Berlin, one of many small-town gems on the Maryland-Virginia Eastern Shore, has a wealth of historic houses and an especially well-preserved commercial district from the late 1800s; the uniform architectural look of the Victorian-era buildings along Main Street resulted from a destructive fire in 1805, after which the town rebuilt in brick, and the Calvin B. Taylor Museum, a restored house from the early 1800s, presents local history. Snow Hill became the commercial, cultural, and civic center of Worcester County and is known for its fine collection of houses from the 1700s and 1800s, with more than 100 predating 1875, many along Federal Street; local history can be explored at the Julia A. Purnell Museum, and nearby the Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum preserves an 1800s iron furnace and restored buildings from the village that grew around it. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, one of the world's oldest launch sites, has launched thousands of rockets since opening in 1945, and its research airport, tracking facilities, and launch range support government, commercial, and academic projects. Chincoteague, both a town and an island, has long been known for seafood, especially oysters; a bridge linked it to the mainland in 1922, and it became a popular recreation area and low-key resort while serving as the gateway to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the southern end of Assateague Island.