In telling others about our trip to Chincoteague, several have mentioned that they have never read the book.
Award winning book
What? Not read Misty of Chincoteague, one of the best written children’s books ever?
Hailed as the best children’s chapter book in 1947, Misty of Chincoteague won the annual Newberry Award.
Beloved children’s book author, Marguerite Henry has written numerous wonderful books about horses.
Marguerite Henry’s first successful book: Justin Morgan had a Horse
Of all the horse books that have ever been written, Marguerite Henry’s books are the ones who can charm the reader into the history, culture, and geography surrounding the beauty of various horses.
Her first famous children’s book, Justin Morgan Had a Horse, tells the beginning of the Morgan horse breed.
This book was fun to read because Almanzo Wilder, husband to Laura Ingalls Wilder of the Little House books, grew up raising Morgan horses and won Laura’s heart with his own Morgans when they met in Dakota Territory.
For this book Henry handpicked the illustrator for her book, Wesley Dennis.
Enchanted by her story, he was willing to illustrate her book for free.
His charming illustrations drew readers to her engaging story and the famous writer/illustrator team was born.
Marguerite Henry’s Second Successful Book: Misty of Chincoteague
The team’s next book was about the wild ponies of Assateague Island…centering on the adorable Misty.
Legends of the wild ponies
Apparently, scientists do not consider these to be true ponies.
Genetically, there are different main breeds of horses: ponies (small), horses (mid-size), and draft horses (large).
Although no one knows where the wild seashore ponies came from, there are many legends.
Spanish galleon sunk in the 1600s
The favorite legend is that in the early 1600’s, a Spanish galleon full of horses sunk off the reef in a terrible Nor’easter (like a spring hurricane, but worse).
The horses swam ashore onto Assateague and roamed the island, inbreeding and eating salt marsh grass, both of which eventually stunted their growth.
They are now larger than a pony but smaller than a horse.
Short and stocky, they are well adapted to survival on Assateague Island.
Black Beard the Pirate
Another story is that the infamous pirate Black Beard delivered horses to his wife who lived there.
17th century tax evasion
Historians consider the more plausible theory to be that early colonists of the 17th century took their horses to Assateague Island to avoid taxes.
That doesn’t make any sense to me. Horses were necessary for farming and transportation back then.
My favorite story is the Spanish galleon story, which is the one Marguerite Henry chose for her the opening pages of her book.
Known existence of these ponies in the 1700s
I purchased a book about Assateague and found a primary source document recording the known existence of these wild ponies in the 1700’s.
George Washington rode a Chincoteague Pony
When we were at Mount Vernon a few months ago, the guy who drove us around the Pioneer Farm on the hay wagon told us that George Washington once rode a Chincoteague pony.
I wasn’t sure how to ask him for the veracity of that information and we were in a hurry to see the British arrive.
But I wonder. You have to cross the Chesapeake (on a huge bridge today) to get to the peninsula.
Then once you near Chincoteague, you drive through a large marsh on an obviously man-made strip of land for vehicles.
I can’t imagine how anyone would easily go to Assateague in the 1700s.
I know Washington was a surveyor but I thought he focused on the West.
Perhaps he surveyed in the East and came across the ponies? That would be interesting to discover.
Chincoteague Fire Department establishes Pony Penning Day
Since the early 20th century, the Chincoteague fire department gained ownership of the wild ponies and established the annual Pony Penny Day, held the last week in July.
On Wednesday, the men take their horses by ferry to cross the channel to Assateague.
These cowboys then round up the wild herds and have the ponies swim across the channel to Chincoteague Island.
This is a huge event, with locals and tourists from far and wide waiting in boats and on shore to see the ponies taken to the fair grounds.
Thursday, the auction sells the young ponies, with proceeds going to the fire department.
On Friday, the cowboys herd the unsold ponies across the channel to Assateague to roam wild for another year.
Misty of Chincoteague Synopsis
Marguerite Henry’s book, Misty of Chincoteague, tells the story of Grandma and Grandpa Beebe who raise their two orphaned grandchildren, Paul and Maureen. (This was a real family.)
Grandpa Beebe buys ponies on Pony Penning Day to sell throughout the year to mainlanders who want a Chincoteague pony for their children.
Dreaming of buying their own pony, Paul and Maureen seek jobs to earn money.
Since Grandpa Beebe sells untamed ponies, they ask if they can tame the ponies, so that grandpa can sell them for more.
The children learned from their grandpa how to properly train ponies.
Do not break the pony in, that is the quick way.
The sure way is to gentle them. (That was interesting because one of the actors at Colonial Williamsburg told us that is how the horses are tamed for the crowds at CW.)
It is wonderful to see how Paul and Maureen gentle the ponies.
After all the ponies are sold, Paul and Maureen look for more work around town, such as digging for crabs and clams and doing odd jobs.
Specifically, the children pine for one particular wild pony, the elusive Phantom of the Pied Piper’s herd, whom their father had told them about in the years before his death.
Previous Pony Pennings failed to capture her, but the children are determined to corral Phantom.
Paul rides with the other cowboys on Pony Penning Day, and successfully brings in the Phantom, because she is slowed down by her baby.
When Paul sees the baby lying in the mist, he names her Misty.
However Grandpa Beebe warns Paul and Maureen that an older wild pony cannot be tamed.
Gripping children’s book of love, courage, and loyalty
Can the children buy two ponies when they only saved enough money for one?
Can they buy them before anyone else?
Can they tame the Phantom?
Lessons of love, courage, and loyalty abound in this touching fictional story that is based on real people and events..
There is really a Beebe family (we met them).
There is really a Beebe Ranch (we were there).
There was really a Pied Piper, Phantom, Misty, and Stormy…all Chincoteague ponies from the books. (we got to pet Misty’s descendant)
Chincoteague Island still has Pony Penning Day. (we missed it by a couple of weeks)
Assateague Island still has wild ponies (we saw them).
If you have never read Misty of Chincoteague, run, do not walk, run, to the nearest library and get a copy.
You will be transported to a charming vintage island with simple childhood joys of yesterday, filled with dreams, drama, and emotion, surrounded by commitment, courage, faithfulness and love.
Oh, that’s right, we visited Misty’s island of yesterday’s simplicity and joys last weekend.
The downhome friendliness of Chincoteague, the mystique of the Assateague ponies and the charm of Misty’s story lives on.
Comments from my old blog location
Sheryl Lewis June 29, 2010 at 5:08 AM -Your research is very good. I was born and raised on Chincoteague Island and still live only ten miles away. Life really was as depicted in that book and movie. Most of the townspeople were extras in the movie. I went to school with one of the two little red-haired girls eating cotton candy in the carnival scene. Interestingly enough, I have never been to Pony Penning. I lived about a quarter-mile away from where the horses come ashore but the traffic and crowds were always too much me. Most locals go out to see it by boat. When my children were growing up they always had a lemonade stand in our front yard on pony penning day. They usually made enough for the spending money for the whole year. Misty is a beautiful story and your article about it is well-written and interesting. Miss Molly’s Inn (a bed and breakfast on Main Street in Chincoteague) was a boarding house type business when Marguerite Henry stayed there while doing research for her book. There is a plaque outside the door of the room in which she stayed. I thought you’d find that an interesting piece of insider information. Great article. -Sheryl Lewis
