Abner’s Crab House
Located in beautiful Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Surrounded cities include Annapolis, Washington, and Prince Frederick!
BOBBY ABNER started crabbing at the age of 11, from a pier in Randle Cliff, Calvert County Maryland, just a mile or so away. He and his brother Tommy brought home their catch, their mother would steam the crabs and their father would take them to Washington, DC to sell for $1 per dozen. During the summer of the early 1950s, the money the Abner brothers earned bought their school clothes. In 1957, Bobby went to work for Lloyd Travers, crabbing for $5 a day. During the early years of the 1960’s, he attended the University of Maryland, and after college started a family. In 1963, he went to work for the government as a surveyor. But his passion was being on the Chesapeake Bay. He launched his crabbing business in 1964 and opened Abner’s Crab House on Labor Day in 1966.
In 1966 he owned 1 1/3 acres, a small spot along Fishing Creek where Abner’s Crab House stands today. He later purchased a neighboring marina while continuing with the crabbing and restaurant businesses. Today he harvests crabs from nearly 600 crab pots daily. He owns, and his businesses occupy 10 acres of property on Fishing Creek.
Abner’s Crab House was remodeled in 1992 again in 2008, and then again in 2020. Bobby has worked with his sons and daughters to build his business and his dreams into what they are today. Currently, there are many family members, including his children and grandchildren working here at Abner’s Crab House
