UNDER THE FLAPS: October 7, 2020 #3 Chincoteague/Assateague~~GreenbackvilleStocktonBerlinAssateagueMd

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Today we ventured off of the Island of Chincoteague to small-town Eastern Shore places that were mentioned in Ron's ancestry. We didn't have much to go on, except a page taken from a book that Ron's Dad scripted years ago. But that page, opened up a stuffed day of reminiscing about Ron's family. Seeing the rural farm land 'where it all began', was like completing a jigsaw puzzle of the past! Discovering a few surprises, was icing on the cake! Here is page 1 of Ron's Dad's autobiography.

Our first stop was Greenbackville(which was the closest town from our starting point).

Located 4 miles south of Stockton, Maryland, and settled in 1867, the town grew as a result of the Worcester railroad to transport oysters and other shellfish from Chincoteague to Baltimore and NYC. Due to the depression and the nor'easter of 1962, the area's economic base appears to be slightly eroded. HOWEVER.............. Located on Harbor Drive was the highly recommended CRUSTY CRAB SEAFOOD SHACK.

This abode was next door.😮

Our next stop on our 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants' itinerary was Stockton. BTW, below is a map for clarification. 👇. The towns that we visited are on the Eastern Shore....... Greenbackville is in Virginia, while the remaining towns are in Maryland

Stockton was, as described in Winston's autobiography above........... 'a small cross-roads town'.

What happened next on our excursion was miraculous. (200' beyond the above photos).

We happened to pull into the driveway of GUNBY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

Can you begin to imagine the emotion?

Next stop.... Berlin, MD.

Strolling down Main Street took us back into the past! These same streets were taken by the Assateague and Pocomoke Indians BEFORE the colonial period. Beautiful tree-lined streets, a slower pace, Berlin appeared to be a very successful renovated community. (Can you imagine the hustle and bustle of this sleepy town area while the popular film Runaway Bride was being produced? Richard Gere and Julia Roberts on these lovely streets 😍)

The Sheppards and Sharpleys were also from Berlin, as detailed in the above autobiography.

From Berlin, we traveled east to Assateague Island National Seashore which is in Maryland.

OH WHAT MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY!

Plan to spend more than just an afternoon here.

The first sites upon entering are the ponies........ everywhere!

The street,

the side of the road,

within touching distance........

everywhere!

Available things to do in the area include: camping, horseback riding, bike trails, hiking, hunting, canoeing and kayaking, shellfishing and collecting, surf fishing and swimming.

We have been to many beaches, but this one far exceeded our expectations 😍😎🌞

Heading back to our motel, we made it in time to join our traveling companions, Craig and Doris, for our last night's seafood dinner at DON'S SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANT