"Let's see where this road leads. It's going the right direction -- towards Yorktown . . . ." We weren't really lost, just sort of following our noses as it were, trying to end up at the Yorktown battlefield. Suddenly the trees that had been overhanging the road on both sides parted and we were right along side the York River. High up above us Route 17 buzzed its traffic across the river. When we finally brought our eyes down to earth there was a beautiful model of an old sailing ship right in front of us and next to it was the Watermen's Museum. "You suppose that's the name of the guy who donated the land?" I asked my husband. "I don't know . . . Do you want to go in?" This last said with the resignation of a man whose wife hadn't missed a museum or trinket shop anywhere along the road . . . ." Yeah, let’s see what it's all about." (He's a good man . . . the set of his mouth got only it bit tighter.)
It turns out the Watermen’s Museum is about the Chesapeake Bay men who worked on the water! The only other place in the world where these workers are called watermen is in England. Their jobs might be fishing, ferrying or working on a boat. They could be common laborers or captains but they all worked on the water in and about Chesapeake Bay.
There are displays of boats, old historic maps and navigational charts. There are displays of tools used by these men. There are photographs and other written records that tell the story of one of the oldest colonial habitations in the United States. The Museum also supports educational programs for both children (school programs) and adults (Lifelong Learning Program) and offers memberships to those interested in helping preserve the memory of this ongoing activity. They have a unique gift shop where local artisans sell their wares; you can pick up a specialty cookbook of seafood recipes; or you can find books and tapes about the Bay area including lighthouse info. (They also run a coupon in the "Colonial Guide" free magazine.)
This is a relatively young museum, started in 1981, but it chronicles and preserves information that would certainly have been lost without its existence. They rent out there dock behind the museum to the "Yorktown Lady" which does cruises on the Bay highlighting information about both history and wildlife. The museum's phone number is 757-887-2641. There website is www.watermens.org.