New features aim to draw visitors to island

Video, oystering exhibit at museum in Colton's Point

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by REID SILVERMAN Christina Barbour, far right, site supervisor of the St. Clement's Island Museum in Colton's Point, guides children from the Achieving Career Excellence Summer Enrichment Program from Prince George's County, directing them to the Blackistone Lighthouse replica on the island last week. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

The St. Clement's Island Museum in Colton's Point has added a new exhibit featuring a glimpse into the Chesapeake Bay oyster industry and has gone high tech with a new video about the island.

St. Clement's Island was where the English colonists held a Roman Catholic Mass on March 25, 1634, when they arrived to found the Maryland colony. It was the first Roman Catholic Mass held in what would become the original 13 American colonies, according to the video. The video is shown on a flat screen, high definition television via a Blu-ray disc player, which were given to the museum by a local anonymous donor.

The idea is that visitors to the museum will examine the displays there about the history of the colonists and the landing at St. Clement's, watch the 14-minute video about the island and then actually go out and visit it, where a concrete cross and lighthouse facade are located.

After Mass was held there in 1634, the colonists moved to St. Mary's City and set up a fort, purchasing the land from the Indians.

The island was left to erosion for hundreds of years as the Potomac River gobbled up the shoreline. Father Andrew White estimated it was around 400 acres in 1634. It was long thought the island was reduced down to 40 acres, but after a geographic positioning survey was done it was revealed it is still 62 acres.

A lighthouse was built on the southern end of St. Clement's Island in 1851 for $5,000.

For more than 100 years, the Blackistone family owned the island. In October 1883, the island's owner, Dr. Joseph McWilliams, subdivided the island into 34 sections and started selling cottages.

The Navy bought the island in April 1919 for target practice.

The large cross there was erected in 1934 as Maryland's governor, Albert C. Ritchie, celebrated Maryland Day there along with 2,000 other people.

The lighthouse was already abandoned by that point and it caught fire in 1956, probably by arson. The Navy later pulled down the structure.

The U.S. government deeded the island to Maryland on Sept. 18, 1962. State lawmakers appropriated funds to stop the erosion and the island now is surrounded by stone revetment, installed three separate times the 1960s.

The first Blessing of the Fleet was held on the island in 1968 and has been held every October since.

"People do seem to enjoy the film," said Christina Barbour, museum site supervisor.

According to the new exhibit, the oystering industry began in 1760 and peaked in 1884 when 15 million bushels were harvested out of the Chesapeake and its tributaries. Dredging began and quickly took out more oysters than could be reproduced and only five years later, the harvest was down to 6.5 million bushels.

In 2004, a total of 26,495 bushels were harvested.

Most of the exhibit at the museum is a large collection of oyster cans, one gallon in size. The cans in the collection are from Crisfield, Long Island, N.Y., the Rappahannock River in Virginia, Herman Gass Oyster Company out of Colton's Point and Clements-Copsey's Patuxent River Oysters.

The cans come from James Banagan's collection, Barbour said. A resident of Abell, he has served on the museum board on and off over the past 20 years, he said. He started his oyster can collection about 15 years ago and it spread to most things related to the water.

He said he caught the collecting bug from his mother, who went out antique shopping.

"I used to go with her some, collecting old cars, toys. I like to collect," he said.

Debra Pence, museum division manager with the St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks, said from January to June there were 5,076 visitors — down from 7,947 over the same period in 2008.

"It might have been down further without the 375th marketing," she said Monday. "It is hard to tell."

jbabcock@somdnews.com

If you go

The St. Clement's Island Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of September.

A water taxi takes visitors out to the island if the water conditions are safe. The first departure to the island starts at 12:30 p.m. Departures and return trips are available on the half hour and the last trip to the museum is at 4 p.m.

The cost is $7 per person regardless of age and dogs are not allowed on the water taxi.

Call the museum at 301-769-2222 to ensure the water taxi is operating.

Volunteers from the Blackistone Lighthouse Foundation will offer tours of the lighthouse on July 11, July 12, July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 2, Sept. 5, Sept. 6, Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. On those days, the water taxi operates on an expanded schedule, starting at 10:30 a.m.