Smith Island, MD

My wife and I went to Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, for a weekend's visit. It was settled back in the 1600's by the English and many of the people living there are descended form the original settlers. It felt a bit like 'The Prisoner' in some ways - the main mode of transport on the island is by golf cart. But the island is slowly sinking into the bay, with about a 40% loss of land in the last 100 years alone. There is an 'elementary school' for children on the island, although children from the one town on the island have to get a ferry to go to the school, but once they reach 'secondary school age' they all have to get a ferry to the mainland (a trip of about 45 minutes in good weather).

The men on the island are practically all 'watermen' who go crabbing for a living and the women tend to have two (Or should that be THREE?) jobs, they dress and pack the crabs that are not sent to the mainland 'live', they often have another part-time job, and (of course) they look after the house and children while the men are out on the water. The weather was good while we were there, but I imagine it can be a desperately tough place to live if there's bad weather.

Brumlad

Never heard of Smith Island brumlad where about is it ,?

Fascinating Brumlad. I often wonder how people cope with life in such places, very similar to the Shetlands etc. trouble is the young people from these places usually move to the Mainland for better paid work.

Smith Island is actually two or three islands now. It's in the Chesapeake bay (Maryland, USA) on the East Coast. fascinating place sociologically and the best 'crab cakes' I have ever had in Tylerton.