Dove Tales to Open at CBMM in April

Maryland Dove docked in Cambridge for rigging work before its maiden voyage. Photo by Marcie Hawkinson, Gift Dr. John A. and Marcie Hawkinson, collection of CBMM. 1439.0067.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is pleased to announce that it will soon open another new exhibition, Dove Tales, scheduled to be on display from April 21–Dec. 31, 2022, in its Steamboat Building. Dove Tales will explore the sources that reveal the history, construction and cultural significance of Maryland Dove. From the tercentenary representation to the 1970s and current iteration, the vessels have served as important interpretive tools, connecting Marylanders to the far-reaching impacts of 17^th century colonization, and with boatbuilding as a living historical tradition in the Chesapeake region.

In 1978, Dorchester County’s Jim Richardson and a team of young workers completed the first Maryland Dove, a representation of the vessel that escorted colonists to the province in 1634. As the CBMM’s working Shipyard completes the new Maryland Dove in 2022, curatorial staff will draw from CBMM’s oral history archive and recent interviews with the 1970s boatbuilders for the new exhibition.

“In many ways, the current Maryland Dove project builds upon Richardson’s project, paying homage to the traditional work of Chesapeake boatbuilders,” said Associate Curator of Collection Jenifer Dolde. “Richardson-trained boatwrights came to work at CBMM and, more than 40 years later, CBMM’s shipwrights actively preserve and interpret these skills on a daily basis.”

While museum curators typically draw on material culture for exhibitions, conducting library research using primary sources and scholarly literature, the personal narrative approach to Dove Tales will incorporate media and personal quotations, along with photographs, mementos, tools, models, and more, collected during the folklife documentation. The interviews reveal the work life and practices of the men and women who built Maryland Dove in the 1970s, at a time when the wooden boatbuilding trade was thought to be as dying out. Nevertheless, master boatbuilders such as Jim Richardson persisted in teaching these traditional skills and techniques, and that legacy continues.

Admission to view Dove Tales is included with general CBMM admission and is free for members. To learn more about becoming a membership, which plays a critical role in supporting CBMM’s rich legacy of educational programs, fascinating and ever-changing exhibitions, and maintenance of the largest collection of Chesapeake Bay watercraft in the world, visit cbmm.org/support/membership.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available to all. Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.