Oyster History

 

( Courtesy of the Norfolk Public Library ) Founded in the early 1880s, J.S. Darling & Son's oyster packing plant became the world's largest. Its 5-story oyster shell pile at the site of the present-day Crown Plaza Hotel was a Hampton Roads landmark.
( Courtesy of the Norfolk Public Library )
Founded in the early 1880s, J.S. Darling & Son’s oyster packing plant became the world’s largest. Its 5-story oyster shell pile at the site of the present-day Crown Plaza Hotel was a Hampton Roads landmark.

 

The landmark J.S. Darling & Son oyster shell pile towered as much as 6 stories over the waterfront, as seen in this circa 1900 Cheyne image. ( Courtesy of the Hampton History Museum )
The landmark J.S. Darling & Son oyster shell pile towered as much as 6 stories over the waterfront, as seen in this circa 1900 Cheyne image.
( Courtesy of the Hampton History Museum )

SeaGrant: link to a picture of alot of old style, high labor oyster floats. Maryland Sea Grant, part of the University System of Maryland, plays a unique role among the network of organizations working to preserve and restore the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s coastal waters.

Virginia-Maryland Boundary– Great link on Maryland boundaries and related discussions on who owns/controls the waters

For more information on oysters, including history, see our links page.