1903 Map of Crisfield

About this map

Crisfield stands as the primary hub of this 1903 maritime landscape, where the terrestrial world of Somerset County fragments into the expansive waters of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. The map illustrates a intricate network of coastal settlements and island outposts, including Sackertown, Lawsonia, and Birdtown, many of which were deeply tied to the seafood industry of the Chesapeake Bay. Further offshore, the Janes Island L.H. marks a critical navigational point near Janes Island, while the remote eastern edge of Smith Island is visible across the sound, showing landings like Horse Hammock. This survey provides a rare look at the shoreline before significant twentieth-century changes, documenting numerous small islands such as Great Fox Island and Green Harbor I. along the Maryland-Virginia boundary line. The survey work remains notably incomplete in the southern reaches, emphasizing the difficulty of mapping these shifting marshes and shallow thorofares.