Chesapeake Country [Hardcover]

The classic photo book on one of America’s most picturesque destinations, revised and updated.

The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary, stretching 185 miles from the Susquehanna River to the Virginia capes, touching more than 8,000 miles of shoreline. This country of mists and tranquil waters harbors a rare abundance of wildlife, as well as the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States—the famous skipjacks, or oyster-dredging boats. The bay and its rivers are home to isolated villages that preserve early colonial dialects; to historic plantations, such as Mount Vernon; and to considerable cities, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Richmond.

Beautifully photographed and written,Chesapeake Countrytells the story of the bay in all its aspects: its waterscape and wildlife; its delicate ecology; its rich history as the seedbed of American liberty as well as American slavery; and its uncertain present, as the population of watermen who live by crabbing and oystering dwindles, and that of prosperous newcomers seeking a respite from city life grows. This new edition also discusses the future of the bay in the era of climate change and brings us up to date on the places and personalities that make the Chesapeake so unique.

For those who live on the bay,Chesapeake Countryis a celebration. For those who do not, it is an invitation to explore. And for everyone, it is a journey of discovery.

Chesapeake Country

Contents

Chesapeake Country Revisited 7

Introduction 17
The Landings 37
The Plantations 61
The Watermen 97
Tidewater Towns/Chesapeake Cities 141
Chesapeake Country: Back to the Future 187
Epilogue 205

Suggestions For Further Reading 221
Acknowledgments 223
Index 225

“Sensitively photographed, sensibly written, and beautifully printed”
—Washington Post Book World

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