Solomons is steeped in history, especially involving those who worked the water, and a local museum celebrated that culture with a pair of dedications this week.
The Calvert Marine Museum held a grand reopening of the J.C. Lore Oyster House and marked the 125th anniversary of the Wm. B. Tennison boat on Tuesday afternoon.
The Lore Oyster House, built in 1934, and the Tennison, built in 1899, are both National Historic Landmarks for the museum. The landmarks were celebrated behind the newly refurbished museum on June 11 with the Tennison on full display.
The Oyster House, an off-site exhibit for the main museum just up the block, features the rich and diverse history of oyster processing in the Chesapeake Bay. The museum highlights the original J.C. Lore and Sons of Solomons, the seafood packing company that used the building until it closed in 1978.
The Tennison, originally a sailing bugeye hull until it was converted to a buy boat in 1908, served the Lore Oyster House from 1945 to 1978. Not only did the Tennison serve as an oyster buy boat, it was also used as an oyster dredging boat where power dredging was allowed.Jeff Murray, the director of the museum, said these landmarks are tangible links to the community’s past and their preservation works to build a sense of belonging in the Southern Maryland area.
“By protecting, preserving and maintaining [the Tennison and the Oyster House], we honor the craftsmanship and vision of our ancestors, while providing educational and inspirational resources for future generations,” Murray said.
The Calvert Marine Museum was established on Solomons Island in 1970, originally built by volunteers with the support of the Calvert County Historical Society. However, the county-owned museum quickly outgrew its facilities and moved five years later to the location it currently resides on Solomons Island Road.
Ralph Eshelman, the first director of the marine museum in 1974, stood on the Tennison Tuesday while he highlighted the uniqueness of the Lore Oyster House and the buy boat, exclaiming that they should be sources of pride in Calvert County.
The Tennison is the only surviving bugeye buy-boat conversion, and it is the oldest licensed passenger vessel in the fifth Coast Guard district and believed to be the second oldest in the United States, according to the marine museum’s website.
Eshelman said there are three oyster houses in the United States that are registered as National Historic Landmarks, but the Lore Oyster House is the only one still in its original location.
“We have a lot to be proud of here,” Eshelman said. “The more people that we can make understand the significance of these resources we have here, the more people are going to appreciate their heritage.”
Eshelman said he implores the community to do a better job of promoting what is already here, so that in 50 years there will be more events to commemorate more historical preservation accomplishments. That would be the greatest thing this community can achieve, he said.
Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark, a Calvert County commissioner from 2002 to 2014 and former Republican state delegate, had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon in front of the Oyster House. Clark was instrumental in initiating the preservation efforts of the Lore Oyster House, according to Bonnie Farmer, communications and marketing coordinator for the museum.
The marine museum offers regularly scheduled public cruises on the Tennison from May through October. The boat can also be rented for private charters.
Mark Wilkins, the curator of maritime history at the museum, said allowing the Tennison to be available to the public has had tremendous positive impacts on the community, including furthering their education, but also creating the next generation of maritime and boating enthusiasts.
“[People] love it,” Wilkins said. “Seeing little children, their faces light up when they go out and see the boat underway and … it’s just a wonderful thing.”
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