The Museum of Chincoteague Island, located at 7125 Maddox Boulevard, Chincoteague,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, celebrates the people, culture and heritage of

Chincoteague Island Chincoteague may refer to: Geography in the United States * Chincoteague Bay, a bay on the coast of Maryland and Virginia * Chincoteague Channel, a channel in Virginia connecting Chincoteague Bay and Chincoteague Inlet *Chincoteague Inlet, an inlet ...

Exhibits

Exhibits cover the entire history of the island from prehistoric times to today and include the first-order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

from the nearby

Assateague Light Assateague Light is the lighthouse located on the southern end of Assateague Island off the coast of the Virginia Eastern Shore, United States. The lighthouse is located within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and can be accessed by r ...

, as well as the 6th order Fresnel lens from the

Fort Washington Light A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

. The museum is also the home of the taxidermied bodies of iconic Chincoteague ponies Misty and Stormy, famously portrayed in the award-winning series of books by

Marguerite Henry Marguerite Henry (' Breithaupt; April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer of children's books, writing fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for ''King of the Wind'', a 19 ...

and the children's classic film, "

Misty of Chincoteague ''Misty of Chincoteague'' is a children's novel written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, and published by Rand McNally in 1947. Set in the island town of Chincoteague, Virginia, the book was inspired by the real-life story of th ...

". Other exhibits focus on the island's oyster industry, its

maritime history Maritime history is the study of human interaction with and activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant. As an academic subject, it ...

, the wild ponies of neighboring

Assateague Island Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern two-thirds of the island is in Maryland while the southern third is in Virginia. The Maryland sectio ...

, and the historic role of islanders as watermen, light keepers and shipwreck rescuers.

References

External links

Chincoteague Museum official website
1972 establishments in Virginia Museums established in 1972 Maritime museums in Virginia Museums in Accomack County, Virginia Chincoteague, Virginia {{Virginia-museum-stub