Tangier, Virginia

Tangier is a town on Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay. It is a part of Accomack County, Virginia, USA. The population was 604 at the 2000 census. The tiny island community has attracted the attention of linguists because its people speak a totally unique dialect of American English, hypothesized to be nearly unchanged since the days of its first occupation by English colonists. Each of the original surnames and several of the present surnames on the island originated in the British Isles, particularly in Scotland, and the accent has a distinctly Celtic flavor, similar to those in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Cornwall, four of the seven Celtic nations.

Geography

Tangier is located on an island in a part of the Chesapeake Bay called the Eastern Bay. It is in fact made up of many small islands divided by marshes and small tidal streams. The islands are connected by wooden bridges. The main island has three ridges, called Main Ridge, Canton, and West Ridge by the inhabitants. North of Tangier is an island which was abandoned after the stream between the two islands (Oyster creek) became too wide to build a bridge over. This northernmost area is called Uppards, and originally had a neighborhood called Canaan. The only structures left on Uppards are duck hunting lodges, since 1928. A few of the homes on Main Ridge were moved from Uppards before the flooding got too bad. Each of the ridges have neighborhoods. On the Northern part of Main Ridge, the neighborhood is called Meat Soup. On the Northern part of West Ridge it is called Sheep's Head. On the Southern part of Main Ridge it is called Black Dye, and on the Southern part of West Ridge it is called Hog Ridge. Canton in the most Southeastern area of the island and is reached via a bridge from Black Dye. The bridges over the largest channel, called The Big Gut, are, to the South, Long Bridge, then coming North, School Bridge, and the farthest South is Heisten Bridge.

Because of its distance from the mainland, Tangier is very isolated, its nearest neighbors being other islands such as Smith Island. The only method of transportation off the island are boat and airplane. There is a nice airport, open from Dawn to Dusk. There is one boat that travels regularly from Crisfield, MD across Tangier Sound to Tangier, which carries the mail. In 2006, it is called The Courtney Thomas. It leaves Tangier at 8:00 am, and leaves Crisfield at 12:30, pm. In the summer season, in 2006, The Chesapeake Breeze travels daily from Reedville, VA on the Western Shore, leaving there at 10:00, am, and leaving Tangier at 2:00, pm. From Onancock, VA, The Captain Eulice, as of 2006, has a similar schedule. With all of these means of escape, many residents have regular ways of staying in better touch with the mainland, and the addition of cable TV keeps them in touch with the rest of the world, also. There is still a calm, peaceful atmosphere on the island, with only one pay phone, four or five gift shops, a few restaurants, and a hardware store as the only retail establishments. There are no arcades, no drug stores or department stores, no traffic lights, and violent crime is non-existent. There are a few beds and breakfasts and a motel for overnight guests, and a wonderful wild beach without a boardwalk or concessions. Bring cash because there are no ATMs, although most of the gift shops, eating establishments, and overnight accommodations have begun to accept credit and debit cards. For a taste of the culture and history, stop by the small museum in the back of Sandy's gift shop, or the soft shell crab exhibit next to Wanda's gift shop, or, while enjoying a soft shell crab sandwich at the Waterfront Restaurant by the dock, listen to the snatches of conversation among the watermen, but don't expect to get it all, because especially among the Waterman, the unique Tangier accent is strong. Kids sell lemonade and rice crispy treats and Christmas decorations made from sea shells to the tourists. Tangier marshes are home to many birds, including pelicans, blue herons, rails, egrets, several variety of ducks and geese, and osprey. Bring a camera. There are few places in the United States with more waterfowl. In the evenings the playground across from the school is a nice place for kids to unwind, or the fifties style, centrally air conditioned ice-cream parlor on Main Ridge, called Spanky's.

Tangier is located at (37.825761, -75.992159). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²), all land. The erosion problem was eliminated by the building of a stone jetty in the 1990s on the Western Shore of the island, along the side of the airport landing strip. Very little land mass has been lost since that time.

History

The first known explorer of the island was John Smith. He named Tangier and the surrounding islands the "Russel Isles" after the doctor on board his ship.

In 1670 Ambrose White received a patent for 400 acres (1.6 km²) called an Island in the Chesapeake Bay. the next year White assigned his patent to Charles and John West. In 1673 William Walton was granted 400 acres (1.6 km²) on the western island which was formerly patented by White. There is a similar entry in the patent book three years later but Scarburgh and West were the recipients instead of Walton and in 1678 a formal patent was issued to both of them. Charles Scarburgh left his interest to his wife Elizabeth in 1702 and John West’s interest went to his eldest son a year later. In 1713 two patents were granted to Elizabeth Scarburgh and Anthony West for Tangier Islands. One was for 900 acres (3.6 km²) which included the original 400 acres (1.6 km²) and 500 acres (2 km²) more found within its bounds. The other grant was for 170 acres (0.7 km²) of new land south of Tangier called “Sandy Beach Island” which was probably the hook shaped part that is now attached to the main of the island. This was the first time Tangier Islands was named in the records. Although Elizabeth Scarburgh left her interest to her daughters, some how the title went to her oldest son, Bennett. It then passed to Henry Scarburgh and then to a Charles Scarburgh. In 1762 Charles Scarburgh confirmed an undeeded sale of his half to Colonel Thomas Hall. The next year Hall sold this to William Andrews as 475 acres (1.9 km²).

John Crocket settled the island in 1686. Still, many of the inhabitants have the surname Crocket. The other common surname on the island is Pruitt. The population of Tangier was 79 in the 1800 census. By 1900 there were 1064 inhabitants.

The British used the island as a staging area during the war of 1812. There were as many as 1200 British troops recorded on the island at once.

The largest church on the island was established in 1835, and is still on the island today. It is Swain Memorial Methodist church. The other church is called New Testament, and is a Christian, non-denominational church. The original church on the island was called Bethel, New Site. A bench marking its location is in the graveyard in Canton. It was burned down sometime in the nineteenth century. An unusual custom prevailed into the early twentieth century: families often buried their deceased relatives in the lawns of their homes. This custom was abandoned due to the space limitation of the small yards on Tangier. There are now cemeteries located in the churchyards.

Economy

Today, the inhabitants of Tangier rely on crabbing to make a living. Tangier is often referred to as the 'soft shell crab capital of the world'. Most fishermen catch and sell crabs and oysters. North of the island are many free-standing docks not connected to land which fishermen use to hold crabs while they molt. Oystering is also a major industry.

The only industry on the island besides fishing is tourism. Interestingly, the tourist trade is run almost exclusively by women. During the summer, several cruise ships come to the island each day, allowing passengers to explore and buy goods from the natives. Two bed-and-breakfast inns can accommodate a limited number of overnight guests. There are several restaurants and gift shops for the tourist-trade. Some residents outfit golf carts with passenger trailers to sell "historical tours" of the island. The roads on Tangier are only wide enough for two golf carts to pass each other. Few cars are present on the island because they wouldn't be able to get over the small wooden bridges. Tourists and natives all get around on golf carts, boats, mopeds, and bikes.

Isolation

Because of the island's isolation, the peoples' lifestyles are laid-back and "folksy." A few of the older residents stick close to the island and rely on more mobile residents, and occasionally day trippers from new from the mainland. A near-constant presence is the large number of stray cats that inhabit the island.

There is only one school on the island, with less than ten children in each grade. The residents were recently given access to cable television and internet through a new microwave tower. There are phone lines on the island. Two doctors live on the island currently, but practice in Delaware. One doctor comes one day a week to treat residents, and emergency patients travel by helicopter to Crisfield or Salisbury hospitals in Maryland. Although the island has one power plant, it is mainly used for emergencies, but is operational. Power comes in from the Eastern Shore.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 604 people, 244 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density was 932.8/km² (2,448.2/mi²). There were 270 housing units at an average density of 417.0/km² (1,094.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.50% White and 0.50% African American. In 2006, there are four people from Eastern India, one African American, one Pacific Islander, Several people of some American Indian extraction.

There were 244 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,607, and the median income for a family was $28,636. Males had a median income of $19,167 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,042. About 22.6% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

External links

Tourism Info:

http://www.tangierisland-va.com/

Accomack County, Virginia | Towns in Virginia | Islands of Virginia

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