WTL Spring 2022

Spring 2022 • vol. 13, no. 1

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ASSISTED LIVING

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western tidewater living

contents spring 2022

Photo by Brandon Blankenship

ON THE COVER: Brandon Blankenship, who was born and raised in Southampton County, enjoys using his wood-carving abilities to create cardinals that he often gives as gifts to those who are going through hard times.

Betty J. Ramsey Publisher Titus Mohler Staff Writer Clyde Parker Contributing Writer Troy Cooper Designer

INSIDE THIS EDITION

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PARTY PIX Area residents, movers and shakers, enjoy getting together in person

BARNES Learn about the impact of a pastor and fourth-generation farmer

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Loretta Lomax Designer Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director Michelle Gray Office Manager Western Tidewater Living is published four times a year by Tidewater Publications, LLC P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA 23851 757-562-3187 Advertising rates and information available upon request to ads@thetidewaternews.com.

Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state, $24 annually out of state and $30 annually overseas.

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CARVINGS Brandon Blankenship shares how he has expanded his artistic ability

FERRY Find out the history of Smith’s Ferry Road

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ption publisher's notebook SOUTHERN SPRING SPLENDOR It’s hard to beat spring in the south.

It seems we get just the right amount of warmth — not too much and not too little. Sunshine-filled days mix with cooling rain showers, and adding to this splendorous mix is the sweet smell of newly blossomed flowers, the earthy smell of freshly turned fields and best of all — low humidity! Yep, spring in the south is hard to beat.

Thanks to tips from our readers, we have some really interesting stories to share with you. On the cover this month is Southampton County resident Brandon Blankenship who has a gifted touch when it comes to creating birds and other animals. Look closely at the cardinal — it’s hand-carved and painted. Turn to Page 18 for more of this intriguing story written by Titus Mohler.

Fitting for a spring-themed magazine is an interview with Elisha Barnes, an area farmer and a pastor. Living in peanut country Barnes is known as the sole producer of the SingleOrigin Redskin Peanut. For decades he has also helped people and communities in his role as a pastor. A special thank you to his sister Rhea for the tip and who had this to say about her brother: “He is a genuine lover of the land and taking time to let nature perfect his produce.” This story begins on Page 10.

If spring puts you in the mood to cook like it does me, check out our recipe for Grilled Pork Tenderloin on Page 26. If you are looking for rave reviews on a dessert, break out the pie pans and rolling pins and try your hand at baking up a Ginger n’ Spice Bubbling Blueberry Pie; the recipe is on Page 27. If you have a recipe you would like to share with our readers, send them to Magazine@TheTidewaterNews.com. Be sure to include the best way to contact you.

At Western Tidewater Living we are blessed and grateful to be a part of this community and are thankful that there are so many great stories to share.

As this is a magazine about and for you, we welcome your ideas and invite you to share with us what you would like to hear more about by sending us a note at P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA, 23851, giving us a call at 757-562-3187 or sending us an email at Magazine@TheTidewaterNews.com.

We publish Western Tidewater Living each season — summer, fall, winter and spring. We invite you to pick up a copy of the latest issue as there is sure to be someone you know inside — a neighbor, a family member, a friend or perhaps even you!

If you want Western Tidewater Living delivered to your home or office, we offer subscriptions and gift subscriptions for $20 per year (in state), just enough to cover the postage. To subscribe call us at 757-562-3187.

Betty J. Ramsey is publisher of Western Tidewater Living.

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DOWN HOME DAY

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party pix

The rain cleared up on an increasingly cold Saturday, April 9, and allowed for the Southampton Heritage Village and Agriculture & Forestry Museum’s Down Home Day to move forward, with approximately 275 people visiting the village to take part in the event, which featured a sawmill, grist mill, blacksmith, petting zoo, classic cars and much more. PHOTOS BY TITUS MOHLER

Carolyn Epps and Joe Epps

David Cuthbertson plays with a goat named Marshmallow.

Christopher Cornwell Jr., Christopher Cornwell Sr., Tristan Cornwell, Melissa Cornwell and Sawyer Cornwell

Two-year-old Melody McClenny pets Fudge the goat, as Melody’s grandmother Heather Dooley, center, and Cindy Carr help Fudge stay still.

Jason Cobb, Emery Cobb and Dominyque Cobb

Rosemarie Bland, Hunter Togger, Nick Togger, May Hosler and Sarah Morrison

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party pix

DOWN HOME DAY

Robert Hawkins, George Atkins, Jessica Goldstein and Solomon Goldstein

Jessica Carr, Jeremiah Cheek, Valerie Cheek, Travis Carr, Sophia Carr, Kendra Powell, Kamille Rhyne and Beth Goss

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Meadow Alewine and Cassandra Joyner

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party pix

BOYKINS EASTER EGG HUNT — A TREAT FOR YOUNG AND OLD

The Town of Boykins held an Easter egg hunt at the town park on Saturday, April 16. Children had fun gathering eggs, visiting with each other and a very special guest — the Easter bunny.

Photos by Speaklife photographers Gabby Johnson and Robbie Phippins. Gabby is a 10th grader at Franklin High School and enjoys pageants, roller skating, volleyball, baking and photography. Robbie is a 6th grader at Southampton Middle School and likes softball, entomology, herpetology (the branch of zoology concerned with reptiles and amphibians) and photography.

Taking time out for a photo with the Easter bunny are Dyman Johnson, left, and Kennedy Bradley.

Gabby Johnson

Robbie Phippins

Clerk of Boykins Victoria Edwards, left, and Mayor Jackie Robertson receive a giant Easter bunny hug.

Far left, counting his eggs is Campbell Edwards.

Middle left, Brianna Carter is all smiles at the Boykins Easter egg hunt as she poses for a photo with her friend the Easter bunny. Above, inspecting his goodies is Ryder Beacham.

western tidewater living

party pix

BOYKINS EASTER EGG HUNT

Having an awesome time at the Boykins Easter egg hunt are Taylor Robertson and the Easter bunny.

Alayna Carter, left, gives friend Kaylee Kreitz a warm hug.

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ELISHA BARNES A farmer and a pastor STORY BY TITUS MOHLER PHOTOS BY RHEA BARNES, BILL BILLINGS AND TITUS MOHLER

Elisha Barnes once asked his mother, “Mom, why did you name me Elisha?”

Among the children of Roxie and Lewis Barnes, there is a Roger, a Bob, a Viola, a Rhea, but only Elisha and his brother Joseph happen to have Bible names.

Though Elisha Barnes’ destiny was not specifically known at the time he asked this question, research for an answer pointed to how the prophet Elisha, referenced in the Bible, was known as being double anointed.

In the Bible, 2 Kings 2:9 states, “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.’ And Elisha said, ‘I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.’”

Specific ways of applying this to Elisha Barnes’ life may be a matter of interpretation, but it can be accurately said that he has impacted people greatly in two key roles that help define who he is — farmer and pastor.

As a farmer, Elisha is renowned for being the sole producer of the SingleOrigin Redskin Peanut, and he is also owner of Pop Son Farm, a business through which he raises and sells produce with his son, Andre Barnes, in Southampton County.

As a pastor, Elisha shepherded Revelle Hill Baptist Church in North Carolina for 25 years, and he is going on 30 years as the spiritual leader of First Baptist Church Severn, also in Carolina.

On April 9, Barnes was found at Southampton Heritage Village and Agriculture & Forestry Museum’s Down Home Day, an event which has been described as simultaneously a stroll down memory lane for senior citizens and an educational experience for young people when it comes to life growing up on the farm.

See BARNES, page 12

western tidewater living Photo by Titus Mohler Pastor Elisha Barnes, a fourth-generation farmer in Southampton County, presents a shock of his Single-Origin Redskin Peanuts from his farm this year that is on display in the Southampton Heritage Village.

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12 western tidewater living BARNES, from page 10

A member of the village and museum, Barnes was on hand to sing the national anthem and to assist visitors who were attending Down Home Day. He was in his element.

Agriculture has been a major part of his life, and so has heritage.

Born and raised in Southampton County, he is a fourth-generation farmer. In his family, which came up from North Carolina, others working the soil included his father, Lewis; his grandfather, Langston; and his great-grandfather, Abb. It would be hard to overestimate the impact Elisha’s parents have had on his life.

“My father and my mother are the driving force behind what I do,” he said, “because they were the ones that taught me the value of work, taught me the value of family, they taught me the value of spiritual (things), because my father was a deacon in the church, my mother was the choir leader in the church.”

And Elisha’s roles of farmer and pastor have ended up serving each other.

“There’s something about working with the soil,” he said. “It teaches spiritual lessons, because many of the messages that I preach are derived from things from the farm, and it builds a wonderful relationship with the people in the church, because this is me — I’m plain, I’m simple.”

During the stroll down memory lane of Down Home Day, Elisha was kind enough to serve as a guide on a stroll down the specific memory lane of his life.

He was born in 1955 and raised on what was then known as the Birdsong Farm. Across the street was his father’s farm, which had a Courtland address but was in the Capron District.

Elisha was not very old when he first developed an interest in farming.

“When I was 6 years old, my daddy, he did something that hooked me for life,” Elisha said.

Little Elisha got off the school bus and

his father called to him and had him help operate a piece of farm equipment in a corn field.

“That’s how I learned to drive,” he said, “and I was hooked. Everybody else said, ‘The moment I get away from here… I’m leaving this farm, and I’m never coming back.’ But I was that guy that loved it. At 6 years old, I would follow my father out there to the field.”

Elisha recalled how the caring nature of Southampton County residents was on display in the farming community as farmers would help each other out to get the work in the fields done.

During Elisha’s time living at home, his father profoundly emphasized the importance of him getting an education.

“He wanted me to go where he couldn’t go,” Elisha said. “He couldn’t get any further than sixth grade because he had to go to the field.”

Lewis wanted all of his children to go where he could not go, and Elisha noted See BARNES, page 13

Courtesy of Bill Billings Pastor Elisha Barnes works with his Single-Origin Redskin Peanuts on his farm in Southampton County.

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BARNES, from page 12

that his brothers and sisters have all been in the academic world.

Elisha did get an education, but it was different from his siblings.

While continuing to help on his father’s farm, he graduated from high school.

Then he left home in 1975 when he went to Tennessee to attend Nashville AutoDiesel College, which is now known as Lincoln Tech. After completing the oneyear program to become an automotive and diesel mechanic, he returned to Southampton County.

“When I came back, I couldn’t get a job in automotive and diesel mechanics because the industry was closed at that time,” Elisha said. “All of the old mechanics were still on the jobs, and they were not looking for new apprentices.”

He put in an application at International Paper, but, in the meantime, he went to work at a business called Bill’s Meat Packing. His stint there lasted four days.

“On that fourth day, I got home, and my momma said, ‘That stinkin’ place down there in Franklin called looking for you, son,’” Elisha recalled. “So that next morning, I didn’t go to Bill. I went to the mill. And they said, ‘Well, we’ve got a temporary job for you,’ and that was June 3, 1976.”

He worked for the mill until 2004, filling a variety of roles over the course of his tenure there and enjoying some of the same caring nature of people there that he experienced while farming. He came into IP as a laborer in the pulp mill, then moved to working with the recovery boilers and finally ended up in maintenance.

He furthered his education while with IP, learning welding at Paul D. Camp Community College, earning a certificate in basic electric there as well and also becoming an A-class pipe fitter through a course at the mill.

The company sent him to Peninsular Cylinder in Detroit, Michigan, for advanced training with hydraulics.

“It took two weeks up there, in the shop,

Courtesy of Rhea Barnes Elisha Barnes is seen here with his sisters, Rhea Barnes, left, and Viola Barnes-Gray.

12 hours a day, and I came back, and I was the only technician at the mill who was certified in pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders,” he said. “That’s what I did the last five or six years before I left the mill.”

While Elisha worked at IP, he was also developing both spiritually and as a farmer.

Elisha recalled that while growing up, his father once told him, “Boy, God’s going to do something with you one day.”

That became reality in a major way when Elisha was in his late 20s.

“I went to church in a revival, and the message rang true,” he said. “And when I went to work that next day, a friend of mine on the job asked me, he said, ‘Do you know Jesus?’ And I tried to explain to him, ‘Well, I know the church and all.’ He

said, ‘No, that’s not what I asked you. Do you know Jesus?’ And that day, I accepted Christ as my savior, and that was 1982.”

Elisha began to study the Word.

“Next thing you know, I was assigned to teach the adult class,” he said. “Bible study, Sunday school.”

Then in 1989, he went to a revival at his home church, which was Bryant Baptist Church in Courtland.

During the message, the preacher said, “God told me to tell you that somebody here is running from him.”

Elisha recalled that the preacher had a long index finger that he was using to point out into the crowd as he spoke, and Elisha could not help but think it was pointing right at him.

“I was immensely convicted,” he said, See BARNES, page 14

14 western tidewater living Courtesy of Bill Billings This photo offers a close-up view of Elisha Barnes’ Single-Origin Redskin Peanuts.

BARNES, from page 13

noting later that he was content to be teaching Bible study but thought God might be calling him to preach.

He went home and could not sleep that night.

“I said, ‘OK, God. If this is you and you want me to preach, this is what I want you to do: I’m going back to that same revival tomorrow night, and if you want me to preach, let him preach the same message.’”

Elisha said, “Preachers don’t come and preach the same message twice in a row, so I’m just as happy as I could be.”

He sat comfortably at the revival service the next night as the preacher arrived.

“He walked in and he took his tablet out with his notes, and he stopped dead still,” Elisha said.

The man closed his tablet and his Bible, put his tablet down and then looked up at the crowd.

“He said, ‘I had a message prepared for you all tonight, but the spirit of God is

telling me to tell you the same thing that I told you last night,’” Elisha recalled. “And he pointed that finger and said, ‘Somebody in here is running from God.’ “I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness. OK, Lord.

I yield.’”

Elisha started his pastorship in 1991 at Revelle Hill Baptist Church, preaching there on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, which is when that church met, and the next year he became the pastor of First Baptist Church Severn as well, preaching there on the first and third Sundays of each month, which is when that church met.

Farming had ceased to be a regular part of Elisha’s life for a time in the 1970s and 1980s, but Elisha got married, and he said he told his wife that one day he was going to farm again.

“I told her, I said, ‘I’m going to buy me a farm one day,’” he said. “She says, ‘I don’t know nothing about farming. I ain’t milking a cow, I’m not picking up chickens, I’m not doing nothing, but I’ll go wher-

ever you will go.’

“So in 1989, we bought that farm, moved out there on the farm, and the rest of that is just history,” he said.

That farm is in Branchville, and it is composed of 32 acres.

Starting in 1990, Elisha was a farmer again.

He would work 10 to 12 hours for IP and then come home and farm.

“Everybody called me crazy,” he said. “‘You’re crazy, man!’ But if you have a passion for something, your passion will make room for it.”

He made a light bar that went all the way over the top of the tractor he used.

“I had three lights shining forward, two lights shining backwards, because usually when I got off work, it was just about dark, and I would literally light up the world and farm during the night,” he said.

“I would farm till 11, 12 at night, sleep three or four hours, get up and go back to work, and I did that for years.”

The additional education that Elisha See BARNES, page 16

western tidewater living

BARNES, from page 14

pursued while with IP helped him out as a farmer in a big way.

“I do all of my repair work,” he said. “I rebuild tractor’s engines. I change transmissions.”

In 1990, Elisha began farming peanuts, like his father, grandfather and greatgrandfather before him.

“It took up until 2019 before I actually got someone to partner with me to buy and produce my peanuts, and that’s when Hubs came in,” Elisha said.

He noted that the Hubbard Peanut Company said it would love to partner with him because it was looking for a family oriented farmer with a passion for the work.

“Farming, that’s a joy, it is a passion for me,” he said. “And now I raise a peanut that nobody else in the world raises — Single-Origin Redskin Peanut.”

He said the particular brand of peanut he is using is different from the one that his forefathers farmed, but the process re-

mains the same.

Elisha uses a slow curing process as opposed to heat drying.

“When that peanut is allowed to slowly cure, it will cure sweet, much sweeter,” he said.

He uses an example of a raisin to help explain his process to people.

“You can’t put grapes in the oven, turn it on and cook ’em down to a raisin,” he said. “You’ve got to allow it to slowly dry out to create that raisin. The highestquality peanut, that’s what it takes, and that’s what I do.”

Elisha noted that a chocolate bar is in the works that will marry his singleorigin peanut to a farmer’s single-origin chocolate in Uganda.

Eight acres of Elisha’s farm is dedicated to his peanuts, and he is going to increase the acreage dedicated to them this year, but aiding that expansion is the fact that he is able to plant them on two separate farms.

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Elisha and family came together with the goal of reclaiming his father’s farm, and in 2020, Elisha and his brother, Bob, successfully made the purchase.

“I planted peanuts there this year,” Elisha said. “This is the first time peanuts have ever been planted in the field that I put them in this year.”

To say Elisha’s peanuts have been a hit for Hubs would be an understatement.

He recalled that Hubs put the peanuts on the market at 10 o’clock on a Tuesday morning.

“Four o’clock on Wednesday they had to shut the online orders off because they had already sold out in one day’s time,” he said.

As Elisha told his story during Down Home Day, he briefly greeted someone passing by who recognized him and is a fan of his product.

“Your peanuts are delicious, by the way,” Jamie Pearce said. “They’re amazing.”

See BARNES, page 16

Courtesy of Rhea Barnes Elisha Barnes and his siblings have helped carry on the Barnes family legacy, which includes farming and ministry.

Pictured are, from left, front row, Pastor Elisha Barnes, Minister Roger Barnes, Bob Barnes; back row, Joseph Barnes, Rhea Barnes and Viola Barnes-Gray.

16 western tidewater living BARNES, from page 15

Rhea Barnes Pastor Elisha Barnes works his farm. He plants a seed in the ground and in the spirit.

Elisha said, “This is the example of the people that I meet every day who come up to me and talk to me about the peanuts.”

“They have a sweetness like no other,” Pearce said.

Elisha replied, “My father and my mother used to tell me, ‘When you are telling the truth and you’re not arrogant about it and you’re not boastful, you are simply stating fact,’ and this was testament to it right there.”

“Keep doing it,” Pearce said. “They’re amazing. I’m glad Hubs is supporting

you too.”

As Pearce and her family moved on and Barnes returned to telling his story, he said, “See, that’s what makes me feel so good.”

When speaking about farming, he noted that a lot of people say, “Oh, you don’t make no money.”

“Everything is not about just making money; it’s about making an impression in people’s lives that makes a difference,” he said. “Because farming taught us more than just farming the dirt. It taught us community, it taught us that hard work

will produce a benefit if you stick to it.

And now I can say after all of these years, the son of a sharecropper has got peanuts all over the world.”

He said Hubs ships all over the world, and he knows he has peanuts in Switzerland, Canada, Mexico and all 50 states.

And Elisha is helping continue the family legacy of farming by helping his son, Andre, become a fifth-generation farmer through Pop Son Farm.

With Pop Son Farm, “I sell produce,” Elisha said. “I raise produce. I have my own refrigerated short truck where I can do deliveries. I raise watermelon.”

Andre lives on the farm with Elisha, but he occupies his own property there that Elisha gave him.

“He works at the mill,” Elisha said, “same place that I used to work at, and when I need him and I get him, he’s off shift, and he comes over and he helps me do what I can do.”

As Elisha concluded his story during Down Home Day, he found himself in a conversation with Meghan Councill, Raleigh Bickham and Lon Bickham, and the conversation eventually turned to peanuts.

“This is the man who does the singleorigin peanuts,” Councill said to Raleigh.

“No way!” Raleigh replied.

“I tell everybody about you,” Councill told Elisha. “You’re wonderful.”

Raleigh added, “We’re your biggest fans.”

This was just another illustration of Elisha’s hard work bearing fruit both in his life and the lives of others.

While he was telling his story earlier, he had shared some of the messages he derived from farming.

“Sow the seed, till the soil, do your part.

Labor,” he said. “The thing about labor is it teaches you, it keeps you strong, it builds the idea that ‘I’ve got to do something.’

“Life owes us nothing but death,” he added. “What God gives us is the ability to live, to change the lives of others…”

western tidewater living

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Blankenship creates carvings of comfort STORY BY TITUS MOHLER PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY BRANDON BLANKENSHIP Brandon Blankenship is a developing artisan on the outskirts of Sedley who added wood carving to his modes of artistic expression about two years ago and has since gained nationallevel recognition for his work.

“I like working with my hands,” he said.

Born and raised in Southampton County, Blankenship, 46, is a maintenance mechanic for the nearby Solenis Inc. chemical plant, but he has also been involved in artistic endeavors for decades.

“I’ve been doing the metal work for a really long time,” he said. “I’ve been welding and doing that ever since I was a teenager, and it’s just been one of those things, and I also play See CARVING, page 19

SUBMITTED | BRANDON BLANKENSHIP Brandon Blankenship’s detail work is threedimensional. His design of this bird’s feathers is heavily showcased in this photo of the bird from behind.

western tidewater living

BARNES, from page 18

SUBMITTED | BRANDON BLANKENSHIP A closer look at one of Brandon Blankenship’s wood-carved cardinals offers a glimpse at the detail present in his work.

music. I’ve been a musician for over 40 years, so there’s a lot of artistry in me in a lot of different areas.”

He plays both guitar and bass.

Since developing his wood-carving abilities, he has been recognized more than once by the Woodworkers Guild of America.

He said that a couple years ago, he went out to his shop with a piece of wood and drew a bird on the side of it.

“And I just started carving it out and ended up with an owl,” he said. “And that’s what I started carving — owls and things of that nature.”

Blankenship said he started doing owls because of his daughter.

“I have a little girl named Lena that’s 6 years old, and she sleeps with a stuffed

owl all the time, and she has ever since she was an infant, so she loves owls, so I just kind of picked up on that and started doing it.”

Getting involved in glasswork, he said he put glass eyes in them, and he used wood burning tips to get the texture in the bird.

“Everything is kind of by imagination, or I’ll see a picture,” he said. “I love the outdoors, and I spend a lot of time outside, and that’s kind of how I just picked that up.”

He has developed an eye for different types of wood that he can use.

“A lot of times I might even pull a piece of an old pallet or something, or I’ll see a tree limb laying on the ground, and I look at the grain of it, and if it’s some-

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thing I can use, I’ll use it,” he said. “Or I’ll go to the river, and we get driftwood and different things.”

What the finished bird ends up being perched on is also a part of the creative process for Blankenship.

“The perches that I put the birds on, sometimes that’s from driftwood or broken tree limbs, or if I see something on the side of the road, a tree limb or something, I’ll pick it up sometimes and use it,” he said.

The tools that he uses to carve the birds frequently depend on the shape and the contour of what he is trying to create, be it a duck or a hawk or an eagle or an owl.

“I might use a draw knife or pocket knives,” he said. “I have all the pocket knives that my father gave me as a child, and I’ve kept those all my life, and I use (them) all the time.

“So I use that kind of stuff, and then I use some power tools,” he added, “as far as Dremels and different bits and end bits and different things to get the shapes and different things that I need to use to fit eyes or to shape them.”

Blankenship also eventually came to carve horses, which he closely associates with his father, Bill Blankenship, who had them as Brandon and his brothers were growing up.

Brandon drew a horse, the features of which he burned into a piece of wood that came from the one-room Sedley home in which his grandfather was born in 1885.

“I made the horseshoe rack that’s holding that (piece of wood) up, and that was a gift that I gave my brother for a Christmas present last year, actually,” Brandon said.

Brandon put a picture of his woodcarved birds on a website, and the picture also had the wood-burned horse drawing in it. A man from Kentucky contacted him and asked him how much the horse drawing was, if he was selling it. Brandon explained the history behind See CARVING, page 20

20 western tidewater living

SUBMITTED | BRANDON BLANKENSHIP Pictured is a wooden blue jay carved by Brandon Blankenship. Its perch is also part of Blankenship’s creativity. “The perches that I put the birds on, sometimes that’s from driftwood or broken tree limbs, or if I see something on the side of the road, a tree limb or something, I’ll pick it up sometimes and use it,” he said.

CARVING, from page 19

the piece of wood and that it was not for sale. “(The man) said, ‘Well, can you carve horses?’” Blankenship recalled. “I said, ‘I’ve never carved one.’ … He said, ‘If you can do the birds, you can do horses.’”

“So I did it,” Blankenship said, “and come to find out, this guy, him and his wife, were part-owners of 30-some race horses in Kentucky. So he got me to carve him a horse on a set of horseshoes.”

The full range of Blankenship’s woodcarving work has gained recognition. He

noted that he posted some of his work on one of the Woodworkers Guild of America’s Facebook groups.

“I’ve been recognized a couple of times through them for my work, and they thought it was really, really good work,” he said.

His wood-carved birds have also been picked up by The Bird Store - The Outer Banks Wildlife Art Gallery in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

“They’re down right on the bypass in Nags Head, and they have a lot of tourists

down there, so people that come from all over the country go in that store,” he said.

“I took a couple of ducks down there, I took an owl and I carved an eagle that’s on a deer horn.”

He noted that he has not been able to take anything else to The Bird Store because he has not been able to have any inventory.

“I can’t keep up with it,” he said. “I’ll post something online a lot of times on my Facebook page or whatever, and most of the time when I do that, it’s already See CARVING, page 21

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21

CARVING, from page 20

sold.”

Some of the cardinals he makes end up being important gifts of support.

“If I know somebody is going through a hard time that has lost a loved one or something, I like to give those out to somebody, a cardinal, so they can put it up in their house or whatever, just as a keepsake, and it kind of comforts them,” he said.

Blankenship expressed gratitude for a great support system that includes his wife, Lynn, and his family as he pursues his artistic endeavors.

Helping fuel his joy for his wood-carving work is a spiritual element that he has noticed is present as he undertakes the work.

“I feel really close to God in it,” he said. “I feel his presence in that when I’m doing those things, and it’s a blessing to be able to do something for somebody else and to serve somebody else by giving them these birds and different things. I feel that in creating animals or birds, horses or whatever I’m doing, I just really feel close in that.”

Blankenship is making plans to go to school to further develop and expand his creative abilities as an artisan.

For those that would like to see more of Blankenship’s work, it can be viewed on his Instagram page at www.instagram.com/BirdmanBlank1975 and on his Facebook page at www. facebook.com/brandon.blankenship.925.

SUBMITTED | BRANDON BLANKENSHIP Above, Brandon Blankenship, of Sedley, is an artisan who has gained recognition across the nation for his wood-carving work. He does a variety of work with his hands, including metal work and wood burning. He is also a skilled musician, playing both guitar and bass. At left is a wide shot of Brandon Blankenship’s wood-carved and painted duck, which sits in front of Blankenship’s drawing of a horse, the features of which he burned into a piece of wood that came from the one-room Sedley home in which his grandfather was born in 1885.

22 western tidewater living

SUBMITTED | BRANDON BLANKENSHIP A wood-carved eagle by Brandon Blankenship rests on a deer horn.

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recipes

Spice-up grilled pork for dinner tonight Those looking to eat healthier should not just consider the ingredients they choose but the cooking methods. Grilling food is a smart choice for keeping calories down and limiting saturated fats. Grilling can take place outdoors or on a cast-iron grilling pan right on the stovetop.

Even though people may think of chicken or burgers as foods for grilling, don’t overlook lean pork as well. This recipe for “Fiery Grilled Pork Tenderloin” gives a double shot of peppery punch. Serve it with any grilled vegetable of choice, such as squash, zucchini or eggplant.

Fiery Grilled Pork Tenderloin Yield: 4 servings • 1 pound pork tenderloin • 2 teaspoons olive oil •11⁄2 tablespoons ground black and red pepper blend (such as McCormick Hot Shot!)

• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar • 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt • Cooking spray Preheat grill.

Pat pork dry with paper towels. Rub oil over pork.

Combine pepper blend and next three ingredients; rub over pork. lace pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 F (slightly pink), turning once. Remove pork from grill; let stand 5 minutes. Cut pork diagonally into 1⁄2-inch slices. Serving size is 3 ounces.

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recipes

Blueberry pie wins raves every time Every baker needs a go-to pie recipe in his or her repertoire. While apple may get much of the fanfare, blueberries pack that perfect punch of sweet but tart flavor that just bursts in the mouth with every bite.

“Ginger n’ Spice Bubbling Blueberry Pie” is not only the official pie of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, but also a winner of America’s Best Blueberry Pie Contest. This recipe, courtesy of Barbara Estabrook and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, is a sweet way to celebrate National Blueberry Pie Day or enjoy dessert any time of the year.

Ginger n’ Spice Bubbling Blueberry Pie Serves 8 Crust • 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt • 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed (1⁄4-inch-thick cubes) • 1⁄2 cup chilled all-vegetable shortening • 3 1⁄2 tablespoons ice water • 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 egg white, whisked to foamy (divided use) Filling • 4 1⁄2 cups fresh blueberries (room temperature) • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar • 1⁄4 cup instant or quick-cooking tapioca, ground • 2 tablespoons finely minced crystallized ginger • 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1⁄8 scant teaspoon ground allspice • 2 tablespoons melted butter • 3 tablespoons orange marmalade • 1⁄2 tablespoon raw turbinado cane sugar Crust 1. Combine lemon juice and ice water and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour and salt. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry blender until coarse meal forms.

Sprinkle half the water/lemon mix over

flour mixture; toss with a fork. Add remaining half, tossing until dough begins to form a ball.

3. Divide dough in half, flatten it into 1⁄2-inch-thick discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes.

Filling 1. In a large bowl, toss blueberries with lemon juice.

2. In a separate medium-sized bowl, stir sugar, tapioca, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice together until combined. Gently fold into blueberries until well coated.

3. Melt butter, stir in marmalade, then fold into blueberry mixture. Let set.

Pie Assembly 1. Heat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one

chilled dough disc into a 13-inch circle.

Fit dough in a 9-inch pie plate. Trim overhang to 3⁄4-inch of edge. Brush egg white over bottom and sides of dough. Reserve remaining egg white. Set the lined plate in the freezer.

3. Roll second chilled disc on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle, then cut into 1-inch-wide strips with a pastry wheel.

4. Retrieve pie plate and pour in filling, mounding slightly toward center. Weave strips of dough over filling to form a lattice top. Seal, trim and crimp edge. Brush reserved egg white over dough. Sprinkle evenly with sugar.

5. Set pie on lined sheet. Bake 18 minutes at 425 F. Reduce heat to 375 F. Bake 50 minutes or until pie is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack. Top with vanilla ice cream.

28 western tidewater living

recipes

Healthier salad makes barbecues better Warm weather beckons people outdoors.

Al fresco dining offers a chance to spend even more time outdoors, and many people will attest that no outdoor gathering is complete without the requisite grilled fare and complementary sides that are staples of spring and summer dining.

Potato salad is one such food that turns up regularly this time of year in many shapes and forms. Traditional potato salad is delicious, but it may not be so great for health-conscious individuals, as it’s typically swimming in mayonnaise. A lighter version featuring Greek yogurt in the dressing is ideal for those who want to eat healthy.

Greek yogurt also adds gut-healthy live active cultures to the recipe, which may provide gastrointestinal benefits.

Greek Yogurt Potato Salad Serves 6 • 2 pounds potatoes (Yukon Gold or red potatoes)

• 1⁄2 onion • 6 eggs • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt • 4 tablespoons sour cream • 1 tablespoon vinegar • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard • 3⁄4 teaspoon salt • 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper • 1⁄2 teaspoon celery seed • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 teaspoon fresh • 1⁄2 cup dill pickles, chopped • Paprika, for garnish (optional) • Parsley, for garnish (optional) 1. Peel and dice potatoes and onions. Put them and a teaspoon of salt in a pressure cooker and cover with an inch of water.

Close valve. Set pressure cooker to high pressure. Set timer for 5 minutes, cook and quick release when it’s done. Drain potatoes. Cool until just warm. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, boil potatoes in a pot of water on the stove until tender.)

2. Set eggs on a rack in the pressure cooker. Add 1⁄2 inch of water. Close valve, set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Cook for 5 minutes, quick release, and leave lid closed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, take lid off.

Drain eggs and cover with ice water to stop the cooking process. Let sit in ice water bath for about 5 minutes, then peel eggs. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, hard-boil eggs according to your favorite recipe.)

3. Add Greek yogurt, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, celery seed, and dill weed to a large mixing bowl. Stir until smooth. You can taste test to see if you need to add ingredients.

4. Add cooled, diced potatoes, pickles and hard-boiled eggs. Gently stir until potatoes are coated with dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Notes: Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold their shape best in potato salad. White distilled vinegar is classic in potato salad, but you also can use cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or even lemon juice.

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29

looking back

THE HISTORY OF SMITH’S FERRY ROAD For many years, starting in the mid-1920s, Smith’s Ferry Service Station operated out of “rustic” structures and was located on the northern approach to the ferry.

STORY BY CLYDE PARKER

M

ost people around here nowadays are somewhat familiar with Smith’s Ferry Road, also known as U. S. Route 258, South, extending from Franklin to the North Carolina State Line. However, many people do not know that “Smith’s Ferry” was a Nottoway River ferry (passengers and vehicles) that, from the early 1800s to 1926, connected two dirt and gravel roadways (one from Virginia and one from North Carolina). Early-day users of the ferry included a lot of people from the Franklin area on their way to

hunting trips at “Camp P. D.”, down in the “Big Woods.” A good part of the time, the hunting trips were headed up

by Paul D. Camp who often times drove his 1912 Buick touring car; even earlier, though, he would go by way of horse and buggy – and along with, of course, a whole slew of hunting dogs.

Smith’s Ferry, on May 13, 1926, made its last trip across the Nottoway River.

It became obsolete with the opening the next day of the new “interstate” concrete highway which spanned the Nottoway a short distance north of the

former ferry crossing. The new “General Vaughan Bridge”, which had been completed a few weeks earlier, was the connector for the two sections of the new highway which had just been completed — a much better connection between Como and Murfreesboro, in North Carolina, and Franklin, in Virginia.

General C. C. Vaughn, Jr., of Franklin, who had retired as a Major General following World War I and who, earlier, was Commandant of the Virginia National Guard and a Captain in the See FERRY, page 30

30 western tidewater living FERRY, from page 29

Spanish- American War, was a strong advocate for better roads in Virginia. At the time of the new bridge dedication, he was President of the Virginia Better Roads Association.

“Smith’s Ferry” deserves more than passing mention. For more than a century the ferry ploughed its placid path across the Nottoway, ferrying passengers traveling between Virginia and North Carolina. Many people back then (some still do) refer to the general area of Smith’s Ferry and that section of southern Southampton County as the “Forks of the River”.

Smith’s Ferry derived its name from the family of Henning Smith who lived near the former ferry site on the Franklin District side. One of the largest and best types of colonial homes in this part of Virginia stood there for many years as one of the show places of the county and a center for old Virginia hospitality.

In those years, when time was of small account and southern hospitality found its fullest fruition in long visits, many visitors and friends of the Smiths would come from Norfolk by boat and visit in the old Smith manor, “Cherry Grove”, up on the Blackwater River which confluenced with the Nottoway to form the Chowan River — just a short distance downriver from Smith’s Ferry. The home of Wiley Parker, likewise, was one of the fine old homes of this section where hospitality and the lavish entertainment of the period reigned. The Smiths moved away just before the Civil War. Their place was bought by Jordan Edwards, father of the late Colonel L. R. Edwards of Franklin, and later passed to his daughter, Mrs. Tom Beaman; in 1901, the old mansion burned to the ground, and nothing remains of it.

It is interesting to recall that two other ferries in the area, older than Smith’s, were the one at Monroe, on the Nottoway River, replaced by a steel bridge in 1906 — and the South Quay Ferry, on the Blackwater River, which also gave way to

“Smith’s Ferry” was a Nottoway River ferry (passengers and vehicles) that, from the early 1800s to 1926, connected two dirt and gravel roadways (one from Virginia and one from North Carolina).

a modern bridge a little later. Far back in our local history, when sailing vessels from the West Indies brought cargoes up the Blackwater and the Nottoway, there were customs houses both at the South Quay and Monroe riverports.

As stated, Smith’s Ferry ceased to exist coinciding with the opening of the new concrete highway and the new General Vaughan Bridge in 1926. However, what is now called the Smith’s Ferry neighborhood still exists with several homes fairly close around the former ferry dock. Among the current residents and landowners of the area is Leroy Smith, born there 84 years ago, who traces his lineage there to his great-grandfather Albert Smith. Leroy Smith is not certain whether his Smiths are connected to the Henning Smith family. Leroy Smith’s great uncle Sprawley Copeland operated the ferry for several years.

For many years, starting in the mid1920s, Smith’s Ferry Service Station operated out of “rustic” structures and was located on the northern approach to the ferry; when the bridge was put in and the highway was re-routed to connect with it, a newer more “modern” Smith’s Fer-

ry Service Station was built next to the new highway. Owned by Sol W. Rawls of Franklin and for many years operated

by Benjamin Franklin (Frank) Parker and his wife Lucy Minton Parker, the business was patronized not only by local residents but also by travelers, from Maine to Florida, coming through the area on Smith’s Ferry Road (later Route 258). Over the years, people were attracted to the place not only by its “GULF” oil products but also by its offering of various kinds of “fast foods” such as cheese and crackers, moon pies, sardines, potted meat, Vienna sausages, and, of course, the ever-popular Nehi, RC Cola, Pepsi, Coke and Dr. Pepper soft drinks. But the most popular items there, in the 1950s and 1960s, were the homemade apple and sweet potato jacks (fried pies) made

by Julia Parker Spence. Other features of the stopping-place were its rest area and free-flowing artesian well. It was a rustic place, including its outhouses that were there for the convenience of its customers. Booker T. Whitehead worked there for a long period of time. Not too long after the death of Frank Parker in 1962, the store was closed.

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