SHORE Monthly March 2024

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TABLE OF

Wayfaring: Finding our Kin

Capturing the African American Narrative

Stories of the Chesapeake History through the region 17

ATMOSPHERE

HEARTHBEAT: Historic homes make connections

Eastern shore couples preserve history 22

CONTENTS

A focus on ambience and mixology 30

HIGH SPIRITS: Blue Ruin

GIVING BACK: Charting History with Chesapeake Forum

Lifelong learning helps many thrive

37

42

SHORE ROOTS: An author’s focus on preservation

Stories and voices of watermen

EDITORS’ NOTE

Try to recall your experience in K-12. (It might help to close your — oh wait, don’t do that for too long, otherwise you won’t be able to read the rest of this letter.) Anyway, remember how it was really common to talk about your favorite subject? Adults loved asking that question.

While we’re reflecting, out of curiosity, what was yours? My answer for most of my schooling was history. So imagine my excitement for this edition, which dives into the richness of the days of yore on the Eastern Shore.

I was not born or raised in Maryland, but I grew up fascinated by the Revolutionary period in our country. Having lived here for over a decade now, I have been enriched by the connection to the past. That’s what we have to offer you in these pages.

Even if you were born and raised here and were taught lots of local history, chances are you haven’t even scratched the surface. SHORE is here to help, guiding you to the people and organizations that have worked hard to connect us to the people, places and stories that shaped this beautiful place we call home.

We hope you enjoy — our team certainly has had an absolute blast with this edition.

President

Jim Normandin

Executive Editor

Eli Wohlenhaus

Assistant General Manager/Sales

Betsy Griffin

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Jennifer Quinn

Page Design

Jennifer Quinn

Meredith Moore

Community Coordinator

Amelia Blades Steward

Contributing Photographers

Cal Jackson

Tracey F. Johns

Tom McCall

Jennifer Quinn

Contributing Writers

Amelia Blades Stewart

Tracey F. Johns

Niambi Davis

Cecelia Shilling

James Young

Eleanor Pratt

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Eli Wohlenhaus

KinFINDING OUR

Photo by Cal Jackson

Capturing the African American narrative

STORY BY AMELIA BLADES STEWARD

Capturing the narratives of our ancestors can be challenging especially when the stories were not passed down or recorded. But for awardwinning author Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, illustrator Jeffery Boston Weatherford, the challenge enabled them to create a personal and deeply moving book, Kin: Rooted in Hope, about their enslaved family from Talbot County, Maryland that has just won the American Library Association Coretta Scott King Author Honor.

Carole’s poems capture voices ranging from her ancestors to Frederick Douglass to Harriet Tubman to the plantation house and land itself that connects them all. Jeffery’s evocative black and white scratchboard illustrations help carry the story from the first mention of a forebear listed as property in a 1771 estate inventory to his and his mother’s homegoing trip to Africa in 2016.

The two recently brought the book, Kin, home to Talbot County after connecting with Cindy Orban, Alumni and DEI Coordinator, Lower School Librarian at The Country School, and Scotti Oliver, Assistant Director of the Talbot County Free Library. Orban, who was already familiar with Carole’s other award-winning children’s books, said his first reaction after reading the review copy Carole sent hi, was that “it was so impactful to realize that this place, where my own roots are deep, holds the pain of so many enslaved Africans.”

“I felt I had to pass this book along somehow,” Orban said. “The book has to be known by all those of us who live here and have walked these roads and made this place our home.”

Orban then helped to promote the book locally at the 2023 Frederick Douglass Day event in the fall in Easton; working with Dana Newman, Director, and Scotti Oliver, Assistant Director of the Talbot County Free Library (TCFL), who share her passion for the book. A group of community partners planned and organized an event in February during Black History Month at the Avalon Theatre in Easton for the general public to hear the author and illustrator speak. The day before, the Avalon Theatre hosted an event for 7th and 8th graders from Talbot County Public Schools in St. Michaels, The Country School, and Saints Peter and Paul Middle School, as well as for homeschoolers. In addition, Kin: Rooted in Hope is being integrated into the history and English curricula for 7th graders at The Country School moving forward. The publisher, Simon and Schuster, has created an extensive curriculum guide for Kin that is available to educators at no cost.

“It’s so important for our students to understand the connection to slavery in our community,” Orban said.

Carole shares that as a child, she learned that her greatgreat-grandfather Phillip Moaney, whose portrait hung on the farmhouse wall, had been enslaved. She later learned from a historical marker that her great-great grandfather Isaac Copper served in the U.S. Colored Troops. During Reconstruction, both ancestors co-founded all-Black villages — Unionville and Copperville in Talbot County. She scoured the enslavers’ ledgers, receipts and prescriptions; slave ship databases and captain’s logs; and studied material culture, archeology and the landscape before she and Jeffery began the book.

“When the Civil War erupted, there were 4 million enslaved in the United States,” Carole explained. “Think of all the Black stories, all the American stories, that remain untold. In writing this verse novel, I felt an obligation to my ancestors and to my offspring to pass it on. . . I think it’s important to bring Kin home to the place where it is

The cover of the book, Kin: Rooted in Hope, which has just won the American Library Association Coretta Scott King Author Honor.

set because I think it will resonate with people on the Eastern Shore.”

The publisher, Simon and Schuster, wrote: “The narrative unfolds through poems that span five centuries and are told in multiple voices, from the various people to the land itself. This approach allows readers to walk in the footsteps of multiple figures, and to witness history through their eyes. The book features about 40 illustrations, and its backmatter includes personal notes from both the author

and illustrator about their research and artistic processes, as well as a bibliography.”

Writing and illustrating the poems was no easy task as Carole pointed out, “The people who are depicted have never had their voices heard before. And of course, these are their voices as they have spoken to and through me and to and through Jeffery through his artwork.”

The two set out to show the entirety of what life was like on Wye Plantation, particularly in Long Green, a community of about 300 enslaved people who were part of a “Kin” community — multiple generations of family who lived on the plantation’s grounds.

“The Wye Plantation was so big and so many operations were on it,” Carole said. “I wanted not only to depict people’s jobs but also to reflect their humanity. Although they were viewed as property by the system of enslavement, they were human beings in full. So, it’s really a time capsule of what it felt like to live in that time.”

“I wanted to shine a light on my family, but also some of their contemporaries whose voices were also marginalized and muted during their lifetimes and who never had their stories told.”

Photo by Cal Jackson

Jeffery shares that the two work largely apart on the projects.

“Her writing is amazing,” he said. “So it’s like watching a movie. I just pick the best scenes out of the movie to draw and eventually illustrate. Because this book is specifically about our family, it puts a different energy into the book. It’s a different level of connection and even intimacy that you have access to as you’re working.”

He explains that scratchboard, which is used to illustrate the book, is a subtractive technique in which artists use metal instruments known as nibs to scratch the surface off the top of the scratchboard paper to reveal lightness underneath.

dynamic sense of emotion while at the same time evoking the past.”

Bringing the book back to Talbot County, Carole hopes it will generate discussions about what enslavement was like in this area. She said she hopes it provides another lens through which to view the antebellum experience in Talbot County and Maryland.

“The takeaway for me from the whole book is that knowing your history is generational wealth,” she said. “I hope people will be inspired to know their history, trace their family tree, talk to some of their elders, and write down some of their stories.”

Jeffery added: “I want people to start the process of unearthing their family roots and start the conversations with their parents, their grandparents, and their great-grandparents, if possible, to capture that chain of information that is still available. You have to do the hard work, being willing to run through those brick walls and get bumped around in the dark to bring this information to light.”

Orban and Oliver hope to expand the book’s reach on the Eastern Shore. The TCFL has many print and audio copies of Kin for library circulation. The book is also in its Talbot County Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Book Club.

I wanted not only to depict people’s jobs but also to reflect their humanity.

“Scratchboard is a very meticulous design and execution process,” Jeffery said. “One illustration may be drawn up to three times before the final illustration is scratched. That is also true of digital scratchboard which I used for the first time in this book.”

“I wanted to render high-contrast portraits and atmospheres and a

“The library is a place for everyone in the community to access books that allow the reader to immerse themselves in a perspective, experience or story and to look at the world through a different lens,” said Newman. “This then opens up readers to engage in conversations with family, friends and neighbors about experiences, cultures, histories, and viewpoints that may differ from their own. The poems in Kin not only allow readers to hear stories about enslavement, empowerment, and freedom but they also seed hope and can be used to start powerful family and community conversations.”

To date, Carole and Jeffery have done a presentation at the Dorchester Historical Society on African American genealogy. Easton Economic Development Corporation, Talbot County

Pictured is author Carole Boston Weatherford.

Pictured is illustrator Jeffery Boston Weatherford.

“Chicken Sue,” Jeffery Weatherford, Scratchboard.

Economic Development and Tourism and Dorchester County Tourism are all committed and active partners with the project.

“They have been working with us to get the word out about the program through their channels, suggesting options for promoting the program, advising on grant funding, and bringing other partners into the fold,” Orban said. “What we know from them is that visitors to our area are eager to learn more about the history of African Americans here on the Eastern Shore. We all recognize the value that this powerful story of family and heritage brings to all and that should be known by all; those of us who live on the Shore and those who come here to visit.”

Future events in the community include a show of Jeffery Boston Weatherford’s art from Kin at the Academy Art Museum in March 2025. Mark Leone, who supervised the dig at Wye House in the early 2000s, is also planning a presentation on his findings.

“What I feel in my head, my heart, and deep in my soul, is that these ‘stories’ that Carole and Jeffery tell; these lives that we are privileged to witness through the powerful verse and stunning art must be known and felt by everyone so that we may all recognize and come to understand, as much as it is possible, that the enslaved and the enslavers were all human beings whose truth must be known – especially for us who live here,” Orban said. “There can be no thought that ‘this didn’t happen here,’ because it did. As a lifelong reader and librarian at my school for over 32 years, this work has grabbed and held me like no other.”

Kin has also received the 2024 Claudia Lewis Poetry Award for Older Readers from Bank Street College of Education in New York City.

To learn more about Carole Boston Weatherford or Jeffery Boston Weatherford, visit CBWeatherford.com.

Kin Partners include Talbot County Free Library, The Country School, Avalon Foundation, Talbot County Public Schools, Talbot Historical Society, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Easton Economic Development Corporation, Frederick Douglass Honor Society, Maryland Public Television, WHCP FM 91.7 Music Discovery and NPR for the Mid-Shore, Monica Davis, Academy Art Museum, ShoreRivers, Talbot Arts, Talbot County Economic Development and Tourism, and Dorchester County Tourism. S

Photo by Cal Jackson

STORIES OF THE

CHESAPEAKE

STORY BY NIAMBI DAVIS PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TALBOT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Depending upon the scholarly source, the word Chesapeake is derived from the Algonquin Chesapoic, defined as either the “great shellfish bay” or simply the great water. HL Mencken, the Bard of Baltimore, described the nation’s largest estuary as the “great protein bay” for its abundance of oysters, clams and crabs. The land touched by the Bay is a region of waterways, farmlands and the men and women who work them both. It has stood for religious freedom, produced freedom seekers and is home to small towns and communities with a history that stretches back before the country’s independence.

Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area grew from a meeting of Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot and Caroline County’s regional planning and tourism directors and other interested parties with a mission to preserve and promote the region’s cultural heritage. Their goal was to become a certified Maryland Heritage Area. The work began in 1999; in 2005 they were awarded the certification.

Gail Owings was Kent County’s Planning Director for 30 years and one of SCHA’s founders. After retirement from the county, she continued to serve as a board member. When the executive director

relocated, she hoped the organization would find someone who could write grants.

Owings, who also has a background in environmental science and preservation planning, took the job. She is now the

part-time executive director and a staff of one.

“I took the job because I love history,” she explained. “And I realized how much fun it was and how much I enjoyed working with an organization to develop ways to increase our pride of place. I learn something new every day.”

For Owings, one of the best things about the program is its ability to provide seed funding for research and to assist projects through the grant process.

“For organizations who have never written a grant, starting with our small grant is a very kind and gentle process.”

Applicants learn how to write and manage a grant on the local level before moving up to the state and federal level where reporting and management can become more complicated.

“The organization plants the seed and we can help it grow. We’re like the little acorn that could!”

Clayton Washington, President of the Kennard Alumni Association, said that working with Stories of the Chesapeake really made a difference.

“They provide valuable resources and technical training to small nonprofits in the four counties, especially those focused on historic preservation,” Washington said.

THE ORGANIZATION PLANTS THE SEED AND WE CAN HELP IT GROW.

WE’RE LIKE THE LITTLE ACORN THAT COULD!

SCHA has provided funding for grants of various sizes, ranging from small to large awards. An example of a small grant is funding the creation of interpretive panels that tell the history of a town, or those found on Stevensville’s Cross Island Trail. Organizations can also hire a consultant to offer suggestions for the best use of their resources. In a larger grant to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, SCHA provided funds to repair the museum’s historic marine railway, enabling CBMM to pull their boats out of the water for repair.

“A lot of times we assist the organization to obtain funding for the project,” Owings said. “That’s why we like to say ‘we make projects happen.’”

Owings’s love of history is evident in what she describes as amazement at the depth and breadth of the region’s African American history.

“It just underscores how important our region is to the American experience,” she said, “including Easton’s Hill community, one of the oldest free African American communities in the country.”

From Kennard High School to stories of the Underground Railroad, the African American schoolhouse in Worton, and the work of Chesapeake Heartlands, all exist as examples of history’s significance in the four counties. The list of regional churches includes houses of worship that serve the African American community, Dudley’s Chapel, one of the oldest Methodist churches in the U.S., and the Quaker

might not otherwise be aware of. Owings suggests following up a visit to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with a quick hop on Oxford’s Bellevue Ferry to the town of Bellevue, once a thriving African American seafood community. Connecting those dots makes for a deeper understanding of the region,

Each discovery provides what Owings describes as a sense of pride in our place.

“There’s some ugly history,” she stated, “and it’s history that is now being told. We must acknowledge this part of our history while recognizing that it’s not the totality of who we are.”

Among the workshops SCHA provides for their partners, Owings is most proud of the threepart series “Nothing About Me Without Me.” This workshop addresses the issue of heritage stories being advanced without input from the people whose stories are being told.

“It doesn’t matter whose story is being told — the subjects of those stories need to be involved in the telling,” Owings said.

Along with advancing the stories of their partners, SCHA is developing some interpretive materials of its own.

“We have a cookbook with recipes from area restaurants,” Owings said. “Volume Two is next, with recipes from farmer’s markets as a way to promote the region differently — one side contains the recipe and the other one is a short paragraph of regional history.”

In its own words, SCHA invites visitors and locals to “meet the people who live here, enjoy the landscapes and towns they treasure, and share the best of their traditions. Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties are just waiting!”

For organizations interested in more information about SCHA, its programs and grant opportunities, information is available at storiesofthechesapeake.org. S

Photos courtesy Stories of the Chesapeake

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HOMES HISTORIC

MAKE CONNECTIONS

STORY BY CECELIA SHILLING

Front of Castle Hall.

Photo by Tom McCall

Eastern Shore couples preserve historic homes, connects visitors with family history

Lisa and Bob Moser, owners of historic Castle Hall, and David and Hilari Rinehart, owners of the Brampton Inn, are working to preserve these historic Eastern Shore estates and connect descendants of previous owners with the properties.

Castle Hall, built just north of Goldsboro during the Revolutionary War by Thomas Hardcastle, is a grand, three-story brick building on 5.79 acres of land and is listed on the National Historic Registry. It was later owned by J. Spencer Lapham, an agriculturist or horticulturist who planted boxwood trees across the property. When the Mosers bought the home in 2017, it had been vacant for nearly 20 years.

The Mosers have spent countless hours restoring the home by fixing termite damage to floors, rebuilding chimneys and windows, repainting the historic brick outside the home and removing mite-infested trees.

“We did everything,” Lisa said. “We didn’t make any structural changes at all to the property.”

Fountain and front of Brampton Inn.

Photo by JennQuinn Creative

Save the Date

THE EVENT

Join community leaders for the second annual Women to Watch REveal Event at the Avalon Theatre, Wednesday, April 10th starting at 5pm.

Celebrate our 2024 Midshore Women to Watch, engage with the featured women and network with our up-and-coming leaders.

”Now we’re working on the outhouses,” she said. “We had new roofs put on those and replaced the windows on two of the outbuildings so far and then we’re replacing all the wood siding; one’s brick and two are wood siding, we’re replacing all of that.”

Lisa hopes Castle Hall can become a small events venue and will be more accessible to the community.

“We’ve had five weddings here,” Lisa said. “I have three planned for this year. We don’t really have enough space to have a large events venue, so we wouldn’t want to do large weddings or anything like that, but on a one-to-one basis, if people request to have their wedding here, we open the whole house; it’s theirs for the day.”

The Brampton Inn is made up of 13 rooms across 35 acres. The original home was first built in Chestertown in the mid-1700s as a mill and fruit plantation; now seven additional rooms are in cottages spread across the property. It is currently owned by David and Hilari Rinehart.

town, it had a vibe of like living in the 1940s. It’s very small and it’s quaint. The people are very friendly.”

When the couple discovered that the Brampton Inn was for sale, they jumped at the chance to take on the property.

“I had had some experience in the hospitality industry,” David said. “It felt like the right thing to do.”

The Brampton Inn and Castle Hall have hosted several visitors with connections to previous owners, as well as people whose ancestors were slaves or servants on the property.

WE DIDN’T MAKE ANY STRUCTURAL CHANGES AT ALL TO THE PROPERTY.

Many relatives of the Hardcastles and Laphams have “trickled in and out” of Castle Hall in the seven years since the Mosers bought the property, Lisa said. She’s also been contacted by people from all over the country who said they’re related to the Hardcastles.

“My wife and I had visited Chestertown probably seven or eight years ago now, and we really fell in love with the place,” David said. “We liked the charm of the

“There were two gentlemen that came, one was from Salisbury and one was from South Carolina,” she said. “They were cousins and they were direct descendants of the Hardcastles. We’ve had a gentleman from Ohio reach out with information, he was a direct descendant of the Hardcastles. We’ve had people here from the Laphams, that family is all local.”

Castle Hall photos by Tom McCall

Brampton Inn photos by JennQuinn Creative

At the Brampton Inn, many families have come with stories passed down through oral history looking for information on their ancestors, and David tries to guide them in any way that he can.

“I walk them through the property to discuss how things would have been back then, and then to help them get into the historic district and hope that there’s something there that they can find that may guide them along a little more,” David said. “And in some cases, they’re just happy to come through town knowing that some of their history was there.”

The owners of both properties are still looking for ways to uncover and preserve the extensive history of the area. The Mosers are considering restoring a nearby cemetery just beyond the property lines of Castle Hall.

“The really interesting thing is, about 1,000 feet northwest of the house, which isn’t on our property now, it was

THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON AT THE BRAMPTON

originally part of the property, there’s a cemetery,” Lisa said. “The Hardcastle cemetery with about 17 interments. We’ve had people reach out wanting to help us restore the headstones.”

After hearing that some Chestertown sites may have been altered to cover up evidence of slave labor, the Rineharts are considering having Light Detection and Ranging, or LIDAR, surveys done on the property to help find structures that may have been slave living quarters.

“I think it’s really important to realize that, as well as a lot of Chestertown, these were homes that used slave labor,” David said. “It’s important not to forget that. It’s not the property’s fault. It’s not the house’s fault what happened there, but it did and I like to always think of that as I walk through the property every day. It always crosses my mind of what life was like for them and the fact that they built that place and they made it possible for me to be here.”

The Mosers and Rineharts look forward to making the history of the land more accessible to the nearby communities. Castle Hall continues to open its doors to visitors, and the owners are even looking into securing a liquor license to be able to hold more events at Castle Hall, Lisa said. Visitors are also able to attend events such as afternoon teas and alfresco dinners at the Brampton Inn.

“There’s always something going on at the Brampton,” David said. S

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Rare opportunity to acquire awell-appointed home w/ stunning views in Chance Hope Farm on the Miles River. Daffin custom-built colonial offers main-level suite, chef's kitchen &river room. Park-like lot w/ rip-rapped shoreline, private pier, &waterside deck.

Swan Point, a4.5+/- acre Eastern Shore estate on the Tred Avon River, boasts a private pier, charming main house,spacious kitchen, luxurious primarysuite, horse paddock, and accessory structures, including exquisite carriage house.

Currently being built: 4BR, 4.5BA Coastal home, in-ground pool, pier, and 60' from the water. Waterfront living w/ balcony, porch, primary suite, garage, 325'+/shoreline, &ideally located between Easton &StMichaels &short ferry ride to Oxford.

Luxurious 3-bed, 2.5-bath Easton Village home blends comfort, style, &functionality. Features main-level primary suite, office, chef's kitchen, bright 2nd floor flex space, landscaped lot, flagstone patio w/ fireplace.

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HIGH SPIRITS

& BLUE RUIN A focus on ambiance mixology

STORY BY JAMES YOUNG PHOTOS BY CAL JACKSON

Blue Ruin is a cocktail bar and restaurant, located at 400 Race St. in Cambridge. With a focus on ambience and mixology, Blue Ruin aims to provide each customer with an experience they will not forget. The stylistic décor harkens back to the era of prohibition, giving the impression that one has stepped backwards in time into a 1920s speakeasy. The name Blue Ruin itself refers to an archaic term for home-distilled gin, as a satirical play on the term “blue ribbon” for very high-quality gin.

The atmosphere inside Blue Ruin subtly shifts with the time of day; during the daylight hours, plentiful open windows provide ample sunlight, imparting a lively yet relaxed feel. But as the sun goes down, the classic bar-top lighting offers a warm and cozy atmosphere, aided by the abundance of exposed brick masonry. The staff dress in prohibition-era attire, with their black vests and armbands elevating the old-school aesthetic to new heights.

The restaurant and bar manager, Paul Dendorfer, is an expert in mixology, with over 30 years’ experience in the culinary industry. He began his career as a server at Clyde’s restaurant in Washington, D.C., but was promoted within three months to a position training new staff. He then made his move behind the bar, quickly discovering his passion for bartending.

“As soon as I stepped behind the bar, I had found what I wanted to do,” he said. As he advanced in his career, Dendorfer worked at highly-regarded establishments, including the bars at the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton.

Now, Dendorfer has developed an extensive list of over 150 craft cocktails at Blue Ruin. Some highlights include the Smoked Old-Fashioned, made with Lapsang Souchong infused McClintock White Whisky, and served in an oak-smoked glass; the “Rise-Up Tini,” with house-infused Rise Up espresso vodka; and the Groove City Dame, made with Tanqueray gin, limoncello, and egg white, and flavored with orange and thyme. When Blue Ruin opened in 2019, the entire cocktail list was developed by Dendorfer. Now, about sixty percent of the list is made by Dendorfer, while the remaining 40% is comprised of cocktails developed by his personally-trained bartending staff, many of whom have been with the business since its opening.

A signature offering of Blue Ruin is their Clawfoot blue gin, developed by Dendorfer in collaboration with McClintock Distilling Company in Frederick, Dendorfer’s hometown. The story of Clawfoot began about six months before Blue Ruin’s opening, when McClintock reached out to provide a sample of their liquors. Dendorfer enjoyed their creations and remarked that he’d always been interested in blue gin.

After months of work, McClintock unveiled the product, a premium gin with a gorgeous peaflower-blue color, and a clear botanical flavor with notes of citrus and herbs. Dendorfer decided on the name Clawfoot as a reference to the clawfoot bathtubs that were used to distill bootleg liquor during the era of prohibition.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE; WE WANT PEOPLE TO LEAVE ALREADY WANTING TO COME BACK

Though the primary focus of Blue Ruin is on its cocktail offerings, the food menu is not to be overlooked, with an emphasis on high-quality local ingredients. Popular appetizers include the crispy Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction and the local Buffalo-style oysters, served with bleu cheese.

In terms of entrées, one must-try is the Chesapeake gumbo, which blends local seafood with classic New Orleans flavors, informed by chef Buddy Christopher’s experience cooking in the Big Easy. Other highlights include the sliders, made with fresh local ground beef and classic accouterments, as well as the vegetarian “scallops”: king oyster mushrooms with grilled potatoes and asparagus, cherry tomatoes and finished with a balsamic glaze and fresh basil.

Though the quality and thoughtfulness of the cocktail list and menu cannot be overstated, the cornerstone of Blue Ruin is its atmosphere and the experience it provides.

“It’s all about the experience; we want people to leave already wanting to come back,” Dendorfer said.

Blue Ruin appeals equally to both locals and

tourists, providing a taste of city life in an idyllic rural setting. The restaurant also offers various events, both regular and annual: game nights on Mondays, trivia and karaoke on Tuesdays, and live local musicians on Fridays, including familiar names such as Emma Myers and Sam Pugh. Annual events include a New Year’s Eve celebration and ball drop, a St. Patrick’s Day fest, a Memorial Day “Summer Kickoff” and more. The welcoming atmosphere, high-quality food and drink and the expertise of the staff will provide a top-notch experience any day of the week. And be sure to try the Clawfoot gin, an essential part of Blue Ruin’s homage to a bygone era. S

Charting history

h

Chesapeake Forum

WITH

WITH THE

On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where the Chesapeake Bay whispers its tales, a vibrant community of lifelong learners has found a haven for intellectual exploration. The Chesapeake Forum — a beacon of knowledge and camaraderie — has become a vital hub for those seeking to delve into the rich tapestry of local history.

This past January, Chesapeake Forum became part of the YMCA of the Chesapeake, with the merger announced at a reception at the Academy Art Museum, where Chesapeake Forum presented its upcoming winter programs to a crowd of 104 eager learners.

Lynn Randle, the newly appointed executive director and past president, reflects on the organization's evolution.

“We started as the Academy of Lifelong Learning at CBMM 23 years ago and eventually became the Chesapeake Forum under the umbrella of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation,” Randle said. “Merging with the Y makes perfect sense — because it fits into their mission to build a world where every person can thrive in body, mind, and spirit.”

Registration for the current semester opened with a bang, boasting more than 580 registrations within the first weekend. The program offers 30 courses each semester, ranging from single-session deep dives to extended five-session courses. While the pandemic initially limited options, the forum has rebounded, providing a diverse array of courses to satisfy the curious minds of its 2,300 subscribers.

What sets Chesapeake Forum apart is its commitment to meeting the nuanced needs of its participants. Randle observes a shift in enrollment patterns, with an increasing number of individuals signing up for multiple courses.

It's fun to see how many people are eager to explore different topics. We're definitely meeting a need in the community.

"It's fun to see how many people are eager to explore different topics,” she said. “We're definitely meeting a need in the community.”

She said with the senior population expected to reach 40% by the end of the decade, Chesapeake Forum plays a crucial role in fulfilling the desire for active involvement and continuous learning among retirees.

History has always been a favorite among forum attendees, prompting the organization to run an annual survey to tailor their offerings. Randle emphasizes the importance of connecting people to the historical wealth of Talbot County and the Eastern Shore. As the area attracts new residents, especially those transitioning from summer homes to permanent residences, history courses have become best-sellers.

The allure of the forum is not confined to its physical location either. Wayne Bell's birding class, for example, filled up in a mere 15 minutes during the last semester, highlighting the community's enthusiasm for diverse learning experiences. From Thai cooking classes to field trips, the forum continues to expand its offerings to cater to varied interests.

One notable initiative is the introduction of hybrid teaching, which allows participants to choose to attend classes in person, virtually or by viewing a recording. Equipped with a tablet or even a smart TV, these classes become accessible to individuals anywhere, fostering inclusivity and reaching a broader audience of lifelong learners.

Reflecting on the heartwarming moments, Randle describes the joy of witnessing the eagerness of participants before a class.

“To see how people are embracing this opportunity, meeting friends and learning something new – that's the reward for me,” she shared. “Chesapeake Forum is not just a place to gain knowledge; it's a community that fosters connections, making it a cherished part of many agendas.”

For those eager to embark on a journey of lifelong learning and delve into the history of the Chesapeake Bay region, the Chesapeake Forum stands as an inviting portal. Potential participants can explore the offerings, browse through testimonials, and register for an enriching experience that goes beyond the confines of a classroom on the Forum’s website at www.chesapeakeforum.org. S

Chesapeake Forum PO Box 544

Easton, Md. 21601

lrandle001@gmail.com

LOCAL AUTHOR WORKS

TO PRESERVE THE stories and voices of watermen

Are you a dying breed?

BY ELEANOR PRATT PHOTOS BY TOM MCCALL

The son of a Kent Island waterman, Brent Lewis, has been around men and women who make their living on the Chesapeake Bay his entire life.

Although his mother steered him away from making a career as a waterman, growing up surrounded by the profession impacted him greatly and inspired much of his future work.

“I often think of my mom's side as the readers and my dad’s side as the storytellers,” Lewis observed, “There wasn't much I enjoyed more as a kid than sitting and listening to him and his waterman friends and cousins tell stories.”

A love of listening to these stories has evolved into multiple projects involving preserving the voices and experiences of watermen.

The author of four books with a fifth underway, Lewis has long helmed oral history projects with various heritage societies and museums and has begun hosting story swaps with local watermen in the last few years.

The first swap was in 2016 in Grasonville. The event was a massive success, with eight watermen whom he’d previously collected oral histories from sharing their stories to an enraptured audience.

There have been other iterations since then, including a few at Chesapeake College’s Chesapeake Storytelling Festival, but it has been more than five years since the last one.

Lewis found a partner in Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) through its Folklife Center to launch the latest Watermen’s Story Swap, this time with the focus expanding beyond Queen Anne’s County.

This most recent swap was a great success with over 100 people gathering at the CBMM to hear the stories of seven watermen on Jan. 11.

The event was funded through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council.

Lewis moderated tales of big storms and big hauls, regulations, the cost of gas and Venezuelan crab meat that made net profits difficult.

This was a rock star moment for these men and one woman, who normally get up before dawn and head out in the darkness to find oysters and crabs. The crowd listened attentively and often gave hearty laughs.

The often tough life of a waterman was discussed. There is no job security. There is no health insurance. If they get injured, they are out of work, and there certainly is no pension or 401(k).

“If you wake up a waterman, every day you wake up with nothing all over again. You gotta be a welder, you gotta be a carpenter, you gotta be a mechanic, you gotta be a bookkeeper,” waterman and politician George O’Donnell said.

The watermen speaking at the event included O’Donnell, Calvert Thompson, Herman Jeff Harrison, Rachel Fazebaker, Eugene Austin, Joey Sadler and Troy

Wilkins.

and many secret nooks on the Bay, they worked many different rivers on the Eastern Shore.

On the success of the event, Lewis noted the sold-out crowd and the dozens watching on Zoom. “My panel was very happy with the way things went,” he said.

Lewis and the CBMM are already looking to the future. They plan to expand an oral history program in 2024, with Lewis and his collaborator and videographer Josh Willis collecting ten more histories in the next year.

On the importance of capturing these voices through oral histories, Lewis explained, “By getting them on record, you not only get their personal life stories, you get these anecdotal tales that represent a life, represent a career, and you get them in the voice of the person telling the story.”

He further noted that collecting these histories for future general listeners, scholars, and even family members of watermen allows those who often do not get asked much about their lives to document and share their stories, their language, and their profession.

This preservation effort is especially impactful seeing as the watermen profession is fading.

During the Jan. 11 story swap, this fact was brought up often with audience members asking questions like “Are you a dying breed?” and “Aren’t there any young people doing this?”

The average age of a waterman is now 58, and “not a single member of our [Jan. 11] panel have offspring who work on the water,” according to Lewis.

Still, watermen are adaptable in an ever-changing industry. Some work with the Department of Natural Resources to plant oysters, while others run head-boats, help build bridges, and more.

By shedding light on the profession through story swaps, Lewis hopes to demystify and humanize the profession, saying, “I think there are so many of us out there who don't know what watermen do. We go to our

From Miles River to Love Point to Harris Creek

restaurants and we order crabs or clams or whatever seafood we might [have], but we don't really know how it gets to the table.”

In terms of future story swaps, Lewis believes it is important to not hold these types of events too often since audiences may become over-exposed over time. Additionally, watermen have busy and unconventional schedules, making it often difficult to pin down a sizeable enough panel.

Lewis, Willis, and the CBMM will continue their oral history efforts in 2024 and hope the ten watermen interviewed will be willing to form the panel for next year.

For anyone interested in being interviewed for the oral histories or nominating a candidate to be interviewed, you can email Lewis at WhiteRubberBoot@gmail.com.

No matter if it is a sold-out story swap or a quiet oral history, according to Lewis, these efforts, “help expose the challenges of the industry to the general public, while also helping the public to view these people as neighbors and human beings who have stories to tell.” S