Chesapeake Bay

From the Vault: 175th Anniversary of the Old Bay Line

From the Vault: 175th Anniversary of the Old Bay Line

26 Photos

On March 18, 1840, a bill passed the House incorporating the Baltimore Steam Packet Company, nicknamed the Old Bay Line. The steamboat line provided services on the Chesapeake Bay, primarily between Baltimore and Norfolk, Va. When it closed in 1962 after 122 years of existence, it was the last surviving overnight steamship passenger service in the United States.

Other cities serviced by the line were Washington, D.C., Old Point Comfort, and Richmond, Va. One of the Old Bay Line’s steamers, the former President Warfield, later became famous as the Exodus ship of book and movie fame, when Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe sailed aboard her in 1947 in an unsuccessful attempt to emigrate to Palestine.

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Oyster harvesting at Kent Narrows

Oyster harvesting at Kent Narrows

15 Photos

For the first time since 2000, the Department of Natural Resources endorsed extending the oyster harvesting season in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for Maryland watermen. This was due to the harsh winter that froze those waters, causing watermen to miss a good portion of the season. Also, for the first time in six years, state regulators opened up Kent Narrows to shellfish harvesting. It is a rare case for watermen to gain a new area to tong for the prized oysters.

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Aerial scenes of winter

Aerial scenes of winter

24 Photos

As February gives way to March, the ice on the frozen Chesapeake begins to break and the snow starts to melt. Baltimore Sun photographer Lloyd Fox flies in a small airplane over the Maryland landscape to make aerial pictures of the whitewashed views.

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Earth Day: NASA’s spectacular view of our planet

Earth Day: NASA’s spectacular view of our planet

60 photos

In the early days of space flight, the pictures harvested by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) were blurry gray images that resembled a bad weather map. With the advent of new technology and better platforms to photograph from, such as the space shuttle and International Space Station, NASA is able to provide us with an amazing viewpoint of Earth.

In honor of Earth Day, view memorizing photos of the blue planet from space.

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Robert Kniesche: A life devoted to Baltimore and photography

Robert Kniesche: A life devoted to Baltimore and photography

18 Photos

The Baltimore Sun newspaper has a rich history of photojournalism. Since publishing its first photograph on September 30, 1901 The Sun has employed a long line of award winning photographers. To pay tribute to these photographers, The Darkroom will periodically take a look back at the body of work by some of these photographers whose love of their craft helped document the lives of people from the backstreets of Baltimore to the four corners of the globe.

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Tylerton, MD from sunrise to sunset

Tylerton, MD from sunrise to sunset

10 photos

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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