Program

Legends & Lore®

Subject

Folklore, Legend

Location

109 Crowder Ln, Reedville, VA 22539, USA

Lat/Long

37.846855639894, -76.273625458516

Grant Recipient

Greater Reedville Association

The Northern Neck region of Virginia, a peninsula bounded by the Potomac River and the Rappahannock River, has been home to the Menhaden fishing industry ever since the end of the Civil War. Reedville, Virginia was particularly involved in the menhaden processing industry. A menhaden is a type of bony, oily fish that is used for products like animal feed, paint, and fertilizer. These fish travel in large schools and the only efficient method of catching them was by net. Crews of predominantly African American fishermen departed in long purse seine boats and performed the back-breaking task of hauling in thousands of pounds of menhaden by hand. The fishermen sang traditional work songs or chanties to foster camaraderie and synchronize the task of pulling in the net.

During the mid-20th century, mechanization revolutionized the fishing industry. The practice of netting by hand became obsolete in the wake of hydraulic power blocks, and the chanties ceased. That is until 1991, when William Hudnall organized the Northern Neck Chantey Singers, a group of retired menhaden fishermen to sing at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum. This group preserved the black cultural tradition by performing the same sea chanties that they sang on the water decades prior. The group performed around the country for several decades.