There is
an island in the Chesapeake Bay , 4 miles long and 3/4 miles wide that was the scene of one
of the first naval battles of the Revolutionary War. It was the outpost that
the last Royal Governor of Virginia, John Murray, the fourth Earl of Dunmore,
used as his base of operations before fleeing the colonies forever.
Gwynn’s Island
is less than half a mile from the Virginia mainland, on the shores of the
Piankatank River in what is now Mathew’s County, VA.
After Dunmore and his ships bombarded Norfolk in January of 1776, he retreated and
occupied Portsmouth using it as an operating base for raiding for several
months.
Lord
Dunmore then sailed 40 miles up the Bay, along with 2,000 soldiers, marines,
loyalist friends and hundreds of members of the Ethiopian Regiment. This
regiment was made up of escaped slaves that he had promised freedom if they
pledged their allegiance to the Crown. On May 27, 1776 , with a fleet of nearly 100 ships,
he invaded Gwynn’s Island . There, Dunmore and his men confiscated some of the islander’s homes,
and plundered their businesses and other personal property. Now entrenched, the
British built redoubts along the shore to fortify themselves. That summer, Gwynn’s
Island would also briefly become the
refuge of the last royal governor of Maryland , Robert Eden who fled Annapolis in his ship, HMS Fowey, before
eventually departing for England .
General
Andrew Lewis was sent to dislodge Dunmore . He set up fortifications on the mainland at what
is now known as Cricket Hill and mounted his guns. Opening fire on Dunmore ’s ships, he caused considerable
damage. Overwhelmed, the last royal governor of Virginia was forced to evacuate the island
and sailed for England .
Gwynn’s Island was originally established as a
hunting ground by the Powhatan Indians. It was also explored by Captain John
Smith. It was in this locale that Smith was stabbed by a stingray. He remained
on the island while he recovered and named it Stingray Island . Coincidentally, the island is
somewhat shaped like a stingray.
Sir Hugh
Gwin, a Welshman and part of the Virginia Company of London , received a royal grant and
settled the island to establish a plantation and trading post given its
location in an expanding shipping lane in the Chesapeake Bay . He received additional land
grants for property on the adjacent mainland. Gwin settled his family there in
1643. Soon additional families received land grants as well. Those names of the
original settlers are still common in the surrounding area and the island’s
population today.
One
Sunday afternoon, I went to Gwynn’s Island , to satisfy my curiosity. I wondered how the
British could hope to remain out of harm’s way on an island so close to the Virginia shore. At that time, ferries were
the means of travel to the island. Later, in 1939, a bridge only a third of a
mile long was built to join the mainland to the island. With a protected harbor
suitable for ship anchorage, Gwynn’s Island has a proud history of boat building. Its location
also favors watermen involved with the seafood industry.
The Seabreeze Restaurant |
The
island has farmland, homes, a marina, restaurant, two post offices and a
fascinating museum. There have been numerous archaeological excavations around
the island and some of their findings are housed at the museum. Apparently, the
Powhatan Indians were not the first residents.
mastodon molar |
An immense
mastodon upper third molar and tusk were found on the island. The museum also showcases
many arrowheads and a copy of the Cinmar Blade, the oldest known man made tool
found in the Americas . The original Cinmar Blade from the island is
housed in the Smithsonian Museum .
I'd love to go to Gwynn's Island sometime, Janet! Thanks for the great post! This is such neat info. I've heard about this somewhere, maybe at Colonial Williamsburg or in the Daily Press but I love your post with all the details! Great day trip!
ReplyDeleteThe Seabreeze Restaurant is a fun "local" type of place, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Wow, that is some interesting history you don't hear in school. I agree, that island is awful close to think he could stay there. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat is what astounded me, Susan. So close you could actually swim to it. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteGreat Information. Thanks for sharing, I didn't like history when I was a youngster, but find it so interesting now!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Deanna. I think the more we learn about history, the more fascinating it becomes.
ReplyDelete“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”
― Edmund Burke
Truly a fascinating history there, Janet! Great post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carla. A quaint little island.
Delete