Jack and Pickles Dockside

A Community Apart

Reached only by ferry or private boat, Smith Island sits in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, roughly twelve miles from the Eastern Shore town of Crisfield. Settled in the 1600s, the island developed in near isolation, and its residents still speak with an accent linguists compare to Cornish and Elizabethan English.

The Working Harbor of Ewell

This camera looks out over the harbor at Ewell, the island's largest village and its ferry landing, from the vantage point of Jack and Pickles. Crab shanties, wooden piers, and small workboats crowd the water's edge, a working waterfront shaped by generations of watermen.

Life on the Water

Crabbing, oystering, and fishing have sustained the island for centuries. The surrounding marsh channels and open bay are the backbone of a culture built entirely around the rhythms of the tide and the harvest.

Home of the Smith Island Cake

The island gave rise to the Smith Island Cake, Maryland's official state dessert — a towering confection of eight to fifteen thin layers, traditionally frosted with rich chocolate fudge, once baked by island women to send with watermen on long oystering trips.