Tippity Wichity Island is known for its shady past, yet it remains a colorful place to visit. Just 90 minutes from Washington D.C., the 5-acre enclave is worth the trip.
Gail and John Harmon, the current owners of the island believe that it served as a brothel after Captain Henry Howgate operated it during the Civil War.
According to the listing from Sotheby’s, records show Howgate was one of the first residents of Tippity Wichity Island. Furthermore, the listing adds that he purchased it in 1879.
According to an article published in 1895 by The News, Howgate had a long history of convictions for fraud and embezzlement.
The Harmons bought the island as a timeshare in the 1970s for $125,000 from an ad they saw in the classified section of the Washingtonian. They said that when they moved to Washington for a military commitment, they had been searching for a vacation home near water.
The advertisement included a quote from William Shakespeare’s play, “Richard II,” that read: “This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself.”
“[We] were blown away by how wonderful it was,” Gail Harmon reminisced about their first time visiting the island.
The Harmons told Insider that, for the past thirty years, they alternated weekends with another couple. However, nearly a decade ago the other pair decided to sell their share of the house to them.
The land served a different purpose before it became a place that people visit for leisure.
In 2017, while taking a Potomac River cruise and passing Tippity Wichity Island, Jody Argo Schroath – an editor of Chesapeake Bay Magazine – reported locals’ beliefs that the name suggests a bordello was built on the island following the Civil War.
“It’s a corruption of the name ‘Tippling and Witchery Island,’ named for a house of ill-repute located there following the Civil War,” Schroath wrote.
Gail’s friend told her that the island could’ve been an illegal distillery too during the Prohibition Area in the 1920s. The father would import casks of whiskey to the island back then, according to what was revealed by the friend.
“It was a perfect place to meet your purchasers,” she stated. “If the federal government came up the river, you could go roll off the back.”
Just a five-minute boat ride from the shore, this island is complete with an electric system and backup generator, perfect for those who want to live there full time.
This package contains a three-bedroom cottage that has an open concept living room and dining area. It also comes with a wood stove. Outside, there is also a dock, beach access, space to launch kayaks and canoes, as well as an outdoor heated pool.
“Washington, D.C., was still a small outpost in the 1800s,” David DeSantis, the broker, said. “It was the wilderness. There was a lot of piracy on the water, it was sort of a lawless environment.”
“By current standards of what people think of in the US as beachfront summer homes, this is still pretty modest,” DeSantis continued. “But it’s got a lot of charm. The house is more like an ‘expanded cottage.’ It’s not like living in a mansion on an island. You could turn it into that if you wanted to but that’s not their vibe.”
The Harmons, who are in their late seventies, said that age was a deciding factor in their choice to sell the island they have cherished for so long.
“It’s bittersweet,” Gail stated.
