Cobb Island

Located just off shore from Lebanon Farm, Cobb Island has a rich history here on the Eastern Shore. Settled by the Cobb family in the 1880's, it became the location from which the family operated their maritime salvage operation, and later, a resort hotel for hunters and fishermen. It became known far and wide as a year round resort and as an escape from the summer heat in such places as Washington and Baltimore. Interestingly, as patrons would travel down the Eastern Shore by railroad, they would be brought here to the dock at Lebanon Farm to be transported by sailboat to Cobb’s Island. My Great Grandfather Luther Lee Nottingham would perform this service for the Cobb Family.

But life along the Barrier Islands of Virginia could be perilous at times, and during hurricanes, down right dangerous. Too many ships to count ran a ground on the shores near Cobb Island, and for many years, the Cobb family prospered by salvaging the cargos and rescuing the sailors from these treacherous shipwrecks.
In the late 1880s, the US Government installed a life saving station on the island. Although damaged many times by Atlantic Storms along the coast, it eventfully was replaced by a newer modern facility in the 1930s. Abandoned by the Coast Guard in the 1960s, the building was moved to the town of Oyster by the Conservancy to be preserved and also used as office space for the organization