It began as a hobby. A boyhood hobby. Building model airplanes and battleships. Of course, they were the plastic kits that still fill hobby and discount store shelves. Now 30 years later his hobby has evolved into a professional artistic career. Lewes resident and artist Steve Rogers has evolved his love of work boats into an artistic endeavor of painting and model building. One aspect of his work, however, has become almost an obsession. You might call it a quest.

Steve Rogers, model boat builder and marine artist, will tell the tale of his quest in his presentation "In Search of the Menhaden Fishing Fleet" at the Friday, April 25 meeting of the Lewes Historical Society. The meeting at St. Peter's Episcopal Parish Hall on Mulberry Street between Second and Third Streets, Lewes, begins at 7:30 p.m.

He talks about his interest in menhaden fishing boats: "It began one weekend at an Art Around Town event," he recalls. "I was explaining the origin of the different work boats that I had made, and someone asked me if I'd consider building a menhaden boat. At the time I didn't know what one even looked like, but I liked the idea because I was focused on building work boats that plied the oceans and the bays." Rogers managed to dig up a few photos of the "Annie Wilcox" berthed in Mystic, Connecticut, but there was little else to go on to help him construct a detailed wooden model. He had talked about the lack of any plans or drawings of menhaden crafts to a few people at a Virginia wildlife exhibit where his work boats were displayed. "Then one day, out of the blue, and months after the show, I received an anonymous package. It contained detailed drawings of the "Helen Euphane," a menhaden steamer built in 1902 and one of the fleet that Otis Smith and his brothers operated out of the Lewes menhaden fish factory (the site where Cape Shores and other homes are now located.)"

The menhaden fleet of boats built from the 1880s through the 1950s has all but disappeared, according to Rogers. His presentation will focus on his findings and center around his research to locate plans, drawings, photographs and half-hulls of these sturdy crafts. "They were between 100 and 130 feet long with wooden hulls and most were steam driven," Rogers says. "To date I've uncovered data on fewer than 30 boats. He's developed a familiarity with some of the Otis Smith boats that once supported the largest menhaden fishery on the Atlantic seaboard. He notes that the "B.F. Macomber" was one whose legacy lives on in the area because it sank in the Delaware Bay and is one of the wrecks that lures fish and fisherman to every season. Other boats like the "City of Lewes" appears in many photos off Queen Anne pier and of course the "McKeever Brothers" has been a Seaford restaurant and landmark for many years."

But photos and memories were not enough for him to create a portfolio that would guide him to paint or build models of vessels of the menhaden fleet. That's why Rogers' research has taken him to many an unlikely source such as the Portland Company in Portland, Maine, which built railroad equipment, steam engines and even Civil War ironclads. He characterizes the Portland Company and its still-to-be-tapped resource of 10,000 drawings as "the mother lode" of menhaden archives because many include construction details of the boats which used the company's boilers and machinery. Closer to home he found menhaden boat drawings among the archives of the Jackson & Sharp Company of Wilmington which also built railroad equipment and boilers. His presentation will focus on these findings. Also the audience will hear names and stories of menhaden boats that haven't been heard by the menhaden fraternity for some time. He says that some names were captains' wives others may have been boat builders or owners. They include "Estelle," "Angela B. Nickerson," "George Hudson," "Lizzie Coburn," "Rowland H. Wilcox" as well as "Phoebe," "Millie Wales" and "Gipsy (sic) Girl." Many of these vessels were similar in design but each had characteristics and features that distinguished their identity.

Rogers is widely recognized in the Lewes area and in maritime circles for his artistry. His painting entitled "Race to the Point" depicting two menhaden boats-"Amagansett" and "McKeever Brothers"-under full steam, adorns a wall in the research wing of the Lewes Library. His large model of "City of Lewes" is prominently on display at the Rose and Crown restaurant in Lewes. He has authored several books on model building. He will bring copies of his books to the meeting and display a few of his models and paintings of menhaden boats.

The meeting is free and the public is invited to attend. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. For more information call the Lewes Historical Society, 645-7670.

©2002-2005 The Lewes Historical Society