Discover Delmarva: Museum of Chincoteague Island
CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, VA- The Museum of Chincoteague Island is focused on preserving the stories and taking you through the history of the island. Cindy Faith the Executive Director of the Museum tells WMDT this community is a melting pot of culture “The Chincoteague community; the real Chincoteguers can trace their history back to all these people. So it is a very diverse community that has always lived here.”
The museum has multiple exhibits on display to tell the stories of the original settlers to the local population today. One of the most eye-popping artifacts is the original lens from the Assateague Lighthouse that greets you walking in the door.
The “Remember When Exhibit” showcases what it would be like in the mid-1900s. Faith says this is only on display for a few more months with some exhibits changing often. “And there are exhibits that are changing every year. So there’s a good excuse for people to come back year after year.”
The Decoy Exhibit shows some of the local artisans who have a claim to fame for their carving skills. Some on display are nearly 100 years old and worth upwards of 10,000 dollars.
We made it towards the main circle of the museum walking you through the island’s history from fossils to the current day. Faith tells WMDT the range of artifacts is far-reaching “We have a little bit of shipwreck artifacts. We also have misty and stormy here they’re a big drawl. A little bit about the fire department and pony pinning.”
From the fossils and shipwrecks, you see what life was once like across the island. With rough waters along the coast, the history of the lifesaving stations was the first versions of a modern-day Coast Guard. The Seafood is King exhibit transitions to establishing the island economically early on in American history. The product that helped lift the Island to prominence in the 1800s was the rich oyster beds. We’re told Those on the island benefited greatly. Faith mentions that the community here on Chincoteague came together in an unlikely fashion “People coming from shipwreck survivors, people who were escaping slavery coming here. Colonial people from European descent, and the indigenous people all living here on Chincoteague together.”
Chincoteague’s dynamics as a melting pot led to the island staying with the union during the Civil War – in part to the rich oystering business. Eventually, the island transitioned during the chicken boom in the early 1900s from none other than Arthur Perdue. The exhibits bring you through that transitional time and also showcases one of their main attractions the first piece of fire equipment the storied department had. You finish off with the main attraction.
“We’re thrilled to have Misty here on display. Lots of the artifacts behind me are actually from the BB ranch.” The famous book’s star is on display here and honors the history and dives into the economic impact the island has seen from the story. This created booming tourism for the island and has held to this day.
A cool fact about the museum is the founders were all women and Cindy holds the same position her mother once did as Executive Director. She says they welcome school groups and are excited to keep adding exhibits to teach history. They also plan to open the BB Ranch next year as a new exhibit off-location.
To plan your visit and for their hours check out their website.
