hog island is one of the virginia barrier islands located southeast of exmore in northampton county, virginia, and is a part of the virginia coast reserve of the nature conservancy. the island, then known as machipongo island was first settled in 1672 by a group of 22 english colonists. the island was later abandoned and remained uninhabited until around the time of the american revolution when it was resettled. in the late 1800s, at least five lavish hunting and fishing clubs that primarily catered to wealthy sportsmen from the northeast were established on virginia's barrier islands; one of the largest was in the town of broadwater, virginia, on hog island. founded in the mid-19th century the town was located in a clearing in the pine forest two miles from the ocean in the center of the island. in the 1930s when rapid beach erosion caused by several hurricanes that flooded the entire island made its continued existence untenable, many of the houses and other buildings in the town of broadwater were floated by barge to the mainland and still stand in the towns of willis wharf and oyster today.