PEOPLE, PLACES AND TRADITIONS 1(6*'.19'40146*'400'%-#0&/+&&.'2'0+057.#†2019 JIM & PAT CARTER REAL ESTATE Matching People and Chesapeake Bay Homes Since 1957 ,WDOOEHJDQRYHUVL[GHFDGHVDJR,QZKHQP\SDUHQWV-LPDQG3DW&DUWHURSHQHGDUHDOHVWDWH¿UPLQ:KLWH6WRQH7KH1RUWKHUQ1HFNZDV only a couple of dozen years removed from when steamboats came calling, moving people and cargo in the time-honored, centuries-old way – by water. 7KH&DUWHUVRSHQHGWKHLURI¿FHLQWKHFHQWHURIWKHYLOODJHRI:KLWH6WRQH-XVWDPLOHRUWZRDZD\WKH5REHUW21RUULV%ULGJHDWZRPLOH VSDQDFURVVWKH5DSSDKDQQRFN5LYHUDOVRRSHQHGUHSODFLQJWKHROGIHUU\VHUYLFH7KHEULGJHPDGHWKHORZHU1RUWKHUQ1HFNPRUHDFFHVVLEOHE\ road, but still the deeply historic peninsula remained a land apart. It developed slowly as a destination locale. Few people detoured from major KLJKZD\VVLPSO\WRSDVVWKURXJKEXWWKRVHZKRGLGZHUHOLNHO\WRUHWXUQ -LPDQG3DWIHOOLQORYHZLWKWKHFKDUPDQGEHDXW\RIWKH1RUWKHUQ1HFN±LWVEHDFKHVDQGGHHSZDWHUKDUERUVLWV EURDGULYHUVDQGPHDQGHULQJFUHHNVLWVIRUHVWV¿HOGVDQG¿QHKRPHV7KH\UHVSHFWHGWKHKLVWRU\RIWKH1RUWKHUQ1HFN WKHELUWKSODFHRIIUDPHUVRIWKLVGHPRFUDF\8QLWHG6WDWHVSUHVLGHQWVDQGPDQ\RWKHUVZKRVKDSHGRXUFRXQWU\¶V history. 7RJHWKHUWKH\H[SORUHGHYHU\FRXQWU\URDGRIWKLVSHQLQVXODZKLFKLVGRWWHGZLWK¿QHO\SUHVHUYHGKRPHVDQGHVWDWHV IURPDOORIRXUQDWLRQ¶VHUDV7KH\HYHQUHVWRUHGRQHRIWKHDUHD¶VHDUOLHVWKRPHV0XVNHWWRH3RLQWH)DUPIRURXU ever-growing family. 7RGD\RYHUVL[W\\HDUVODWHU-LP 3DW&DUWHU5HDO(VWDWH,QFUHPDLQVDIDPLO\RZQHGERXWLTXHFRPSDQ\/RQJ NQRZQDVDSUHPLHUUHDOHVWDWHEURNHUDJH¿UPLQWKH&KHVDSHDNH%D\UHJLRQ-LP 3DW&DUWHU5HDO(VWDWH,QFLVGHHS RQH[SHULHQFHDQGZHOOSRVLWLRQHGWRVKRZWKH¿QHVWKRPHVHVWDWHVDQGSURSHUWLHVLQWKLVVSHFLDOUHJLRQDQGWRKHOS match them with your desires. Please visit and share our tradition.

EMILY CARTER 349 CHESAPEAKE DRIVE, WHITE STONE, VIRGINIA 22578 804-436-4949 ECarterCountry.com FEATURES 2019

6 22 Safe Haven Young and The migration Determined of Tangier watermen 1969 baseball champions 12 28 Potomac A Past With Pilothouse A Presence Restoring a relic Windows to our heritage

On the cover Photo by Lisa Carol Rose

From left, Lacy Rose, Jr. and son, Captain Shawn Rose, harvest wild 16 native Rappahannock River oysters from the Lady Lindsay. This family of watermen harvest in the Rappahannock, Great Wic- omico, York and James rivers as well as Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds Rooted during the public oyster season which occurs October through February. The Lady Lindsay was built in 1979 by Kenneth Hall of Gloucester. Farming through generations Rose purchased her in 2005 and since had her overhauled at Jennings Boat Yard in Fairport. Lisa Carol Rose, a fifth generation waterman and avid photographer from White Stone, captured this photo of her brother and father in their element while she was working aboard another vessel. Historical photos from Middlesex, Lancaster and For years, Lisa worked alongside her family harvesting oysters and Northumberland counties appear throughout the catching crabs. Recently, she and her boyfriend, Captain Tony Ferguson publication. of Poquoson, opened Miss Mary Seafood in White Stone. Fresh seafood Photos courtesy of Larry S. Chowning, Kilmarnock Museum, right from the boat is featured daily. More of Lisa’s photographs illustrat- and Northumberland County Historical Society ing life on the water can be viewed at Miss Mary Seafood.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß3 eritage and history are synonymous. Our heritage includes valued objects Hand qualities such as traditions passed down from generation to generation, items valued enough today to save for tomorrow. Our history includes events that determine our present and will shape our future. Within the pages of Bay Heritage, the newest supplement from the Rappahannock Record and Southside Sentinel, we explore the culture of living local and celebrate it by paying homage photo by Robyn Charles to what makes our area special. We highlight the industries at the heart of our heritage: seafood, farming and tourism. And honor the people, places and history of the Northern Neck and :Wl HERITAGE is published jointly by the Rappahannock Re- cord, P.O. Box 400, Kilmarnock, Va. 22482, (804) 435-1701, and the Southside Middle Peninsula. Sentinel, P.O. Box 549, Urbanna, Va. 23175, (804) 758-2328. Email: editor@rap- We hope you enjoy the in-depth stories about precord.com or [email protected] the fabric and roots of our community, the pro- files of the people that have shaped our culture News Tom Hardin and Robert D. Mason Jr., editors; Larry S. Chowning, Tom Chillemi, Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi, Megan Schiffres and Jackie and the businesses that have endured. Nunnery Our heritage and history make our rural, water- Advertising Jessica Bell and Hannah Abbott managers; K.C. Troise, front community more than just a place to live, Marilyn Bryant, Susan Graves and Gloria Abbott but make it a place to proudly call home. Production Joseph Gaskins, Susan Simmons, K.C. Troise, Amy DeWolf, Stephanie Feria and Ray Rose Publications Coordinators Susan Simmons and Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi [email protected] & [email protected] & Lisa Account Managers Geanie Longest and Lisa Donant Publishers Fred and Bettie Lee Gaskins

4 „ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 CARTERS CREEK

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4-D Safe haven The Tangier Island migration in 1933 led to generations of local watermen

by Larry S. Chowning „ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 6 ony, Thomas Lee, Donnie and Ricky Walton and Ross and Henry Payne are fourth generation Urbanna watermen, while Lee, Thomas Lee’s son, and Brian, Tony’s son, are fifth T generation. Their ties to Urbanna go back to the August Storm of 1933 when their grandparents, Avery and Dora Payne, left Tangier Island searching for higher ground and a better way of life for their family. Right after the 1933 storm that flooded Tangier, 13 families and over 30 people from the island moved to Urbanna. The Paynes and others came via a boat convoy with everything they owned piled high inside of several small boats. Upon arriving in town, the Payne family moved in with Henry and Rebecca Dize in a two-story home on Howard Street. The Dizes had moved to Urbanna prior to the storm, in 1928, and had established a home in town. When on Tangier, the Dizes had helped raise Avery and, although they were not biological kin, Avery’s children referred to them as their grandparents. Avery’s mother had died in a cholera outbreak on the island when he was 8 years old. Afterwards, Avery and his father boarded with the Dizes who took young Avery under their wings. Avery and Dora had four sons, Melvin, Ed, Jonesey and Carey, and The late Ed Payne (above) is hauling crab pots in the 1980s on the two daughters, Catherine and Beatrice. They all, boys and girls, grew Rappahannock River with his grandson, Ryan. Ed was 2 years old when his parents moved to Urbanna from Tangier after the August up in Urbanna and worked the water at some point in their lives. Avery Storm of 1933. founded Payne’s Crab House in Urbanna in the 1960s and Catherine and Beatrice ran the business until they retired in 2012. They are both deceased. Catherine’s sons, Thomas Lee and Tony, started their own crab shed- ding and oyster packing businesses and established seafood houses on Old Virginia Street, just outside of Urbanna. Catherine’s youngest son, Ricky, is a full-time waterman and her son Donnie helped his mother at the crab house. Lee and Brian continue to work in the family seafood businesses. Ed’s sons Ross and Henry are also commercial crabbers. Their heritage is steeped in local seafood tradition; anecdotal history has Henry Dize as the first Urbanna waterman to harvest hard crabs with crab pots. For generations crabs were caught on baited trotlines until Dize introduced the pot to this area in 1937. He made his own pots that were laced together with cotton twine and wire…no pig rings and no interior upstairs as used today.* Instead of today’s traditional buoy and line system to mark each pot, Dize set stakes and tied his crab pot lines to the stakes. While Henry worked his 36 pots in the Rappahannock River his wife ran a trotline in Perkins Creek to help increase the day’s catch. Henry Dize kept a double sharp-ended skiff powered by a hand oper- ated sculling paddle on Perkins Creek. He oystered and crabbed in the skiff for years, until he had Rob Dudley of Deltaville build a 38-foot round stern deadrise for him. In a 1987 interview, Henry’s grandson, the late Ed Payne, who was 2 years old when he arrived in Urbanna in 1933, said of his grandparents: “He (Henry) was originally from Smith Island [Maryland] and he had

The Charlotte Catherine was built in 2013 Henry and Rebecca Dize at their home in Urbanna. for Thomas Lee and Lee Walton and named after their mother and grandmother, the late Catherine Via. Catherine moved to Urbanna as a child with her parents, Avery and Dora Payne, after the August Storm of 1933. Grandson Lee Walton, at the helm, is a fifth generation Tangier Island/Urbanna waterman.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 7 an old sharp-ended skiff that he could scull as fast as most men could row. I hear from some of the old-timers on Tangier that when Grand- daddy was young he would pole and scull in that same skiff from Smith to Tangier to court Grandma.” His dedication to Rebecca led to a life- long nickname: On Tangier they called him Henry “Loving” Dize. “He was using that same skiff when he was potting hard crabs on the Rappahannock. He would get up early and scull over to Buster Fergu- son’s Seafood dock [on Lagrange Creek] and buy a box of fish for a dollar. A box had 100 pounds in it then. After he got his bait, he’d pole out into the river where he had 36 pots tied to wooden stakes. Grand- daddy would come to a stake, tie his boat to it, pull the pot up, and empty her. He’d take his time. It wasn’t like we are today - going as hard as we can to catch as many crabs as we can. “While Granddaddy was potting, Grandma each morning would run a little trotline in the creek to help out and they would ship their catch to Baltimore. A truck would come to Urbanna each day to pick up crabs. In the early spring, they would get $7.50 a bushel for jimmies (male crabs). That was good money back then. During the summertime, the price would get as low as $3.00 a bushel, and sometimes they didn’t get enough to pay freight. Times were tight but we kids didn’t know it. We were all happy-go-lucky and thought everything that shined was gold.” Henry Dize’s Deltaville deadrise was a step up from his double sharp-ended skiff. A new boat is a generational JC Kinnamon of Tilghman Island, Maryland, delivered the sign for watermen that working the water is paying off. In Charlotte Catherine, a new fiberglass-over-wood 40-foot 2013, Thomas Lee had JC Kinnamon of Tilghman Island, deadrise workboat, to Urbanna in 2013. In the corner of the Maryland, deliver a new fiberglass-over-wood 40-foot stern in a smaller size is “Nano” - the name that Catherine’s nine Henry Dize grandchildren affectionately knew her by. deadrise workboat. The 40-footer was named Charlotte Catherine in honor and respect for his mother, a long- time waterwoman, and up in the corner of the stern in a smaller size was the name “Nano” - the name that her nine grandchildren affectionately knew her by. Northern Neck communities also blessed with the arrival of Tangier Island residents after the ‘33 August Storm were Reedville, Morattico, Irvington and Weems. Over the years, these communities became home for other Tangier Island residents as relatives moved from the island to be closer to family. Dora Payne’s father and mother, John Ross and Lottie Parks, moved to Urbanna in the 1950s to be closer to their family. The August Storm of 1933 wreaked havoc on the region but when the skies cleared and tides receded it brought those with island surnames — Dize, Payne, Shores, Pruitt, Crockett, Parks, Murphy, King, and Thomas — to Urbanna. As time has revealed, the Tangier Island migration of 1933 turned out to be a generational blessing, in more ways than one, for the Town of Urbanna, Middlesex County and those other communities who became a safe haven, and later home, for those Tangier Island families.

* The crab pot was patented and invented in 1928 Ancestors of Avery and Dora Payne, who moved from Tangier to Urbanna after the August Storm by Benjamin F. Lewis of Harryhogan in Northumber- of 1933, are, from left, Thomas Lee, Lee, Tony and Donnie Walton; and Jonesey, Ross and Henry land County. He had a second patent in 1938 which Payne. They have followed in the footsteps of their Tangier ancestors as commercial fishermen. established the section inside the pot referred to as the Ricky and Brian Walton are also ancestors of the Paynes and continue to work on the water. upstairs, which is how they are built today.

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 8 A Network of Care When You Need It

Riverside’s Community Health Network

Primary and Emergency and Senior Living and Home Health Specialty Care Urgent Care Rehabilitation and Hospice

Learn more about Riverside on the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck Riversideonline.com/Community A group of women at the turn of the century prepare to play croquet in Heathsville.

Merry Point Ferry Kilmarnock’s Main Street after the fire of 1915.

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„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 10 Enoch Post Office was started in 1885 by Moat A. Jackson Marshall’s Drug Store and and was in Jackson’s the 5 and 10 cents store in store near Jackson Urbanna can be seen in this Creek Steamboat photo taken in the 1930s. The Wharf. The post 5 and 10 cents store building office closed in was torn down in the 1960s to 1913 but commerce enlarge the drug store to what continued at the it is today. The town post wharf until the August office was located in what is Storm of 1933 today the Bay Design building. when the wharf and canning factory were blown away.

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September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 11 alk into the Steam- boat Era Museum in Irvington and you will W see the Potomac pilot- house prominently displayed in its new VXUURXQGLQJV$W¿UVWJODQFHLWORRNV as if the museum was built around the VWUXFWXUH%XWORRNVLQWKLVFDVHDUH deceiving. There was a whole lot of YLVLRQVNLOOWHDPZRUNDQGDOLWWOHELWRI luck that brought the pilothouse to where it stands today. The journey of the pilothouse from its beginnings in a Philadelphia shipyard to LWV¿QDOUHVWLQJSODFHLQ,UYLQJWRQZDVORQJ FLUFXLWRXVDQGIXOORIVWRSVDORQJWKHZD\ much like the routes of the steamboat that the pilothouse once stood on. The story of the Potomac lines the ZDOODORQJVLGHWKHSLORWKRXVHZLWKDÀDJ LWRQFHÀHZ%XLOWLQIRUWKH0DU\- ODQGDQG9LUJLQLD6WHDPERDW&RPSDQ\D newspaper account of the launch in The Philadelphia Times referred to it as “the most modern and handsomest steamer in Baltimore.” The steamboat traveled the &KHVDSHDNH%D\DQG3RWRPDFDQG5DS- The Potomac pahannock rivers from Baltimore to Nor- IRONZLWKPDQ\1RUWKHUQ1HFNSRLQWVLQ EHWZHHQFDUU\LQJXSWRSDVVHQJHUV DQGFUHZPHPEHUVDWDWLPH pilothouse: Its time as a steamer came to an end LQZKHQWKH3RWRPDFFROOLGHG with another ship in foggy weather near Restoring a relic to tell 6HYHQ.QROOV/LJKWKRXVHMXVWRXWVLGH %DOWLPRUH7KHRZQHUVQRWDEOHWRDIIRUG the necessary repairs to the hull and the history of a bygone era VLGHVROGLWWRWKH&KHVDSHDNH&RUSRUD- tion in West Point. While at the Colonna Shipyard being converted to a pulpwood in the Northern Neck EDUJHWKHSLORWKRXVHZDVUHPRYHGDQG Ben and Willoughby Colonna brought it to White Stone to be used as a guest- house for visitors to their family’s Taft Beach Fish Factory. ,QWKHHQVXLQJGHFDGHVWLPHZDVQRW NLQGWRWKHSLORWKRXVH/HIWDEDQGRQHG windows were broken and weather took its toll. The Mariners’ Museum took an LQWHUHVWLQWKHVWUXFWXUHVRLWWUDYHOHG WR1HZSRUW1HZVDQGWKHQODWHUWR&ROR-

by Jackie Nunnery The pilothouse was hoisted over Photos courtesy of Michael Geissinger the museum and placed inside an opening in the rear of the building.

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 12 “It’s a huge project” requiring “about 4,500 skilled labor hours to do this. Every piece has to be touched and dealt with.” –– John Morgenthaler

nial Beach. But each new owner found DQGWULPZRUN+H¶VZRUNHGRQERDWV the task of restoring the pilothouse too RIDOOW\SHVEXWQHYHUDVWHDPHUDQG resource intensive. certainly not something in this condi- The Potomac pilothouse and surrounding exhibits tell the story of steamers and their ,Q³WKHSHRSOHZKRVWDUWHGWKLV tion. importance in moving people and products around the Northern Neck. museum found out about it in Colonial “It’s a huge project” requiring “about %HDFKDQGPRYHGLWULJKWWKHUH´VDLG VNLOOHGODERUKRXUVWRGRWKLV -RKQ0RUJHQWKDOHUSRLQWLQJWRDSDWFK Every piece has to be touched and dealt RIJUDVVQHDUWKHPXVHXP0RUJHQWKDOHU ZLWK´0RUJHQWKDOHUVDLG³7KHZKROH DVKLSZULJKWDQGFDELQHWPDNHUE\WUDGH IURQWKDGFROODSVHGWKHURRIKDGFRO- has been restoring the pilothouse for the ODSVHGLWZDVVHYHUHO\GHWHULRUDWHG´ past few years. 7KHUHZDVVLJQL¿FDQWZRUNWREHGRQH 8QIRUWXQDWHO\WKDWSDWFKRIJUDVVZDV before even beginning the restoration not owned by the museum but the town SURFHVVOLNHUHPRYLQJSDVWLQIHULRU¿[HV RI,UYLQJWRQ$QGDIWHU\HDUVRIZDLWLQJ URWWHGZRRGDQGWKHEDFNIHHWRIWKH WKH\JUHZLQVLVWHQWWKDWLW¿QGDQHZ pilothouse—2 crew cabins—so the struc- home off the Irvington Town Commons. WXUHZRXOGHYHQWXDOO\¿WLQWKHPXVHXP 2QFHDJDLQWKHSLORWKRXVHZDVRQWKH The Potomac pilothouse as a guest cottage on Taft Beach in White Stone. PRYH,QLWZDVVKULQNZUDSSHG and stored in White Stone for another ¿YH\HDUVXQWLOLWDUULYHGDW0RUJHQWKDO- HU¶VVKRSLQ2SKHOLDLQ Morgenthaler grew up around boats DQGWKHZDWHULQ/RQJ,VODQG1<+LV great-grandfather started a trim carpentry EXVLQHVVLQ%URRNO\QLQWKHVEXW that was ending right about the time that Morgenthaler was born. That history initially discouraged Morgenthaler from pursuing the craft. ³,RULJLQDOO\ZHQWWRFROOHJHEXWLW GLGQ¶WZRUNRXWVRZHOO´KHVDLGZLWKD laugh. (YHQWXDOO\0RUJHQWKDOHUZDVGUDZQ LQWRWKHIDPLO\WUDGLWLRQVSHQGLQJWKH ODVW\HDUVZRUNLQJRQERWKZRRGDQG ¿EHUJODVVERDWVVSHFLDOL]LQJLQLQWHULRUV

The curved window sashes and trim of the wheelhouse have all been carefully rebuilt or restored by John Morgenthaler.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 13 John Morgenthaler assembling one of the numerous curved raised panels of the pilothouse exterior. All curved pieces, and there were many, were bent into shape with steam.

John Morgenthaler removes the protec- tive wrapping around the pilothouse to begin the work outside his shop.

Steamboat Era Museum board member Phil Williams observes the late Ed Thurber’s restoration of the ship’s wheel. We invite you to join us! The pilothouse now consists of the front ³7KHUHDUHSLFWXUHVRIJXHVWFDELQV ZKHHOKRXVHWKHFDSWDLQ¶VTXDUWHUVDQG EXWQRWFUHZFDELQV´0RUJHQWKDOHUVDLG ,UYLQJWRQ%DSWLVW&KXUFK two crew cabins. ³%XWWKHUH¶VHQRXJKWKHUHWR¿JXUHLWRXW ´7KH6XQGD\3ODFHIRU(YHU\GD\&KULVWLDQVµ Aside from getting materials that could from.” EHUHXVHGHOVHZKHUHWKHUHZHUHEHQH¿WV Although much of the restoration has to all of that demolition. “It becomes a EHHQGRQHLWLVVWLOODZRUNLQSURJUHVV OHDUQLQJSURFHVV

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 14 was painstakingly restored E\(G7KXUEHUDORFDO furniture restorer who passed away in June of ODVW\HDUMXVWPRQWKVDIWHU completing the work. Mor- JHQWKDOHUGLGKRZHYHU engineer a mock steering system so visitors get a more realistic movement when they “steer” from the wheelhouse. ,QDGGLWLRQWR¿QLVKLQJ XSWKHZKHHOKRXVHWKHUH is also more trim to be LQVWDOOHGDEXQNWREHEXLOW IRUWKHFDSWDLQ¶VTXDUWHUV SDLQWLQJDQG«ZKHQDVNHG - Through planning, skill and teamwork, the pilothouse enters the museum through IRUD¿QLVKGDWH0RUJHQ The pilothouse on its final voyage to Irvington. a specially constructed back entrance. thaler just laughed and shook his head. )RUPXVHXPH[HFXWLYHGLUHFWRU%DU- QL¿FDQWIXQGUDLVLQJHIIRUWDORQJVLGHWKH DQG&KDUOHV/:LOH\)RXQGDWLRQWKH :KLOH0RUJHQWKDOHU¿QLVKHVXSWKH EDUD%UHFKHUWKHSLORWKRXVHSURMHFWLV restoration effort to bring the Potomac Mary Morton Parsons Foundation and UHVWRUDWLRQRIWKHSLORWKRXVH%UHFKHU WKHUHVXOWRIKDUGZRUNDQGWKH¿QDQFLDO pilothouse home in all its glory. In addi- the Carter C. Chinnis Charitable Trust. will complete a coffee table book about support of many. With a price tag of tion to the generosity of individual com- (YHQWKH&RORQQD6KLS\DUGZKHUHWKH WKHVWHDPERDWHUDWKH3RWRPDFWKH IRUWKHUHVWRUDWLRQZRUNPRGL- PXQLW\PHPEHUV%UHFKHUDQGKHUWHDP 3RWRPDF¿UVWODQGHGDIWHULWVVWHDPHU pilothouse and its long journey home. ¿FDWLRQVWRWKHEXLOGLQJDQGWKHFUHDWLRQ ZHUHDEOHWRVHFXUHVLJQL¿FDQWJUDQWVDQG GD\VZHUHGRQHFKLSSHGLQWRVHHLW ,WZLOOEHLQWHUHVWLQJWRVHHZKR¿QLVKHV RIWKHH[KLELWWKHUHQHHGHGWREHDVLJ- donations from the Nettie Lokey Wiley restored. ¿UVW

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September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 15 Farmers ROOTED in heritage of the Northern Neck

The entrance to Welch Farms in Kilmarnock by Megan Schiffres showcases acres of corn and soybeans grow- ing on either side of its long winding driveway.

ou’ve got to love farming to do it. tributor. “We depend on the weather and that’s the bad Allen Welch, co-owner of Welch “It takes all day. We’ve got over a thousand part about it. You can put everything into the Farms in Lancaster County, likes to acres of corn still to harvest and we’ll be doing crop right but if you don’t get the rain or don’t Y say you won’t get rich or much in this for the next month,” said Welch. “When har- have the weather then it’s all for nothing,” said the way of down time working as a farmer, so vest starts, adrenaline will take over and I just, Welch. you’ve got to really love the work to be part of you know, you just keep pushing and keep push- Uncertainty is a prominent force in the life the agricultural industry. ing and keep pushing. But then when you finish of a farmer every year. Without warning the Northern Neck farmers like Welch rise with you just kind of sit back and have to take a few weather can shift from providing nourishment the sun, sometimes earlier, and toil in their fields days off and collapse.” and encouraging growth to causing destruction long after daylight fades away. They’re on the During planting season, farmers face an and devastation. It’s an unpredictable and uncon- clock 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for at entirely different but no less daunting challenge, trollable force that, for farmers in particular, can least 10 months out of every year because on a battling the elements to seed miles of tilled soil. alter their lives permanently. Additionally, the farm there’s always work to be done. “If we start planting in the morning we just value of a farmer’s crop at any given moment Farmers in the region are currently in the har- keep going until that evening. We have to stop is dictated by the Chicago futures exchange, an vest season for one of the top crops produced and fill up seed and things but we’ll keep on agriculture commodities market that distribu- in the Northern Neck and across the country— planting all day,” Welch said. “In another month tors and investors use to determine the worth of corn. For the next few months corn farmers, from now we’ll be harvesting corn and planting products. According to Welch, farming can have including Welch, will be working to gather up winter wheat at the same time so it will be a lot both a physical and emotional toll. thousands of acres of their tall leafy stalks using going on.” “Maybe the prices would get a little better and combines which reap, thresh and winnow the To survive, farmers have to be adaptive in it wouldn’t be so challenging, or so emotional, grain within a single, roving machine. The har- order to meet the constantly changing needs of when prices aren’t meeting what your expenses vested corn is then transferred from the combine their crop, caused not only by the season shift are and when your yields aren’t meeting what to a grain elevator to be stored. From there into from planting to harvesting season, but also to your expenses are,” Welch said. a truck bound for Purdue or another food dis- the weather. Like many who work in the Northern Neck,

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 16 Countless soybeans sprout, grow and are harvested on Welch Farms.

Welch comes from a long lineage of farmers. Beginning in high school he began working the fields with his father, and later became the fifth generation in his family to grow crops or raise animals in the region. After decades of working the land, Welch says the business of agriculture has become much easier and more efficient with Allen Welch takes a brief break from harvesting and hauling grain on a sunny late August afternoon. the invention of innovative farming technology. “It’s changed so much but it’s all changed for the better,” said Welch. “When I started farming, everything you drove you drove yourself. You had to keep your head, you had to stay awake, you had to pay attention to what you were doing. Now the tractors drive themselves, the sprayer going down the field will cut itself off when it gets to somewhere it’s going to overlap.” Like his father, Welch raised his family on the farm and shared with his children both his love of farming and his expertise. “Both my son and daughter were running a combine when they were 13 years old,” Welch said. Today Welch works in the fields every day with his son Justin as co-partners of Welch Farms Inc., which Allen says will one day be taken over by his children, the sixth generation of Welch farmers. “I worked with my father and I guess it’s…. I’m proud of both of us working together, getting along together, making decisions together,” said A. Welch.

The grain towers which store the farm’s harvest throughout the year.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 17 Northern Neck Farm Museum teaches history of the industry by Megan Schiffres riving by the Northern Neck Farm Museum, it looks like something out of a fairy tale or children’s book. The turbines of a single windmill spin lazily in the breeze alongside a classic red barn with a white roof, situated in a picturesque field of grass and wildflowers. D The museum, which was founded in 2006, tells the story of the region’s agricultural heritage through exhibitions of the tools and machinery which farmers have developed and used over time to tame the wild terrain of the northern peninsula. Exhibitions include several farm tractors manu- factured as early as the 1920s, equipment used by early farmers to manually plow and seed, and sewing The entrance to the classi- machines used by the wives of farmers to create clothes and cut costs on the farm. cally red and white painted The museum also features a gift shop and a variety of educational programs throughout the year. “barn” at the Northern Neck These programs teach children about the history and importance of farming in the region and reinforce Farm Museum is flanked by classroom lessons on agriculture and environmental appreciation. two antique tractors. The museum was founded by Luther Welch, a Northern Neck farmer who collected farm equipment over the course of his life and wanted to share the agricultural history of the region with others. Allen Welch, Luther’s son, today carries on the legacy of his family’s collection as chairman of the museum’s board of directors. On October 12, the museum will host a “Fall Farm to Fork” event; and October 26-27, a fall festival. The wind turbine that identi- fies the farm museum from Admission to the museum is $2 per adult and $1 per child ages 6-18. Children younger than 6 a distance is inscribed with can visit the museum for free. The Northern Neck Farm Museum, 12705 Northumberland Highway, the organization’s initials. Heathsville, is open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays May through October.

The Pilothouse Has Landed!

Creating jobs and opportunities

as we handcraft John Morgenthaler working on the restoration of the Potomac Pilothouse. (May 2017) fine homes. The Pilothouse has Landed! 33 Years Strong! Experience a rare piece of Chesapeake Bay history – the 125-year- old pilothouse from the steamboat Potomac. This newly-restored artifact now anchors our exhibits. You can explore how steam- driven vessels influenced lives and livelihoods and built our local communities.

Steamboat Era Museum 156 King Carter Drive | Irvington, VA 22480 804-438-6888 | Steamboateramuseum.org Tuesday-Saturday | 10am-4pm 4HE*AMES#O(OME"UILDERCOM Adults: $5 | Children 12 and under free 804-436-4828sJPOLIVA GMAILCOM

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 18 Turk’s Ferry Farm, above, near Stormont was built as a home and tavern at Turk’s Ferry on the Piankatank River. The first public crossing at Turk’s ferry was established by order of the Colonial Coun- cil in 1664. The ferry remained in operation until 1900 and it is believed George Washing- ton used the ferry to travel to Williamsburg after visiting his cousin, Henry Washington, at Hampstead in Middlesex. Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern around the turn of the century.

Serving the Area Since 1948 CRALLE INSURANCE AGENCY GENERAL INSURANCE What LOCAL means to IsaBell K. Horsley P.O. BOX 226 Real Estate CALLAO, VA 22435 (804) 529-6226 “We have been asked many times to join a large franchise, but we know how important the small details can be and work together as a team to provide the best “family” LOCAL services that you might not get from a larger firm. Celebrating 70 years of inspiring art We come to inspections, 61 Cross St we make marketing Urbanna, VA 23175 in the community and the community in the arts. decisions, and we are (804) 758-2430 there for our clients.” www.horsleyrealestate.com

ince 1975, IsaBell K. Horsley Real Estate Katie Horsley Dew. Shas been a leader in our community’s IsaBell K. Horsley Real Estate is very real estate needs. Horsley has been family- involved in the community through multiple owned for three generations, and has over boards. They know how important it is to be 30 brokers/agents who work throughout the involved in keeping our community growing Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. and successful, plus involvement keeps the IsaBell and her son, Nelson Horsley, Jr. company up to date and knowledgeable on (now the principal broker) began working the trends in our areas. in an old gas station in the heart of Urbanna. “I have worked for the company since The old gas station was replaced with a the mid 90s. After college, I became a real beautiful Charleston-style brick building that estate agent in 2004 and currently hold my remains the main office location. Horsley has broker’s license. I not only sell with our grown over the last 40+ years with four office firm, but help my father and husband, David locations including White Stone, Deltaville, Dew, support and assist our agents. To be and Mathews. successful, we are always exploring and “We cover a lot of territory and waterfront, growing with new programs, marketing and which makes us unique to sellers and buyers more. I love to be there for our agents and in these broad regions. We love what we do in see that Horsley Real Estate continues to 19 North Main Street, Kilmarnock, VA making real estate transactions run smoothly, grow in the generations to come.” ––Katie Tuesday - Saturday, 10am – 4pm / 804-436-9309 / ralartcenter.com plus making life-long friendships and selling Horsley Dew, a third generation realtor and in the areas we care so much about,” shares IsaBell’s granddaughter.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 19 Members of the Norge Saddle Club muster prior to competing in a rodeo staged behind the Kilmarnock High School in 1962. This is the only rodeo ever held in Kilmarnock.

Students of the Reedville School in 1926. From left These young ladies put on are, front row, John Lowry, Hugh Robinson, Fred Bid- their Sunday best in the dlecomb and Pratt Haynie; next row, Luther Bowles, 1930s to come to Urbanna. Emory Dahl, Owen McFarland, Paul Robertson, Milton Bowles and Irvin Dahl; next row, Ruby Jett Hammock, Saturdays in town could Ruby Saunders, Elizabeth Lampkin and Ruth Michell mean a banana split at Crowther; next row, Verna Haynie Rice, Dorothy Saun- Marshall’s Drug Store, pop- ders, Ethel McFarland, Julia Francis Robinson, Lucy corn and drinks at the town Barbara Blackwell and M. Butler; next row, Elva Haynie theater or roller skating at Jett, Rebecca Beyor, Ms. Pearl Robinson Williams, Lil- lian Lewis Haynie and Mary Douglas. the River Rink at the foot of Watling Street. There was plenty to do and the town buzzed on Saturday.

The Perfect Getaway… is Not so Far Away.

History and romance meet where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay … come stay in one of our historic inns and i˜œÞ`>ÞÃwi`ÜˆÌ ÃiVÕ`i`Li>V iÃ] ܈˜i>˜` iÀˆÌ>}iÌÀ>ˆÃ]µÕ>ˆ˜Ì̜ܘÃ] and pristine nature.

*>˜9"1,«iÀviVÌ}iÌ>Ü>Þ>Ì www.NorthernNeck.org

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 20 The beloved Dr. William R. Gwathmey of Ruark, today part of Delta- The 1962 Country Music Jamboree at the Kilmarnock school grounds featured the ville, was that community’s doctor from 1905 until his death in 1933. Purcell twins. He is pictured here, wearing the brown coat, in the carriage he used to visit patients.

What LOCAL means to Mike and Nancy Prince Jackson: “We are happy to serve Miller’s Photographic Parlor Car, standing in the Courthouse Square the localities in which we in Heathsville around the turn of the century. live and work. Our goal is to help clients sell their properties in an efficient and stress free manner and to LOCAL introduce our purchasers to Kathleen M. Hall, CPA, PC the wonderful life we have here in Middlesex and the surrounding counties in CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT which we work. Many of our clients are repeat customers The Local Choice and we receive many referrals due to the attention MICHAEL MARKETING, Our team believes the local businesses and people to detail and service to our REAL ESTATE, INC. in our community deserve the tradition of clients. We have made many long lasting friendships exceptional service, personal care, and peace of mind… through these relationships 566 Gloucester Rd, Saluda, VA 23149 and we are proud of this 804-758-3093 And that’s what you get when you choose us! accomplishment.” Are the worries and challenges of financial reporting and tax preparation causing you unwanted stress?

ichael Marketing Real Estate, and hunting in this area which has given We do all we can to remove the hassle and stress of meeting deadlines, Inc. is a full-service real estate him extensive knowledge about the filing the correct forms, and providing accurate information. Mcompany. Mike & Nancy properties he sells. Prince Jackson formed the company in Nancy grew up in Deltaville. After 1998 and have both been realtors locally graduating from VCU with Bachelors and We do the work while you use your time to do what you do best! for 33+ years. The company covers real Masters degrees, she taught in Middlesex estate needs in the Middle Peninsula and Gloucester school systems for 12 years Call us or drop in to take advantage of our and Northern Neck. Nancy specializes in before becoming a realtor full-time. She accounting, payroll, trust and tax services. homes and waterfront while Mike focuses has been very active in the local Board of on farms, land, timber and marshes. Realtors, serving two terms as president Mike, Broker/Owner has lived in and on the board of directors for over 14 51 Cross Street, Urbanna, VA Middlesex for 45 years. He enjoys fishing years. 804-758-2352 www.kmh-cpa.com

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 21 YOUNG & DETERMINED

1969 Brookvale High Warriors baseball team stands out among championship teams

he year was 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin landed on the moon. Mem- bers of a cult led by Charles Manson murdered five people in California. TMore than 500,000 music lovers gathered in New York for the epic Woodstock Festival. And across the country, states worked to dismantle segregated school systems. In the Northern Neck, where blacks and whites still attended separate schools and the racial divide was apparent, a group of young, determined baseball players won the state crown, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since. “We did what we had to to become champions. The boys put in overtime to accom- plish what we’d been trying to do for a lot of years,” said assistant coach of the team Richard Ruffin. “It was a time when we felt like we could do anything.” It was on May 21, 1969, 50 years ago, that 16 young men and their coaches captured the state trophy on a baseball diamond in Petersburg. They took a 7-2 record into the state tournament at Virginia State University, where they beat Central of Charlotte, 5-4, in the semifinal and captured the state Group II, District IV baseball championship,11-5, over G.W. Watkins. “We had the hitting, the base running, everything just came together. All of us pulled together,” said Stanley Gaskins of Weems. Gaskins was a freshman pitcher for the Brookvale Fighting Warriors and combined with William Lee for “some brilliant pitch- ing” in the championship game, according to a May 29, 1969, article in the Rappahan- nock Record. by Lisa “We were jumping up and down and hollering. It was some- Wardell Carter was the starting catcher as a sophomore on the 1969 state champion- thing,” said Gaskins. “And all of our parents were there, too.” ship team. That inspired him to embark on a career in recreation. He continues to work Hinton- with children as the unit director at the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Neck. The win marked the end of an era as Brookvale closed its doors Photo by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi Valdrighi for good that year. Full integration took place in the 1969-70

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 22 From left, members of the 1969 Brookvale High School baseball team, which captured the state championship, were, (front row) Wardell Carter, Melvin Harris, William Lee, Elwood Henderson, Frank Carter and Donald Sanders; (next row) Theodore Thomas, Mozell Carter, Stanley Gaskins, Dean Nickens, Ronald Smith and Irvin Coleman; (next row) assistant coach Richard Ruffin, trainer Carroll Jones, James Carter, Jesse Davenport, coach Maurice Savoy, Bradell Thompson, Wilbert Lee, Wardell Veney and assistant coach Walter Webb.

Championship season marked by teammate accomplishments

The following appeared in an article in the May 29, 1969 Rappahannock Record regarding the Brookvale Fighting Warriors baseball team.

rookvale High School, with brilliant pitching from William Lee and Stanley BGaskins, and timely hitting by Frank Carter, Jesse Davenport, Melvin Harris and James Carter, captured the State, Group II, District IV baseball championship by defeating G.W. Watkins 11 to 5, Wednesday, May 21, at Petersburg. Brookvale advanced to the final by eliminating Central of Charlotte 5 to 4. In this victory, William Lee tied a state record by striking out 16 batters. In the finale, Stanley Gaskins overcame some early inning control problems and coasted to an 11 to 5 verdict. Brookvale was led during the regular season in hitting by James Carter (a .429 batting average), Frank Carter (a .400 batting average, 2 homers, 20 runs batted in), Melvin Harris (.391 batting average), and Jesse Davenport (a .346 batting average). Defensively, the Warriors were led by Dean Nickens, Wardell Carter, Bradell Thompson, Ronald Smith and Elwood Henderson. On the mound, William Lee finished with 5 victories and 1 loss. Stanley Gaskins, along with breaking the school record with 15 strikeouts, also won 4 games and lost 0. William Lee also broke a school record with eight consecutive strikeouts in a regular season game. Stanley Gaskins reads an article about the Brookvale Warriors baseball This was the first time that a VIA school had won the state baseball crown from team that appeared in the Rappahannock Record 30 years ago. Photo by this group and district. Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 23 school year, replacing freedom of choice, and schools were consolidated countywide. Brookvale High School became Mantua Intermediate and now still serves the county as Lancaster Primary School. The baseball field behind the school, where the successful Warriors played their games against teams from Richmond County, King George, Essex, Westmoreland’s AT Johnson, Northumberland Central and Colonial Beach, is no longer. “I don’t believe we had any seniors, maybe one on the team, to my recollection,” said Ruffin of Connecticut. He’s a retired science teacher who now has a ministry with his wife and runs a summer camp for at-risk youth. “It was a very young team,” he added. “But I think that’s one of the reasons we were so successful. They were willing to work hard and put in that extra effort.” Gaskins had a 4-0 record that season and broke the school record for 15 strike outs in a game. His record was short-lived, however, and was broken by teammate Lee, who won a state playoff game with a 16-strike-out effort. That tied a state tournament Players of the 1969 Brookvale team came together a few years ago at the funeral of record. a teammate. From left are Wilbert Lee, James Carter, William Lee, Jesse Davenport Calling the pitches for Lee and Gaskins was sophomore catcher Wardell Carter. and Stanley Gaskins. His twin brother, Mozell, also played “We did what we had to to and was in the pitching rotation as a become champions. The boys put sophomore. in overtime to accomplish what “We were all young,” said W. we’d been trying to do for a lot of Carter. “But our coach trained us like years.It was a time when we felt major league players. If you were a pitcher, that’s all you did. You only like we could do anything.” played in that position and you batted ––assistant coach Richard Ruffin ninth.” That final, championship team was under the leadership of first-year head coach Maurice L. Savoy. “He was about discipline and leadership,” said W. Carter. “He was just out of college and was a hard-nosed guy. There was no talking back, not even a funny look at the coach.” According to W. Carter, Savoy and assistants Ruffin and the late Walter Webb never emphasized the state championship as a goal. But it was evident after the state final. “After every game, he would have us holler, “it shall be done” and when we came back from Virginia State, when we went to yell that, he said “no, it has been done!” And that was the first time we realized he had a goal.” When Brookvale closed, most of the players continued to play baseball at Lancaster High School under coach Boyd Kidd. Lloyd Hill places a commemorative medal around the neck of Wilbert When Carter and his brother were young, blacks weren’t allowed to play at the local Lee at Sharon Baptist Church during a recent ceremony honoring the Little League park. That was hurtful, he admits. It led him to defy the stereotypes of 1969 Brookvale baseball team. the period and he said he learned to swim, and to play golf and tennis. “I tell kids all the time, don’t be defined by stereotypes. For me, coach Savoy had a major effect on me more than anybody in my life except my parents,” said W. Carter. “He was a very strict disciplinarian with a tough work ethic but we had fun afterward.” W. Carter made recreation his career and has served as the Lancaster County Parks & Recreation director, a volunteer Little League coach and a volunteer high school baseball and softball coach. He continues to mentor youth as a unit director for the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck. “Working with the Boys & Girls Club is like a dream come true,” he said. “It’s so important to give everybody an opportunity.” Only a few things have brought most of the players back together: funerals, a reunion six years ago and a recent 50th anniversary celebration at Sharon Baptist Church in Weems, where the trophy was displayed and commemorative medals distributed. But when there is an instance for a reunion, it’s more like a family reunion than a gathering of former teammates. “That bond is still there even after all this time,” said W. Carter. “We were like a big family,” said Ruffin. Recently, Ulysses Turner, teen director at the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck, reached out to the Virginia High School League to right a wrong. According to Turner, the Brookevale team has not been recognized with inclusion in the state annals for its The state championship trophy won by the Brookvale baseball team was on display championship. The team will soon be listed in the championship records, said Turner. recently at Sharon Baptist Church.

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 24 The largest store in Middle- sex County for years was R. S. Bristow and Son in Urbanna. The store was founded in 1876 by R. S. Bristow Sr. who came to The Warwick Urbanna from Stormont to High School Band clerk in his uncle’s store. marches in the Still operating, Bristow’s is 1962 Kilmarnock the oldest commercial busi- Spring Festival. ness in Middlesex County. BROOKVALE MINI STORAGE 10436 Mary Ball Rd., Lancaster 804-435-1209 What LOCAL Temperature Control & Regular Units means to RV Parking Chesapeake Moving Supplies & U-Haul Dealer Homes: “We like to see homeown- ers be able to build the homes of their dreams. At Chesapeake Homes we work very hard to design the perfect home. We construct your home, and HESAPEAKE more importantly - after C the home is completed, OME S we’re very likely to meet H you on the street, in the local stores, restaurants and other venues, and LLOYD DILDAY want to be able to look you owner and founder of in the eye and know we LOCAL went above your expecta- CHESAPEAKE HOMES tions during and after the 201 N. Main St., Kilmarnock, VA construction process.” 804-435-7706

hesapeake Homes is the subsidiary of Lloyd who remains the president. Dilday Builders, Inc. (DBI) which has “We started as a family business and remain C been in business since 1979 serving so today. Most of our employees have a the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. lengthy tenure with DBI and are considered The company started out constructing stick- an extension of our family. They are built spec homes, then transitioned into conscientious, hard working and talented, and custom homes. As the market has evolved, only provide the best in every project at hand,” Chesapeake Homes almost exclusively shares Jennifer. provides systems-built homes for a discerning Although most homes are custom designed, client base that demands quality homes Chesapeake Homes offers two fully furnished delivered on-time and on-budget. model homes for inspections and inspiration. 10880 Gen. Puller Hwy., Hartfield, VA When the company was formed, Lloyd The homes, as well as the company D

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September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 25 The Urbanna Labor Day speed boat races were part of Urbanna’s culture from the 1930s to when it ended in 1966. Pictured above are Dr. Thomas F. Marshall Courthouse Square in Heathsville nearby what is now Northumberland Sr. placing a buoy, Carroll Chowning Jr. at the wheel and Margaret Gerdts getting Highway, with the town pump to the right, around the turn of the century. the next buoy ready.

Willis Wilson of Deltaville and his father, Obie, haul seined for fish on the Rappahannock River. One year they caught a dolphin and took it to their dock on Broad Creek and sent a boy out into the neighborhood to tell all the people. When people started coming to the dock, Obie stopped them at the shore and charged each person a nickel to come out on the dock. They had 160 people The 1964 Kilmarnock Texacos prepare to depart Reedville for a game on come and made $8. Tangier Island.

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„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 26 Sheep were grown locally for wool and meat. This photo was taken in the early 20th century at Woodport on the Piankatank between Alexander Powell and his family aboard their boat, the Mary Jane, at Water View Hartfield and Hardyville. Steamboat Dock in Northumberland County in 1930.


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ydney H. Speight opened her and Mathews. It is important to me to Saluda law practice in February provide thoughtful, dedicated, quality S of 2014 and has remained in representation to my clients,” shares DISCOVERY 42’–68’ DISCOVERY 50’–60’ DELPHIA 35’–40’ private practice since that time. She Speight. spends the vast majority of her time in Speight was born and raised in 6 -

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 27 A past with a presence

ot so very long ago, most food was grown Non farms just a few miles from where it was con- sumed. Barns and outbuildings were essential to farming. Cows were milked in them. They stored food for people and ani- mals. They held nourishment for the food chain—grains fed hogs, and hay that sustained cattle through the winter. Grass is a resource harvested by cattle and other animals. Grasses are the single most important plant species to human evolution. Trees felled in local forests were hewn into timbers with hand tools and muscle to become barn skeletons. Logs were hewn from a single tree. Later, boards would be sawn. Wood’s character is etched in its gray patina. Weathered wood makes buildings look like they grew where they have stood for thousands of days. Time has claimed many relics from the last days of muscle power and most of what our forebears worked for is gone. However, in some instances their legacy is left behind in a surviving building. Barns are getting rarer every year as they succumb to the elements, and with them go the memories of those who labored to just get enough food to eat. A saying goes, “My grandfa- ther had a farm, my father had Back when hay was bailed in “square a garden. I have a can opener.” bales,” it was loaded into lofts like this These photos, collected over one at Corbin Hall Farm in Waterview. It 15 years, are windows to our was built in the 1940s by John Jackson heritage. who was a vice president of U.S. Steel, which is why the barn has a steel silo. They represent a time that Under this loft were milking stations won’t come again. Story and photos by Tom Chillemi and stables for draft horses and even a thoroughbred race horse.

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 28 Invented about 1865, barbed wire was a cheaper alternative to wooden or stone fences. Sharp barbs kept cattle from breaking from pastures. Electric fences are more common today. These barbed wire strands were coiled on a leaning post in 2013 that marked the corner of a field in Locust Hill, until gravity claimed the marker.

Sickle bars like this were used to cut hay and grains. Pulled by a tractor, it’s an adaptation of similar ones pulled by horses. The turning motion of the steel wheel powered the cutting blades.

Horses and draft animals cannot back up a wagon. Barns were designed so draft animals could walk through. This building, with a cedar shake roof, stood at Route 17 and Old Virginia Street until about 2010.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 29 A steel hinge holds vintage wood.

Pea boxes like this one were used to transport pea plants to a processing shed.

Produce was processed in sheds, like this one that’s still standing near Churchview. Pea plants were pulled from the field and placed in a shallow “pea box” and transported by cart to a shed where a thrashing machine would separate the peas from the shell. The peas would then be sent to Lord Mott cannery near Urbanna, and on to grocery store shelves.

This corn crib at Belle Isle State Park was a monument to farming life, until it disappeared sometime after 2004. An all but forgotten farmhouse near Warner in Middlesex was photographed in 2003. The barn behind is no longer.

„ß:Wl HERITAGE ½September 26, 2019 30 A tenon shaped on a cedar tree once fit into a mortise as part of a building frame.

Forgotten artifacts of the era of muscle- powered farm implements stand outside of a dusty barn. Known as “singletrees,” they hitched the horse to a wagon or carriage.

Boat maintenance was done on a railway like Morton Clark’s Railway on Locklies Creek. Travel lifts have replaced them for all but the larger boats.

September 26, 2019 :Wl HERITAGE „ß 31 Mason Realty Inc. Serving Tidewater Virginia’s Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck Area Your Local Realtors Since 1957

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