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| Hog Island The recorded history of Hog Island goes back to the mid 1600's. It became known as Hog Island because the early settlers came out and turned their hogs loose on the island, let them roam freely and would come for them as needed. The first resident was Thomas Coffin and he settled in the 1680's. During the American Revolution the British established a base on Hog Island and would make night raids on the mainland for foods to supply the ships. After the Revolution the islands population started to grow, a Methodist congregation was formed in 1795. This community came to be known as Broadwater. The lighthouse was built in 1852 and lifesaving station in 1874. A hunting club was formed in 1892 bringing people from all over the country; President Grover Cleveland made numerous trips to Hog Island. Howard Pyle, a visitor in 1878, was already noting a "rolling sea of grit", sand dunes that were retreating inland and already overwhelming fences, and trees in the village. While he was there a northeaster blew in, overfilling the marsh. By 1900, the island's population was around 250 composed mostly of watermen. The islanders were shipping close to 150,000 bushels of oysters a year, this making the majority of the island's income. A storm in 1903, the same one the Wright Brothers flew the first aircraft in, raised the tides so high that the island became covered completely. By 1919, the population was only 70. The large storm of 1933 scared the remaining 40 people. After the 1933 hurricane, astronomical high tides started to inundate the ground floors of the remaining houses. By 1941, Broadwater had been abandoned. The lighthouse was demolished in 1948 when the ocean finally reached it's base. When it was built, it had stood a mile from the ocean. The Coast Guard Station was finally abandoned in the late 1950's. The majority of the homes had been moved to the mainland around the seaside harbor towns like Willis Wharf, Oyster, Red Bank, Quinby and some made it even further. The first two houses on Red Bank Court were moved from Hog Island. Willis Wharf accumulated eighteen of the houses from Hog Island, one of them served as the Broadwater Post Office. The church that once stood on the Island is in the Town of Oyster in the back of the Methodist Chapel. Erosion has so greatly changed Hog Island that the cemetery of Broadwater, once a mile from the Shore, now lies under the Ocean. |
Notes: HomeOfficial Trail Guide Web Site The Other Historic Site Guides: Historic Site Guide Central Eastern Shore - Wallop's Island to QuinbyHistoric Site Guide North Accomack - Chincoteague and Assateague Islands
The Trail was developed by the Accomack -
Northampton Planning District Commission in cooperation with Accomack County,
Northampton County, the Town of Chincoteague, the Town of Wachapreague, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program. It is a project of Virginia's Seaside Heritage Program,
a multi-year effort to restore living resources and promote sustainable ecotourism
on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. |
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