Tangier Island is an isolated patch of Virginia marshland in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, just south of the Maryland line. For centuries the island has been a community of watermen, the Chesapeake term for people who harvest the crabs, oysters and fish in the bay.
"Tangier is a living history. We've been doing this hundreds of years," says James Eskridge, the mayor of Tangier. "We are really not that far from D.C. or Richmond, but you can come here and step back in time."
No cars, no trains; the only transportation to Tangiers Island is by boat or by small airplane. When you arrive, plan to leisurely stroll around the island.
The island was settled in 1686 by a man named John Crockett, and many of the island's inhabitants today still bear his name. Other common last names, handed down from early settlers, are Pruitt, Thomas, and Parks.
We arrived early Memorial Day weekend and the marina filled up quickly.
Houses line narrow streets that follow patches of high ground in the town of Tangier, population 535. With no bridge to the mainland, supplies and people arrive on the daily mail boat from Crisfield, Maryland, 12 miles away. Most people get around the 3-mile-long island by foot, golf cart or bicycle.
Residents speak with an accent so distinctive that after a quick listen they can easily tell if someone is from Tangier or another nearby harbor. Almost everyone on the island goes by a colorful nickname; favorites include Puge, Spanky, Foo-Foo, Hambone and Skrawnch. Locals call Mayor Eskridge "Ooker" after the sound he made as a boy when he imitated his pet rooster.
Tangier residents take pride in their Chesapeake Bay heritage and maintain a traditional religious life. In many ways this island reminds us of the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.
Many of this small community have lost their lives in World War I and World War II. It was also surprising to find old family burial plots in the front yards of many houses, apparently a very old tradition.
Where else can you sit in a crab chair?
The island life always has a familar feel; slow, quiet, and hot.
Samy agrees.
Enjoyin the life in Tangier.
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