Existing comment:
Oystering:
The harvesting, processing, and wholesaling of fish and shellfish provided a livelihood for coastal Virginians as fishermen, oystermen, boat builders, and seafood processors. From the mid-1800s, oysters were extremely popular on menus across the country. It was a line of work open to both black and white oystermen on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Beginning in the 1950s, however, pollution and overharvesting caused a sharp drop in the oyster population and forced oystermen to seek alternative employment.
Peanuts:
As tobacco wore out the soil of Tidewater, Virginia, farmers looked for alternative crops. In 1842, Sussex County, south of the James River, was the site of the first crop of commercially grown peanuts, which previously were found only in the wild. Nearby Southhampton, Nansemond, and Isle of Wight counties also became major peanut producers. In 1999, Virginia was the sixth-larger peanut producing state. |