Don McDaniels
New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore
The Bayshore Center at Bivalve’s Oral History program is dedicated to preserving the oral history and culture of New Jersey’s Bayshore region by saving for posterity the oral histories and material culture connected with the Bayshore region, by creating a repository of recordings and data that can be used for research, by preserving, treasuring and celebrating the environment, history and culture of the Bayshore region and by sharing the heritage of the Bayshore region today and with future generations through program related activities serving visitors, students and scholars.
Meredith Koenig
Don McDaniels' great-grandfather was Charles Riggin who was the patriarch of a well-known oystering family. Mr. Riggin had the schooners AMELIA RIGGIN, J&E RIGGIN and C.M. RIGGIN. The J&E RIGGIN won the Delaware Bay Schooner Race of 1929. Don started oystering in 1958 and also tonged for seed oysters. But, by 1966 switched to clamming (surf clams and Quahogs). He discussed the clamming schedule and seasons, laws, regulations & permits, and areas he worked out of including Point Pleasant Beach, Barnegat, Atlantic City, Cape May, Maryland and Virginia. He worked in t he clamming industry for 40 years.
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