Eliza Dent

Beloved Cook at the Flag Ponds Fishery

(1893 – 1974)

Flag Ponds is now a nature park on the Chesapeake Bay in southern Calvert County.  During the 1920’s through the 1950’s it was a fishery that boat captains used – some from the Eastern Shore and some from Calvert.  Their story is told in the book Fishlighters by Harry C. Knott. His book includes Eliza Dent’s story on p. 37-38:

“Probably the most beloved and remembered cook out of all of the crews was Eliza Dent and African American.  She was the wife of Joe Dent who fished with the Duncans.  Eliza was a large woman who arose early in the morning, between 2 and 3 am, to walk the three miles from her home in Lusby to Flag Ponds.  The Duncans and the crew members would awake to the smell of fresh brewed coffee, fried eggs and bacon, and dozens of home make biscuits.  The meals were large, nothing fancy, just plenty of it.  And the men would eat her cooking like there was no tomorrow.  For almost forty years, Eliza prepared the meals for the watermen at Flag Ponds, in addition to raising her own family at her Lusby home.

Almira Hagelin, one of fifteen children of George Washington Hagelin…would sit on the porch and sing hymns with Eliza as they snapped beans or shucked corn for the evening dinner.  When Almira was sick, Eliza took care of her just as if she was her own daughter.

Eliza Foot, the daughter of John Watts, Jr., a crewmember of the Duncans, helped Eliza clean fish.  She was just a little girl and had to stand on a box.  She learned how to clean fish very fast and to this day can clean them faster than most men.”

Many of the men who worked as crew to the boat captains were African Americans who lived in Southern Calvert.

The Second World War had a big impact on the area around Flag Ponds and Cove Point, including the practice landing of troops on the Cove Point beach.  When they arrived (as described on p. 58 of the book).  “…The lucky troops were greeted by Eliza Dent handing out fried fish sandwiches.”

Additional Resources

Fishlighters: The Story of the Vanished Commercial Fishery at Flag Ponds Chesapeake Bay, Calvert County Maryland Paperback by Harry C Knott (Author) Published by the  Battle Creek Nature Society in cooperation with the Calvert Marine Museum, 200

Visit Flag Ponds Nature Park

Visit Calvert Marine Museum