The Old Assateague Island Hunting Lodges
Known today as a national park, Assateague was once the premier duck hunting destination on the east coast. Many local hunters built lodges, some for profit, but mostly just to enjoy the awesome hunting and to get away from their wives..........one lodge was actually called "The Hen-Pecked Lodge" but was burned down many years ago. I have photographed the remaining buildings which are now sealed. Included are imags of some of the interiors which a previous superintendent gave permission (at my own risk) to photograph. When the island became a National Seashore, owners were paid for their properties and given up to 25 years to continue to use them, this time has long expired and the NPS is just letting them "naturally rot away"...seems a shame to me, but after talking to Carl Zimmerman about them I understand the impracticability of the situation.. But A lot of history lost here. My fishing mentor, Capt. Mac Simpson, now 90 worked at some of these lodges when he was sixteen as a guide. He was kind enough to spend most of several winters hiking to all the clubs and telling me many a story of the "good ole days." Since then I have hiked and explored pretty much of the 12 miles of "Oversand Vehicles" area and re-photographed much as digital cameras have come a long way since 2003...enjoy! P.S. I have attempted to be accurate in my captions but I am not an historian nor claim to be one.....One other thing, the photos are in sort of an order and the captions contain information that was verbaly given to me by folks who actually experienced these wonderful places......,THE CAPTIONS ARE THE GOLD IN THIS GALLERY! The captions,at times, flow into the next image so if you have the time or inclination run through them in order.......allen
"What it was like to stay at Green Run in it's heyday!"
Please enjoy Mr. Bill Hastings Memories of Green Run Lodge, Bill spent his childhood up to the age of 16 helping his Uncle Bob Jackson and family run the lodge. Mr. Hastings is way over seventy now but his memories are fresh as a pot of lodge coffee…….Hunters paid thirty five dollars a day which, of course, included everything but your ammunition and booze. This is as he spoke into a cassette tape recorder while walking;
“ They had a 36 ft boat named the “Four Jacks” which picked up hunters at Public Landing and brought them up Birch’s Creek….they put everybody in their rooms, got squared away…….they always had a fire going in the fireplace, a big fireplace they had some tremendous mission style leather chairs and sofas……you talk about comfort, now this was comfort it was something else…. and everybody would start intermingling and then of course the big bell in the hallway would ring and it was suppertime……and then the meal started……..and every Sunday night that’s when they would have their big welcome meal I mean they used to have one hell ova spread I’m talking about anything you could think of, roast beef, steaks, chops they didn’t have any peanut butter sandwiches I’m telling ya. Coffee, always pies for desert………now I know I’m talking and rambling walking down this country road in Arkansas but I sure can remember all these things…….They had a couple cooks down there, these guys came out of New Orleans and they were real chef’s one his name was Bass, I don’t remember ever calling him anything but Bass, now he’s a black guy, they had another black guy named Porkchop his name was Melvin Brown….he of course was the old Louisiana type cook. Normally about the middle of the week they would always put on a big spread in there with a big old platter and they may have fifty ducks on that darn thing it was heaped up and all the trimmings that went with a duck dinner……..at about 4:30 am everyone would get up and when they got up, honestly and truly, some of the breakfast’s there were better than anything you could get in New York……we’re talking about big pancakes, eggs three ways, toast by the bucket load…. the coffee was always going, those big two gallon pots were kept full all day, the coffee never went bad…….after breakfast the hunters would leave just before daylight to hit the blinds.
![The first time I saw this photo I was flabbergasted, airplanes landing on the beach where I have fished for the last 20 years! The planes landed at Foxhill Levels. Is that neat or what! Thanks to Dewey Parsons for sharing the photo! RIP Dewey.<br />
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Landing on the beach was a bit tricky especially for first timers, often the plane would nose over and bend the propeller.....no problem there was always someone who would fly a new one down in a couple hours. The bent props were hung on a lodge wall for "discussion"!<br />
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A brochure, believed to be dated 1949-50, describes the [original] lodge as follows: "accommodations for 28 persons and<br />
facilities have been installed for men and women . . . inside showers and toilets, recreational rooms, with fire-place; billiard<br />
and card tables .. . large Electric Plant for light and power.... Bed lights for night reading with press button in each room for<br />
service to guests .. . modern sanitary sewerage system .. . the superintendent and his wife, guides and porters cater to the<br />
pleasure of guests. The Club also has a chef that knows Maryland cooking and how good food should be served .. . prepares<br />
and packs hot lunches for the Gunners ... . Porter Service is maintained at the Lodge, and not one item of service is missing . .<br />
.. Guides are all experienced . . . have followed the hunting business all their lives . . . All guides and employees are housed<br />
and roomed separately, hence their early morning preparations to go to the blinds do not disturb the guests until breakfast call<br />
is made ... . The Lodge has over 500 wooden Geese and Duck decoys; several motor boats, out-board motor boats, and<br />
several skiffs to haul decoys to the blinds. The Lodge also has one light draft motor boat, which has a covered cabin with a<br />
very light draught [sic], built just for going to and from the shore and Island blinds. . .Green Run Lodge has some 32 shooting<br />
blinds ... . We have Chesapeake Bay Retrievers at our Lodge. Guests are permitted to bring free of charge their Retrievers to<br />
our Lodge ... . Thousands of Black Ducks are hatched and reared in the Lakes at present, in fact more Black Ducks are reared<br />
at Green Run Lodge, than are legally killed there in Season .. . rates are $30.00 per day per guest for Duck and Goose<br />
shooting. This price includes Guides, motor boats to and from the blinds, room and board, including hot lunches and all<br />
conveniences thereto attached, also meeting you and party on mainland by motor boat or car, at a place we will designate ... .<br />
Our Airport is approximately 5,000 feet long and 2,500 feet wide ... . There have been seventy-nine airplanes on our Strip at](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/The-Old-Assateague-Island/i-GfhCqcc/0/4d550ed1/Ti/AAA_7918sm-Ti.jpg)
