Tilghman Business Directory

Tilghman Island sits at the southern tip of Talbot County, connected to the mainland by the Knapps Narrows drawbridge, one of the busiest lift bridges in the country. With a population of around 870 and a median age near 57, the island remains one of the last working watermen's communities on the Chesapeake, home to commercial crabbing, oystering, and fishing operations including Tilghman Island Seafood. The island's skipjack fleet, based in Dogwood Harbor, represents the last commercial sail-powered oyster dredging boats in the United States. Alongside its maritime trades, tourism has become a steady second economic pillar, with seafood restaurants, charter fishing boats, inns, and waterfront rentals drawing visitors who come for the slower pace and authentic working-waterfront character that towns like St. Michaels have largely traded for boutiques. Annual events like Tilghman Island Day celebrate this heritage. Small in population but distinct in character, Tilghman offers visitors and business owners alike a genuine link to the Bay's traditional way of life.