Product Description

The Treasure of Assateague Island is a blend of real life boyhood adventures and old Eastern Shore tales. There was a fishing trawler named the Rachel out of Chincoteague, Virginia. The captain (Fin) and his brother (Burl) were the crew. They went out one day and they didn't come back. The story told to me was that the Rachel sank because one of them probably went into the engine room with a lit cigarette and she blew up.

My sister told the other tale to me. Two fishermen lived in a small fishing village on the seaside with their wives. They went out fishing one morning, but they weren't having much luck. They decided to go over to Cobb Island, one of the offshore barrier beaches to swim and to hunt for shells. They told their wives that they had found something very valuable but that they couldn't bring it back home with them. They told them not to tell anyone about it, assembled the necessary equipment, and went back the next day to recover it; but they never returned. My sister thought that they had found something so big that it took special equipment to handle it. They were returning home when a storm came up and they sank with the "treasure".

I have blended these two events with my own experiences from living a very adventurous life on Cincoteague in the late '40s and early '50s. The fictional part about Blackbeard is historically accurate. The story is told from life experiences.

The Treasure of Assateague Island is about a twelve-year-old boy named Frankie and his friend Skip and the treasure they find on Assateague Island. The treasure was buried hundreds of years ago by Blackbeard the Pirate. The story relates their attempts to recover the treasure; and the attempts of two villains (Fin and Burl) to take it from them. But, it is more than that. It is about tales that were told and a life that still exists in pockets on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland but is fading fast. It is about a strong and independent people. It is about the beauty of the place and a time not so long ago.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2424679 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-22
• Released on: 2005-06-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

About the Author

Frank Stringfellow was born in Cheriton, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia October 27, 1940. He lived in Cape Charles, Chinoteague, and Wattsville. He was raised on Chinoteague Island during the late '40s and early '50s when the people lived off of the ocean. It was relatively primitive as there was no Chesapeake Bay Bridge or Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel connecting the Eastern Shore to mainland Virginia. There was also no bridge connecting Chinoteague and Assateague Islands.

Frank lived the best of both worlds past and future in he present. He experienced the outdoor adventures of Frankie and Skip in that he lived on the "gut", a narrows between Chinoteague channel and Chicoteague Bay. He enjoyed a freedom when summer days were timeless and one's mother told you "Be home by dinner". The day was ll your's and it became an adventure. Freedom demanded responsibility, respect for nature, appreciation for beauty, and yes, even danger.

Chinoteague naval Air Station was visible from his back door. He saw the development of jet aircraft and rocketry from Wallops Island, which introduced him to the beauty and excitement of science.

He graduated from Atlantic High School (Arcadia) in 1958, earned a B.S. degree from St. Louis University in 1962, a Master of Arts from Drake University in 1964, and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1967. he worked for the USDA in Beltsville, MD. for 32 years as a zoologist and authored (or co-authored) over 40 publications.

Frank is retired and lives in Greenbelt, Maryland with his wife Therese. They have two children, mary and John. He enjoys his grandchildren, hobbies: wildlife biology, writing, painting, Senior Olympics, and travel.

Customer Reviews

Eight to Twelve Year Olds Will Enjoy This
A simple adventure story for anyone who likes tales of buried treasure. It won't entertain adults much but good for young readers or bedtime story. More homey than professional storytelling. Eight to 12 year olds would probably find it most entertaining. Although I believe a child would have to be at least 9 and a good reader to
read it independently.