Virginia - Chincoteague and Assateague - Pony Pennings in 1920, 1921 and 1922
Pony Penning had been taking place on both Assateague and Chincoteague Islands separately for a couple of centuries before it came to an abrupt halt. The first known teacher at the Assateague village school, nestled near the lighthouse in 1890, was John W. Field. Field, who was also a trained physician, taught grades one through six in a one-room school on Assateague for 22 years, until his death in 1912. And he really liked Assateague. He began purchasing any land that was sold on the island in 1891, and continued until his death. Most of his purchases were through the Commonwealth of Virginia, as ownership lapsed and taxes weren't paid, obtained by a "warrant" issued by Virginia. Assateague village schoolhouse, circa 1910 When John Field died, his land was inherited by his son, Samuel B. Field, who was a clothing businessman (president of the company) in Baltimore. Sam, too, had been purchasing land as it became available on Ass...