lived there for 18 years and now live in Richmond VA. Islanders are friendly to those who wish to learn and appreciate the culture there. As with all places you do find those that aren’t interested in telling the Island story but most will spend time with you to share their lives and experiences on and around the bay. As stated above the vast majority do not make money off of tourism so understand that a smile or conversation is genuine and expect nothing in return. The best crab cakes and soft shells in the world, as I've travelled the world I can vouch for that.
Posted by Aaron Dise on November 14,2010 | 07:51 PM
I am a resident of a rather large city on the East Coast. I was wondering how hard it would be for a person who is not from this area to move there. The way of relaxed lifestyle with high moral upstanding has me very intrested.
Posted by Sue on September 28,2010 | 08:45 AM
My husband and I visited Tangier for the first time about 5 years ago. We stayed for one night. It was, without a doubt, the longest, most relaxing day/night of my life. We were up in the middle of the night fishing, and exploring the island by moonlight. We wandered upon a couple taking care of their soft-shells, and they welcomed us into their home, and explained about their business. They were VERY friendly.
I've never had better seafood anywhere in my life! Like others mentioned above, Lorraine's is a favorite place of ours.
We took 2 of our kids there last summer. My youngest daughter loved the place so much that she insisted we go back this year for her birthday, and bring the entire family, and our family friends that often do vacations with us. We leave in just a few days, and will spend 4 days on the island.
Visiting Tangier is something that I look forward to like my kids look forward to Christmas. It is enjoyable, relaxing, fulfilling, and beautiful. I've always found the people to be kind and generous. Personally, I think the kind of visit you have depends on the kind of person you are. Not everyone will enjoy it, but hopefully everyone will give this beautiful island, and it's warm and friendly people, the respect and admiration they deserve.
Posted by D. Clancy on May 7,2010 | 10:54 AM
To all those who visited and left unimpressed:
I'm afraid you really missed the boat! You need to prepare for a visit to Tangier. As with any travel, do your homework before the trip. You might start with a wonderful little book by Anne Jander, Crab’s Hole: A Family Story of Tangier Island. Understand that an overwhelming majority of “Tangiermen” [as they are fond of calling themselves] do not profit from your visit and just want to get on with their lives free of “strangers” exposing themselves as misguided visitors who see them as exhibits in a museum. View their front yard cemeteries with respect and don’t discuss them negatively, especially in front of their surviving relatives. As with all love stories, there are complexities that you might enjoy reading about (Do some homework).
Understand that decades of “strangers” crudely peering into their lives with unkind and inconsiderate questions and inferences have produced a sensitivity that seem unfriendly to you but is in fact hurt expressed.
I believe that if you revisit with a different you, you will find that the island hasn’t changed but your impressions have. Go with the attitude that you have come as an explorer looking for something very sweet and rare and special; then, you just might find that “Tangiermen” touch your heart in ways you haven’t felt in a while. Tangier maybe be worth a revisit.
Ed Crockett, Raleigh, NC
Posted by Earl Edward Crockett SR on April 9,2010 | 12:20 PM
I visited Tangier Island last week with a few friends, including the State Senator who represents the Island. I found the people quite friendly and hospitable. It was off-season but we had a delicious lunch of crab cakes at Lorraine's, took a tour of the Island via a golf cart.It was Holoween and every child on the Island was dressed up for Trick or Treating. The Tangier Island museum is an excellent place to visit. It really gives you a view of life over time on this small Virginia enclave with a life style all it's own. I plan to return and spend the night at a local B&B. It's a wonderful place to bring visitors from the "big city" who have never realized such a place exists. We have a lot to learn from these Watermen who with determination have stuggled to keep the industry and their life style alive despite many natural and economic hardships.Hi to all, especially, to Mr. Tom Parks, our kind host for the visit.
Posted by Marylin Copeland on November 3,2009 | 09:08 AM
I visited a few yrs ago, by way of a 17' sailboat from Reedville, VA, with my dog Bill. Mr. Parks, who lives in the brick house right in front of the row of slips on the SW side of the main channel that cuts through the N part of the island, was very friendly. I had an early breakfast at a little spot where many of the local watermen gather for morning coffee. When I walked in, I could feel everyone's eyes on me: it was obvious that not too many tourists stop in there; they probably thought I was lost. But the waitress was friendly. Overhearing conversation, I did have trouble following some of it and many of the parts I could, I found to be worded differently than what I typically hear in OH.
Then I spent the day walking all over the island. Everyone I passed on the road was friendly. When I left the next morning, Mr. Parks gave me a big break on my bill for the slip and invited me to come back anytime. I'm sure he appreciated the fact that I wasn't loud & rowdy as probably some of the visiting sailors, & I wasn't going around the island being vulgar & offensive as probably some of the tourists are.
I didn't notice the article mentioning that the islanders turned down the offer of the producers of the '99 Kevin Costner/Paul Newman movie "Message in a Bottle", who wanted to use the island for their site. They turned down probably a good chunk of money because the movie included a scene where two people were sleeping together who weren't married. It isn't often that you find a community who is willing to stand up for principles like that. The movie was instead filmed down on the Outer Banks instead, as I recall.
Approaching channel from W.
http://www.htmills.com/images/LF-TangierDocks.jpg
View from Factory Rd bridge, looking NE.
http://www.htmills.com/images/LF-TangierIsland.jpg
Limited room.
http://www.htmills.com/images/LF-TangierIslandHome.jpg
Leaving Tangier for Crisfield, Looking W.
http://www.htmills.com/images/LF-tangierchannel.jpg
Posted by Tod Mills on September 25,2009 | 02:43 PM
Recent visit there with my husband. Really liked the boat ride! the island is very small,and the creepy thing was all the grave markers everywhere; on peoples lawns especially. It must be scary on Halloween there! A very rugged life is had there. We would not go there again. Not a pretty place. J. Haage
Posted by j.haage on August 13,2009 | 10:04 PM
Like most estuaries, the Chesapeake reflects decades of disregard for our most precious of ecosystems and their watersheds. Now that we have altered the basic chemistry and biology of the ecosystems with unabated pollution, we wonder how to stem the tide of ecological disaster. I fear that, barring the expenditure of $$billions, it's pretty much too late to truly mitigate, if not reverse the trends. We've played too long at the expense of Nature, and she's given all she's had, and now she's too exhausted to remain vital. The Watermen are just another victim in the parade of tragedies that lie in witness to our self-centerdness. We can't blame ignoreance. Rachel Carson warned us more than 40 years agao. Truly sad for all involved.
Posted by John Travassos on July 28,2009 | 06:26 PM
I visited Tangier Island several years ago when I sailed from NC to the Chesapeake for a summer. My sailing buddy and I were welcomed at the dock with extra hands to take the dock lines and if memory serves me correct, the dock fee was only $20 per night for a 32' boat.
We walked the island from one side to another and I found it quite unique and comfortable. I will visit again by boat sometime!
Posted by Rick Vaughan on June 23,2009 | 09:26 AM
Local Islander's need to work on "Stop polluting the water"! People have been throwing trash, oil bottles,old bicycles, ect..in the waters of Tangier for YEARS! I would THINK if you are "earning a living" on the water you would certainly want to keep the waters clean! I live on the coast of North Carolina where we have many small islands and beaches..none of which is full of human trash! I have family that was born and raised on Tangier and visited often as a child/teen. I think that the street littering may have gotten better over the past few years. I'm not so sure about the littering of the bay? I think if STIFF fines for littering would have been utilized and adults teaching their children not to throw trash in the bay the population of sea life would be better! I'm sorry for the hardships of the local waterman..but not surprised of the lack of sea life!
Posted by Ruth Gehr on May 19,2009 | 07:30 AM
I sailed the chesapeake from florida in 2007 and visited Tangier and Smith Is. With my family and three dogs. It was of the most memoral parts of our year long cruise up (and back) on the east coast. The people could not have been better to us. We met Dean Dize in Cape Charles on our way north and upon arriving at Tangier met his Mom, a wonderful lady. We docked at Parks Marina, Mr Parks treated us like family.
Then we went to Smith Island, Another wonderful experience, Dock at the bed and breakfast there amd again, the people were exelent even the Pastor came aboard our small vessel and made us feel very welcome. My only regret is that I failed to return on the return trip south. I plan on returning as soon as life allows, and spend much more time their.
Posted by Todd Poormon on April 24,2009 | 08:03 AM
We enjoyed an Elderhostel in Critchfield a couple years ago and also enjoyed a wonderful meal over on Tangiers. I have a hunch that if the folks who run the chicken operations would clean up THEIR acts, the whole area would benefit. Surely there is something they can do, rather than have their run off empty into the Chespeake. Felt it was interesting at that time, that there maybe have been 33 or some number like that - cars on the island - they didn't know which state they were in so NO one used license plates. We thought it was a lovely place. Wish you had shown more pictures of the island and its people. How about an entire article on Smith and Tangiers?
Posted by Peggy Parker on April 10,2009 | 02:36 PM
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