Gwynn's Island is an island located in the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

 on Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

's Middle Peninsula

Middle Peninsula

The Middle Peninsula is the second of three large peninsulas on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, in the United States. It lies between the Northern Neck and the Virginia Peninsula. This peninsula is bounded by the Rappahannock River on the north and the York River on the south...

. The island is located in the northeast part of Mathews County

Mathews County, Virginia

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,978 people, 3,932 households, and 2,823 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 people per square mile . There were 5,333 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...

, south of the mouth of the Piankatank River

Piankatank River

The Piankatank River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. Located on the Middle Peninsula, between the Rappahannock and York rivers, it was the site of numerous actions during the American Civil War....

. It is connected to the rest of the county by a drawbridge over Milford Haven. The communities of Gwynn

Gwynn, Virginia

Gwynn is a census-designated place in Mathews County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 602. Gwynn is located on Gwynn's Island north-northeast of Mathews. Gwynn has a post office with ZIP code 23066....

 and Grimstead

Grimstead, Virginia

Grimstead is an unincorporated community in Mathews County, Virginia, United States. Grimstead is located on Gwynn's Island north-northeast of Mathews. Grimstead has a post office with ZIP code 23064....

 are located on the island.

History

Archeological evidence found on Gwynn's Island indicates that the island was inhabited as early as ten thousand years ago. In 1642, Hugh Gwynn of Jamestown

Jamestown, Virginia

Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...

 purchased the island; he and his family became the first English settlers there. Gwynn's Island served as a base for Lord Dunmore

John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore

John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore was a British peer and colonial governor. He was the son of William Murray, 3rd Earl of Dunmore, and his wife Catherine . He is best remembered as the last royal governor of the Colony of Virginia.John was the eldest son of William and Catherine Murray, and nephew...

, the last royal governor of Virginia, after the burning of Norfolk

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

. A smallpox outbreak and attacks by the revolting patriots led Dunmore to leave the island in the summer of 1776.