On the Shellpile

Director: Keith Wasserman
Documentary Short
USA | 27 min

For more than a half-century, they were the backbone of the South Jersey oyster industry. Migrating from their homes along the Chesapeake for new opportunities in the rural Delaware Bay marshlands of Cumberland County, New Jersey, they established a poor but thriving community that existed for decades until all but disappearing in the 1970s. This is more than a story of oyster shucking. It’s the story of hard work, family, faith, and strength told by individuals who grew up and spent their lives here… living on the Shellpile.

Screens in Shorts Collection: Higher Grounds