Fun Fact: Which MD County Is Home to the World’s Oldest Working Crab Processing Plant?

The J. M. Clayton Company, located in Dorchester County, Maryland is considered the oldest working crab processing plant in the world. What once began as a small oyster shucking and packing operation grew into its modern day production.

The J. M. Clayton Company was founded in 1890 by Captain John Morgan Clayton (known as “Captain Johnnie”). The company has remained in the family for over four generations. The original Clayton’s facility packed seafood and fresh vegetables for delivery by steamboat to Baltimore. Within a few years, Captain Johnnie began picking and processing Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, and packing their crabmeat under the label name, “Epicure.”

In order to access to better supplies, and transportation, Captain Johnnie relocated his company in 1921 to its current Cambridge location off the Choptank River.  Not wanting to leave his labor force behind, John Clayton moved entire families with him, including ancestors of some workers who are still employed today.

The J. M. Clayton Company was the first crabmeat processing plant in Dorchester County and one of the first on the Chesapeake Bay to pick crabs and shed soft crabs. In 1938 Clayton’s purchased Goose Creek Seafood in order to have a steadier supply of crabmeat and oysters. By the early 1940’s, Clayton’s began picking and processing crabs year-round, which provided work for their employees and allowed them to hold on to their experienced and reliable crab pickers.

Over the years, the entire Clayton family worked at the packing plant. Captain Johnnie passed the business along to his son-in-law, who, along with several other family members, ran the J. M. Clayton Company until grandson J. Clayton Brooks took over as president in 1969.

Responding to a shortage of skilled crab pickers, the world’s first automatic crab picking machine named the “Quik Pik", was invented by the company.  At one point, over 25 businesses from Florida to Maryland were using the Quik Pik to pick their crabs. Although lump or backfin meat must still be picked by hand, the Quik Pik is still used at Clayton’s to efficiently remove crabmeat from the shell. The machine is able to pick at a speed of 100 pounds of crabmeat per hour, which would take 25 workers to hand pick at the same rate.

Today, Clayton’s is still operated by family, including the first of the fifth generation. Following in the footsteps of their great grandfather Captain John Morgan Clayton, have made the J. M. Clayton Company an extraordinary Chesapeake Bay landmark.