Andy Thompson paddles to Sharp’s Island in the middle of the James River near downtown Richmond. (Photo by Jay Paul)
There are some wonderful vacation rentals in Richmond — splendid Museum District row houses, cozy North Side bungalows, even a couple of treehouses.
Then there’s the island in the middle of the James River, just upstream from Mayo Bridge and a stone’s throw from downtown Richmond.
Adventurous guests can book a cabin on Sharp’s Island — complete with a grill, bar, rooftop deck and all the surrounding land — for just north of $100 a night, on average. The 1-acre island, accessible only by boat, was purchased in 2018 by a group of 10 friends led by Andy Thompson, a former Riverside Outfitters owner and onetime outdoors columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch who saw the piece of land for sale and had a vision.
“It was Andy’s idea to purchase Sharp’s Island,” co-owner James Driscoll says. “He called a couple buddies and started explaining this idea over the phone. He said, ‘It might sound like a crazy idea ...’ and I said, ‘I’m in.’
“Andy is a bit of a crazy genius,” Driscoll adds. “He loves Sharp’s Island. He has such optimism and vision for what Sharp’s Island can become.”
By 2019, Thompson and the rest of the team had constructed a 10-by-10-foot platform and an outhouse on the island to make camping there more comfortable.
“People started wanting to stay out there. Over the years, we’ve used money from Airbnb and [camping reservation platform] Hipcamp to make upgrades,” Thompson says.
Thompson inside the cabin on Sharp’s Island (Photo by Jay Paul)
Thompson, Driscoll and their friends have built more than one shelter on Sharp’s Island, but nearly every structure was eventually destroyed by flooding. Driscoll says the latest cabin — 9 feet by 14 feet and outfitted with a couch and chairs but no door, plumbing or electricity — has proven able to withstand a flood of at least 19 feet. “Who knows, maybe this one will last a few years,” he says, adding, “This is the age-old story of whoever owns Sharp’s Island. People keep building things, and they keep getting destroyed.”
Sharp’s Island (with the two-story Sharp house visible at left) in 1955 (Photo courtesy The Valentine)
The earliest known structure on the island was a cabin where, in 1853, 17-year-old George Sharp Jr. accidentally blew his hand off with a musket. The story made the pages of the Richmond Daily Dispatch, but further mentions of the island are rare; the property flits in and out of the public record. A 1922 reenactment of Christopher Newport and John Smith planting a cross at the Falls of the James took place on the island, and in 1950, the Richmond Times-Dispatch Magazine pictured Russell Sharp sitting on the porch of his two-story island house.
One of architect Henry Tenser’s steel cubes on its way to Sharp’s Island in 1972 (Photo courtesy Andy Thompson and Henry Tenser)
One of the most distinctive constructions on the island was an avant-garde house composed of steel cubes conceived by architect Henry Tenser, who purchased the island in 1968. The unfinished structure was destroyed by Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and its remains are still scattered around the island.
All previous structures have been lost to Mother Nature, Thompson says. “Anything that’s now open on Sharp’s Island had to be hacked out of the wilderness.” That includes the bar, outhouse, art installations — including Edwards the Fisherman, a sculpture by local artist Keith Ramsey — and trails. Recent additions include a 12-by-24-foot wooden deck, Starlink internet access and new firepits.
“You have to get there by boat,” Thompson says. “When the water is super low, you can walk some of the rapids and swim, but there’s no bridge. That’s one of the alluring things — it’s work to get out there and back. Once you’re out there, the feeling of seclusion is amazing. You can see skyscrapers, but with all the rapids around you, you feel so much privacy.”
“You can’t hear any traffic. There’s very little light pollution. You could be in the middle of nowhere,” Driscoll adds. “Of course, it has some bugs and critters, but depending on the time of the year, it’s just absolutely great.”
“People are surprised at how tidal it is,” Thompson says. “The banks are sandy. In a manner of speaking, the Chesapeake Bay ends right there.
“In the spring, you’ve got shad, herring and striped bass,” he continues. “The rest of the year, you can fish for big blue catfish and smallmouth bass. Ospreys and blue herons are everywhere.”
Driscoll says the other landowners in their group envisioned a fun place to have barbecues and hang out together, but Thompson “saw past that layer. He saw that there would be public interest in this.”
“We did one corporate event back in the fall, and that opened my eyes to more possibilities,” Thompson says. “I think it’d be really cool to have a band out there.” Thompson also records a podcast on Sharp’s Island where he interviews local figures who have paddled there with him, with videos and project updates on YouTube.
Thompson on the cabin’s roof deck (Photo by Jay Paul)
Thompson and Driscoll recently joined with four other friends to purchase Goat Island, just upriver of the Z-Dam near the Huguenot Bridge.
“There’s so much demand at Sharp’s Island, we thought we should build a platform at Goat Island and see if people want to camp out there, too,” Driscoll explains. “It’s quieter and calmer up there, but just as pretty. It’s a great place to fish and swim and camp out.”
Goat Island has not yet been listened on Airbnb or Hipcamp, but Thompson and Driscoll are ready to get to work.
“The two islands have very different personalities,” Thompson says. “There are grapevine and thorns everywhere. There are muddy banks and massive sycamore trees. It’s very beautiful in a different way.”
Driscoll says he’s looking forward to what they can build at Goat Island. “I’ve got a good track record of following Andy’s crazy ideas,” he says.
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