Old Point, constructed in 1909 from seven pine logs pinned together and hewn to shape, is an example of a boat designed to dredge crabs throughout the winter, one of a fleet of crab dredging boats that operated out of Hampton, Virginia, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay from the 1910s through the 1960s. From December through March, captains and crews lived on their boats so they could leave early every morning and dredge for crabs all day.
In the summer and fall, Old Point carried fish and oysters to packing houses or to market. William Carmine remembered his father-in-law, Captain Ernest Bradshaw, owner of Old Point: “[He] had transitions all during the year from fish, to oysters, to crabs. And at the beginning of every season, he would have a sick stomach and throw up for about a week or two.” Old Point was donated to CBMM in 1984 by Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. duPont.
Built: 1909, Poquoson, Va.
Length: 51 ft., 9 in. (15.82 m)
Beam: 12 ft., 11 in. (3.70 m)
Draft: 4 ft., 5 in. (1.37 m)
Old Point, crab dredger, 1909. Collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels, Md. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. duPont. 1984.0030.0001.
