Tylerton, MD from sunrise to sunset
Tylerton, MD, population 55, is a secluded little hamlet located on Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The town, which is reachable by a 40-minute ferry ride from Crisfield, MD, is steeped in crabbing tradition. The island provides beautiful vistas contrasted with eroding shorelines peppered with dilapidated crab shanties and boat moorings. Tylerton is a place where it’s spectacular sunrise is equaled by the sunset.
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- A sunrise view from the deck of the “Miss Anita,” a crab boat which belongs to Smith Island fisherman Mark Kitching. It is a typical view for Mr. Kitching on his “commute” to the crab fishing grounds he frequents on the Chesapeake Bay. He leaves for work well before dawn and returns to his dock between one and two in the afternoon. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- Mark Kitching maneuvers his fishing boat, the Miss Anita as the sunrises over the Chesapeake Bay. He is a crab scraper from Smith Island who fishes the Chesapeake Bay for crabs by using a net which scrapes the bottom of the bay. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- A brown pelican flies along the water in the early morning along the Chesapeake Bay. Smith Island crabber Mark Kitching was out on his fishing boat, Miss Anita, when this pelican flew by. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- This is a puffer fish which was pulled from the Chesapeake Bay by Smith Island crabber Mark Kitching. Mr. Kitching catches crabs by the scraping method, in which he drags a net, then pulls it aboard his boat. He then looks through the catch and throws back all the creatures which are accidentally brought up, such as this puffer fish. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- Colorful canoes rest outside a shed in the town of Tylerton on Smith Island. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- This is a broken window with curtains in an abandoned house on Smith Island. There are many empty houses now, as there are only 55 full time residents still living in the once-thriving town. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- A Maryland blue crab takes a defensive posture after being pulled onto the fishing boat Miss Anita. The boat belongs to Mark Kitching, who has been a Smith Island crabber for about 35 years. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- This is a view of sun down docks and crab shacks in the town of Tylerton on Smith Island. There are only a few crabbers left, and only 55 full time residents of the once-thriving town. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- A somewhat rusty bicycle sits in front of a house in Tylerton on Smith Island. Bicycles are a common form of transportation on the town of Tylerton on Smith Island. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
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- A sunset as seen from the “Inn of Silent Music” bed and breakfast porch, which is located on Tylerton road on Smith Island. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
Home to the Smith Island Bakery – famous for the Smith Island layer cake – tourism and crabbing are the island’s primary industry.
For generations island families have made their living off the bounty provided by the local waters. In recent decades, though, many of the island’s younger residents have left to pursue opportunities on the mainland, leaving the island way of life to their elders, which has dwindled the number of locals who crab for a living to a little more than a handful.
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