False Cape State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

located on the Currituck Banks Peninsula, but within the city of

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

, from

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Virginia is located in the independent city of Virginia Beach. Established in 1938 in an isolated portion of the former Princess Anne County, it is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. ...

to the state border with

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Access is generally by foot or bicycle through the wildlife refuge from Virginia, or by boat or canoe from either the bayside or Atlantic shoreline. The park and former Wash Woods community therein gained their respective names because some mariners mistakenly believed it a

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

near

Cape Henry Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to the long estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Ch ...

and the Chesapeake Bay further north (or to the now-landlocked

Currituck Sound Currituck Sound ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Albemarle Sound Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan River, Chowan and Roanoke River, Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean b ...

much further south). Some would run aground, particularly in severe weather, then their cargo washed ashore. The Currituck Banks Peninsula is a sandy spit between the Back Bay of the

Currituck Sound Currituck Sound ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, and just north of

Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1960 to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl, primarily the Snow goose, greater snow goose. It is located almost entirely on Knotts Island, North Carolina, Knotts Island in the Curritu ...

in North Carolina. False Cape State Park entrance sign

History

This area of the Atlantic coast is sometimes nicknamed the

Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, which are due to the coast's shifting sands and inlets. To a lesser degree, this nickname has a ...

because of shifting sandbars in the shallow waters, as well as treacherous shoals and severe and sudden weather changes that menace mariners. The low-lying shrubs and sand of this peninsula from a distance be easily mistaken for

, which lies about to the north at the mouth of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. Ships and boats looking to enter Chesapeake Bay to the north or

to the south, or blown off course by gales or hurricanes, could easily run aground. In the 17th or 18th centuries, shipwreck survivors developed the now abandoned community of Wash Woods. Residents supported themselves by fishing, farming or salvage operations. Later occupations also included hunting guides and rescue boat crewmen. The village's church and other structures were built using

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

wood that washed ashore from wrecks. The

United States Life-Saving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian eff ...

, founded in 1878 (which in 1915 merged into the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

), had four stations at six-mile intervals between Cape Henry and Little Island. In the early 20th century, several hunt clubs built lodges in what became the park, to take advantage of the area's abundant

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

. The small community that surrounded the Little Island station was completely destroyed by a tropical hurricane on August 25, 1933. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

completed several flood control projects in what became the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The Wash Woods Environmental Education Center is a converted hunt clubhouse. At the south end of False Cape is a monument with "Va." on one side and "N Ca" on the other. Although it reads "A.D. 1728" on the top, it was more likely erected in 1887 when the boundary was surveyed again, since the original marker was a simple cedar post. "A.D. 1728" refers to the year

William Byrd II William Byrd II (March 28, 1674August 26, 1744) was an American planter, lawyer, surveyor and writer. Born in the English colony of Virginia, Byrd was educated in London, where he practiced law. Upon his father's death, Byrd returned to Virginia ...

and Virginia and North Carolina officials directed the first survey of the current boundary. One of the earliest documented shipwrecks in the area occurred in January 1738, when a ship from Plymouth, England carrying about 300 potential Protestant colonists from Switzerland wrecked. Accounts differ as to whether about 60 or 80 survived, but frozen bodies were recovered for many miles along the coast and in salt marshes near the Lynnhaven River (central Virginia Beach). Their leader, John Ochs (whose fate is not recorded), had corresponded with Byrd about settling his followers on the land near the Roanoke River (to the west) which Byrd had received in compensation for that survey. Undeveloped portions of the park were dedicated as the False Cape Natural Area Preserve in 2002.

Facilities and access issues

The park features hiking and biking trails. Its visitors' center has historical exhibits and a store, as well as water and restrooms. A former hunting lodge is now an

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discipli ...

center. Primitive campsites are available but often fully reserved May through October. However, it has no campsites suitable for recreational vehicles, which cannot access the park, but can access

First Landing State Park First Landing State Park (formerly Seashore State Park) offers recreational opportunities at Cape Henry in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. As the first planned state park of Virginia, First Landing is listed on the National ...

at the northern end of Virginia Beach, or Kiptopeke State Park at Cape Charles across Chesapeake Bay. Certain tour buses (schedule link at park website and reservations required) can access the park through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. North Carolina currently permits oceanfront vehicle access, but vehicles which authorities deem likely to get stuck in the sand (especially recreational vehicles) may be turned back. Limited beach vehicular access remains for grandfathered permit holders. Some groups have advocated further restrictions on vehicle access by dune buggies, sport utility vehicle and balloon-tired trucks. Although the park permits leashed dogs, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge prohibits dogs, including dogs left in cars in its parking lot, as well as in the northernmost mile of its Atlantic beach. The refuge also restricts pedestrian and other access to some trails within it (including those leading to the False Cape visitors' center) between November and March.signage onsite

References

External links

False Cape State Park

with photos of remains of Wash Woods
Museumsusa.org, False Cape State Park webpage

VirginiaBeach.com
{{authority control State parks of Virginia Wetlands of Virginia Parks in Virginia Beach, Virginia Nature centers in Virginia Landforms of Virginia Beach, Virginia

History

Facilities and access issues

See also

References

External links