Chincoteague Island, Va.- The Chincoteague Museum officially purchased The Beebe Ranch. The property was the home of Misty of Chincoteague, the famed pony from the 1947 novel that helped the ranch become a landmark and tourist attraction. The museum was able to raise $625,000 to officially purchase the property on Friday morning. Executive Director of the museum Cindy Faith says this is a story of people from everywhere coming together.
"It's rare that you get the opportunity to save something it's often after the fact when you say, 'I wish I could have...', here the chance and it was offered to us and people stepped up and said we're gonna give it everything we got and we hope it's gonna work and it's just an incredible thing," said Faith.
Faith said donations came from all over the world, like from Europe and South America, and that the museum was sent a thousand letters of support. Faith estimates nearly 5,000 people donated to the fundraising effort.
As for what comes next, Faith says the museum is looking to rebuild the barn so it is more comfortable for the ponies and build a space for the public where they can learn about the history of the ranch and Chincoteague Island.