Why Tangier Island is Worth the Visit: A Personal Journey

BY MILES LAYTON

Let me tell you about Tangier, Virginia.  

I’m not sure how I discovered the island that I’d never known about – though I can tell you that God led me there.  

It was a sunny day when I first rolled into Crisfield, Maryland. I didn’t know how to get there, so I stopped at the Visitor’s Center, where a woman told me that the mail boat leaves at 12:30 p.m. daily to travel 12 miles to the island. Cost for the trip – $30 (each way), which is a bargain when considering that you get to cross the Chesapeake Bay, passing by islands and seeing deadrises, the traditional workboats used by watermen to catch blue crabs, fish and oysters.

During the 45 minute trip to Tangier, I met Allen Thomas, a native islander who pointed to Smith Island and other sights as the mailboat motored to the island. Though Allen had retired from a long career working on tugboats, he stayed busy delivering mail and such to his close-knit community. 

During the boat ride over on the Courtney Thomas, you can stand close to the front cabin to feel the bay’s breeze and maybe even see some dolphins swim close to the bow. 

When I first saw the island in the distance, I could make out the church spire at Swain Memorial United Methodist Church and the water tower that says “Tangier” and has Christian cross painted close to God.   

There were lots of crab shanties – some in good shape, others needing some work. Maybe rent a kayak from Cameron Evans to explore the island.  

When I first visited Tangier, my mission was to look at a house I was considering buying. Yes, I did my research and saw many tales about climate change, global warming, and perhaps how the island is sinking. This is probably going to “trigger” some folks, but I am a climate change skeptic. If the world’s coastlines were in such imminent danger, why aren’t people living in Norfolk, Miami or New York being evacuated to higher ground? For that matter, why are they still building along shorelines in those places?

That said, I wanted to see what was what – if the media’s portrayal of Tangier was true – before investing in a home on the island.  

When the Courtney Thomas docked, I took my first step onto Tangier. I thanked God for providence and said a quiet prayer as I walked past Swain Memorial UMC. 

The island needs a porta potty or permanent restroom for incoming tourists, so I stopped into Riverside Medical Center, which provides health care to residents. Inez Pruitt, who serves as the center’s primary medical officer, greeted me kindly so I was not afraid to ask her about the issues facing the island regarding climate change. A native of Tangier whose family has owned Parks Marina for decades, my life changed forever when Pruitt said that the water level at the marina has not changed in decades, many decades. Pruitt said, however, that Tangier is threatened more by erosion than anything else – a problem that can be solved if the state and federal governments build a seawall on the island’s western shore. Her words were both reassuring and cautionary. 

I started walking around the island when Andrew Langley, a key volunteer at the Tangier History Museum, offered me a guided tour to the beach on the southern end of the island. I accepted Langley’s offer and we rode his golf cart as he talked about Tangier’s history and culture.  

Along the way, I saw neatly kept two-story houses and bridges over marshes, and we waved to friendly people. It’s hard to describe, but there is a “real” feel to this working fishing village rather than a “staged” feel that one experiences when seeing Colonial era re-enactors in period clothing walking up a cobblestone street in a popular tourist destination that was once the state’s capital. 

Based on later visits to the island, I’ve come to understand that there is a genuine sense of community in Tangier. If things need to get done, whether mowing grass at the cemetery or assisting a neighbor carry groceries from the dock, there is always a helping hand. 

Folks at Daley’s Store, now known as Blue Crab store, know most of their customers’ names when they come to the cash register after doing their weekly shopping trips. Tuesdays are the best days to buy stuff because that’s when a big shipment arrives from the mainland. Tuesday is the day our kids raid the store of its vanilla ice cream.  

Maybe comparing Tangier to Andy Griffith’s Mayberry is a bit of a stretch, but it’s close.  

Lunch or dinner — the seafood and meal offerings at Lorraine’s Seafood Restaurant are top notch. You get good sized helpings and will not leave the restaurant hungry. I recommend the crab cakes or seafood platter. 

Maybe stop by Four Brothers Crabhouse for ice cream – they have tons of flavors. Muddy Toes Cafe has good hoagies, cold drinks and desserts.   

Another thing – many places on the island offer a sense of serenity. Personally, I like to drink a cup of coffee at sunrise on the bridge over “the gut” – a strip of water that bisects Main Ridge and West Ridge. From there, I can see green marshes, many birds and an occasional crab swimming. Every now and then, I’ve seen two kids crabbing in the gut inside a tiny rectangle skiff. Crabbing and nature – that’s their world more so than screens and video games. 

As to a place to stay, there are many Air BnB’s and the Brigadune Inn that is a short hop to the beach on the southern end of the island. Brigadune offers great rooms, big beds, fast internet, top notch service and so much more. Call ahead because it is a popular place to stay.  

Beach – you get a bit of privacy as you walk up the beach on the southern end of the island where you can find a place to read a good book or go swimming. Unlike another beach familiar to many in Virginia, there are not 10, 000 tourists huddled into one area and calling that vacation. Tangier’s sandy beaches are clean, peaceful and a great place to relax.   

  

Based on everything Tangier offers, I bought a house there because I’m optimistic about the island’s future. I have faith that the resilient islanders who have lived there for centuries can rise to the challenge of getting a seawall built and saving their island for another century. Toward that end, a new Town Council has recently been sworn in – one that pledges to preserve the island for another century. 

If you need more information about Tangier, send an email to albemarle.observer@gmail.com