Sinnickson (At 2 miles above
Horntown, turn right on #712, just as village of Signpost
comes into view; 2 miles to water) is names for R.B.
Sinnickson, a Cincinnati millionaire who in 1886 purchased
the little village of Nashville, on Chincoteague Bay, and
turned it into a local resort. In the 1890s, crowds as
large as 3,000 gathered her to enjoy the water; a small
hotel offered guests regular connections by land to Pocomoke
City and by water to Chincoteague Island. In 1906,
Sinnickson sold out at a 500% profit, and the new owners
installed a merry-go-round and a motion-picture show.
Sinnickson faded as better resorts became accessible;
the last business her was a restaurant that closed in
1960. Today its view is still a good one, across Swan's
Gut Creek where it meets Chincoteague Bay, but the buildings
in the foreground are dilapidated and unsightly.
At 1.3 miles down the road to
Sinnickson, a trail starts off into the woods on the right
and wanders a hundred yards to The Old Tree, a giant poplar
probably more than tree centuries old. Generations of
locals have carved their names and initials into its trunk,
which is 15 or more Boy scouts in diameter at its base.
The tree, dwarfing all others around it, may be more easily
seen from the road now that the surrounding timber has been
cut.
Legal Stuff:
*OFF 13: The Eastern Shore of Virginia Guidebook.
Mariner, Kirk. Copyrighted by Kirk Mariner. Miona Publications. 1987 New Church, VA. 180
pages.
OFF 13 is a great book for those who wish to learn more about
the history of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, especially the individual towns and historic landmarks.
A must for any historian of such an area with so little
written literature pertaining to its rich heritage.
