Hoopers Island is a chain of two islands in
Dorchester County Dorchester County is the name of two counties in the United States:
* Dorchester County, Maryland
Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge ...
, Maryland, United States. Upper Hoopers Island and Lower Hoopers Island are surrounded by water with the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
on the left side and the
Honga River on the right side. The remote set of islands has much wildlife and is well known for sport fishing and crabbing industries. Hoopers Island was issued one of the earliest land grants in Dorchester County, Maryland.
Geography
Hoopers Island is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The islands are situated on the south-west shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Dorchester County.
Hoopers Island is roughly long and consists of three small islands.
The islands are very narrow in many places and one can easily see water, the Chesapeake Bay and the Honga River, on both sides of
Maryland Route 335
Maryland Route 335 (MD 335) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from the upper end of Hooper's Island north to MD 16 in Church Creek. MD 335 provides access to several communities along the Honga River ...
which travels through the islands.
[Cronin, William B. The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 2005. p. 87 ]
Upper Hoopers island is located at N. 38°20' W. 76°14 and Middle Hoopers island is located at N. 38°16' W. 76°11. Lower Hoopers Island is now a marshland.
History
The early residents of what is now known as Hoopers Island were the
Yaocomico
The Yaocomico , also spelled Yaocomaco, were an Algonquian-speaking Native American group who lived along the north bank of the Potomac River near its confluence with the Chesapeake Bay in the 17th century. They were related to the Piscataway, ...
people. According to some local folklore, the land was purchased from the Yaocomico tribe for five woolen blankets.
[Flowers, Anna. "The Private World of Hooper's Island." The Skipper. V. 14, February 1954. p51]
Hoopers Island is considered the oldest settled area in Dorchester County.
[Simmons Hedberg Jaccqueline. Images of America, Hoopers Island. Arcade Publishing, Charleston, SC 2007. p.7 ] The namesake of the islands is Henry Hooper. Hooper was friends with the
Calverts, an important family many consider to be founders of the state of Maryland. In the mid-17th century, parts of the islands were surveyed for Hooper. The first parcel of land was surveyed by Robert Clift and aptly titled Hooper's Clifts.
[Mowbray, Calvin W. First Dorchester Families. Willow Bend Books, Westminster, Maryland. 2000. p. 63 ] An additional of land was surveyed for Hooper later on in 1668. He received additional parcels of land in 1669 as well.
Though much of the land was claimed by the Hoopers, other families such as William Chaplin, Richard Bentley and Philip Shapeley owned major plots of land. In addition, some indentured servants such as Thomas Hooten and Daniel Puddiford received land.
[Cronin, William B. The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 2005. p. 83 ]
The Hooper family
The Hooper family made Dorchester County their family home in 1669.
[Jones, Elias. Revised History of Dorchester County Maryland. The Read Taylor Press, Baltimore, MD 1925. p. 123] Henry Hooper had a large family: he was married twice and had 14 children.
[Cronin, William B. The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 2005. p. 84 ] Henry Hooper was one of the first commissioners of Dorchester County. Many descendants of the original Henry Hooper followed in his footsteps and served on the Dorchester County legislature as well.
Upon his death, Hooper left parcels of land, with names such as Hooper's Chance, Hooper's Lot, Hooper's Fortune and Hooper's Forrest to his children.
Isolation
Due to the geographical nature of Hoopers Island, the residents had to be self-sufficient and independent. Accordingly, the islanders maintained strong family and community ties. Once families moved to Hoopers Island, they stayed for generations. According to one source, for 300 years the population can be traced to just ten families.
The outside world did not rapidly influence the way of life on the island. While in the 21st century, many places find it difficult to remain isolated, Hoopers Island maintains a sense of pride on their independence and self-sufficiency.
Environment
Erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...
is a serious threat to the island, as it removes an average of per year.
[Cronin, William B. The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 2005. p. 88 ] In addition, storm and flood damage along with rising waters had and continue to have an effect on the environment and geography of the islands.
Since the early 20th century, Lower Hoopers Island is no longer inhabited. Prior to this, the island was home to the community of Applegarth which grew tremendously during the oyster boom in the 1880s. Due to erosion, the last resident was forced to leave in the late 1920s. For a short while, farmers continued to use the island to pasture their livestock. Unfortunately, a hurricane destroyed the bridge to Lower Hoopers Island in 1933.
Another section of Hoopers Island has also been affected. Swan Island, originally owned by the indentured servant, Thomas Hooten, has almost disappeared but some of the buildings still stand.
The islands are filled with wild geese and ducks throughout the marshlands.
[Arnett, Earl, Robert J. Brugger & ]Edward C. Papenfuse
Edward C. Papenfuse (born October 15, 1943) is the retired Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents.
Papenfuse received his undergraduate degree from the American University, an M.A. from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. ...
. Maryland, A New Guide to the Old Line State. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 1999. p. 202 Little and great blue herons,
American oystercatcher
The American oystercatcher (''Haematopus palliatus''), occasionally called the American pied oystercatcher, is a member of family Haematopodidae. Originally called the "sea pie", it was renamed in 1731 when naturalist Mark Catesby observed the ...
s,
double-crested cormorant
The double-crested cormorant (''Nannopterum auritum'') is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes, and in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alas ...
s,
willet
The willet (''Tringa semipalmata'') is a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is a relatively large and robust sandpiper, and is the largest of the species called "shanks" in the genus ''Tringa''. Its closest relative is the lesser yel ...
s,
herring gulls,
Forster's common, royal, and least terns,
black ducks,
gadwall
The gadwall (''Mareca strepera'') is a common and widespread dabbling duck in the family Anatidae.
Taxonomy
The gadwall was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. DNA studies have shown that ...
s,
egret
Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
s,
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
, and the
boat-tailed grackle
The boat-tailed grackle (''Quiscalus major'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found as a permanent resident on the coasts of the Southeastern United States.
Habitat
The boat-tailed grackle is found in coastal saltwater marshes and, i ...
can all be found in and around Hoopers Island.
Life on Hoopers Island
According to a 2018 estimate, the population of Hoopers Island was 559.
Most of the islands’ residents live in the communities of Honga,
Fishing Creek and Hoopersville. Honga and Fishing Creek can be found on Upper Hoopers Island while the southernmost village, Hoopersville, is found on Middle Hoopers Island. As a reflection of life on the islands, oyster boats, tonging craft and crab houses are visible across the landscape.
Events
The islanders host many impressive and enduring social events. One such event involves fishing Hoopers Island.
Since 1973, the William T. Ruark Fishing Tournament is considered the island's largest event. Other events such as the Arts and Crafts Auction and Bazaar and the Ronald McGlaughlin Artisans Fair are community affairs that draw residents and visitors alike.
Community
There is a strong sense of community amongst the islanders. One endearing story painted the people and community of Hoopers Island in a very positive light: "strongly independent" "stout-hearted" "self-sufficient", great "sense of community" and "fellowship." Between a strong work ethic and family ties, the community is a strong force that has weathered some negative publicity and difficult times. One such example occurred in the mid-20th century.
In 1954, there was a crabbers strike. Because of the large amount of crabs in the Bay, the price had been so reduced that the fishermen weren't making any money off their catches. Therefore, the crabbers went on strike. Usually strikes are organized by a union who would conduct negotiations in order to improve conditions. For this strike, there wasn't any organized union which promoted the strike but just a tight-knit group of fishermen who wanted their voices heard. Because this strike was not employed by a union, a ''
Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' editorial portrayed the crabbers as lazy, uncivilized and uncooperative. In response to this editorial, the Organization of the Volunteer Fire Company sent an eloquent response. This response addressed the negative press the fishermen and the communities received, showing how the fishermen and the communities pride themselves on keeping up with modern ideas, that they were civilized and did not need to utilize unions to work together and make improvement to their lives.
Industry
Originally, the main industry on the island was crops. Hoopers Island was mainly known for tobacco crops but during the American Revolution, vegetables and grains were also grown.
![Blue crab on market in Piraeus - Callinectes sapidus Rathbun 20020819-317](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Blue_crab_on_market_in_Piraeus_-_Callinectes_sapidus_Rathbun_20020819-317.jpg)
Today, most people who live on Hoopers Island have some connection to the fishing industry. The local families make a living as crabbers, oyster tongers and seafood packers.
Seasonal workers from Mexico also work in the processing plants. Unfortunately, because of many factors such as water pollution, the fishing industry is on the decline. The number of crabs has been decreasing at an alarming rate, and the area governments have enacted a number of laws in order to slow the decline of the crabbing industry. As of April 2008, the governors of Maryland and Virginia considered cutting the number of harvested female crabs by one-third. According to an article in The Baltimore Sun, the crabbers of Maryland are not happy with this direction as it might force some watermen out of the business.
The Department of Natural Resources issued new regulations in March 2009, for daily bushel limits for mature female hard crabs and periods of closure for harvest of mature female hard crabs. Mature female hard crab bushel limits were assigned based on license type. The regulation further provided the DNR with the authority to establish and modify a season or catch limit by public notice based on continuous monitoring of stock conditions and harvest rates. The Department withdrew the portion of the 2009 regulatory proposal that would have required a free registration for crabbers not currently required to have a license.
Points of interest
Off the shores of Upper and Middle Hoopers Island is the
Hooper's Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in 1906 and is only one of eleven pneumatic caisson lighthouses in the United States.
For over ten years, the
Phillips Seafood Factory has been open to visitors. It is at this factory that
blue crab Blue crab may refer to:
* Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design
* ''Callinectes sapidus'' – Chesapeake or Atlantic blue crab of the West Atlantic, introduced elsewhere
* '' Cardisoma guanhumi'' – blue land crab of the West Atlantic
* '' Dis ...
s are processed. Phillips Seafood is a company that owns and operates seafood restaurants throughout the east coast. The company origins go back to 1914 on the island, where Augustus E. Phillips established what is now Phillips Seafoods' first seafood processing plant.
About Phillips Foods: The Legend of Phillips
Interesting facts
*During the 18th century, piracy was rampant in the Chesapeake Bay. As boats, filled with supplies, were headed towards the top of the Bay, they were attacked by pirates who had been hiding in the many tributaries. Lord Dunmore, one of the more infamous pirates, created such mayhem that in 1780, Henry Hooper IV asked the governor of Maryland for assistance to stop the plundering.
*An area near the islands, Meekins Neck, is the site of the first Catholic church in Dorchester County. St. Mary Star of the Sea was built in 1769.
*From the mid-1880s until 1929, there was a steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
service that went up to Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. The boat left Hoopersville in the late afternoon and arrived in Baltimore at 3:30 am.
References
External links
United States Lighthouse Society, Chesapeake Chapter
Dorchester County Tourism
The Historical Marker Database
Old Salty's Restaurant
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Phillips Foods: The Legend of Phillips
www.hiexped.com
Hoopers Island Expeditions
{{authority control
Maryland islands of the Chesapeake Bay
Fishing communities in Maryland
Landforms of Dorchester County, Maryland