ROCK HALL — The Kent County Waterman’s Association unveiled the Harry White Watermen’s Memorial on Sunday, July 5 as a highlight of the annual observance of Waterman’s Day.
White was a highly regarded and respected builder of wood and fiberglass boats, what one admirer described as “some of the prettiest and hardest working boats on the Chesapeake.”
He also was a waterman.
KCWA commissioned sculptor Tilghman Hemsley of Queenstown, who also is captain of a charter fishing boat, to make the bronze plaque replica of White’s workshop that adorns the memorial.
The granite memorial is located in the county-owned bulkhead at the foot of Caroline Avenue, next to Ken Herlihy’s bronze statue of oysterman and boat builder Captain Stanley Vansant.
Harry White passed away in February of 2024 at the age of 85.
“When Mr. Harry died we talked about what we could do to honor him,” Ben Manley, secretary of the KCWA, told The Evening Enterprise.
“Chuckie [White’s oldest son] said ‘Dad would have never wanted it to be about him,'” Manley said, so the decision was made to cast a wider net.
As a fundraiser, the Kent County Waterman’s Association sold spots on the monument.
According to Manley, honorees must be watermen or closely connected to the seafood industry, such as boat builders and seafood business owners.
To date, there are 185 names engraved on the monument — with room for more.
Anyone interested in honoring a loved one can reach out to the Kent County Waterman’s Association on Facebook; email kentcwa@gmail.com; or send a letter to KCWA, P.O. Box 177, Rock Hall, MD 21661.
For more on 2026 Waterman’s Day, see https://theeveningenterprise.com/watermans-heritage-celebrated-in-rock-hall/
— Photos by Trish McGee
