Reedville

From Solomons- take one- we were still headed to Tangiers but stopped in Reedville on the way to break up the trip then stick to the western shore and visit Deltaville then go over to Tangiers.  Sadly, it didn't work out.  A strong cold front from the north was due to kick in and make us miss our rendezvous with guests in Annapolis so we skipped Tangiers.  Someday......

Not a really old town but full of history.

Reedville however was another surprisingly good stop.  We knew from the cruising guide that at one point there were more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the country.  This made us want to see what made so many so rich.   Turns out it was Menhaden, a small, very oily fish that procreates in vast enough numbers to allow a harvest in the millions of pounds annually and still have more for subsequent years.  We were really surprised at all the commonly used products that use some part of the fish from fertilizers to food.  All new to us and the local museum was extremely well put together thanks to two retired Smithsonian curators who now live in the area.  So from mansion viewing to museum, a great stop.

If you click to enlarge, you can see the corner towers are at angles instead
of the usual rounded way.  This was the first house in Millionaire Row.

The Reed Mansion.  Mr Reed recognized the money to be made in
Menhaden Oil and the abundance of it in the Chesapeake and moved
his family from Maine to this neck of the woods.  He paid about $1000 dollars for
all the land on what is now Reedville.  His was a more modest mansion than others.

Not sure what the original colors were on this house but looks like
a piece of architectural confection now.  I love the wrap around porches.

This was my favorite.  It had all sorts of nooks and crannies and odd
shaped rooms that would be fun to explore.  It is for sale and Christmas is
coming in case anyone wanted to buy it for me :)

Not a mansion but very cool lawn art.  What better way to utilize
an old kayak?

At one point, Reedville boasted over 18 Menhaden processing plants.
The oil was seen as a replacement for fast disappearing whale oil. This
was the remains of one of those factories.

This was all that was left of another factory.

This is all that remains of the original plant. It was considered
essential to the town history so it has been restored through combined
efforts of towns people and the remaining processing plant.  It is
lit at night and makes a dramatic entrance to the creek.

Boats at the Reedville Fishing Museum are kept in good shape.

Modern fishing boats.  The smaller boats slip off the back and set
the purse seine nets while a smaller boat scares the fish into the net.
Once the net is full it is hauled up to the mother ship.  We saw this system
in action on our way up to New England.  The museum gave us a much better
understanding of exactly how the entire process works.

The modern plant can process millions of tons of fish a year.