Discover Delmarva: Saving a 300-Year-Old Tradition

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — The Richardson Maritime Museum was founded in memory of Jim Richardson, a prominent local boat builder whose life’s work was passing down Dorchester County’s 300-year-old tradition of wooden boat construction.

Located in historic downtown Cambridge, the museum continues his mission of keeping the art of boatbuilding alive. But a few years ago, that legacy nearly came to an end.

“When COVID hit, of course all of the non-profits shut down and a lot of them never were able to reopen. We were also in that predicament. Cambridge Harbor helped us take care of that debt, created a lease for us.” Board Chair Debbie Usab’s goal is straightforward. Preserve, promote, and teach the historic wooden boatbuilding skills that helped shape Dorchester County’s heritage.

“We have artifacts that Jim Richardson actually created himself, ship models that are representative of larger vessels that Jim built. We have a room that is all historic navigational and shipbuilding tools.”, Usab tells WMDT.

“Every Monday night is our STEM to Stern class, and that is for youth, middle and high school students, and they have built a scale model skipjack that they are planning that is equipped with solar-powered GPS, and they are going to take it offshore on the Atlantic Ocean and set it sail. And there’s a place here for anyone who wants to learn the craft.”

Williams says the museum offers ‘Wednesday night boatbuilding’, which runs from 7 to 9 every Wednesday. “Just show up. Otherwise, we have other projects that are going on, so if you come and get on our volunteer list, we send out emails with projects.”