Many years ago, before the sportsmen hunters
arrived, Monkey Island had been inhabited by the Pumonkey tribe of Indians.
On the northern end of the island is the remains of the Indian burial
ground. Ownership records of the island date back to 1886 when Samuel McHorney sold the property to
Benjamin Simmons for $15.00 The island
was bought and sold several times after that, and on August 7, 1919, the
Monkey Island Gunning Club, Inc. was issued a charter by the state of
Virginia. The property consisted of some 1,000 acres and the
membership stock was priced at $5,000 per share. Listed in the charter
were L.W. Davis, Norfolk, president; W.H. Nicholson, Littleton, N.C.,
vice-president; and W.A. Davis, Norfolk, secretary/treasurer. The
charter was changed in September 1919 and the name was changed to the Monkey
Island Club. In 1927 Charles A. Penn, vice-president of The American
Tobacco Company became a member of the club. In 1931 Penn acquired the
stock of the remaining members. The club was owned by the Penn family
until 1974 when it was sold to the Monkey Island Investment Venture Corp.
for three million dollars. At this time the property consisted of
about two miles of ocean frontage, Monkey Island, Mary Island, Raccoon
Island, and Lungreen Island. Before 1974 the Monkey Island Club had
been operated as a private club, now with new owners the club was opened to
the public for waterfowl hunting. Travis Morris was employed as
manager. Others employed at this time were Gene and Shirley Austin,
Ambrose Twiford, and Jack and Sylvia Jarvis. The 8-bedroom clubhouse
has a large club room, kitchen, dining room, gun room, and two and a half
bathrooms on the first floor. On the second floor are quarters for
servants. Adjacent to the clubhouse is a 3-bedroom cottage for the
caretaker. In the early years a boathouse was on the eastern side of
the island in front of the clubhouse. The clubhouse is believed to
have been built in the 1880's. Today the Monkey Island property is
owned by the Nature Conservancy.
