Please join us for a special viewing of the exhibit.

Beginning in the 1930s, African Americans, both native and migrant, worked in over twenty seafood packing plants on Kent Narrows in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Many of these laborers also lived in housing on-site provided by the plant owners. The housing, commonly referred to as “shanties”, formed the basis of a community which existed for nearly fifty years, until the last shanties were razed. This community, including Black watermen and entrepreneurs, were integral to the success of the Kent Narrows seafood industry. The exhibit is a culmination of collected oral histories, photographs, articles, and public records.