It’s been 20 years since my last visit to Onancock. As I drive into this picturesque Virginia town low on the Delmarva Peninsula, its historic homes and tidy steeples surprise me once again. How did it spring up here in the first place?
Water, of course. Running four miles from the Chesapeake Bay, the deep, brackish waters of Onancock Creek attracted Colonial settlers. Incorporated by the British in 1682 as a port of entry for Accomack County, Onancock has provided a safe harbor for centuries.
This time around I’m traveling with my friend Jan, and our first stop is for doughnuts at the Corner Bakery on Market Street, where the light and luscious éclairs cost 83 cents apiece. Between bites we ask for visitor tips. “You want to see Danny’s gallery,” the woman behind the counter advises. “It’s open…sometimes.”
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