[1] During the early 1800s, John Markley purchased Barbadoes Island, where he cut down a number of trees in order to farm the land and build a home.

Regular events held on the island during the summers prior to 1820 included horse races and parades by local militia units.

In August 1849, a large gathering was held on the island to celebrate the end of a global cholera epidemic.

In 1880, Isaac McHorse planted a large wheat field on eighty acres of island land that he had leased.

Power plants fueled by gas, coal, and oil occupied the island in post-World War II era until recently.