A Short History of Onancock

by Anne Nock

If you take a five-minute walk on Market Street in Onancock, more than four centuries of colorful history roll out for you and connect with the 21st century. Beginning at the wharf, a colorful sign noting the town's 1680 charter harks back to a time when Indians roamed the shores of Onancock Creek, before English-speaking explorers came ashore. The name, Onancock, is derived from the Indian word "auwannaku" meaning foggy place.

A bronze marker set in the slope of the front yard at Holden (9 Market St.) pays tribute to the father of America Presbyterianism, Francis Makemie, who moved to Onancock when he married local resident Naomi Anderson. It was in 1699 that Makemie established the right to freedom of worship in his Onancock home.

Call up the 18th century from a sign directing you to a small cemetery across from Cokesbury Church where Zedekiah Whaley, Revolutionary War hero, is buried. Town lore questions the validity of this site - it's a long story, and you may want to read more about it sometime.

Learn of John Shepherd Ker, Onancock's Thomas Jefferson. Ker's home, Ker Place, is as palatial for the Eastern Shore as is Jefferson's Monticello in its mountainous setting. Ker was truly a Renaissance man – a highly successful merchant, banker, lawyer and gentleman farmer. His remarkable life shines through the walls of historic Ker Place, which serves today as headquarters for the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society. The Historical Society welcomes visitors as it suggests a feel for the rich history of Onancock and of the Shore.

Along Market Street, mid-19th century homes were land bases for sea captains who sailed the bay in vessels large and small. Late 19th century houses with intricate Victorian gingerbread trim represent the flourishing steamboat era during which Onancock connected itself firmly to cosmopolitan Baltimore. Steepled 19th century churches with beautiful stained glass house active congregations now as for the past cenury.

Back to waterside life, today's times sing out in sleek boats tied securely to the wharf. Glancing around as you walk up the street, you'll see many grandfatherly trees and colorful new plantings of shrubs and flowers gracing the streets.

Another historic treasure awaits you half a block off Market Street, where a vibrant community center is now evolving from a 1920s school built by the town's leaders when the county was unable to provide an adequate building for Onancock. The educational legacy of this waterside property stretches back to 1859, when the first school was built on the site.

The town is well documented in picture and in word. View it through photographs assembled by physician/photographer John Robertson in On Land and Sea and Land of the Evergreen. Experience it in poetry written by Katherine Wescott's Untie the Ribbons and Salt and Sand. And check out both general and specific information in Kirk Mariner's Off 13; in A Voyage through Time, written in 2007 by eleven Onancock residents; and in Child of the Bay by Anne Nock.

All in all, Onancock is not pretend nor is it plastic. It is an authentic, living town. It invites you to visit whenever a spare minute – or a spare weekend – presents itself. A self-guided walking tour brochure, available from many businesses in town, will help you locate the sites described above.

events
weather
video
photo gallery
directions/map
pet friendly
move here

Contact | Site Map