Originating in the late 1800s as H.L. Harvey, a local fish house that
officially closed in the 1960s, the building was purchased in the 1970s
by North East, Md., to preserve the very culture that had allowed the
town to prosper. Today, the Upper Bay Museum houses an extensive
collection of hunting, boating and fishing artifacts that date back to
the 1800s.
With hundreds of items and little existing historical identification
for many pieces, the museum called on the SWAT teams extra hands and
expertise to make cataloging and labeling the collection more
efficient.
Through non-invasive cleaning techniques with lightweight hand
brushes and variable speed vacuums, each item delicately shed the years
of accumulated dust. After pieces were labeled, numbered, photographed
and cataloged, the information was transferred and stored in
PastPerfect, a computer database. Although tedious, the process was
necessary to efficiently provide the museum with proper documentation.
It would have been extremely difficult for us to pay for this work,
said Lori Bouchelle, a regular volunteer at Upper Bay. We would have
to secure grants or undertake a significant dedicated fundraising
effort. Because this service [by UD] is provided at no cost to the
museum, we can instead pursue funding to improve our displays, increase
our educational efforts and continue to preserve and update the museum
building itself.
Students noted the museums vast array of interesting and unique
pieces, but there was no missing the extensive collection of duck
decoys, complete with a period room Duck Decoy Shop. Though the
installation is a replica, the makeshift sander belts, benches and
carving tools provide a snapshot into duck decoy culture, a vital aspect
of the hunting industry that thrived along the Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries.
Also on display in the museum is a boat known as a double sink box,
the only one known to be still in existence, which aided duck hunters.
The sink box rig would submerge, surrounded by hundreds of duck decoys.
The two hunters who could fit in the boat were able to kill 400-500
ducks a day, shipping them to the restaurants and hotels. The sink box
was eventually outlawed in 1935 to protect declining duck populations.
This is such a fantastic collection because of the great quality of
the pieces and the strong community base, Grier said. Once upon a
time, the community was making its money this way. It was a way of
life.
To learn more about the museum
The museum has its
annual season opening on Memorial Day weekend, when it also hosts
gunning demonstrations. These re-enactments will be held this year on
May 24 beginning at noon. The gift shop showcases local artists and
authors, and an adjacent building hosts the Chesapeake Wooden Boat
Builders School.
The Upper Shore Decoy Show at the museum on Oct. 18 will feature
demonstrations such as decoy making, waterfowl taxidermy, chair caning
(by the Boat School) and oyster shucking.
