January 2016 the Broadside
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Vol.7 No.1 January 2016 The Broadside The voice of The Mathews Maritime Foundation Museum Located at 482 Main Street, Mathews, VA Mail to PO Box 1201, Mathews, VA 23109 804-725-4444 on the web at www.mathewsmaritime.com The Year in Review... The theme for the program, to take place Before getting into a review of the Foun- on Sunday, May 22, 2016 (National Maritime dation’s activities during this past year we want Day) at 4pm in the Mathews High School audi- to tell you about an exciting event coming to torium, is an "old fashioned, traditional, patriotic Mathews County on May 22 of this year. It in- assembly" which will allow the audience to "feel" volves author William Geroux and a book he has as if in that era, in order to better relate to what written about Mathews men in merchant marine Bill speaks about, and the power point he will service during WWII. Mark this date on your present. calendar and read on. The day will allow Mathews to thank Bill for recognizing the unique stories of this small Celebrating “The Mathews Men...” county, honor those who gave their lives (as well The Mathews Maritime Foundation and as their families), celebrate those who returned, Museum is planning a MATHEWS COUNTY and to understand how all who lived here then WELCOME for Bill Geroux, author of the book shared the concern and the grief that were truly (to be released April 19, 2016) "THE MATHEWS felt by them all. There will be a salute to ALL MEN: Seven Brothers and the War Against Hit- veterans of WWII at the end of the program. ler's U-Boats" about the Merchant Mariners Article by Nancy Lindgren from Mathews County in WWII. While the Other Events planned around the May 22nd Hodges family sent 7 celebration are... sons (two did not re- turn), other families Film Society to show WWII Film... sent up to six on ships, The Mathews Film Society will show and the author writes "ACTION in the NORTH ATLANTIC" the week with great skill, weav- prior to the May 22 event. It is called the "quin- ing local stories into a tessential" Merchant Marine film that even book revealing history Maritime Academies refer to in the curriculum. based on years of re- It depicts the danger to merchant ships search and interviews during the war, and the dedication (as well as with at least fifty peo- self preservation!) the men aboard the ships felt ple in Mathews and about getting the supplies/fuel they carried to Gloucester. Keeping the Past in the Present Preserving it for the Future Vol.7 No.1 January 2016 the proper places for use. It stars Humphrey Bo- Mathews” and that it was an 18 month calendar. gart and Raymond Massey. That format was chosen to accommodate the in- clusion of most all of the material we had on the Quilt to be Raffled Off... subject. Several members of The BAY QUILTERS Our current calendar, now in production, of Mathews have volunteered to make a small has for its subject the merchant mariners of hanging quilt with a maritime theme for Mathews County with emphasis on those who Mathews Maritime Foundation to raffle off as were aboard merchant ships during WWII. It too part of the May 22nd celebration. The quilt will is an 18 month calendar that will cover the be displayed for a time at the Mathews branch of months of July 2016 - December 2017. Chesapeake Bank, and then at the Visitors Cen- Due out around the first of May, the cal- ter, prior to the drawing for the winner at the endar will be available for purchase at the fol- May 22 event. Raffle tickets can be purchased at lowing locations: Visitors Center, Mathews Mari- the Mathews Visitors Center, the Maritime Mu- time Museum, and at our on line store site at seum, and from the Mathews Maritime Founda- <www.mathewsmaritime.com>. tion’s booth at the Court Green Farmers Market. Once again, Nancy Lindgren, Editor and Ticket prices are: $5 each or 3 for $10. Grace Metzger Forrest, graphic design artist This is a wonderful gift from the group have collaborated to produce a memorable and to and will be a unique representation of Mathews be treasured calendar. that should be a treasure for the lucky recipient. If raffle ticket sales are not sufficient by the Museum Year in Review... 22nd the drawing will be held at a later date, The Mathews Maritime Museum contin- most likely after the Gwynn’s Island Festival. ues to grow and is straining at the seams with Much love and effort goes into making a quilt, over 2340 artifacts donated or loaned to us. and we want to be sure that response to the raf- Someday we would like to move into a larger, fle justifies the end product. more modern facility that could properly house and display the rich maritime heritage of WWII Exhibit at MMF Museum... Mathews County. An exhibit on WWII will begin at the This year we added to our knowledge of Mathews Maritime Foundation's Museum start- the boatyards operating in Mathews County be- ing May 27 that will include Merchant Mariners, fore and during the Civil War. One major yard and Armed Services veterans of Mathews. If in- was operated by Lewis Hudgins at Fitchett’s terested in loaning or donating photographs, Wharf. He built large sailing craft, like the 80 items, or information regarding the rich mari- foot long brig “Constitution,” that could trade in time history of Mathews or, specifically, pertain- costal waters or journey offshore. Lewis Hudg- ing to WWII, please contact Nancy Lindgren at ins was listed as builder and master of the brig [email protected]. “Constitution” from 1840 - 1845. The museum is staffed by volunteers and During the Civil War Lewis Hudgins and is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-2pm his son bought and captained the blockade run- May through November, when the "OPEN" flag ner“Caroline.” is flying, and by special request. It is located at Another Model on display is the tug 482 Main Street, Mathews, where the large “Chas. A White” loaned to us by Jeffrey White, black anchor welcomes visitors. made by Capt. John C. Handy for nephew Char- les A. White Jr. about 1945 - 1950. A crank MMF Calendar... winds up the mechanism, made from old Victrola parts, that drives the propeller of this pond boat. You will recall that the subject of our last calendar was the “Tug Boaters and Pilots of Another tug model was donated by Bonnie Keeping the Past in the Present Preserving it for the Future Vol.7 No.1 January 2016 Hardy in memory of Allen Brownly. It too is a years experience in Virginia and Florida. She pond boat and can be remotely controlled. has been at VIMS with the Center for Coastal We had an unusual unidentified buoy with Resources Management since 1999. Her exper- tabs attached in two circles around its “northern tise includes shoreline management, coastal and southern hemispheres.” It was identified by habitats, and environmentally friendly landscap- Bob George as a buoy for a U.S. Navy mine sys- ing. She has visited hundreds of Virginia shore- tem. lines as a coastal advisor to property owners and We received some materials on loan about Local Wetlands Boards. She also provides out- designer Thomas Colvin from Barbara Read. He reach education & training for various audi- was a resident of Mathews and was well known ences. in maritime circles for his unique sailboat de- Her lecture on “Coastal Management in signs. Mathews County” featured results from a shore- The model of our flagship “Peggy” was line and tidal marsh inventory project completed made and donated to us by renowned Mathews in 2012. These mapping projects are designed to boatbuilder Edward Diggs. The actual deck boat help coastal communities understand and man- “Peggy,” built in 1925 at Horn Harbor, Mathews, age shoreline erosion, tidal flooding, habitat loss, can be seen at our facility on Gwynn’s Island. water quality problems, and invasive species. See centerfold for pictures of these exhib- In May, Mr. Ron Lewis presented "Build- its. ing The Iconic Workboat." Ron Lewis, is a twenty-year interpreter and speaker from The Speaker Meetings Reviewed... Mariners' Museum in Newport News, America's Our Speaker’s Meetings are featured once Maritime Museum. Ron, a Tidewater native a month, usually on the 3rd. Thursday of the born in Portsmouth, is currently restoring some month, and are open to the public. They feature of the models damaged in the 2012 fire at the various topics of interest to our membership and Deltaville Maritime Museum. He told the story we were lucky to have some very informative of one of the most difficult and important jobs on and enjoyable speakers this past year. the Chesapeake Bay, the Story of the Working In February, Mr. George Harrison pre- Watermen and their workboats. sented “Modern Shipbuilding: Computer Aided Tradition: It dies hard along the Chesa- Design.” Mr Harrison currently works as a pro- peake Bay shoreline, where working watermen ject manager on the Data Architecture Team. do the jobs they've known for centuries. What This team is responsible for providing systems moves them? How do they come to such a diffi- engineering services and support for the ship- cult trade, and how do they build the iconic and yard’s data model applications, including CAD, beautiful workboats that, while they used to fill CAE, and CAM tools.