Gone...But Not Forgotten by The Artmil

$18.00 Published by Jordan Bros. Group, LLC www.virginia-beach-connections.com

A. SHEPHERD JORDAN JAMES M. JORDAN, IV

Photo Credits A large number of the photos and illustrations in this publication are from the private collection of James M. Jordan, IV, a compilation that began in 1972. Many of those photos are now found in the H.C. Mann Collection at the Virginia State Library and Kirn Memorial Library, Sargeant Memorial Room. The photo/illustration credits referenced below are only those photos not from the collection of co-author James M. Jordan, IV and Jordan Bros. Group, LLC. Courtesy of Cape Henry Collegiate School – pages 22, 23, 24, 25. Courtesy of Claude “Beetle” Bailey, Jr. – page 51. Courtesy of Louise Overman – page 30. Courtesy of William B. Inge – page 34. Courtesy of The Anne Talbott Jordan Collection – pages 70, 71. Courtesy of The Edgar T. Brown Collection – pages 10, 12, 13, 36, 38, 43, 56, 57, 58, 68. Courtesy of The City of Virginia Beach Convention Center – page 69. Courtesy of The John Carroll Ellis, Jr. – page 31. Courtesy of The Miller Family Collection – pages 72, 74, 75, 76. Courtesy of The Oceana High School Alumni Newsletter – pages 61, 62, 63. Courtesy of The Old Coast Guard Station – page 26. Courtesy of The Peggy and Harry Bull Collection – page 9. Courtesy of The Joyce and Bruce Byrum Collection – page 7. Courtesy of The Pete Smith Collection – pages 18, 19, 21. Courtesy of The Ray Almond Collection – page 21. Courtesy of The Potter Family Collection – pages 52, 53, 55. Courtesy of The Taylor Do-It Center Collection- page 44. Aerophoto America/Ron Brown Photo – pages 78, 79. Kirn Memorial Library, Sargeant Memorial Room – pages 27, 28, 29, 43, 62, 73. Virginian Pilot Photo – pages 6, 8.

A. SHEPHERD JORDAN JAMES M. JORDAN, IV 1

VIRGINIA BEACH

Design by W. Bradley Miller The Artmil Edited by Don Naden

Continuing the Legacy Memories are truly a gift. They make the past come alive. They remind us of who we are, where we have been and often show us a path to where we are going. The mere mention of Virginia Beach is bound to conjure up special memories for just about anybody who has visited or lived here. We have always been fascinated by the stories of “good ole Virginia Beach” passed on by the three generations of our family who lived at “the Beach” before us. The purpose of this book is to continue the legacy handed down to us by family and friends and to throw in a few new ones of our own. As you read through the stories in our book, hopefully it will trigger a special memory or two of your own. At the very least, we hope to bring a smile to your face as you remember these and other special memories of people and places that are GONE...But Not Forgotten.

Shep & Jimmy November, 2008

Copyright Â© 2008 by Jordan Bros. Group, LLC ISBN 978-0-9822064-0-9 Published by Jordan Bros. Group, LLC Virginia Beach, Virginia Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Catalog Card Number Applied For Visit us on the internet www.virginia-beach-connections.com 4

CONTENTS BAYVILLE FARMS DAIRY 6 PRINCESS ANNE HOTEL 12 SMITH AND HOLLAND SURF SHOP 18 EVERETT SCHOOL 22 CAMP ASHBY 26 THE SHACK 30 SEASIDE PARK 32 FUEL, FEED AND BUILDING SUPPLIES CORP. 40 THE LOW RENT REGATTA 48 HILLTOP MOTOR COURT 52 SEAVIEW BEACH 56 OCEANA HIGH SCHOOL 60 GRACE SHERWOOD 64 THE DOME 68 DUCK-IN 72 5

“Like a member of theFamily” Bayville Farms Dairy

The history of the land that would eventually become Bayville Farms Dairy began Sept. 19, 1637, only 30 years after the first English ships landed at Cape Henry and later at Jamestown. The property was part of 5,350 acres granted by the Colony of Virginia to Captain Adam Thorogood, one of the original English immigrants in this country. The Colonial Deed Book, on file at the Land Office in Richmond, shows that Thorogood was due: “50 acres for his own personal adventure, 50 acres for wife

Susan’s own personal adventure and 5,250 acres for transportation of 105 persons.” Thorogood died just three years later, in 1640, at only 36. By his will, his holdings were divided among his heirs into three large parcels, all in what would later become Princess Anne County and eventually, Virginia Beach. One of those parcels was named Bayville, thereby establishing its identity as a link to the earliest Colonial times and placing Bayville Farm into a locally historic category all its own. Understanding the unique history of Bayville Farms Dairy requires knowing something about the interesting life of its owner, Charles F. Burroughs, and the unlikely story of how he turned vision into reality. Born in Tarboro, N.C., in 1871, Burroughs was orphaned at age 10. A local Tarboro businessman, F.S. “Shep” Royster, took a liking to young Charles and hired him as an office boy at his fertilizer company. In 1891 Charles was sent to Norfolk to help expand the business, then known as F.S. Royster Guano Fertilizer Company. Royster later moved its corporate headquarters to Norfolk to take advantage the city’s port facilities for the rapidly expanding company. In 1909, Charles Burroughs married Mabel Chamberlaine of Norfolk, and the couple made the city their lifelong home. Both had a strong humanitarian spirit and were deeply and generously committed to their community. When Burroughs bought Bayville Farm for about $250.00 an acre on May 31, 1919, he became only the seventh owner of the historical property. By that time the land had been used as a working farm for 282 years, about as long a run for any farm anywhere in the United States. So, one might be curious as to why such deeply rooted city dwellers like Charles and Mabel Burroughs would invest in a 328-acre tract of land on the Lynnhaven River in rural and remote Princess Anne County. Was it because Bayville was so deeply etched in local and early Colonial American history? Or because, perhaps, in addition to the farm’s fertile soil the property fronted the beautiful Lynnhaven River with 100 acres of famous oyster beds that conveyed with the property? Or was it because the majestic Colonial era home, Bayville

Manor built in 1827, was on the property? Or maybe it was because the property was situated adjacent to the tracks of the Chesapeake Railroad Company, making transportation to and from the farm ideal not only for passenger travel but for shipping crops to market. Surely all of these attributes were factors in Charles’ decision. But ultimately, he bought Bayville because he was a businessman, and he had a vision. He was out to prove that by using practical and efficient agricultural management practices, a respectable level of profitability could be achieved – even from farming. At first, Bayville Farm under Burroughs raised sheep and cultivated a large crop of tomatoes, but that wouldn’t bring him the personal and financial satisfaction he was looking for. He next decided to try his hand at dairy farming, a bold move that required a more complex and ambitious effort. Burroughs had never managed, nor did he intend to manage, Bayville’s day-to-day operations. Instead, he had the sense to hire E.C. Turner, an educated and experienced farm manager, to run the Bayville Farm dairy operation. Bayville Farm was not a leisurely pastime for Burroughs; it was a business venture with the goal of making the venture profitable. From the outset, Burroughs built his herd with only pure-bred Guernsey cows. Guernsey milk was considered the richest because of its all-natural, high butter-fat content. Besides tasting great, it was also easier to make milk byproducts. Remember, in the early 1920s refrigeration was achieved by having large blocks of ice delivered from an

ice house directly to your home and then stored in your ice box. Staples such as milk, butter and other dairy products, including ice cream, had a limited shelf life. If you wanted milk, it was delivered fresh from the cow by the milkman. Butter? You churned it yourself with milk delivered from the dairy. Have a hankering for some ice cream? That’s right – milk from the dairy and ice from the ice house, all churned by hand. Also, Guernsey herds were easier to manage and were more docile and friendly at milking time. Obviously, the cattle had to be fed with only the best feed, and those crops were grown on site at Bayville using only the best Royster fertilizer. In 1928, nearly 10 years after starting the dairy, Burroughs became the Royster Company’s president. He was only 48 and had already worked for the company for 38 years. Despite the onset of the Depression in 1929, Bayville Farm continued to thrive. Folks still needed milk! Burroughs added to his herd of Guernseys to help meet the demand for milk products, but the addition put a strain on the farm’s ability to produce enough feed from its acreage. In 1933, historic Church Point, also part of the original Thorogood land grant and adjacent to Bayville Farm, went on the market. Burroughs bought it immediately for $10,000. Bayville Farm then became known as Bayville Farms and comprised about 500 acres, with about one mile of continuous shoreline on the Lynnhaven River. It was about this same time that Burroughs began to develop an interest in other aspects of the farming life – horticulture, for instance. He planted acres of peonies, and also azaleas, gardenias, tulips and camellias, and all fertilized with Royster’s best. As driven as he was to be the best at whatever the endeavor, Burroughs also had a soft spot. He was known to say that “a mother’s job is the most important in the world.” Perhaps it was a reflection of having lost his own mother at such a tender age, but for years Bayville milkmen included a bouquet of the farm’s prized peonies with their milk deliveries around the time of Mother’s Day.

Bayville Farms Dairy circa 1950 10

The post World War II era was good for Bayville Farms. The milk was so good and the home deliveries so dependable that Bayville Farms was like a member of the family. And Burroughs developed yet another farm-related passion: showing Guernseys – something of a beauty pageant for cows. True to form, Bayville produced numerous national champion Guernseys. Charles Burroughs died in 1960. Bayville Farms had 400 head of cattle and produced more golden Guernsey milk than any dairy farm in the country, but the winds of change were swirling. The Guernsey herd was slowly replaced by Holsteins because they produce milk lower in fat content, and Americans were becoming concerned about the fat in their diet. Advancements in refrigeration meant grocery stores could now stock milk, and that meant consumers could get it whenever they wanted at a reasonable price. Bayville and all dairy farms were going to have to adapt to this changing business landscape. Burroughs’ heirs loved the farm, but none shared the passion for the business end of Bayville as much as he had. One of the farms owned by Bayville and used to grow feed for the herd was 300 acre Pembroke Farm. It was sold in 1965, and in its place today stands Pembroke Mall, the city’s first enclosed shopping center. As the dairy business waned, the family tried a number of ways to earn enough from Bayville’s operations to cover the farm’s expenses, but with development exploding, the writing was on the wall. Not all of the family members wanted to see the Bayville property developed, however, so in 1982 the Burroughs family made a bold move. They deeded an easement on the original 328 acres and its historic manor house to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. This action protects Bayville Farm by restricting future development, and while it provided a generous tax deduction and reduced real estate assessments, it didn’t resolve the issue of farm expenses. So the Burroughs family made yet another bold move. Their easement does allow developing the property in a couple of ways – like a golf course! – and today Bayville’s former milking plant is the site of the clubhouse and pro shop for an 18-hole course opened as the private Bayville Golf Club 1995. The cows have been replaced by golf carts, but the pastoral setting remains and, thankfully, so will the legacy of Bayville Farms.

Princess Anne Hotel

“TheOriginal”

When you walk down the Boardwalk these days at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, it’s hard to imagine a time when there were no hotels lining the strip. Of course, there was such a time but, just like anything else, there had to be a first – and that was The Princess Anne Hotel. Almost. In 1880 the nation had weathered the era of Reconstruction that followed the Civil War. For many businessmen, the new decade offered the chance to revisit war-delayed opportunities and focus on new ventures. Princess Anne County in 1880 was largely unsettled – its total population was only 9,394 – so there was little reason for anyone to travel beyond Norfolk. Besides, the only dependable roads into Princess Anne were several shell-covered toll roads that led from Norfolk to the Princess Anne Courthouse area. Travel to other parts of the county was over crude, dirt roads whose conditions were largely determined by seasonable weather. A trip to the Atlantic shoreline was an arduous task, winding around numerous rivers and low-lying wetlands. It was an all-day affair on horseback and usually required an overnight journey by horse and buggy. Yet it would be railroads, not improved roads, that would eventually give birth to the resort community.

As early as 1872 there had been several failed attempts to establish a rail line to the coastal shores of Princess Anne County. These included Col. Marshall Parks, a wellknown businessman from Norfolk, who had a background in transportation and hotel management. Parks formed the Norfolk and Sewell’s Point Railroad Company and received a charter to build a rail line from Norfolk to any point in Princess Anne County situated on the Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean. Unlike others seeking a rail line for faster transport of crops to northern markets, Col. Parks envisioned developing the Atlantic coast area into a seaside health and pleasure resort. Unable to find investors who shared his vision, Parks’ new company went nowhere – but he did not give up. Around 1878 it was obvious to

Parks that the best location for a resort development would be in the same vicinity as the newly built Seatack LifeSaving Station, about six miles south of the Cape Henry Lighthouse. In 1880 a determined Parks became a stockholder in a new entity formed to establish a resort at “Virginia Beach” – the Seaside Hotel and Land Company was formed with Parks as president. Over the next two years, with the help of Northern investors providing most of the capital, Parks went about acquiring 11 seaside farms totaling nearly 1,600 acres that stretched five miles along the Oceanfront. Then, in 1882, Parks secured approval from the Virginia General Assembly to reorganize his dormant Norfolk and Sewell’s Point Railroad into the Norfolk and Virginia Beach Railroad and Improvement Company, which shortly thereafter acquired the Seaside Hotel and Land Company. With Parks at the helm, a 19-mile, narrow-gauge railroad from Norfolk through Princess Anne County to Virginia Beach was completed in 1883, with a large, covered pavilion at the line’s 15th Street terminus. In that first season 6,565 tourists traveled to the Oceanfront to enjoy comfortable dining facilities, a dance floor and bath houses. Encouraged by the level of interest in Virginia Beach demonstrated during its inaugural season, the railroad company began building a luxurious hotel at 16th Street adjacent to the pavilion. On July 1, 1884, The Virginia Beach Hotel

The narrow gauge steam engine that brought the first passengers to Virginia Beach by rail. 14

opened, offering overnight accommodations to visitors at the Oceanfront. It was Virginia Beach’s first seaside hotel. But by the end of that year, excessive cost overruns drove the railroad and land company into receivership. Parks was replaced as president by Congressman James H. Hopkins of Pennsylvania as a representative of the Northern investors. The railroad was eventually sold at foreclosure in 1887, and all the land owned by the railroad, including The Virginia Beach Hotel, was bought by the Virginia Beach Development Company under the leadership of Norfolk real estate developer James S. Groves. The new owners changed the hotel’s name to The Princess Anne, and a major expansion and upgrade were begun. A fourth floor was added to the 3½-story, shingled structure, bringing the total number of guest rooms to 139. The large ballroom and elegant dining room were remodeled, and the kitchen was upgraded and enlarged. Also added in 1888 was an electrical plant, believed to be the first in Virginia, to power a new interior and exterior lighting

system as well as elevators throughout the building and hot and cold running seawater in each room. To become a year-round resort, a steam heating system was installed, and the many wide verandas along the ocean side were glassed in to accommodate winter guests. Recreational improvements included bowling alleys, a billiards room, horseback riding and hunting and fishing excursions. The pavilion adjoining the building was enlarged to 250 by 100 feet, and an attached Norfolk and Southern railway depot was added later. The Princess Anne Hotel extended from what is now 14th to 16th Street and was considered an architectural gem of its era. In its first winter season, 1888-1889, it was billed as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;foremost of summer or winter resorts in this country or abroad.â&#x20AC;? The fame of the affluent Princess Anne Hotel spread far and wide, attracting many notable guests including inventor Alexander Graham Bell, financier William Vanderbilt, innovative business leader Cyrus Field, political cartoonist Thomas Nast, politician William Jennings Bryant and Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president of the United States. In 1906, Virginia Beach incorporated as a town and had come into its own as a first-class resort, influenced in part by a series of railroad mergers and consolidations that provided splendid transportation services to Virginia Beach through the Norfolk and Southern Railroad network. But this good fortune would have very little meaning in the aftermath of the tragic events of July 7, 1907. The Jamestown Exposition, held in Norfolk, celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement and the birth of our nation. Many tourists attending the festivities in Norfolk were guests at the Princess Anne Hotel. In the pre-dawn

A rare photograph showing the vacant site of the original Princess Anne Hotel. Note the pilings of the old bulkhead destroyed in the 1907 fire. Where once a grand hotel stood, two campers reside.

hours of July 7, a fire was discovered in the hotel’s kitchen, and the entire hotel complex, covering two city blocks, burned to the ground in less than an hour. Miraculously, thanks to the hotel staff’s heroic efforts, the lives of all guests were saved, although two hotel employees perished in the flames. But while the hotel was ablaze, it quickly became apparent to onlookers that the entire town was in danger of being destroyed because there was no firefighting equipment available. A bucket brigade was formed from the ocean to buildings near the inferno with several dozen women and children. Most still dressed in their night clothes, they passed buckets of sea water to men who doused blankets and then covered the roofs and sides of adjacent buildings. Their tireless efforts saved the resort town, but the majestic Princess Anne Hotel lay in smoldering ruins. The original Princess Anne Hotel, once described as offering “every convenience which modern thought has devised for the comfort of its guests,” was never rebuilt. The land stayed vacant for 20 years, a tragic reminder of the end of a proud chapter in the history of Virginia Beach.

Smith and Holland Surf Shop Timing is everything. If you don’t believe that, have a chat with Pete Smith and Bob Holland. Rewind to the early 1960s. Pete and Bob were among a relatively small but stoked group of guys who were into riding waves every chance they got. Riding waves on a surfboard was not something new in Virginia Beach then. The earliest known surfboard rider in Virginia Beach was James M. Jordan, Jr. beginning in about 1918. A handful of other ambitious watermen enjoyed sliding on waves as the years passed, but even as the ‘60s rolled in, riding surfboards was generally considered to be a fad. For Pete and Bob, the change from a fad to a lifestyle started in October of 1962. That’s when Hobie Alter and Boscoe Burns showed up one day at the Golf Ranch Motel on Laskin Road.

Bob Holland (l) and Pete Smith check out their new surf shop in 1963.

Hobie was one of a few Californians successfully mass producing surfboards in what was, by most accounts, an industry still trying to find its sea legs. He was already selling his boards in Virginia Beach at Fuel, Feed and Building Supplies Corporation at 19th and Pacific Avenue. Coincidentally, one of the owners of Fuel and Feed was James M. Jordan, Jr. (the authors’ grandfather), the same man recognized as the first to surf on the East Coast. Hobie realized he needed dealers to sell his surfboards, not limited floor space in a hardware store, and that’s what led him to the Golf Ranch Motel to find Pete Smith.

Remembering “the paraffin days of our youth” 19

Pete is a life long native of Virginia Beach, raised by his uncle, John Smith. Uncle John was one of the first captains of the Virginia Beach Lifeguard Association, which began watching over swimmers in 1932, and he also owned of the Golf Ranch Motel. That’s where Pete was working in the fall of ’62 when he wrote an article and submitted it to John Severson, publisher

of a new magazine called Surfer. When he sent his story off to Severson, Pete didn’t give a thought to the fact he’d written it on Golf Ranch letterhead, but Severson passed the article on to Hobie – and when he noticed the Virginia Beach address on the letterhead, Hobie decided to drop in during his next trip east. Imagine Pete’s shock when Hobie showed up looking for him. Not only that, Hobie had a business proposition. That’s when Pete called his good friend and surfing buddy, Bob Holland. Bob is also from an old Virginia Beach family. His dad, Cap’n Bob Holland, was a harbor pilot for the Virginia Pilot Association. He was also one of those intrepid young waterman who began riding waves in the 1930s, and he reportedly surfed until he was 74. Young Bob followed in his father’s footsteps and himself became a harbor pilot as well as an accomplished surfer. In those early years, Pete and Bob were generally recognized as leaders in the small but growing group of surfers in Virginia Beach. They were exactly what Hobie was looking for. Back in California, surfing’s growing popularity had spawned a new concept: the surf shop. That’s what Hobie brought east and presented to Pete and Bob, and they seized the opportunity. They opened Smith and Holland Surf Shop at 204, 22nd St. between Atlantic and Pacific avenues. It was March 1963, and it was the first bona fide surf shop in Virginia Beach. They sold Hobie surfboards, decals, T-shirts and surf trunks. As much a clubhouse as it was a store, anyone was welcome to come in and just talk surfing if that was all they wanted to do. Maybe you would pick up a decal or some Kanvas by Katin surf trunks. If you’d saved enough money from your paper route or from setting up chairs and umbrellas on the Oceanfront, you could take home a brand new Hobie surfboard for about $125. Quite simply, in the ‘60s, Smith and Holland Surf Shop became the heart and soul of the Virginia Beach surf community, and it set the example for all others to follow. Around 1968 Bob decided to get out of the business end of surfing and focus more on the competitive side. He went on to win seven U.S. championships in several age brackets as well as 12 Eastern Surfing Association titles. Pete continued in the business, and in 1969 Smith and Holland Surf Shop became Pete Smith’s Surf Shop. Pete moved his

new shop to 28th and Pacific Avenue where he continued the positive vibe created in the early days at Smith and Holland. Pete eventually sold his shop in 1976 but, as he has said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The stoke lives on.â&#x20AC;? Sometimes the simplest thing in life is the spark that turns a pastime into a lifestyle. For Pete Smith and Bob Holland it was a simple article on simple letterhead and being in the right place at the right time when opportunity came rolling in. Today, in Virginia Beach alone, there are any numbers of surf shops. Some have even expanded beyond their Virginia Beach roots to reach all over the globe. But those who can remember canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but think back to where it all began, Smith and Holland Surf Shop.

! a g n u b a w o C

“O Everett School, O Everett School, to thee we will be true” 22

Everett School Isn’t it funny how things work out sometimes? In this case, it was a young girl’s struggle with pneumonia that gave life to what is Virginia Beach’s oldest and largest independent school. Helena K. Allen was born and raised in Norfolk, and her father, James E. Allen, was a successful businessman who also owned one of the first cottages at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. She had a talent in music and, as a young girl, left Norfolk for Baltimore to study at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music. Along the way, she met Richard C. Everett, and they married in 1911. In 1924, after several moves and the addition of four daughters, Richard and Helena decided to move back to Tidewater, to her father’s house at 1203 Atlantic Ave. in Virginia Beach. Richard Everett would eventually become manager of the new Cavalier Yacht Club, but it was an almost tragic twist of fate that would lead Helena into the field of education. Before antibiotics were developed, pneumonia was always a life-threatening illness. When the Everetts’ eldest daughter, also named Helena, was stricken with it, she essentially was quarantined to the family’s house. The other Everett daughters actually had to go live with an aunt so as not to catch the virus themselves. Because her ailing daughter could not attend school while she was recovering, Helena decided home-schooling was her child’s only option. So, using the Calvert System for home-schooling, Helena Everett unknowingly began her career in education. Virginia Beach in 1924 was a sleepy little town of about 800 permanent residents. Helena’s daughter recovered, and the home-schooling had worked so well that Helena decided all four of her daughters should be home-schooled. Her decision turned out to be a fateful one. Several of her friends convinced her to teach their children as well Mrs. Helena K. Everett 23

and, just like that, four students turned into eight. In the fall of 1924, Everett School came to life. The first classes were held in the Everett cottage on 12th Street, but it wasn’t long before enrollment grew and more room was needed. So in 1928, the Everetts built a two-story colonial house in the Linkhorn Park section of Virginia Beach. It would serve as the Everett School for the next 42 years. Initially using two rooms on the first floor as classrooms, over time more classrooms had to be constructed at the rear of the house. By 1959, Helena was ready to retire from her day-to-day duties as the head of Everett School. By then it offered classes from kindergarten through fifth grade and had an enrollment of 150. Two remarkable women, Grace Jordan and her niece Anne “Dickie” Jordan, took the helm and quickly proceeded to take Everett School “to the next level.” Both women had already been with the school for a number of years, and Dickie had actually been a student there in the 1930s. By 1969, Everett School had formed a board of directors, received tax-exempt status, been evaluated by the Virginia Association of Independent Elementary Schools and was bursting at the seams with increasing enrollment. Just as Helena Everett had moved the school in 1928, Grace and Dickie felt it was time to move again. But they had a problem.

Grace Jordan (l) and Dickie Jordan

The Perry Library at Cape Henry Collegiate School

Helena, then well into her 80s, didn’t like the idea of moving the school she built from its Cavalier Drive location, where it had been for 42 years. So Grace and Dickie, respecting the founder’s feelings, decided that once the school moved to its new location – next to First Colonial High School – it would need to have a new name. Everett School’s final year was 1970. The following fall, Cape Henry School opened. Most of its students and faculty came from Everett School. Today, Cape Henry Collegiate School is one of the leading independent schools in Virginia. Former Everett School students can recall the times when Mrs. Everett would have classical music playing in the house or she would be playing the piano. Surprisingly, music, gardening and, later, her grandchildren were her true passions – but Everett School was her life’s work. “To thee we will be true.”

Camp Ashby â&#x20AC;&#x153;Very Fortunate Prisoners ofWarâ&#x20AC;? The longstanding influence of port activity in Hampton Roads has always played a significant role in the strong sense of military pride here. In addition to having one of the largest naval bases in the world, the Port of Hampton Roads has also answered the call in other ways during times of war. Early mobilization activity during the events leading up to the United States entering World War II began in Hampton Roads several years before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, in December 1941. Despite maintaining a strict policy of isolationism, Congress approved a 70 percent increase in the size of the Navy in 1939, and in March 1941 the United States officially repealed its position of neutrality when Congress approved the controversial Lend-Lease program, which provided war materiel to the Allied nations. The Port of Hampton Roads was immediately transformed into a center of intense activity to meet the increased demands of supplying the Allied war machine with weapons, ammunition, clothing, medical supplies, food and other materiel.

With the U.S. entry into the war in 1941, the Hampton Roads port city of Newport News became one of several East Coast ports of embarkation that had the capacity to ship huge quantities of supplies as well as an entire Army division at the same time. It also became a port of entry for troops returning from war – and not just U.S. troops. All told, about 1.5 million military personnel passed through Newport News during World War II, including thousands of German and Italian prisoners of war. The Combat Mobil Force, 3rd Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment was charged with guarding the beaches from enemy attack along the Atlantic coast during the early years of the war. The force’s area of responsibility ranged from Cape Henry to Manteo, N.C., and its base of operations was at a place called Camp Thalia. In 1937, a nonprofit organization had built the Tidewater Victory Memorial Hospital, a tuberculosis sanitarium, on a mostly swampy, 22-acre site in Princess Anne County on Virginia Beach Boulevard at Thalia Creek. The nonprofit eventually turned the facility over to the state of Virginia, which in 1941 leased the building and surrounding land to the U.S. government. By 1942 the Army had assumed control of the property, named it Camp Thalia and went to work to drain and clear the low-lying area for future use. By October 1943 it was determined that an enemy invasion on the shores of the East Coast was highly unlikely, so the 111th Infantry Regiment was reassigned and moved out of Camp Thalia. Some time in mid-1943, it was renamed Camp Ashby following a Virginia tradition of naming Army posts after Confederate army officers. Brigadier General Turner Ashby, a native Virginian and distinguished cavalry officer, was killed in action during the Civil War at age 33. By the early part of 1944, Camp Ashby was temporarily vacant – but not for long. Allied troops, involved in fierce battles in North Africa, had soundly defeated the elite German Afrika Korps led by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. Tens of thousands of German and Italian prisoners had been captured, and most

were being sent to POW camps in the United States – and Camp Ashby suddenly had a new mission. A large majority of the new POWs entered the U.S. through the Hampton Roads port of embarkation, and many never went farther than across Hampton Roads harbor to Camp Ashby in Princess Anne County. A military police detachment was assigned to the camp, and guard towers, high double fences and search lights were erected around the camp’s perimeter. The first group of German POWs arrived at Camp Ashby Prisoner of War Reservation, 1326th Army Service Unit, Third Service Command on March 22, 1944, right in our own backyard. Many of the early prisoners were battle-hardened combat veterans of Hitler’s elite Afrika Korps. Many arrived at Camp Ashby arrogant and angry, but the Nazi sympathizers were soon separated out and sent to other camps. As the prison population became more settled, a strange transition began to take place. The POWs were immediately put to work within the walls of the prison compound erecting additional buildings and expanding other facilities. On their own volition they began to implement improvements that dressed up their Spartan surroundings. Small fences, trellises, flower beds and grassy areas were planted, giving the camp a more habitable and home-like environment. Now, labor was of course in short supply in the area because so many local young men had been sent off to war. So, believe it or not, prisoners who renounced allegiance to Hitler’s Nazi regime and showed a pattern of good behavior were able to spend most of their time in captivity working six days a week as laborers on local farms, at fertilizer plants and in lumber mills! Farmers and factories paid the prisoners $4.40 per day, $3.60 of that going to the government to help offset the cost of POW camps and 80 cents going into a special account for the prisoners. Religion also played an important role in a great many prisoners’ lives. Worship services, conducted in German, were held each Sunday at

the Camp Ashby chapel. POWs also benefited from the U.S. government’s Diversion Program, which kept prisoners occupied with more than 20 programs, including recreational fields for sports, an excellent library, theater and even a camp orchestra. The prisoners also were allowed to publish their own camp newspaper, written in German. By any measure, it was evident the POWs at Camp Ashby were well-fed, happy with their work, treated fairly and very fortunate prisoners of war. When World War II ended, more than 6,000 German prisoners, as many as 1,788 at one time, had been at Camp Ashby between 1944 and 1946. While there, they were taught the principles of democracy, not only in the classroom but also through on-the-job training. Perhaps that’s why, after the war, many POWs requested permission to remain in the United States or at least to return later with their families. But the vast majority of them just wanted to go home. They had decided to make the best of their situation here in Tidewater simply by being cooperative, and they did this in the hope that one day they could return to their homeland, and to their loved ones. Camp Ashby was permanently closed in March 1946. The buildings and equipment were removed from the site and the property returned to the state of Virginia. In 1950, the headquarters building, which was also used as camp Officers Quarters and a hospital, was purchased by Willis Furniture Company, which still occupies this site today. Other sections of Camp Ashby are now occupied by Wayside Village Shops, the City of Virginia Beach Central Library and Loehman’s Plaza Shopping Center. Several buildings were removed from the property and turned into homes in the surrounding residential neighborhood. Nothing else of the POW camp remains today. Only memories remain of the Camp Ashby Prisoner of War Reservation, 1326th Army Service Unit, Third Service Command.

The Shack Its amazing sometimes how things come together to produce something nobody ever expected. The Shack was a good example of that. Thanks to Prohibition (1920-1933), liquor rationing during World War II and strict ABC Board controls it wasn’t until the early 1950s that “beer joints’ became popular. Some of the early ‘50s watering holes along Atlantic Avenue were Grumpy’s, The Deck and, later, Kitchin’s Kitchen on 25th Street. In the late’60s, however, there emerged what was known as “The First Four” beach bars. The Tiki and The Raven were the first to come onto the scene. The old jet Lounge, which became Lee’s Jet Lounge under new management, followed and became a popular gathering place for the local crowd. And in January of 1970, the legendary Shack was founded. The story of the Shack is not unlike other successful ventures. It’s a story about people, relationships and timing. It starts with a guy named “Red” Williams who owned the popular Red Mule bar in Norfolk. The Red Mule’s bartender was a guy named Mike Cannon. Red had a close friend, Alfred Bevan, who would come in from time to time and through family ties he also knew Mike. Alfred, a teacher at Maury High School, half seriously mentioned to Mike one night that they should open up a bar together in Virginia Beach. Mike liked the idea. They learned that the Lamplight on 17th Street at the beach was up for sale, but they needed financial backing to get started. Red put the guys in touch with “Big George” Lineberry, owner of Southern Amusements. He agreed to back Mike and Alfred and the deal was pretty simple. “Big George” would be repaid his investment from the house share of the jukebox, pool table and table games concessions that he would provide the new venture.

Mike Cannon 1943-2008

Not long after the deal went through, Mike, Alfred and wife Susan, and Robert Herman were having dinner at Robert’s restaurant, the Lighthouse. They started to brainstorm for a name for the new bar and decided to name it The Shack. Renovations at The Shack included reconfiguring the bar to run all the way down one side of the narrow building. Old church pews were used for seating at booths and tables along the opposite wall. Tiffany lampshades added a homey look. Alfred and Mike came up with a clever idea to let folks decorate the walls of The Shack with something old, which proved to be a real draw that first summer. The Shack was packed full every summer night from the very beginning and stayed that way for many years. The Beach Service lifeguards and law school students working as summer cops always got special treatment at The Shack. Members of Wareing’s Gym dropped by on a regular basis and the end of the summer, off-site Shack parties were legendary. The price of admission was simple: Wear a Shack T-shirt, get in free. In the off season, a Sunday afternoon happy hour offered 20 cent draft beers. After 5pm, the price went up to 35 cents. It became another Shack tradition. Mike and Alfred invested together again and opened a club bar known as the Zodiac not long after they opened The Shack. Alfred split his time between the two bars but Mike remained full time at The Shack. Eventually, Mike, who personified The Shack’s naturally friendly personality, and Alfred, who enjoyed the live music scene at the Zodiac, (Snuff was the house band, remember them?) traded out each other’s ownership. The Shack remained very popular and profitable, but its limited floor space left no room to grow. In the late ‘60s, Mike and several new investors decided to tear down the old building and replace it with a more upscale, two-story building. The Shack remained as popular as ever. During the early ‘80s, it went through several venue changes and even became a discotheque of sorts. But most things, beach bars in particular, usually run their course, and by the mid ‘80s, Mike Cannon had sold out and moved on. Nevertheless, for the better part of two decades there were some things that were always certain about The Shack…the beer was always cold, the food was always good and Mike Cannon was always the very best at making everyone, from judges to beach bums, feel welcome. The Shack and Mike are both gone now……but we’ll never forget them.

Seaside Park

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Fun is Hereâ&#x20AC;?

If you ever experienced Seaside Park, just the mention of its name brings back the memories. Can you remember the sights, the rides and the smell of hot dogs and cotton candy? How about the feeling of anticipation that came on the eve of your annual visit? It was like Christmas in July! Besides the fun, however, the story of Seaside Park is interesting from a historical point of view because of the economic

contributions the park made to the survival and future growth of the fledgling resort town of Virginia Beach. The loss of the Princess Anne Hotel to fire in 1907 nearly wiped out the resort’s business. The absence of a final-destination facility of national acclaim, as was the Princess Anne, had also hurt Norfolk and Southern Railroad’s revenues, and company officials were looking for a remedy. It all started in 1911, when Norfolk and Southern began negotiating with the Virginia Beach Development Company to buy a large parcel of land in the resort area. They reached an agreement and closed the deal in 1912 , but many local folks questioned the reasoning behind Norfolk and Southern’s decision to buy 600 feet of “remote” Oceanfront

property where it planned to put an amusement park. After all, the property was outside the town’s limits and was at least three-quarters of a mile north of the cottage line. There was no boardwalk going up the beach that far, only a footpath along the edge of the dunes and a sand road that ran parallel to the railroad tracks. Norfolk and Southern’s strategy wasn’t based on foot or automobile traffic, however. The company’s research had shown the success of this type of operation would best be realized with the valet style delivery of carload after carload of passengers dropped off at the facility’s entrance by the railroad line that had run right by the property for nearly 30 years. It wasn’t long before local resort interests realized that as long as the amusement park brought tourists to the resort area, it didn’t matter much where the park was located. The facility that would eventually be known as Seaside Park opened for business in the summer of 1912 as The Virginia Beach Casino. The expansive grounds stretched out along the Oceanfront from 30th to 33rd Street, and from the very first day, people did come, and in far greater numbers than anyone imagined. Norfolk and Southern’s earlier investments into expanding its rail network provided fast and convenient service for travelers to Virginia beach from far and wide. All of a sudden, there was an exciting new reason for folks to come to Virginia Beach. The resort was on a rebound as new revenues began to pump life into the still young seaside town, not to mention the railroad’s bank account. Not only did The Virginia Beach Casino provide joy and fun to so many, it perhaps saved the life of the struggling Virginia Beach resort.

Locals shortened its name to The Casino, and it was soon billed as “being equipped with every device of a pleasuregiving nature,” including a modern bath house facility. The outdoor form of entertainment was naturally centered around beach activity. During this era, street and daily-wear clothing for both men and women was somewhat formal by today’s standards. Consequently, as seen in the photo below, folks taking a day trip to the beach didn’t just throw on a swimsuit, T-shirt, flip-flops, grab a towel and some sunscreen and head out for a day in the surf and sun. They dressed up for the trip, spent some time leisurely having lunch in the restaurant and relaxing in the shade of the pavilion during the heat of the day. Even back then it was believed, especially by the ladies, that the sun was harmful to the skin. Since sunscreen would not be available for 60 or so more years, people generally stayed out of the mid-day

sun. Strolls around the elaborate and beautifully landscaped promenade of the park were accompanied by wide-brimmed hats and parasols for the ladies, and rarely would a man go without a hat on his head. Later in the afternoon, day visitors rented bathing suits at the bath house, hung up their fancy clothes in a locker and went to cool off by “surf bathing” in the ocean. The salt water and salt air were believed to be healthy for mind and body. Adventurous types might take a ride or two on the Slide for Life. Strapping themselves into a seat on a raised platform, they would slide down a cable into the surf. Once refreshed, it was back to the bath house to change out of the soggy, wool bathing suit, rinse off and get cleaned up and dressed, ready for the late afternoon festivities. These might include a stop at the various park concessions, which included Doumar’s, a Norfolk ice cream company credited with having invented the waffle ice cream cone at the 1904 World’s Fair. For thrill-seekers it was the wooden Camel Back roller coaster with a half-mile ride believed to be the largest and highest in the South. Although the bath house operation was a good money maker and a popular and necessary amenity for the beachgoers, it was the Peacock Ball Room that was the main attraction at The Virginia Beach Casino for over 40 years. It was originally billed as the largest dance floor on the East Coast, with more than 50,000 square feet of space. All of the big-name bands played there over the years including Tommy Dorsey, who made his first appearance in Virginia Beach at the Peacock in 1936. In those days, if you wanted to dance you had to buy tickets: 10 cents for one dance, three for a quarter. A large, revolving crystal mirror, hanging at the center of the ballroom, was turned on for slow dances, and the reflected, colored spotlights created a romantic atmosphere throughout the hall. In 1926 The Casino, under new management, became the Seaside Amusement Park. A year later the new owners signed a twenty-year lease to another group, headed by the Laskin family. The Laskins not only invested a sizeable sum of money in Seaside Park,

they invested more than $1 million in numerous development projects throughout the growing resort. At the park they added a carousel, fondly referred to by locals as the “Merry-Go-Round,” which carried countless happy riders for more than 60 years. The salt-water pool was enlarged, and several other rides were added. One of the most popular was the Bamboo Slide. You had to climb a long set of steps to get to the top of the two-story slide. Once there, they gave you a blanket to sit on, and away you went – down the slide, over several leap-d’-dips to the bottom. What a rush! As the years passed, Virginia Beach grew faster than a ride down the Bamboo Slide. The resort’s demographics changed as visitors began looking for more of a family style destination. During World War II numerous open-air beach clubs appeared, offering more intimate venues, and the old Peacock Ball Room slowly lost its appeal. The personality of Seaside Park, still called The Casino by locals, had to change. The days of railroad travel were long gone because automobiles and modern highways made traveling easier. After World War II, Seaside took on a more carnival-like personality, which had a broader appeal to families.

The magnificent Peacock Ballroom

Baby boomers will never forget the many rides and attractions at Seaside. Remember the Whirl-A-Way, the String Game, the Skee Ball Alley or everybody’s favorite, the Bumper Cars? It was a right of passage when you were old enough to drive your own bumper car. The Tilt-A-Whirl would make you so dizzy that it was hard to stand up at the end of the ride. And who could forget big ole “Laughing Sally,” who lured folks by the thousands into the Fun House. The shooting gallery used real bullets in a .22-caliber pump rifle in those days! And every kid who ever entered Seaside, from 8 months to 80 years old, was certain to play the Pick-Up-Ducks game, where the number on the bottom of each floating duck guaranteed everyone would walk away a winner. Of course there was cotton candy, hand-dipped chocolate bars on a stick, the Brown Derby and swirled soft ice cream cones. Did you ever ring the bell at the High Striker? Ever eat a hot dog at Sip n’ Bite Restaurant? Remember taking home a souvenir from the gift shop? And then there was the guy who guessed your weight and age. How’d he do that? Finally, who doesn’t have a memory of the old Ferris wheel? If you were a kid, that was the highest you had ever been when your place on the wheel got to the top. If you were a guy on a date, you might slip the operator a couple of bucks so he would stop the wheel when you and your girl were at the top. By rocking your gondola, you hoped to scare the daylights out of her in the hope she would move even closer to you. Do you remember? A great fire in 1956 wiped out more than half the park, and the northern section was never rebuilt. The bath house was no longer a necessity for a trip to the beach, and the ballroom style of dancing gave way to the many rock and roll styles at various smaller, jam-packed locations up and down the beach.

Sadly, by 1986, operating an Oceanfront amusement park on the Boardwalk was clearly not the best use for the property. Wisely, the Dudley Cooper family, who operated the park for over twenty years, sold off the valuable real estate to make way for future hotel development. Today, the luxurious Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront hotel and King Neptuneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park at 31st Street occupy much of the area where the old Casino once stood. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to measure the impact the Virginia Beach Casino/Seaside Amusement Park had on Virginia Beach and the millions of visitors over its 74 years. As much as anything else it helped to ensure the survival of what was a sleepy little resort town. But it really is about the memories. Generations of people had great times at Seaside Park, and as sure as Laughing Sally was fat, they were memories to last a lifetime.

“A HomeGrownSuccessStory”

Fuel, Feed and Building Supplies Corp.

It may sound somewhat like a cliche, but the story of Fuel, Feed and Building Supplies Corp. is the story of America. As a nation, we tout the fact we are the land of opportunity, and that notion has been proven true countless times. Just take the era known as the Roaring ’20s. It was a heady time of social change and an economy hotter than a 4th of July firecracker. Opportunities seemed limitless, and that was as true for the town of Virginia Beach as anywhere else in the nation. If you had a vision for the future and the right people in the right spots, anything was possible. Willard Ashburn was a man of vision, and in 1924 he was elected mayor of Virginia Beach. Only 24 at the time and fresh out of the University of Virginia’s law school, Ashburn was the third generation of his family to live and work at the Beach even though the town of Virginia Beach was younger than he was. Ashburn was known to have a knack for seeing opportunities, and he epitomized the “everything seems possible” spirit of the time. You might say he was in the know and raring to go! Changes were coming to Virginia Beach, and Ashburn saw the possibilities. By 1925 several of these changes helped initiate a

residential and commercial real estate boom in Virginia Beach. Despite delays due to World War I, the concrete highway from Norfolk to Atlantic Avenue was finally completed. With automobiles becoming more common, folks now had a quick and convenient way to get to the Beach. Also, a new water pipeline from Norfolk was installed, ending the water shortage that had been an obstacle to growth. By 1926, the real estate boom was in full swing, and Ashburn recognized a significant need for a full-service building materials supplier at the Oceanfront. Always the consummate organizer and deal maker, Ashburn knew the key to success would be bringing in the right people to help launch a new business. And he knew exactly who those people were. Three men, all with unique talents and skills, bought in to Ashburn’s idea. Edward M. Hardy, age 31 was Ashburn’s brother-in-law, and he had been in sales for Building Supplies Corp. in Norfolk since returning from World War I. A gas attack during the war left him suffering from chronic lung problems, but his health issues did not outweigh the fact that his knowledge of the building materials business was first rate. And the still widely held belief of the time that clean, fresh, salt air was beneficial for those with breathing problems might have made the prospect of moving to the Beach more attractive to him. James M. Jordan, Jr., 28, was (and remained) a lifelong, trusted and dear friend of Willard Ashburn. Jordan, originally from Norfolk, had spent a good part of his early years at the Beach and became a permanent resident in 1921. Newly married and having just returned from military service himself after World War I, Jordan started out as an accounting teacher and football coach at Oceana High School. He would also see duty as the bookkeeper at Virginia Beach Casino and had helped to organize and then manage the New Ocean Casino, built in 1926. His primary responsibility would be finance. And there was Audie L. Fisher, Sr., the “old man” of the group at 41. Born and raised in Princess Anne County, Fisher was the coal and firewood merchant in Virginia Beach. He was an easy-going, likeable and respected man. His coal business was a successful, established company, and his coal yard was along the railroad tracks at Pacific Avenue and 19th Street. Together, these four men formed Fuel, Feed and Building Supplies Corp., which opened for business in 1927. Ashburn

would be a silent partner and would put up the money, $1,750, to get things started. The company, which quickly became known simply as “Fuel Feed,” hit the ground running. The office was set up in an old storage shed at Fisher’s coal yard. In addition to a big coal pile, other company assets included a warehouse of sorts, an old Ford truck, and a horse and cart used for coal deliveries. Often times, these coal deliveries would be made by traveling on the beach at low tide to as far as Cape Henry all the way down to False Cape. Jessie Whitehurst, as deliveryman, was the company’s first employee. When a railroad car delivered a load of coal to the yard in those early days, Jessie, all of the partners and anyone else they could round up would grab shovels and offload the coal by hand. Whew! The first of several Fuel Feed expansions took place almost immediately. A tiny storefront with a few supplies was opened in the new Roland Court Building, which also housed the first movie theater at the Beach, on 17th Street. It quickly became clear to the founders that a line of hardware supplies would be a perfect addition to their business plan. Fortunately, they knew someone who might be interested in helping with that addition. Robert B. Taylor was associated with the Farmer’s Supply Office in Virginia Beach. He was a respected hardware man and well-known to the Fuel Feed partners. Taylor bought out Willard Ashburn’s interest in Fuel Feed and became a partner in 1929. Right away, he orchestrated a move from the Roland Court location to a much larger space fronting 17th Street. The original office was moved from the coal yard to the new 17th Street space, which now housed a full-service hardware store, and a second, larger warehouse was added on 19th Street. The grand opening of the new store occurred on March 1, 1929. Just like the rest of the country at the time, the Fuel Feed boys were on a role. Less than seven months later, all of that would come to a crashing halt. On Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929, the Roaring ’20s came to an abrupt end. On that day, also known as Black Tuesday, the stock market crashed and began a period of economic stagnation known as the Great Depression. It would last a decade. Discouraged but undaunted, and through strength of character, a lot of hard work and perhaps a little bit of luck, the men who ran Fuel Feed made it through those tough times. The Depression ended with World War II, and after the war Virginia Beach went through another significant and broad

cycle of real estate growth and development. Fuel Feed was uniquely positioned to take advantage of the times. Although Hardy died in 1947 and Fisher in 1948, by then another generation of the ownersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; families had come into the business, and a line of succession had been established to help Jordan and Taylor run Fuel Feed. Once again, the business adapted to a changing market. A Mobil distributorship for home heating oil was added in 1942 and by 1951 it had replaced the old coal operation. And, to take advantage of the demand

The busy 17th Street commercial center of Virginia Beach circa 1932. Note the sign for the Roland Court, Virginia Beachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first movie theater. Fuel Feed was housed underneath the sign for Sun-Proof PAINT. 43

created by advancements in refrigeration technology, Fuel Feed was awarded the franchise for Frigidaire appliances for Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County in 1945. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1947. Still on 17th Street, it had 34 employees, including 16 drivers and 11 delivery trucks for fuel oil and building materials. In the 10 years between 1940 and 1950, the population of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County jumped from about 20,000 to 42,000 people. The influx of military during the war helped that growth, as well as the growth of business. By the early 1950s the economic outlook for Virginia Beach looked very strong. Fuel Feed outgrew its space on 17th street, and it was clear it was time to expand. The logical site for the new, modern hardware store wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hard to figure out. It was a move back to where it all began at the site of the long-gone coal yard at 19th and Pacific. It was a smart move. For the first time, all of Fuel Feedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations, except for the fuel oil storage farm on 18th Street, would be under one roof. The grand opening of the new store was celebrated in 1953. After the merger of Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County in 1963, the new city of Virginia Beach continued to grow by leaps and bounds. The once-vast acreage of rural Princess Anne County farm land was turning into housing subdivisions and new neighborhoods. This new growth and development shifted the focus from the resort area to the geographical west-central area of the new city, and with this shift came opportunities.

The Fuel Feed truck fleet in front of the 19th Street warehouse

At this point, five sons of the original partners were active in various management positions at Fuel Feed. Just as their fathers before them, they were quick to recognize the new opportunities and the potential to expand Fuel Feed yet again. They developed a plan and presented it to Messrs. Jordan and Taylor. Although both men were reaching the usual retirement age, neither was ready to ride off into the sunset – but neither were they eager to take on another expansion. Nevertheless, they recognized the potential and suggested forming a sister corporation with the five sons as stockholders and Fuel, Feed and Building Supplies Corp. as an equity partner. It was essentially the same approach they had used 40 years earlier when they launched Fuel Feed in 1927. So in Fuel, Feed Plaza Home Center Inc., trading as True Value Home Center opened for business in a converted steelfabrication building on Virginia Beach Boulevard at Princess Anne Plaza. Dual management responsibilities for the related businesses continued to be carried out by the family members. James M. Jordan, Jr. and Robert B. Taylor both passed away in 1976. The sons had expanded their True Value operation to a second location on Laskin Road at Hilltop. With the old Fuel Feed store on 19th Street only about two miles from the Hilltop store, they decided to close down the 19th Street location. The resort area had grown up, and the property was too valuable a location to continue operating a hardware store on it. It was sold to the city of Virginia Beach in 1978. The closing of Fuel Feed marked the end of a business that was started by four young men brought together by a shared vision in an extraordinary time. Through dedication to hard work, honest dealings and a willingness to go the extra mile for their customers, they weathered many storms to become one of Virginia Beach’s greatest home-grown success stories. POSTSCRIPT: You might wonder about the five sons and the sister company that was started back in 1967. Well, the two Fisher sons – Audie, Jr., and Marshall – and the two Jordan sons – Jimmy and Chick – have all passed on. Dawson Taylor, along with his sons and grandsons, has carried on the family legacy in fine fashion. Fuel, Feed Plaza Home Center Inc. now trades as Taylor’s Do-It Center, with a chain of stores throughout Tidewater.

The Low Rent Regatta

“A Community ClassAct” In the mid to late 1970s, catamarans took Virginia Beach by storm. And why not? The twin-hull sailboats were sleek, fast and downright sexy. They were a thrill to sail, with a one- or two-man crew, and at the end of the day you just pulled your boat up to the dune line and left it there until you were ready to go out again. Hundreds of these boats could be seen at the North End along the Oceanfront as well as on the Bay at Chesapeake Beach. Just about all the catamarans of this era were made by Hobie (of surfboard fame) and came in 14- and 16-foot lengths. An organization known as the Hobie 32 Fleet was a group of Virginia Beach “Hobie Cat” sailors who held their organizational “meetings” at Worrell Bros. restaurant. These were convened to plan regattas (races, you landlubbers!), drink a few adult beverages, tell a few lies and swap a few stories. On a night in mid-July 1978, in an ironic twist, a legacy in the history of catamaran racing was conceived and came to life. During a meeting at Worrell Bros. that night, one of the North End guys – in good fun, mind you – was apparently “encouraging”

the Chesapeake Beach contingent to participate in an upcoming regatta to be held off the North End beach, on the Atlantic side of Cape Henry. One of the Chesapeake Beach crew responded that they couldn’t take part because they couldn’t afford trailers to transport their “cats” from Chic’s Beach. (Chic’s Beach is a colorful, charming Chesapeake Beach neighborhood that had a significant concentration of catamaran enthusiasts). Presumably in jest, a big mouth from the North End group responded, “That’s OK, we don’t want boats from the low-rent district anyway.” Hmmmmmm. The Chic’s Beach group quietly got up and departed. Later that evening, sitting around a picnic table on Chic’s Beach, four guys from the group reconvened the earlier meeting. Somewhat miffed about the “low rent” comment and bolstered by a few more adult beverages, they came to the only conclusion possible: They would have their own regatta! Of course, theirs would have to have a name, and since the low-rent classification was entirely accurate, they decided to name their catamaran race The Low Rent Regatta. The following morning the idea still seemed like a good one, so the guys – Claude “Beetle” Bailey, Jim Milby, Jimmy Allman and Archie Dijociamo – went right to work getting their race ready for launch. Their devil-may-care attitude blended perfectly with the race’s just-have-fun theme. They figured if they kept the plan simple, they could put it all together in, oh, let’s say three weeks! Registration flyers were stuffed into the rigging lines of Hobie Cats up and down Chesapeake Beach. Of course, a few rules applied: The $10 entry fee had to be paid at least one hour before race time, and your boat could be any length as long as it was a Hobie Cat with a sail number. The race itself would be challenging, with a LeMans start off Lee Street at Chic’s Beach. The guys figured a 1 p.m. start would give the contestants time to clear their heads after partying the night before. Instead of a traditional triangle-buoy layout, the course would take the boats out along the east side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, loop through its first and second islands from the east and back through the third and fourth islands from the west and head back to finish at Chic’s Beach. The Low Rent course would be tricky and require experienced sailors to manage the strong tidal action running through first the Thimble Shoal Channel and then the Chesapeake Channel. Oh, and then there was the challenge of maneuvering your catamaran around some very large ships heading into and out of port? No problem!

There would be only one grand prize – winner take all. As stated verbatim on the flyer: GRAND PRIZE: ‘A CAR’ **DETAILS PROVIDED DAY OF RACE** Race day dawned Aug. 6, 1978, and, amazingly, between 50 and 60 boats had registered to race in what was billed as the First Annual Low Rent Regatta. With such a name it’s no wonder nobody can remember the name of the guy who skippered the first boat back to the beach. But original organizer Jim Milby remembers that he was not a local, was sailing with his wife as crew member and the name of their boat was Beach Nuts. As advertised, the nameless winners proudly drove off in the grand prize, a very fine but not-so-gently used Cadillac DeVille. On many levels the first Low Rent Regatta was a success, so they decided to do it again. The second year, 1979, 110 boats were registered, and another car was put up as grand prize. This time it was a very nice, 10-year-old Cadillac Eldorado (with the big fins). Believe it or not, after the race the winner didn’t want the car, so the organizers decided to give him $1,000 instead. By the third year the organizers knew they were on to something. They added an “open class” category, and the next thing you know they’ve got 200 entries. An unexpected byproduct of the Low Rent Regatta’s initial success was cash. From the very first race, and increasing each successive year, the organizers were faced with the enviable decision of what to do with the profits. One year, the Regatta paid the airfare for a neighbor who needed to get back home for her father’s funeral but couldn’t afford a ticket. After the third year they decided to donate $881 to the Chesapeake Beach Civic League because of the community’s strong support. It was then they decided that, from that point on, the race would operate as a nonprofit organization. After the second year, Archie Dijociamo, one of the original organizers, had

moved out of the area, and the remaining three founders invited long time friend and race participant Gee Faison to come on board as chairman of the Low Rent Regatta Committee. The committee decided all future profits from the regatta would be donated primarily, but not exclusively, to Chesapeake Beach Fire & Rescue, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and The Virginia Marine Science Museum. Over the 20-year life of the race, the Low Rent Regatta gave back to the community nearly $250,000. Incredible. As the event grew in size, it began to take on a life of is own. The large spectator crowd, up to 2,000 on race day, eventually required a more-structured format. The race date was moved to Labor Day weekends, and a wind-surfing category and beach volleyball tournament were added. And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget the famous Low Rent Regatta parties. After bouncing around from one location to another during the early years, the race committee finally found a home at the Fort Story Officers Club that came with a view looking out over the Low Rent course on Chesapeake Bay. It was the host of the party of all parties for 15 years. You had to have been there to understand. For whatever reason, catamaran sailing became less popular by the early 1990s. Entry registrations for the Low Rent Regatta began to fall off, but the party-time atmosphere remained as strong as ever. Nevertheless, life in the world of festival events had become more complicated by insurance regulations, new laws, city ordinances, lawsuits and all of the many trappings the original organizers couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have cared less about in the early days. The race committee reasoned that, after 20 spectacular years, it would be great to go out on top. The last Low Rent Regatta was Labor Day weekend in 1998, with 46 boats entered. And, of course, a final party was held, with the bittersweet theme The Last Tack. But the story of the Low Rent Regatta has a curious last chapter. After the final race and party, the race committee had roughly $25,000 that needed to be donated to a worthy cause, and it so happened they had met a guy named Rick Boesch who was trying to raise money for a little project he was planning. Rick had discovered an original set of

blueprints for the Virginia, a 1916 wooden schooner built for the Virginia Pilots Association, and Rick had a notion to use the plans to build an exact replica of the boat. The committee decided a good use of that $25,000 would be as seed money to help get Boesch’s project off the ground. It worked – The Virginia Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization, was formed. And in 2004, an exact replica of the Schooner Virginia was christened in Norfolk. It was a fitting way for the Low Rent Regatta to set sail for the last time. From its humble beginnings in the wee hours of the morning around a picnic table on Chic’s Beach in 1978, the Low Rent Regatta eventually became one of the largest and longest-running catamaran races anywhere. Yet, the event never lost its friendly festival atmosphere and always remained strictly a neighborhood project. As the sun set on the last Low Rent, one can only imagine the pride felt by the Chic’s Beach crowd and the tremendous number of dedicated individuals who were instrumental in producing an event that became an institution in the annals of sailing history. And by giving back, they were able to have a positive impact on the quality of life in their community.

Hilltop Motor Court

“TheBestIsNoBetter”

Head west from the Oceanfront on Laskin Road for about two miles, and you will run into the Hilltop area. You can’t miss it. With its geographical center of Laskin and First Colonial roads, Hilltop is a sprawling collection of shops, restaurants, large stores, small stores, banks and office buildings. If there’s anything you need, there’s a good chance you can find it at Hilltop. It wasn’t that way when Dean Smith Potter, Sr. first saw it. He was just 14 when his family moved to Virginia Beach from Columbus, Ohio, in 1912. His father, Gordon, shipped his entire farm – dairy cows, horses, cattle and equipment – on the train. Gordon “Pop” Potter was an experienced farmer. After buying 1,102 acres, he built the first brick silo in Princess Anne County and later became president of the Princess Anne Dairyman’s Association. Very little changed in Princess Anne County until the war clouds of World War II descended on Hampton Roads. In 1940, Dean, Sr. and his brother, John, sold 328 acres of the family farm to the federal government for use as a naval training airfield. By 1942 the United States was fully engaged in the war, and the Navy needed still more space to train new pilots. Once again, the Potters responded, and the Navy got the land it needed. Dean, Sr. subsequently built a new home for his wife, Lucille, and their three sons on 55 acres of their own farmland bordered on the south by Laskin Road and on the west by

ily The Potter fam farm house which stood from 1952 until 2001.

First Colonial. The Potters plowed their fields on an old John Deere tractor back then, and you have to wonder if all that time tilling the land gave Dean, Sr. the opportunity to think about the future. It didn’t take long for his interest to shift from farming to developing commercial property. He couldn’t help but think that eventually a growing Virginia Beach could only expand to the west. In 1945 he built an Esso service station on a corner of Laskin and First Colonial. About the same time, a survey crew from the Army Corps of Engineers was in the area. In the course of a conversation with one of the crew members one day, Dean, Sr. learned his property had the highest elevation in Virginia Beach. Family members recall him saying to Lucille, “Mama, I’ve named it Hilltop,” and so the service station became Hilltop Esso. In 1948, Dean, Sr. and two of his three sons built the Hilltop Motor Court on the western edge of today’s Hilltop West shopping center. Many people questioned the decision to locate overnight lodging so far from the resort area. It opened with only 13 rooms, but each had its own bathroom. They later changed the name to, simply, Hilltop Motel. It turned out to be very popular with military families from nearby Oceana Naval Air Station and those unable to find rooms at the Oceanfront. Eventually, the 13 rooms expanded to 22, and Dean’s vision for his little piece of Virginia Beach turned out to be right on the money. Dean Smith Potter, Sr. died unexpectedly in 1952, and his widow, Lucille, took over the family businesses – which then, along with Hilltop Motel, still included farming corn, soybeans and wheat. Several years later she turned the motel’s management over to her two oldest sons, Gordon and Dean, Jr. Air conditioning was added, and the old oyster shell parking lot was blacktopped. During the late 1950s and early ’60s, in order to help draw more folks to Hilltop, the boys added other attractions on the Potter property. Did you ever hit a bucket of balls at the Hilltop driving range or take the family to the Hill-

top putt-putt course? And how about the Hilltop slide? For 25 cents a ride, you got a burlap bag to sit on with little else to hold on to as you took off down the giant, slippery slope. By the time you reached the second bump, it was a virtual certainty your rate of descent would cause your body to become airborne. It was awesome! The Hilltop Motel gained in popularity over time with many repeat guests every year. Locals even checked in now and then to simply enjoy the hospitality and rural setting. But by January 1973 there were bigger plans for the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest acreage. The motel, the Potterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first family-run development, was demolished to make way for the Hilltop West shopping center. Gordon Potter recalls that his father, Dean, Sr. used to say that there would be shopping one day at Hilltop and that it would be just like Wards Corner in Norfolk. Virginia Beach did move westward, just as Dean, Sr. predicted. Ironic, isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it? The very place that people in 1947 said was too far from the resort area is now the shopping hub not only for the Oceanfront but also most of eastern Virginia Beach.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;SeeYou atSeaviewâ&#x20AC;?

Seaview Beach To understand the significance of Seaview Beach, you have to go back in time to a complex and shameful period in American history. After the end of the Civil War in 1865, the country entered a ten-year period known as Reconstruction. During this time, the federal government took on the enormous task of reuniting the country and providing equality and an improved social status to former slaves. By 1870, the Reconstruction Act had given national citizenship to all blacks and gave black men the right to vote. This action brought a dramatic change to the socio-economic culture that had existed throughout the South for several hundred years. The new laws were met with massive

widespread resistance by the 11 states that had made up the Confederacy. The Reconstruction era ultimately proved to be 10 years of futility as a series of complex negotiations and questionable political maneuvering by lawmakers brought it to an end in 1877. Under the guise of healing the wounds between the North and South, most politicians (most of them white) abandoned the cause of protecting the rights of black citizens. A series of Supreme Court rulings repealed the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which had given states throughout the South the ability to create a legal system and create laws that re-established a society based on white supremacy. These segregation laws came to be known throughout the land as the Jim Crow laws. It is somewhat unclear how the term Jim Crow came into existence. It is believed to have originated from a popular minstrel show song written before the Civil War that mocked blacks as being an inferior race. Traveling minstrel shows were abundant for many decades and inadvertently promoted the spread of the term Jim Crow as a racial slur. By 1900, the term Jim Crow had become synonymous with racist laws and actions that deprived black citizens of their civil rights. These laws were primarily aimed at preventing black men from voting and denying blacks from socially commingling with whites in public places. In 1912 the Norfolk and Southern Railroad built The Virginia Beach Casino between 31st and 33rd streets on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. It later became Seaside Park, and in its day it became a major destination for anyone seeking the fun and sun Virginia Beach had to offer. Anyone, that is, who was white. Jim Crow separated the races, but it couldn’t discourage the desire to have a good time. Three men – W.W. Consolvo, John C. Davis, and Joseph Nelson – recognized the need for a bathing beach and amusement park exclusively for the significant local black population. On May 30, 1933, these three white men opened Ocean Breeze Beach and Amusement Park off Shore Drive in what is now the Baylake Pines section

of Virginia Beach, on the Chesapeake Bay side. Its 75 acres were conveniently located on what had become a major thoroughfare. The black community now had its own Seaside Park. Meanwhile, a little farther east on Shore Drive, at the intersection of Great Neck Road, stood a two-story, 300-foot-long building on six-and-a-half acres with 700 feet of pristine white sand on Chesapeake Bay. Since 1927 the building had generally been used as a dance hall for whites. All of that changed in 1945 when a group of 21 local black business and professional men, led by William T. Mason, formed the Seaview Beach and Hotel Corp. For $45,000 this group had bought the property and renamed it Seaview Beach. Their goal was to make it the largest and best-equipped shore resort for blacks on the East Coast. After eight weeks of preparation, Seaview Beach opened for business in May of 1945, and it turned out to be quite an attraction by any standard. It was, in fact, so popular in the black community that traffic on many weekends was reportedly backed up for miles on Shore Drive. And, if you lived in Norfolk, the Norfolk and Southern Bus Co. would bring you to Seaview for 35 cents,

round trip. When it came time to make plans for the weekend, “see you at Seaview” was all that needed to be said. In the main building, the centerpiece was a ballroom with shiny wood floors, a mezzanine area where meals were served and a 50-foot ceiling. Many nights the ballroom was rocking with the sound of orchestras and big bands headed by legends like Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Even the amazing “Lady Day” herself, the soulful Billie Holiday performed at Seaview Beach. Outside the main building on the beach side was a “starlight” plaza with a dance pavilion lined by colorful umbrellas for shade during the day and lighting for dancing under the stars at night. There were rooms for overnight guests, and if more were needed, Parker’s Beach Motel and Restaurant next door could accommodate. Beginning in 1947, amusements were added to the attractions at Seaview Beach, with the view at the top of the Ferris wheel providing a major thrill. These amusements, coincidentally, were provided by Dr. Dudley Cooper, then the owner of Seaside Amusement Park at the Oceanfront and Ocean View Amusement Park in Norfolk. Folks who remember their days at Seaview Beach appreciate having had a place to go with the entire family to have fun and create memories. Other than church, there just weren’t any other places then where black families could go together to enjoy some recreation and fellowship. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially, and thankfully, put an end to the Jim Crow era. But the end of segregation meant that places like Seaview Beach, once considered one of the best resorts on the East Coast for blacks, were no longer necessary. Seaview Beach was closed in 1964. The building that had been the center of so much fun and happiness for so many years was torn down in 1966. Seagate Colony Condominium now occupies the spot.

Oceana High School

“An Exclusive Group,Forever”

In 1900 the school system in Princess Anne County consisted of a scattered group of small, one-room school houses where all grade levels were taught together. That was not an unusual form of education in those days, especially in sparsely populated rural environments. The schools were strategically spread out over the vast 328 square miles of the county. In that same year the county’s turn-of-the-century population numbered only 11,626 including the small resort and fishing village of Virginia Beach. The wheels of change, however, were beginning to move.

1908

Railroads improved transportation significantly with the completion of a continuous loop from Norfolk to Virginia Beach, around Cape Henry, along the Chesapeake Bay and back to Norfolk. Increasing numbers of folks visiting the Oceanfront resort area created an infrastructure of yearround residents and commerce that grew to the point where Virginia Beach became a town in 1906. It was around this time that O.B. Mears, superintendent of schools for Princess Anne County and a native of the area, recognized these emerging growth trends. He understood the impact growth would have on the one-room school system, so Mears proposed the idea that a healthy environment for higher learning could be created by building a centrally located, four- or five-room high school. This new school would serve the more populated school districts of Cape Henry, Seatack, Oceana and the new township of Virginia Beach. After a series of meetings in 1907 between state and county school officials, it was agreed that a consolidated, four-room school would be built at Oceana. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, 1908, Oceana High School, the first high school in what is present-day Virginia Beach, began its

first term in a simple but new, white-clapboard building at the corner of what is now Southern Boulevard and West Lane. Professor J.L. Eastman, the first principal, and three teachers greeted 80 invited students on that first day. When the end of the term rolled around in June, the number of students had risen to 120. In the fall of 1908 two additional districts were added, and enrollment grew to 150 students. By 1909 a second, identical building and three more teachers were added to accommodate an enrollment that had reached 217, which included the addition of elementary students. The school flourished, and on May 31, 1912, a milestone was reached when Oceana handed out eight diplomas to five young ladies and three young men who comprised the first high school graduating class in the 300-year history of Princess Anne County. The period of prosperity that followed World War I led to a real estate boom that fueled significant population growth in the resort area. By the fall of 1926 a new, larger, brick school building had been built adjacent 1951 to the older buildings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but in June 1928 a disastrous fire burned the new building to the ground. Undaunted, school officials proceeded immediately with construction of the fourth and even larger two-story brick building for Oceana High School. As the years progressed, local, national and international events forged strong bonds and a sense of spirit in the OHS family. The sports programs included football, baseball, basketball and tennis for both girls and boys. The various teams were known as the Cavaliers, and they helped spawn a spirit of school pride within the student body as well as throughout the community.

The financial challenges of the Great Depression had little effect on the school because it had historically operated on a shoestring budget, making do with very little. The United States’ entry into World War II, however, seemed to cut to the core of Oceana High as many students, current and former, joined the armed forces and endured the war years as they fought to 1928 protect our freedoms. This shared experience alone, and for the first time, defined the school’s true character and blazed a lasting legacy of cohesive relationships among the faculty, students and alumni. After the war the area once again experienced a population explosion, this time driven by the expanded military presence. Of particular interest to OHS was the expansion by nearly 150 acres of the small naval airfield adjacent to the school property. In 1951 the Navy announced a $10 million plan to renovate and expand Oceana Naval Auxiliary Air Station into a master jet base. It was the beginning of the end for Oceana High School – the school buildings and grounds lay at the foot of the newly expanded runway at what is today Naval Air Station Oceana. Actually, the beginning of the end for OHS was in the late 1940s, when Princess Anne County’s schools superintendent, Frank W. Cox, proposed creating a consolidated regional high school to replace three high schools, one of them Oceana. 1954

Meanwhile, the town of Virginia Beach announced the construction of Virginia Beach High School, to be opened in 1952. That same year the citizens of Princess Anne County overwhelmingly approved issuing $2.8 million in bonds to build a central high school on 37 acres at Thalia. With inevitable closure on the horizon, and the displacement of former OHS students to either the new Virginia Beach High School or new Princess Anne High School, Oceana High closed its doors for good in 1954. There were only 35 students in the final graduating class. How do you capture the essence experienced by several generations of OHS students, faculty and administrators? At the 1995 reunion, Lee Scarborough, Class of ’51, gave a moving address to the more than 500 attendees. A brief excerpt from his remarks might provide the answer: “Thanks for loving your kids, serving your families, your churches, your schools, your community, your state and your country. Look around you. Look at your classmates and schoolmates. The good memories, the loyalty, the respect and concern for each other shows in their eyes. We are an exclusive group, so look out for each other.” Looking back over its 46-year history, it is not hard to understand why or how those associated with Oceana High School became an “exclusive group.” This rural county school came to life at a time of great transition in educational practices and equally great transition in Virginia Beach growth. Throughout the school’s life the curriculum purposely remained fundamentally basic because the student body came from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds and resources were often sparse. But, from the first day of school in 1908 until the doors closed in 1954, the school’s goal, as provided by the dedicated teachers and administrators, was simply to provide their students with a sound, balanced education. By doing so, the school turned out several generations of solid, patriotic citizens who made a difference in their community and their nation. More importantly, and perhaps unknowingly, along with their academics at Oceana High, students learned the priceless life lesson that strong relationships are the cornerstone in the foundation of life. And that will forever be the central theme in the life story of Oceana High School.

Grace Sherwood

“TheWitch of Pungo”

A lot of our Virginia Beach streets bear the names of people, places or events significant to our area. Some of them really catch your eye, too, like Witchduck Road. Makes you wonder what happened along that road... Well, in 1706, Grace Sherwood knew exactly what was happening as her thumbs were being bound to her toes in preparation for her trial. Actually, there were few roads around here back then, but on the 10th of July, 1706, they all led to the county seat at New Town in Princess Anne County to see, once and for all, if Grace Sherwood was, in fact, a witch. Now, once you start talking about witches, you enter the world of folklore, where truth and fiction sometimes overlap, but you’re never quite sure by how much. There’s nothing to suggest Grace had anything other than a normal upbringing. Born in rural Princess Anne County in 1660 she grew up on the farm of her father, John White. She married James Sherwood, a respected citizen who owned and operated a small farm with six head of cattle, two good steers and a comfortable cottage in the Muddy Creek area of Pungo. Together, James and Grace had three sons, and their lives were pretty normal – until the rumors started. Rumors are what ignited one of the most bizarre episodes in American history in April 1692 in the small New England town of Salem. New England had been settled by a strict religious group known as the Puritans. They led a very ordered life

guided by religious doctrine, which naturally produced a fear of anything having to do with the Devil. The trouble started when several women began to publicly accuse other women of practicing witchcraft. What followed was hysteria that ultimately led to the executions of 20 women for witchcraft, and about 150 more spent some time in prison. Historically known as the Salem Witch Trials, the common thread seemed to be that the accused women stood out in some way that did not set well with other women. Maybe they were too independent, stood to inherit property or money, or were just pretty. Rarely was there any hard evidence, such as it was in the 17th century, of witchcraft. The widespread religious fervor of New England never found its way south to the Virginia Colony, but as Grace Sherwood would soon find out, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be rumors of witchcraft in Princess Anne County. Who knows why the rumors started or if there would have been accusations at all if not for Salem’s example? One thing does seem clear: At some point, the relationship between Grace and her neighbors went bad. The Grace Sherwood statue on the grounds of Bayside Sentara Hospital on Witchduck Rd.

The first sign of trouble came in 1698, when Grace was accused by John Gisburne of bewitching his hogs and cotton. She countered by bringing a suit against him for slander, but she did not win the case. Next came more accusations, from Anthony Barnes, that were even more peculiar. He claimed that Grace had taken on the appearance of a black cat, entered the room of his sleeping wife, Elizabeth, drove her from her bed and whipped her unmercifully. Grace supposedly then disappeared either through the keyhole or under the door! Once again Grace sued for slander, and once again she lost. The accusations did not stop, and Grace, now a widow, was shunned because of her apparent ability to cast spells. The process that would make Grace Sherwood a folk hero started in February 1706, when a suit was brought against her by Luke Hill on suspicion of witchcraft. This was not the first time Grace and Hill had legal dealings with each other. Just two months before, Grace had won a case against Hill and his wife for assault and battery. The County Court at this time was at New Town, which today is near the northern terminus of Newtown Road in Virginia Beach. The court was in session only once a month, so cases had a tendency to take a long time to resolve. Over the course of the winter in 1706, the County Court wrestled with exactly how it should determine whether Grace was a witch. Luke Hill had no evidence, only a suspicion. After considerable debate, the County Court refused to pass judgment, and the case was sent to Virginia’s attorney general, who also did not see a clearly defined case. Back in County Court, the justices decided to have a jury of women examine Grace to see if there were any signs of the Devil (warts, spots, moles or other abrasions) on her body. Interestingly enough, the forewoman of the jury selected to examine Grace was none other than Elizabeth Barnes, whose privacy Grace had supposedly invaded in the guise of a black cat several years earlier. So it was no surprise when the jury returned to report they had indeed seen signs of the Devil on Grace’s body. Although Grace vehemently maintained her innocence throughout the process, she agreed to the traditional trial by water. Also known as ducking, trial by water was thought to be the foolproof method for determining if someone was a witch. Water was believed to be a pure element, so if anyone was of the Devil, water would cast them out. So, if you sink, you’re pure – if you float, you’re a witch. The ducking was originally scheduled for July 5th, but the weather was so bad it was postponed until the 10th.

Wednesday, July 10, 1706, was a bright, sunny day. The witchducking was to take place on John Harper’s plantation, which was just down the road from the County Court. At 10 a.m. Grace, her thumbs and toes cross-bound, was thrown into the western branch of the Lynnhaven River. The crowd watched in anticipation. Grace Sherwood floated that day in 1706, so for sure she was a witch, or so the people thought. They dragged her out before she drowned, and she spent the next seven years behind bars. After her release, she returned to her farm in Pungo, where she lived out her life in relative peace. She died in 1740 at the ripe old age of 80. Today Virginia 109 runs north and south in Virginia Beach and is a heavily traveled thoroughfare. To the north it ends on the peninsula that was once Harper’s plantation. Virginia Route 109 is better known today as Witchduck Road, and Harper’s peninsula is Witchduck Point. But there is a happy ending of sorts, even if it came three centuries later. On July 10, 2006, Governor Tim Kaine officially pardoned Grace Sherwood on the 300th anniversary of her ducking. He cited the injustice of trial by water but also made a point of celebrating advancements in women’s equality and the freedom women have to pursue their hopes and dreams today. Perhaps Grace Sherwood really was a witch, or was she just a woman ahead of her time? You might want to ponder that question the next time you drive along Witchduck Road.

The Dome There was, literally, nothing like it in the United States at the time of its construction in 1958. It was a geodesic dome based on designs by R. Buckminster Fuller, and it had several official names, the first one the Virginia Beach Civic Center. Later it became the Alan B. Shepard Civic Center, named in honor of the former Virginia Beach resident and Oceana Naval Air Station aviator who was America’s first man in space. But we all knew it by its unofficial name: the Dome. Built at 19th Street and Pacific Avenue, on the site that had been the Bayne Field baseball park, the complex was dominated by the self-supporting, aluminum dome section, which took the Globe Iron Construction Co. of Norfolk just three days to erect. Standing 49.5 feet high and spreading 145 feet in diameter, the Dome was quite an accomplishment for a young Virginia Beach. In many ways, it ushered in a new era for the seaside town that would become a major city just five years later. In its day, the Dome was witness to some incredible sights and served many purposes. Easily seating 1,000 people, it was a popular spot for concerts and was actually host to the great Louis Armstrong in its inaugural year of 1958. Some of the other artists who graced the Dome’s stage over the years were The Supremes, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. Not since the days of World War II, when big bands like Tommy Dorsey’s and Glenn Miller’s came to town, had Virginia Beach drawn such musical talent. The Dome was also the venue for the emerging surf-movie industry and hosted the premier of “The Endless Summer,”arguably the most influential and popular surf film ever. During the off season, the Dome was occasionally transformed into a roller skating rink, and for many years it was the site of the annual Junior Garden Club of Virginia Beach flower sale. And in the wake of the infamous Ash Wednesday storm of 1962, the Dome showed its versatility by serving as a shelter for people who had to abandon their homes.

a.k.a. the Alan B.Shepard CivicCenter If you grew up anywhere near Virginia Beach in the 1960s, ’70s & ’80s, odds are you have a lasting memory of some event at the Dome. For many it was “the time of my life” kind of memory. But perhaps the Dome’s most important legacy is that it was the first convention center in what could be considered Virginia Beach’s modern era. In 1994 the Dome was torn down and … that’s right, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot. However, several plans are in the works to develop the site as part of the proposed 19th Street convention corridor. It only seems right, doesn’t it? The Dome – it’s gone, but it’s certainly not forgotten.

Louis Armstrong 1958, 1964, 1965, 1967 • Ray Charles 1958, 1962, 1963 • B.B. King 1958, 1976 • Jerry Butler 1958, 1969, 1970 Kai Winding 1962 • The Highwaymen 1962, 1963 • The Coasters 1962 • Dion 1962 • Count Basie and his Orchestra 1963 Little Stevie Wonder 1963, 1968 • Rooftop Singers 1963 • Victor Borge 1963, 1966 • Journeymen 1963 • Coasters 1964 James Brown 1964, 1965, 1967, 1970 • Chuck Berry 1964 • The Beach Boys 1965, 1966, 1969 • Johnny Tillotson 1965 Guy Lombardo 1965, 1981 • The Yardbirds 1966 • The Supremes 1966 • The Kingsmen 1966, 1967 • Otis Redding Jr. Walker and The Allstars 1967, 1968 • Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels 1967, 1968, 1972 • The Four Tops 1967 • The Dave The Who 1968 • Diana Ross & the Supremes 1968 • The Troggs 1968 • Archie Bell and the Drells 1968 • Carlos Montoya 1968 • Three Dog Night 1969, 1993 • The Turtles 1969 • The Cowsills 1969 • Canned Heat 1969 • The Fifth Dimension 1969 Jerry Lee Lewis 1970 • Chicago 1970 • Eric Clapton 1970 • Black Sabbath 1971 • Jethro Tull 1971 Allman Brothers 1971 • Buddy Miles 1971 • Emerson, Lake & Palmer 1971 • James Gang 1971 Cheech & Chong 1972 • Yes 1972 • Bobby Womack 1972 • Lester Flatt & Nashville Grass 1972 George Benson 1976 • Harry Chapin 1976 • Hall and Oates 1976 • Bonnie Raitt 1977 The Indigo Girls 1981 • The Romantics 1981 • Clarence Clemmons 1982 Fat Ammons Band 1983 • Ted Nugent 1984

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• Lloyd Price 1958 • Lionel Hampton 1958 • Bo Diddley and the Frets 1962, 1997, 1986 • Dave Brubeck 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 • Peter, Paul and Mary 1963 • Peter Nero 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970 • Roy Orbison 1963, 1976 • Theodore Bikel 1963 • Peter and Gordon 1964 • Serendipity Singers 1964 • Al Hirt 1964 • The Four Seasons 1964, 1967 • Buck Owens 1964 • Gene Pitney 1965, 1966, 1967 • The Four Freshmen 1965 • Roger Miller 1965 • Jack Jones 1965 • Johnny Mathis 1965 1966 • The Rolling Stones 1966 • The Byrds 1966 • Ramsey Lewis Trio 1966, 1967 • Glenn Miller Band 1967 Clark Five 1967 • Temptations 1967 • Young Rascals 1967 • Jimi Hendricks 1968 • The Grateful Dead 1968 • The Hollies 1968 New Generation Singers 1968 • Stan Kenton & His Orchestra 1968 • Jon Guest 1969 • Banana Splits 1969 • The Monkees 1969 Blood, Sweat and Tears 1969 • Iron Butterfly 1970 • The Guess Who 1970 • The Grass Roots 1970 Johnny Winter 1971 • J. Giles Band 1971 • Alice Cooper 1971 • Edgar Winter 1971, 1972 Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention 1971 • Bill Deal & the Rhondels • Fleetwood Mac 1972 Procul Harem 1972, 1973 • Mike Seeger 1972 • The Raspberries 1973 • Supertramp 1976 Walter Jackson 1977 • Pablo Cruise 1977 • The Knack 1979 • The Nerve 1980 Squeeze 1982 • Psychedelic Furs 1983

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Duck-In “Just LikeVisiting anOld Friend” What is it exactly that makes a place special? When you’re talking about Duck-In, there’s a whole laundry list of things you could mention, but it all comes back to one thing: the people. And if you’re going to talk about the people, then you have to start with “Dub.” William R. Miller, Jr., “Dub” to his friends, was born in 1914 and grew up in Norfolk. After graduating from Maury High School and then Washington and Lee University, Dub came back to Tidewater and began working in insurance. He had an idea to become an

attorney, though, so he took correspondence courses in law and was one semester short of finishing when the opportunity came that would change everything. Before there were tunnels in Tidewater, often the only way to get over all the water here was by ferries. Want to go to Portsmouth from Norfolk? Take the ferry. Norfolk to Newport News? The ferry. And because ferries werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all that fast, most had a food concession on board to accommodate passengers. Miller decided one year to bid on the ferry concession business, not thinking for a minute he had any chance to win the bid. He did, of course, and he immediately had to set up a company to manage the business. The M&H Company quickly came to life, and it became clear that Dub Miller would never become a lawyer. What also became clear was that he was a talented businessman and entrepreneur. At one point before buying the land that would be home to Duck-In, Miller owned and operated 22 businesses, all related in some way to concessions. In 1948, the Miller family moved to a house on a piece of land at Great Neck Point that Dub bought from his father-in-law. That area was considered out in

the country back then, but he still made the trip to his Norfolk office at Wards Corner every day to manage the businesses of what had become Miller Enterprises Inc. In 1952, on the advice of his friend and neighbor Jeff Wagner, Miller bought three lots at the eastern foot of Lesner Bridge at Lynnhaven Inlet. It was really just intended to be a long-term real estate investment and was basically three lots of nothing but sand, though the property did come with an expanded shack formerly known as Saunders Bait House. The Saunders family had owned the property and operated a guest resort on the other side of Lesner Bridge, heading west. Now, the channel out to Chesapeake Bay at that time was literally a few feet off the shoreline of Miller’s new property, which made it a popular spot for surf fishing. The bait shack had a to-go window where fishermen could get food and drinks in addition to bait and tackle items. The name “Duck-In” is attributed to Mrs. J.O. Atkinson, another friend of the Millers. She suggested the place was so small, one could “duck in and duck out” quickly. Obviously, the name stuck! Since Miller was involved with so many other business enterprises, he let the little Duck-In grow and develop its own personality as a down-home, never contrived, seaside watering hole. In its early years, patrons realized that though they might duck in quickly, once in, they’d stay a while to sip another cup of coffee or another Pabst Blue Ribbon beer or just enjoy the friendly atmosphere and incredible view. When the state decided to widen Shore Drive, Miller was required to move Duck-In 150 feet to what would be its final location. And when the Army Corps of Engineers dredged a new channel heading due north out of Lynnhaven Inlet, the Duck-In property began to grow courtesy of Mother Nature. Natural eddies formed, which deposited sand onto the Duck-In beach. By 1961, Miller had bought nine more lots adjacent to the original property for a total of seven-plus acres.

Open 24 hours a day in the early years, Duck-In was a breakfast spot for many watermen heading out in the wee hours of the morning to set their nets. It was not unusual for them to meet up with a group of tuxedo-clad partygoers ending their revelry with a snack. For lunch, the bikini-clad sunbather could be found next to the middle-aged matron and the businessman in coat and tie. Families with children of all ages were always comfortable in this informal setting. There really is no way to classify the clientele at Duck-In. They crossed every socio-economic level. Everybody felt welcome. As the decade of the ’70s came to an end, Dub Miller was ready to find someone to take over Miller EnterDuck-In at about the prises. He finally convinced his eldest son, Bill time it was purchased by (William R. Miller, III), to come on board. Bill was in Dub Miller in 1952. the midst of a successful career in education when he decided to enter the family business, which he bought from his father in 1981. He officially took over management of Duck-In on July 1, 1981, just three weeks before Dub Miller died. It turned out Bill was a chip off the old block, a pretty good businessman himself. He immediately set about making improvements to Duck-In. The extensive renovation and addition that took place in summer 1982 marked the fourth time the building had been expanded. The menu also got a bit of a facelift as Duck–In became known for some signature dishes. Fresh, shucked oysters had always been available, and a cold Pabst in a chilled mug helped wash down the steamed shrimp. Duck-In had the best-tasting hush puppies, and its clam and Fisherman’s

chowders brought people back for more. It wasn’t fancy at Duck-In, but you knew you would get a good meal at a fair price in a great atmosphere. It was a recipe for success. In the late 1980s, Bill had a crazy idea to build a gazebo out on the edge of the beach in front of Duck-In, just over the waterline of the Bay. It took him eight months and countless hours of 2. r in 198 le il M l il B phone calls and planning to leted by s comp n io t a v reno convince the Wetlands Board that after the Duck-In it wouldn’t cause any environmental damage. The board approved the gazebo, by one vote. It was the first and last structure of its kind built on Chesapeake Bay because the state statutes for preserving wetlands and sand dunes were being tightened even during its construction. The gazebo was a big hit, and it still stands today on the edge of the Bay. It has not once caused any environmental damage. And then there were the beach parties. Wow! The first of what would become an institution of flat-out fun, the Duck-In beach party took place in summer 1991. It was originally scheduled for three nights of the week: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It quickly became apparent that Sunday night wasn’t going to work, and eventually the Friday night party became the most popular. For 14 years, Duck-In’s Friday night beach party was the place to be and be seen. It was the official start to the weekend. The atmosphere was casual, the music smooth, the beer ice cold and the sunset – well, it was breathtaking. Bill liked to recall the many couples who met at the beach party and actually returned

later to get married on the beach there. It was truly magic. The last beach party was Friday, Aug. 12, 2005, and of course it was well attended. There wouldn’t be any more parties by the time summer 2006 rolled around. Given the Duck-In property’s location on Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Lynnhaven River, it’s no surprise the Millers frequently received unsolicited offers to buy the property. But business was good, and with the addition of the Beach Club banquet facility next door in 2000, revenues were up 50 percent. Sometimes however, you get an offer you just can’t turn down, and that’s exactly what happened in August 2005. Bill sold the property that his dad and mom, Dub and Katie Miller, had bought as an investment in 1952, to developers who planned to build Point Chesapeake, a 158-unit condominium project on the site. Duck-In was demolished in December 2005. The only thing left was the gazebo and the Beach Club. It had to be a tough decision, but in retrospect it was in the family’s best interests. If you have to go out, you might as well do it while you’re still on top. How do you judge success? Financially, Duck-In’s annual revenues increased tenfold from 1981 until it closed in 2005. And this was accomplished even though only 15 percent of their clientele were tourists. For the Miller family, other measures were equally as important – such as the fact that in 54 years of ownership, Duck-In was never once sited for a state Alcoholic Beverage Control violation. That’s responsible management. At its peak, Duck-In had anywhere between 120 and 150 employees. Unlike other dining establishments, Duck-In offered its employees fringe benefits. That’s taking care of your people. For the rest of us, the success of Duck-In can be measured only by the depth of our memories of times we spent there. Good food, cold beer, good friends – and that sunset! Gone … but not forgotten.

Look familier? The “Duckster” appeared on Duck-In currency at beach parties and was also used in marketing and advertising. 77

THE LAST BEACH PARTY

AT THE DUCK-IN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FRIDAY, AUG. 12, 2005

Acknowledgements The authors of this book wish to thank the many individuals and public and private organizations that cheerfully provided invaluable information to make this book possible. Special thanks go to long time friend Alfred M. “Ranny” Randolph who advised us with his sound wisdom, encouragement and advice on an almost daily basis over the life of this project. We especially express our deepest appreciation to Sue circa 1918 Brown, wife of the late Edgar Tyree Brown, for unselfishly sharing his extensive collection of Virginia Beach historical data. Edgar’s lifetime passion for the preservation of the local history of Virginia Beach lives on in her and for that we should be forever grateful. Many thanks for the outstanding support from the staff of the City of Norfolk Kirn Memorial Library, Sargeant Memorial Room; Robert B. Hitchings, William B. Inge, W. Troy Valos, and Donna E. Bluemink. Also, the staff of the City of Virginia Beach Public Library including Marcy Sims, Director, Pat Cook, Head Librarian, Central Library and Mary Lovell ; Fielding Lewis Tyler, Executive Director and Julie J. Poulior, Administrative Director, The Old Coast Guard Station; Tom Beatty, Director, The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. The personal perspectives necessary with this type of subject matter required countless interviews with an endless number of people – too many to mention here. However, we would be remiss not to mention just a few: Bayville: Richard C. Burroughs, Calvert Tyler Lester, Peggy and Harry Bull, Joyce and Bruce Byrum, George N. Byrd, Jr.; Smith Holland Surf Shop: Pete Smith, Al Midgette, Jonathon Guion, Lynn C. Hansucker; Everett School: Anne Dickson Jordan Waldrop, Ann Everett White, Brian Walker, Judy Godsey; Camp Ashby: Fielding Lewis Tyler; Shack: Alfred Bevan, John Ellis, Butch Maloney; Seaside Park: Paul Gitlitz, Charles Cooper, Virginia Ferguson, Hugh Meredith, Catherine J. Wass, Anne Hilliard Donahoe, Ann Jordan Miller; Fuel Feed: R. Dawson Taylor, Susan Ashburn Cotton, Lillian Fisher Edge, Anne Talbott Jordan; Low Rent: Claude “Beetle” Bailey, Jr., Gee Faison, Neal Brock; Hilltop Motel: Gordon B. Potter, Dean Smith Potter Jr., Walter Ray Potter, G. Brock Potter, Jr.; Seaview Beach: Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Lawana Burroughs; Oceana High School: A. Lee Scarborough, Alfred Reed Godfrey; The Dome: Hester Waterfield, Courtney Dyer, Anne Talbott Jordan, Gene Evans; Duck-In: William R. Miller, III, Dr. Newton Byrd Miller. If we have overlooked anyone who was supportive during the writing and of this book, we offer our sincere thanks here and now. Finally we would like to thank our immediate families, especially our wives and children, for their support, encouragement and understanding throughout this year long project. And, special thanks to our sister Catherine Jordan Wass for her support and encouragement.

$18.00 Published by Jordan Bros. Group, LLC www.virginia-beach-connections.com

A. SHEPHERD JORDAN JAMES M. JORDAN, IV