Oyster Boats

Photograph by Aubrey Bodine

C. 1936

The Big Freeze … Normally the Chesapeake is free from ice, but occasionally a severe winter belies its location below the Mason-Dixon Line. This happened in 1936. The Bay itself iced over completely for about 80 of its 195 miles - almost down to the Patuxent River. Its tributaries right on down to the James River froze up. Fields of drift ice lay between the Virginia Capes. These dredge boats sought shelter in Spa Creek, off Annapolis. They were immobilized for weeks.

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