CASHIER is the oldest operational commercial fishing vessel in the U.S. As such, she is not only a piece
of local history but a resource of national significance. She was built at the peak of commercial sail in the U.S. and was
part of the rise, fall, and now the slow rebuilding of the Delaware Bay oyster fishery, once one of the most productive in
the world.
Converted into an all-power vessel in 1945 after oystering under sail for nearly 100 years, she continued
to dredge oysters until she was acquired by the Delaware Bay Schooner Project (now the Bayshore Discovery Project) in late
2000. We are currently documenting her history and her physical structure in preparation for her preservation and eventual
restoration.
We invite you to join us in becoming a part of history, by volunteering your skills, time, and energy. We
need volunteers with interests in history, genealogy, fishing/oystering, carpentry, and engineering, and with experience in
fundraising, grant-writing, education, office work, and outreach.
We are also very interested in any pictures, family records, or objects related to CASHIER or to the history
of oystering on Delaware Bay. If you have any such items that you would be willing to donate or to let us examine and photograph
or copy, please get in touch with us.
And of course, monetary donations are always gratefully accepted!
