Cooperative Living May 2016 - 35

An aerial
view of Saxis Island
shows it's not actually
an island, surrounded
on three sides by water
and marsh on the
remainder.
No one passes through Saxis to get
somewhere else. The tiny hamlet is 11
miles from Route 13, the last two miles a
narrow causeway bordered by marsh. The
road bears left in town, passing the sign
proclaiming that the town was founded
in 1664. It wends its way past an
assortment of houses, many with crab pots
stacked in the backyard, and ends at the
harbor with a panoramic view of
Pocomoke Sound, and not far beyond, the
Chesapeake Bay. With the exception of a
few short side roads that branch off Saxis
Road, a visitor has seen virtually all of Saxis
upon reaching the harbor.
Though quaint in its own way, Saxis
does not host nearly as many tourists as
better-known Eastern Shore of Virginia
islands such as Chincoteague and Tangier.
Strictly speaking, Saxis is not actually an
island, as defined in Kirk Mariner's 2011
book, Saxis, Almost an Island, because it is
surrounded by water on three sides and
marsh on the fourth.
According to Mariner, the first white
man to see Saxis probably was none other
than Capt. John Smith, who explored this
region in 1608. Saxis was first settled by
Robert Sykes in 1666, two years after the
sign at the entrance of the town proclaims,
meaning this year the town will celebrate
its 350th anniversary. By 1670, it was
owned by one man, William Anderson.
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But when the first post office opened in
1884, the postmaster gave the town the
name " Saxis, " a variation of Sykes.
Moody " M.K. " Miles played a major part
in Mariner's book and is considered by
most to be the town historian. He also was
heavily involved in opening the town's
museum in September of 2013, serving as
the president of the board of directors. The
Saxis Island Museum is in one half of the
post office building, a 13-foot by 20-foot
room, and contains artifacts collected by a
small group of citizens. Miles said there
was a big debate about whether to include
Strictly speaking, Saxis is
not actually an island, as
defined in Kirk Mariner's
2011 book, Saxis, Almost
an Island, because it is
surrounded by water
on three sides and marsh
on the fourth.
the word " Island " as part of the name of
the museum, adding the earliest maps
always referred to Saxis as an island.
Miles helped to obtain a $100,000
grant from the Virginia Department of
Historic Resources, with the Eastern
Shore Community Foundation providing
10 percent of the funds. The grant will
allow the group to move the museum to
the Crockett Store, more than 100 years
old and the oldest store building left
standing on the island. The store is
owned by Jim Lewis, the vice president
of the board and another key member of
the committee. Lewis, Miles and Hannah
Tull Glisson, sister of former mayor
Charles Tull, who suggested the idea of
the museum before he died in 2010,
provided most of the items currently
stored in the museum. The restoration,
due to be completed by this summer,
will leave the wooden building looking
much like it did a century ago.
" We hope the museum will attract
visitors to the island interested in our
history, but we are not looking for too
many tourists. We like our slow pace of
life, " said Miles. " Mainly, we are just
looking to preserve our history, and if
someone with a connection to Saxis
brings their children to see a bit of the
town's past, our mission has been
worthwhile. "
May 2016 | Cooperative Living | 33
MIKE SMOLSKI PHOTO
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2016

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