Oyster Cans

Oyster Cans, Nabb Research Collection.

Once oysters are removed from their shells, they go bad quickly. By the mid-1800s, oysters were being canned and shipped to other markets. Canneries, including the first in Delmar, Delaware, began appearing on the Eastern Shore to handle the demand for Chesapeake seafood and crops, including peaches, peas, tomatoes, and corn. African-American women (primarily) were hired as oyster shuckers in Crisfield, Maryland. By 1889, over 40 Eastern Shore canneries were listed in The Trade Directory published by the Canned Goods Packers of North America.

Permanent residents at the W.T Handy’s House, Crisfield, MD, 1940. They worked on canning vegetables for part of the season and oysters the rest. Library of Congress.

With the need for so much hand labor, the Eastern Shore was attractive because there were no labor unions to demand higher wages, lower hours, and better working conditions. The absence of a labor union movement on the Shore contributed immeasurably to the growth of the canning industry where hand labor could continue to be tapped very reasonably.

Oyster Cans

– R. Lee Burton Jr. (Canneries of the Eastern Shore)