A Brief History of Tangier

Tangier Island was first noted in recorded history by John Smith in 1608. He came across a group of islands in the middle of the bay while looking for fresh water. His map shows that this group included today's Tangier Island, however he named them after his ship's physician, calling them "Russell Isles."

No one knows for sure when the island was named "Tangier." The first reference to the name is in a patent granted in 1713.

Legend has it that Tangier was first settled by John Crockett and his eight sons in 1686. Nothing has been found to verify this.

In 1778, Joseph Crockett bought 475 acres of land on Tangier and is the first Crockett of record on Tangier. By 1800 the census showed that there were 79 people on Tangier, most of them Crocketts or their descendants. The name Crockett remains one of the most common today, along with Pruitt, Parks, and Dise. By 1900 there were over 1000 inhabitants; in 2009 there are about 525.

Tangier Island played a critical role in the Chesapeake Bay Campaign of the War of 1812. The British established a large fort during 1813, including well, houses, breastworks, barracks, hospital, gardens and cannons, on the southwestern end of the island. At one point there were over 12,000 British soldiers garrisoned on the island. It was from Tangier that the British launched their major assaults on Washington, DC and Baltimore. Legend holds that before embarking on their attack of Baltimore, the commanding officer asked Pastor Joshua Thomas to deliver a sermon. He complied and warned the British of their impending defeat. They were in fact defeated and it was during this unsuccessful attack that the Star-Spangled Banner was composed.

During the Civil War, Tangier chose not to join the Confederacy.

There have been four epidemics on Tangier. First, in 1866, came Asian cholera. Along with this epidemic came a religious revival with repenting and praying when the people started to die. Bodies were quickly buried, many of them in their front yard and without stones, for there were as many as five adults dying at a time. Both the Death Records of Accomack County and the dates on the graves with stones show that the island was hardest hit in the month of October, 1866. In the early 1870's there was both a tuberculosis epidemic and a measles epidemic. In the 1880's there was a smallpox epidemic.

Besides sickness, the weather can be harsh. Many tropical storms and hurricanes have struck the island. In1821, "The September Gust" swept over the island leaving great destruction. Winters can also be especially hard. Annually, the Bay freezes over, making travel to the mainland impossible for a few days. Occasionally, the freeze is so great that people have walked 15 miles across the ice to get food and supplies.

With the advent of the seafood market in the 1840's the Chesapeake Bay became alive with sailing ships that carried oysters and later crabs to major cities such as Baltimore and New York. People gradually stopped harvesting the land and harvested the waters. With the coming of the railroad to Crisfield MD, their water crop could be shipped farther and oystering and crabbing became the main livelihood. Tangier Island today is a mixture of old and new. The people still follow the water, and along with Smith Island MD and other bayside communities, supply a great amount of the nation's seafood. Tangier proudly considers itself the soft shell crab capital of the country.

Tangier has a rich history of military service. In World War II, Tangier had one of the highest rates of men serving in the armed forces in the country. Tangiermen and Tangierwomen have served in every major US conflict. Currently, several islanders are serving in the armed forces, deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Religion plays an important part in the life of Tangier and traditional religious values predominate. Two thirds of the islanders are members of one of the 2 local churches. The Methodist congregation was established in 1835. The present day Swain Memorial United Methodist Church building has been in continual use since 1897. The New Testament Church is a non-denominational Christian congregation, established in 1946.

Working the water (crabbing and oystering) has long been the main source of livelihood for Tangiermen. Currently many men also work on tugboats, as it becomes increasingly difficult to make a living from the water.

Tourism is also an important part of the island's economy. Tangiermen and Tangierwomen are known for their friendly open nature, and welcome you to visit our island.