Wallops Island

The island is just south of Chincoteague Island, a popular tourist destination.
Wallops Island proper, originally known as Kegotank Island, was granted to John Wallop by the Crown on April 29, 1692. Ownership was divided down through the years until the Commonwealth of Virginia seized the property in 1876 and 1877 in lieu of unpaid taxes.From 1877, ownership was again divided and sub-divided until 1889 when it was held by various trustees for the Wallops Island Club. The Club was incorporated and assumed ownership in 1933 as the Wallops Island Association, Inc.Association members and their families spent the summers on the island fishing and swimming. The Association grazed sheep, cattle, and ponies on the area until the mid-forties.Navy began using the upper two-thirds of the island on a lease-rental basis for aviation ordnance testing.