Reedville Fishermen's Museum
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Preserving The
Watermen's
Heritage







Exhibits

   Permanent Exhibit
Our permanent exhibits reside in the Reed Gallery, where one can walk through a series of displays featuring ship models, photographs and artifacts  that tell the story of the menhaden fishing industry and how it shaped Reedville.  On display are the tools and boats used by the areas watermen to harvest crabs, oysters and other fish from the Chesapeake Bay.  A hint of these exhibits can be seen on our Tour.


Current Exhibit - in the Frayne Gallery

Summer Pleasures, Summer Fun:
Easy Living on the Chesapeake Bay


  “Summertime and the
living is easy…”

George Gershwin had it right when he penned those words for the opening song to Porgy and Bess (1934). The museum is taking those lyrics to heart with its new exhibit Summer Pleasures, Summer Fun: Easy Living on the Chesapeake Bay
opening June 14th.

   The exhibit is a look back on recreational pastimes along the Bay during the early and mid 20th century. Area resort hotels in Fleeton, Irvington and White Stone are highlighted, as are the various church camps that operated in our region. Family memorabilia from the 1920s through the 1950s is on display, along with a locally-made fishing skiff and items from the Kilmarnock Fireman’s Carnival. Numerous vintage photographs enliven the exhibit and present a picture of how both locals and tourists alike enjoyed what the Northern Neck had to offer.

   A special treat is a study of the James Adams Floating Theatre that docked here in Reedville so many years ago. This 700-seat structure sat upon a barge and came to town once a year throughout the 1920s and 1930s, delighting young and old alike. Photographs, memorabilia and a scale model created by the RFM’s own model-making group provide insight into this unique construction which inspired Edna Ferber to write her novel Show Boat (1926) and transformed into a musical the following year.

   Summer Pleasures, Summer Fun will be on display through September 28th.

   Financial support for this project was provided by Northern Neck State Bank.