Yankee Pedler moor the Pedler in Town Creek, stringing it with lights for Christmas. A boat with a distinctly Oxford pedigree, became a distinctly Oxford icon. Over the years, the Zaliks sailed the boat less and less, ultimately deciding in 2009 to donate it to the Oxford Museum, an organization of which Applegarth had been a founder, and was a two-time president. It was a fitting home. “The Yankee Pedler skipjack is truly an Oxford native. Although it was built as a pleasure craft, it is emblematic of a way of life here in Oxford, and the era when oystering was
king,” said Lisa Harrington, the museum’s current president. “As a symbol of an industry that once brought tremendous prosperity to Oxford, the Yankee Pedler fits perfectly into our mission to tell the story of this unique 334-year-old town to residents and visitors alike.” Once the boat was donated, there remained only two problems: it takes work and money to maintain an old wooden boat, and the museum didn’t have a place to put it. Early funding came from Diane Flagler, who established a memorial fund for Pedler’s maintenance in the name of her late husband, Dr. Nick Flagler. “My husband loved Oxford,
The Yankee Pedler on her way to Campbell’s Boatyards for a much needed face lift. 166