Skip to content
Original cannon used by the Maryland State Oyster Police Force to control oyster harvesting in Chesapeake Bay during the 19th century. Image courtesy of the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources.

Oyster wars cannon on display in Annapolis

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson

Original cannon used by the Maryland State Oyster Police Force to control oyster harvesting in Chesapeake Bay during the 19th century. Image courtesy of the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources.
Original cannon used by the Maryland State Oyster Police Force to control oyster harvesting in Chesapeake Bay during the 19th century. Image courtesy of the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – A cannon from the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster wars of the 1800s is on display at a museum in Annapolis.

The bay was the scene of sometimes violent clashes between police and watermen from Maryland, Virginia and other states seeking profit from the Chesapeake’s once-rich oyster beds following the Civil War. The cannon was used by the State Oyster Police Force that patrolled bay reefs and is believed to have been on the Leila, the original steam-powered patrol boat of Maryland’s “Oyster Navy.”

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources acquired the cannon last year and is partnering with the Annapolis Maritime Museum to exhibit it through June. DNR Secretary John Griffin says it signifies the state’s commitment to protecting its natural resources.

____

Online: DNR cannon information _ dnr.maryland.gov/mdconservationhistory/Oyster_Wars_Cannon.asp

#   #   #

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Original cannon used by the Maryland State Oyster Police Force to control oyster harvesting in Chesapeake Bay during the 19th century. Image courtesy of the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources.
Original cannon used by the Maryland State Oyster Police Force to control oyster harvesting in Chesapeake Bay during the 19th century. Image courtesy of the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources.