OPENING ON MAY 10
On Saturday, May 10, the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum will re-open for the 2025 season. Standard hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm, and tours at other times may be scheduled by emailing [email protected].
Committed to celebrating, documenting, preserving, and sharing the history, traditions, heritage, and culture of Tilghman’s Island, the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum has dozens of oral histories by local watermen; hosts an exceptional collection of paintings by local artists; and has a treasure trove of artifacts and boat models.
Sharps Island Lighthouse
NEW SHARPS ISLAND EXHIBIT
Located about three miles south/southwest of Tilghman Island, Sharps Island once measured 700 acres. Now, none of it is visible above the water (except for its last lighthouse), making it one of roughly 400 islands to have disappeared into the Bay.
The new exhibit takes us back to when Sharps Island rose above the Chesapeake Bay and housed a community of families and lighthouse keepers. The history begins with the first patent granted in 1652 was continued by the Exhibit Committee, which has researched, collected, and archived the rich history of this region.
The exhibit is based on the geology and archeological findings of Dr. Darrin Lowery, a distinguished archaeologist, who is from the area and has done extensive work on Sharps Island. It begins in time with geological and archeological findings along with timelines and maps, including a collection of arrowheads that were collected from Sharps Island by Dr. Darrin Lowery, prior to its disappearance, some dating back 16,000 years.
The history continues with narratives from families who owned and lived on the island, along with some of their personal family documents. And of course the exhibit covers the various lighthouses that have stood on Sharps Island and the lighthouse keepers who took care of them. This portion of the exhibit includes an actual logbook, beautifully written by the keepers, which captures their daily observations.
Admission to the museum is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.
The museum is located in the Lee House at 6031 Tilghman Island Road. For additional information, contact us by email: [email protected] or visit our website: www.tilghmanmuseum.org.
Darrin Lowery says
Here are some corrections to the article about the Sharps Island exhibit. The artifacts from Sharps Island mentioned in the article were not collected by Darrin Lowery before the island disappeared. The island had vanished almost two decades before I was born. The artifacts displayed at the museum were collected by my father between 1938 and 1948. There are a few artifacts on display that were clam dredged from the bottom near the former location of Sharps Island in 1978. I was on the clam boat when some of these were found. Also, the oldest diagnostic artifacts found at Sharps Island are approximately 13,000 years old; not 16,000 years old as professed in the article. Enjoy the exhibit!