Voices of the Chincoteague

Voices of the Chincoteague by Martha A. Barnes and Linda S. Hartsock

Martha Barnes and Linda Hartsock frequently heard stories about life in the ‘old days’ of Greenbackville and Franklin City from neighbors and friends who had grown up in the area. Martha and Linda are “come’ere’s” but were quick to appreciate the heritage of the place they now called home. In 2001, they helped organize the first “Old Tyme Days/Community Reunion” in Greenbackville to celebrate the local heritage. As is often the case, it was clear that many of the stories were beginning to fade as the elders moved to nursing homes or passed away. Someone needed to begin recording the stories before they were lost forever – and Marty and Linda became the ‘someone’s who took on the task. The result of their efforts, Voices of the Chincoteague, was published by Arcadia Publishing in 2007.

Greenbackville and Franklin City are on the western coast of Chincoteague Bay – just across from Chincoteague Island. While the ‘voices’ are those of folks who lived and worked there rather than on the Island, their stories reflect a similar history. For many years, visitors to Chincoteague Island rode the train to Franklin City and then crossed the Bay by boat. Once the causeway to the Island was built, it changed not only life on Chincoteague Island but in Franklin City as well. Between the decline of the oyster industry and the increasing dependence on automobiles as the preferred means of transportation, Franklin City lost much of its commerce. The 1962 Ash Wednesday storm – the same storm that is memorialized in photos in the Chincoteague Downtown kiosk – wreaked havoc on the western shore of the Chincoteague Bay as well and effectively wiped out the remaining parts of Franklin City.

Voices of the Chincoteague provides a rare glimpse into Eastern Shore life through the words of those who lived it. The authors have faithfully recorded stories from a variety of residents and provided perspective with sections on local history and culture. For more information, click here.