1978 Map of Quinby Inlet

About this map

Hog Island dominates this orthophotomap, showing the dynamic barrier island landscape of Virginia's Eastern Shore in the late 1970s. The aerial imagery captures the shifting sands and intricate tidal systems of the Chimney Pole Marsh and the wide expanse of Hog Island Bay. Of significant historical interest is the location of Broadwater, a settlement that once thrived on the island before the sea's encroachment forced its evacuation. This survey records the shoreline and sediment patterns at Quinby Inlet, providing a clear visual record of the barrier island's shape before decades of coastal erosion further altered its footprint. Unlike traditional line-drawn maps, the photography revealed here by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the actual density of vegetation and the exact reach of the Atlantic Ocean against the dunes.