For the better part of a century, the East River Boat Yard in Bohannon was a bustling commercial site, supporting the economic viability of Mathews County’s seafood and farming industries.

In the early 20th century, the Ward Grist Mill operated at the site. Fueled by water power from incoming and outgoing tides, the mill provided farmers in the area with a place to have their corn and other products ground for sale and personal use.

In the mid-1900s, Cuthbert & Hughes had a thriving oyster business at the East River landing site. The company harvested oysters from its own oyster beds, shucked them in an oyster house at the dock, and packed an average of 1,200 gallons of oysters a week for shipment.

More recently, the site saw another change of ownership, with Irwin Victor purchasing the property and using it as a boat yard, where watermen could repair their boats and Victor himself operated a marine surveying and salvage business.

In 2004, Mathews County purchased the Eas...