Chincoteague Island on the northeastern shore of Virginia is famous for a breed of ponies that actually live on the neighboring Assateague Island. Assateague Island is on the border between Maryland and Virginia and there are two herds of ponies: one herd residing in Maryland and the other in Virginia each separated by a fence at the state line.
The Virginia herd is managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company who hold an annual “Pony Swim” where the herd is rounded up and swims from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island who veterinary care and auction of select animals. Ponies sell for a few hundred dollars each to upwards of $50,000. The “Pony Swim” has occurred every year since 1925 with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to COVID.
The ponies are thought to be descendants of animals brought to North America by Spanish explorers who were shipwrecked in area during the 17th century. The Chincoteague Ponies gained notoriety in the 1940s due to the novel, Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry.
Assateague Island had a lighthouse constructed on its southernmost point in 1833. This original lighthouse was replaced in 1866 with the current one. The lighthouse is 142 feet high and housed a first-order Fresnel lens with a fish oil lamp.