Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Clara Ann Simmons moved to Maryland’s Eastern Shore more than fifty years ago and marveled at the abundance of rivers and creeks and bays. A writer by profession, Simmons became fascinated with water travel in the Chesapeake region and the intricate network of connections "that set the traveler on his way so that he might continue his journey."
In this engaging and gracefully written narrative, Simmons takes the reader from the earliest days of colonial settlement, when all who journeyed through the region crossed the waterways, to the age of bridge building that forever changed the way people traveled. The reader meets the lone ferry men and women of the eighteenth century as they loaded packs, animals, and travelers on small craft of every type; learns about the steam ferry of later years that connected with networks of rail lines; and is introduced to the present-day ferry operators who maintain the rich tradition of water travel.
Beautifully illustrated with dozens of photographs and maps, Chesapeake Ferries is a tribute to the region’s storied maritime past.
The Maryland Historical Society
Synopsis
Clara Ann Simmons moved to Maryland's Eastern Shore more than fifty years ago and marveled at the abundance of rivers and creeks and bays. A writer by profession, Simmons became fascinated with water travel in the Chesapeake region and the intricate network of connections "that set the traveler on his way so that he might continue his journey."
In this engaging and gracefully written narrative, Simmons takes the reader from the earliest days of colonial settlement, when all who journeyed through the region crossed the waterways, to the age of bridge building that forever changed the way people traveled. The reader meets the lone ferry men and women of the eighteenth century as they loaded packs, animals, and travelers on small craft of every type; learns about the steam ferry of later years that connected with networks of rail lines; and is introduced to the present-day ferry operators who maintain the rich tradition of water travel.
Beautifully illustrated with dozens of photographs and maps, Chesapeake Ferries is a tribute to the region's storied maritime past.
Editorials
Virginia Libraries
Chesapeake Ferries would be an excellent addition to a public, academic, or special library that collects materials on transportation or Virginia and Maryland histories. With such an interesting mix of social, political, and military history, the reader will get a fascinating account of how Chesapeake Bay shaped the lives of Virginians and Marylanders and how they navigated those waters by ferry travel for nearly four hundred years.— Janna Mattson
Baltimore Sun
With oral histories, photographs and written records... Simmons re-creates a bygone era.— Diane Scharper
Baltimore Sun -
With oral histories, photographs and written records... Simmons re-creates a bygone era.
Virginia Libraries -
Chesapeake Ferries would be an excellent addition to a public, academic, or special library that collects materials on transportation or Virginia and Maryland histories. With such an interesting mix of social, political, and military history, the reader will get a fascinating account of how Chesapeake Bay shaped the lives of Virginians and Marylanders and how they navigated those waters by ferry travel for nearly four hundred years.