Small Boat Collection (St. Michaels, MD)

Displayed in the Small Boat Shed are a variety of working and recreational Chesapeake small watercraft. Several log canoes illustrate the adaptation of this Native American design by the English into a workboat they used for oystering, fishing, and traveling. During the 1800s, regional types of log-hull boats emerged known as Pocomoke, Tilghman, and Poquoson and these boats in the display demonstrate the remarkable differences in sails, hull shape, and rigging. Here you will also find simple skiffs used for oystering, fishing, and crabbing, which could be built quickly and cheaply by ordinary carpenters rather than professional shipwrights.