Barrier Islands Center Explores the Soul of a Lost Culture
July 27, 2023When passersby enroute to Nags Head or points northward need to stretch their legs driving through Virginia’s Eastern Shore, they often wind up at the Barrier Islands Center that is just a few minutes away from Chatham Vineyards on Church Creek.
If they take time to step inside, they discover what so many locals and visitors from all over the world know well. The Barrier Islands Center isn’t just another ordinary history museum. It’s an experience all by itself, a community gathering spot rich with stories and artifacts that reveal the soul of a culture of watermen, artisans, innovators and families who once lived, worked and played on the Barrier Islands.
Photo Credit: At Altitude Gallery
An appreciation of history and preserving what came before are values that Chatham and the Barrier Island Center share.
“Several small businesses started in Machipongo around the same time as the center that opened in 2004,” said Barrier Islands Center Executive Director Sally Dickinson. “The Barrier Islands Center has always had a friendship and affinity with Chatham. It’s like we grew up together. Early on, when we wanted to get people in the doors to see this beautiful asset, we would have wine and cheese gatherings. We wanted to serve really good wine so we went with Chatham Vineyards because the wine is delicious, they’re a local business and one of our neighbors.”
Today only birds and wildlife inhabit the 23 shifting islands of sand that are among the longest undeveloped stretches of shoreline on the East Coast. The Barrier Islands are places where communities once thrived, where hotels once drew wealthy tourists from the northeast and hunt clubs kept waiting lists to join.
“Our primary mission is to preserve the beautiful coastal history and to teach about how people lived for hundreds of years on these remote, rugged islands,” Dickinson said. “We also honor and pay respect to the many, many people who lived and dwelled in these houses on the property so as visitors walk around looking at exhibits, they also see where people lived for 150 years.”
A devastating hurricane in 1933 and the Great Depression before it chased residents away from the islands that, other than Assateague, are only accessible by water. These unspoiled ecosystems have names that include Hog, Cobb, Myrtle, Mink and Ship Shoal.
The buildings that comprise the center itself share their own unique history. The main building of the center was once an almshouse, a poorhouse that provided food and shelter for populations that included the elderly, unwed mothers, orphans, and families with challenges in Northampton County. The names of those who lived and died there are posted on the walls. A mural painted by local artist Miriam Riggs depicts the BIC almshouse from the 1800s.
“We have people doing ancestry work who will come in and find a relative’s name,” said Megan Ames, the center’s Director of Planning and Development. “We’re like two museums in one, really. Our primary objective is to display the history of the Barrier Islands but also a separate history belongs to the physical space, the almshouse.”
A small white cross visible from a window by the tree line represents what’s a pauper’s field of unmarked graves.
Visitors are often drawn to the twisted chimney in the museum’s attic area and artifacts that are right in front of them rather than being encased behind plexiglass. Remembered are the once-opulent Accomack Club for hunters that capped membership at 35 and Cobb’s Island Hotel, once considered among the nation’s top resorts. One exhibit, a bedroom set that belonged to two newlyweds who lived on Hog Island, includes the Sears and Roebuck bed where the couple rode out the 1933 hurricane, considered the storm of the century at the time.
“Before coming in, some people think it will be a maritime museum with a bunch of old anchors,” Ames said. “The center offers something for everybody. It’s a very visually pleasing and dynamic space from the moment you walk in.”
An inviting gift shop includes salt from Barrier Islands Salt Co., BIC produced children’s books, stuffed Hog Island sheep from Sheep Lady Design, art and more.
The Center also operates regular events, including an Annual Oyster Roast Fundraiser in February and an Art and Music on the Farm festival in May. Robust educational programming for all ages includes one program catered to children from nine local public and private schools. The “My First Field Trip” program that recurs throughout the school year teaches art, music, history and even manners to pre-kindergarteners and kindergartners. The staff makes the manners portion light and engaging.
“When the bus pulls up, the staff is ready with smiles and we walk down the brick walkway to meet our young guests and make them feel special,” Dickinson said. “We walk them into our front room and do our formal hellos and welcome. We tell the children when you’re meeting someone new, having a smile on your face sets such a positive tone.”
There is no charge to come to the Barrier Islands Center, which estimates that as many as 15,000 people either visit the museum or connect to the center through educational outreach. Donations are appreciated, and Chatham Vineyards has donated proceeds after hosting two Steel Pennies concerts at the farm.
Before or after your stop at the Barrier Islands Center, drop in the tasting room at Chatham Vineyards to enjoy a glass of wine!
The Barrier Islands Center, open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.,. until 4 p.m., is at 7295 Young Street in Machipongo. Learn more about the Barrier Islands Center at barrierislandscenter.org.