By MARSHA MERCER
Planning a vacation? Consider this alluring place in
Virginia:
“IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
“The Unrivalled Health and Summer Resort of the
Atlantic Coast
“OPEN ALL THE YEAR
“FISHING, GUNNING AND BATHING UNEXCELLED.”
And this: “It is almost unnecessary to speak of the
many and great advantages of Cobb’s Island as a Seaside Resort and Watering
Place, unrivalled for its surf-bathing and magnificent view of the ocean.”
Or this, also about Cobb’s Island Hotel, from a Richmond
newspaper: “There is a peculiar, indefinable charm about this spot which every
one who lingers here twenty-four hours is sure to experience.”
But, don’t reach for your phone to book a room.
The flyer and the newspaper report are from the 1890s.
Cobb’s Island Hotel, once one of the most famous hunting, fishing and swimming
resorts on the East Coast, is no more. Nor are the other hunt clubs and hotels
that dotted the Virginia barrier islands from the late 1800s until 1933.
The Barrier Islands Center in Machipongo tells the
fascinating story of a lost way of life and culture through professionally
produced documentaries and beautifully curated rooms with more than 7,000
artifacts.
In the 1990s, “Eastern Shore people saw their
artifacts become very collectable and they were getting bought up and leaving
the shore, and once something leaves the area, it’s gone,” said Sally
Dickinson, director of the center. “So the founders said, `Wouldn’t it be great
to have a museum.”
Islanders and their descendants loaned or donated the photos,
objects of everyday life, decoys, fishing rods, china and even an ornate silver
set from Cobb’s Island Hotel. The center will celebrate its 20th anniversary
May 28 with an Art and Music on the Farm Festival.
Nathan F. Cobb came to the Eastern Shore from Cape Cod
in 1838, seeking a better climate for his wife and daughters who suffered from
consumption. The next year, he bought what became known as Cobb’s Island for
$100 or $150, depending on the account, built a hotel and began a lucrative
business salvaging contents from ships that ran aground.
He and his three sons reportedly never charged a penny
for saving crewmembers’ lives but made out well from the goods the ships
carried. His hotel would include a chapel, bowling alley, dining room and
ballroom.
The coming of the railroad down the Eastern Shore
peninsula in the 1880s ushered a golden age for the island resorts. Instead of
taking a steamer and several boats, a wealthy passenger could board a train in
New York or Philadelphia in the morning, catch a short boat ride, and arrive in
time for dinner.
These were thriving villages with general stores, post
offices, schools and churches. Generations of residents grew, caught or hunted their
own food, raised sheep and spun wool.
In the late 1800s, Atlantic Ocean storms swept over
the fragile, sandy islands and claimed for the seabed many of the communities where
19th century entrepreneurs had staked their claims to hospitality. The
Great Hurricane of August 1933 wreaked havoc on the islands, ending the era, but
there was a bright spot.
The hurricane cut an inlet between Ocean City and
Assateague Island. The Army Corps of Engineers made the inlet permanent, creating
a tourist boom for Ocean City while leaving Assateague Island separate. It now
is a pristine national seashore and wildlife refuge, while Ocean City attracts
more than 300,000 visitors on summer weekends.
In the 1960s, Virginia’s 14 undeveloped barrier
islands seemed headed the way of Ocean City as developers eyed building bridges
and erecting hotels. The Nature Conservancy bought the islands and is
preserving them in their natural state – an almost unbelievable stroke of luck
for us and later generations. People can go by boat and visit for the day
except for certain times of the year.
You can’t stay on Cobb’s Island, but you can step up
to the hotel’s wooden reception desk, look at the handwritten names in the guest
register and see the original room keys -- at the Barrier Islands Center.
And you can visit the barrier islands, designated an
International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations, a vital refuge for
shorebirds and seabirds on the Atlantic Flyway, in their natural state.
©2022 Marsha Mercer. All rights reserved.
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