I photographed these at the Holiday Train Show® | New York Botanical Garden. The last three photographs are of places where I briefly acted as a tour guide. At that time, I was an Urban Park Ranger (1989 to 1991). When we opened the Little Red Lighthouse – Wikipedia to visitors, I met an old fellow. He used to swim there before the George Washington Bridge was built in 1931.
For Thursday Doors: The Greek Room – No Facilities
We went on a free tour of merchantshouse.org given by villagepreservation.org. We are members of the latter. Please sign the petition at actionnetwork.org/letters/save-the-merchants-house-museum-2?source=merchants-house-website. “In December, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a development next to the Merchant’s House Museum at 27 East 4th Street. It will destroy one of New York’s first landmarks. A home that was built in 1832 and that has remained intact, inside and out.”
I enjoyed Chincoteague-step-through-time-tours led by Cindy Faith so much I wanted to hear more. So we paid a visit to the Captain Timothy Hill’s House. Cindy is a docent there. We learned how the house was saved and moved. If there is a fire in the wooden chimney, they run out quickly. They pull on ropes attached to the chimney to get it away from the house.
Cindy told us one of the family’s stories. It was about a young girl, around 14 years old, who was much loved by them. The girl’s boyfriend took a job on a ship and sailed away for a while. Then he came back to town. He found out that the young girl was going to a dance with another boy. The jealous ex-boyfriend shot her and her mother. She was up all night attending to her wounded mother. The young girl seemed OK and only had a minor wound. Sometime during the night, the young girl passed away. Later her ex-boyfriend shot himself.
For Dan’s Thursday Doors: Carnival Doors – No Facilities
Randy Birch told us a story during our Chincoteague Island Adventures boat tour. This story contradicts the one at the Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. He said that when Buckalew, the first fish and wildlife manager, was shot it didn’t happen the way they said. He told how his grandfather and a few other guys were out illegally duck hunting before the season. They saw Buckalew coming and one of them fired off some buckshot which severely injured Buckalew. He said his grandpa helped get Buckalew back to town. When it came time for the trial Randy’s grandfather’s role in the events was left out. This was Buckalew’s way of saying thank you to Randy’s grandfather for having saved his life. I love local stories like this. Randy had more.
Cindy Faith, who we did a history walk with told us a few stories too. She is a terrific guide and very knowledgeable.
The cages to save the baby plovers from predation are an excellent invention. We need more of these on other beaches where they nest.
In the afternoon of June 3, 2025 we paid a visit to the charming little local museum. Exhibits cover the entire history of the island from prehistoric times to today. The exhibits include the first-order Fresnel lens from the Assateague Light. The museum is also the home of the taxidermied bodies of the Chincoteague ponies Misty and Stormy. They are portrayed in the award-winning series of books by Marguerite Henry. They are also featured in the children’s classic film “Misty of Chincoteague”. Other exhibits focus on the island’s oyster industry and its maritime history. The historic role of islanders as watermen, light keepers, and shipwreck rescuers is also showcased. I’ll cover the marvelous duck decoy shop in a later post.
Eastern Shore Railway Museum – Wikipedia is in the City of Parksley in Virginia. We happened to drive past and stopped to make a few pictures.
I included an old ruin of a house not far from the museum.
For Dan’s Thursday Doors: Doors for Sale – No Facilities
This is the second time I booked a boat tour with Chincoteague Island Adventures with Captain Randy Birch. His family has lived on Chincoteague for many generations. The stories he tells and the places we get to see are marvelous. We were the only two on the boat and it was so nice to get a private tour like that. He knows the local fishermen like the ones who showed us their catch of minnows.
This year is the 100th Annual Chincoteague Pony Roundup, Swim & Auction.
It was our first time visiting Twin Lights Historical Society Lighthouse | Highlands, NJ. It was closed for tours that day but there are lots of information boards to read.
