Jack Shaum Libri

Old Bay Line is the name by which the Baltimore Steam Packet Company was best known over most of its 122-year history of nightly carrying passengers and freight on Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore and Norfolk. These steamers are often mistakenly referred to as ferry boats, but they most certainly were not. They were large, sturdy vessels that operated year-round in all kinds of weather. They provided reliable on-time service for the traveling public and shippers alike in the Chesapeake Bay region. The Old Bay Line steamers were famous for their cuisine, impeccable service, and fine accommodations. They were called up for war service during the Civil War and World War I and World War II, and several of the company's vessels even crossed the Atlantic and saw action overseas in World War II. By the 1950s and 1960s the company was the last of its kind, still providing gracious service, and by the time it wrapped up operations in 1962 it was the oldest steamship company in the United States.

In the golden age of the steamer, the rich bounty of the Eastern Shore was transported down the Chester River and across the Chesapeake Bay to the port of Baltimore. For over one hundred years, vessels like the Maryland, the Chester and the B.S. Ford traversed these winding waters laden with fruit, grains, crabs and oysters. For a dollar, passengers could enjoy the novelty of a ride and the slow panorama of the shoreline. Through freeze and fog, skilled captains plied the waterways until the last of the steamers--the Bay Belle--made its final passage in the 1950s. Author and historian Jack Shaum journeys back to the bygone days of the Chester River's steamboats.