CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — Author's note: The video above is on file from April 14, 2021.
A storm on Virginia's Eastern Shore unearthed some hidden treasure in Chincoteague.
Historical treasure, anyway.
A photographer who was walking along the Assateague Beach with Step Through Time Tours came across remnants of a wooden ship that had been unearthed by the storm.
Estelle Elliott said she visits the beach regularly and often sees pieces of boats that wash up from the water after a storm, but this wreck was unusual.
"It's in what was once a sand dune, so that's pretty interesting, that it's so far inland," she said.
No experts have been out to identify the boat, but a post on the Step Through Time Tours' Facebook page said it was a type of ship that had both wooden and metal pegs.
"There are literally hundreds of wrecks off the coast of Assateague and several imbedded [sic] in the island sands, just like this one," the post reads. "One of the best parts of the winter months is being able to explore on the beach and see what Mother Nature unearths."
Cindy Faith, a spokesperson for the tour company, said this was just one of three wrecks they've found as the weather shifts things around in 2021.