Gwynn's Island Homes For Sale
Gywnn's Island is a part of Mathews County and is located at the mouth of the Piankatank River where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay.
Gwynn's Island is a popular weekend destination for many people who live in Virginia's inland areas because it is relatively well accessible to most of the I-95 corridor and provides almost immediate access to the Bay. A particularly unique feature of the island is that it is only accessible by land via swing bridge that is said to be the most active one of its kind in the state of Virginia.
Gwynn's Island offers some sandy beaches along its eastern border with the Bay, while the southern and western sides are more rural as they border the more protected Milford Haven and Hills Bay.
Water Depth around Gwynn's Island is generally shallow near shore (less than 3 feet) and drops to no more than 20 feet in most nearby areas, including the bordering sections of the Chesapeake Bay.
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Lifestyle
According to the Weldon Cooper Center’s most recent estimate, the full-time population of Gwynn’s Island hovers around 600. It has become an increasingly popular destination for retirees and second-home owners. The island also has a popular campground, as well as its own seafood store and convenience store; so you won’t have to travel far for any essentials you might need.
For nearly 70 years, the Gwynn’s Island Festival has drawn visitors from all over eastern Virginia. Held the last weekend of June every summer, the festival provides food, live music, arts and crafts, children’s activities, and even a 5k run. Just down the road from where the festival takes place is the Gwynn’s Island Museum — a 100-year-old building that originally served as the Odd Fellows Lodge and later the island’s first public school. The museum includes numerous exhibits ranging from prehistoric fossils to displays from the Civil War.
One of Gwynn’s Island’s most interesting assets is Oyster Seed Holdings’ 5,000-sq-ft facility. This state of the art hatchery boasts one billion oyster larvae, and the company strives to provide its customers with premier oyster larvae and seed. If you are interested in farming your own Chesapeake Bay oysters, these are the experts you want to get in touch with.
History
The history of Gwynn’s Island dates back to the 1600s and is rich in shipbuilding, agriculture, commercial fishing and tourism. For decades Callis Wharf stood as a vital organ to life on Gwynn’s Island. Built in the 18th century by William James Callis, the wharf provided a dock for steamboats as well as a processing center for seafood. It was a huge market that contributed vast amounts of money to the island’s seafood industry. Today, Callis Wharf is home to an oyster hatchery and reef building company.