Western Tidewater Living Winter 2016

Western Tidewater

Living

Joan d’Art

Joan DeCosta reconstructs and transforms unwanted items into beautiful art

Franklin’s Victorian Homes A profile of five late Victorian-era homes with deep connections to Franklin’s history

WINTER 2016 • vol. 7, no. 4

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4 western tidewater living

Western Tidewater

introduction

Living

Welcome to our Winter 2016 edition of Western Tidewater Living magazine.

On occasion, we set out to publish an issue of the magazine with a particular theme in mind. In some cases, a theme naturally develops. As I browsed the pages just before sending the final version off to be printed, it occurred to me that this was one such occasion.

We are blessed in Western Tidewater to be surrounded by art, some naturally occurring and some created by human hands. In this edition, each story is a story about art. Joan DeCosta creates art from recycled items that she paints and resells. Historic Franklin homes that are indeed works of art in and of themselves. Former Franklin

residents Will Correll and Elle Street create drinkable art at their new “cidery” in Richmond. Made by hand and crafted with love, they are truly things of beauty. And our rivers, some of our Creator’s most beautiful works of art, were once traversed by the beautiful steamships of the Albemarle Steam Navigation Company.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Western Tidewater Living, and take some time to enjoy some of the art that surrounds us each and every day right here in our corner of the world that we call home.

Tony Clark Publisher Western Tidewater Living

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western tidewater living

5

contents winter 2016

Cover photograph

by Stephen H. Cowles

ON THE COVER: Joan DeCosta readies to open a bottle of paint as she experiments in finding just the right colors for her latest art project. This is for her business, “Joan’s Folk Art,” which has taken her across the country selling her creations, many made from recycled materials.

Western Tidewater

Living

INSIDE THIS EDITION

6

PARTY PIX

This edition begins with photos from Breakfast with Santa, the Windsor High awards ceremony, a craft show and a parade.

Tony Clark Publisher Stephen Cowles Staff Writer Stephen Faleski Staff Writer Merle Monahan Contributing Writer

VICTORIAN HOMES

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Catching up with former Franklin residents, Will Correll and Elle Street, owners of Buskey Cider in Richmond.

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Their architectural beauty notwithstanding, these homes and their owners had impact on Franklin’s history.

Clyde Parker Contributing Writer Ryan Outlaw Designer Loretta Lomax Editorial Assistant Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director

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JOAN D’ART Joan DeCosta reconstructs and transforms unwanted items into beautiful art

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Sameerah Brown Advertising Representative Rachel Lassiter Advertising Representative 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@tidewaternews.com.

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

where am I?

STEAMING AHEAD

Franklin owes much to the Albemarle Steam Navigation Company for its development in those early years.

36

In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater they really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians.

Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate.

So, if you discover where this edition’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. Email your answers to magazine@tidewaternews.com Get out there and enjoy Western Tidewater!

For the summer edition, intern Walter Francis took a picture of the front porch of Grayson and Emma’s in Courtland.

Tell us where our photographer took this photo and get a chance to win a gift certificate.

party pix

6 western tidewater living

Breakfast with Santa Top left: Maggie and Kit Pearsall with their son, William, 10. Top right: Amber Gabbard with Alan and Toby Deziel, 3. Bottom left: Travis and Erin Holland with Noelle, 5 months; Kylar, 7; and Dallas, 3. Bottom center: Courtney and Brandon Rice with their child, Carley, 7 weeks old. Bottom right: Tamatha Deziel with Trent, 8 months, and Sailor, 3.

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Breakfast with Santa Top: Nicole Gore with James James and Riona James, 2. Bottom: Melissa Eley with Mary Eley, 10; Hanna and Cameron, 7.

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party pix

Windsor High School awards ceremony Top: Windsor High Dukes Emma Wyatt, Noah Smith, Britney Lawrence and Trevor Kiser wearing their academic jackets after the ceremony on Nov. 7. Middle left: Emily Post, left, Alexya Massey and Lauren Legum of Windsor High School. Middle right: Paul Branch with his sons Stephen and Kenneth. The boys attend Windsor High School and Georgie D. Tyler Middle School, respectively. Bottom left: Abigail Deily and Jenna Garris, both of Windsor Elementary School. Bottom right: Bobbie Rose, a fifth grade student at Carrsville Elementary School with her father, Barry Rose, and grandmother, Billie Rose.

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Windsor Craft Show Top: Ron Etters with Lilleon Parrish, 9; Olivia Klotz, 10; Alissa Etters, 10; and Brock Parrish, 6. Bottom: Marquisha Barnes and Mya Simmons of Simply Cupcakes were among the many vendors at the craft show in Windsor High School on Dec. 3.

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Windsor Holiday Parade Top left: Waiting for the Windsor Christmas Parade to begin on Dec. 3 are, from left, Eric Larguinho with Arianna, 2 1/2; and Cristino, 1, of Suffolk. At right are Lincoln Berryman, 1, and Adam Berryman of Franklin. Top right: Mike Johnson, Tracey Johnson and Lane Johnson, 10, with Brittany Johnson and Dixie, 9 weeks old. Bottom left: Clockwise from left, Emily Rawles, 10; Michelle Sandefur of Windsor; Missy Henley of Suffolk and Whitney Sidwell, 5. Bottom center: Mark Merritt with Lilly Merritt, 4, and Bella Merritt, 10, all of Windsor. Bottom right: Angie Bland of Windsor with Aubrey Jenkins, 3, and Cody of Zuni.

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES

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western tidewater living

story by Stephen Faleski

“In no respect is Franklin’s progress so marked as in the number and character of the many new residences which were built in 1905. Every contractor and builder in the town has had his hands full during the entire year....”

Those were the words The Tidewater News used to describe Franklin’s late Victorianera housing boom in their Jan. 12, 1906 edition. During this time, dozens of large, elegant homes were constructed to meet the needs of the then-small town’s rapid expansion and industrialization.

Unfortunately, very few examples of Franklin’s Victorian-era houses remain standing today, and many that do have fallen into disrepair. However, a few concerned citizens, including local amateur historian Clyde Parker, and the people who currently own some of these once-prized examples of Franklin’s history, are attempting to ensure these houses are not forgotten.

Five of Franklin’s still-existing Victorian homes in particular stand out, both in their owners’ contributions to making Franklin the city it is today, and for their architectural elegance.

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1

The George Camp House According to Parker, the George Camp House, located at 221 Homestead Road, was the home of George Camp II, who lived from 1793 to 1879 and, in 1826, acquired the land on which the current house now stands. George Camp was the father of James Leonidas Camp and Paul Douglas Camp, the famed Camp brothers who founded the Camp Manufacturing Company and helped make Franklin the hub of the paper mill industry it is today.

In addition to James and Paul, George had six other children — four of whom lived to adulthood — with his wife, Sarah “Sallie” Cutchins,

whom George married in 1837 when he was 44 and she was 22.

The house that now stands on the property, which was built on the site in the mid-1930s, is a replica of an earlier Federal-style house that stood on the site for decades before burning down in 1931. The farm surrounding the house extended from what is now the Clay Street area in the direction of Hunterdale to the Blackwater River. The surrounding farm land is now home to the Southampton Memorial Hospital, the Village at Woods Edge and the James L. Camp Jr. YMCA.

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western tidewater living

Pace House The Pace House

The Pace House, located at 614 W. Second Ave., was built on a piece of land Willie Thomas Pace purchased in 1905. At the time, Second Avenue was a dead-end street and the residence, which was perpendicular to the end of West Second Avenue, could be seen from the far eastern end of Second Avenue coming into Franklin from the Blackwater River Bridge.

Pace was the owner of W.T. Pace Hardware and also worked as a bookkeeper for Cecil C. Vaughan, a general merchant and banker whose daughter, Cora, married Robert Camp

of the Camp Manufacturing Company.

After Pace’s death in 1954, the house changed hands several times, at one point being owned by the City of Franklin for use as the Franklin Library and the city’s school board offices.

When the city determined it no longer needed the property, around 2003, it sold the property to Dan Hunt, who converted it into a bed and breakfast called the Pace House Inn. When Hunt went out of business, the house was sold as a private residence once again.

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3

Vaughan House The T he Vaughan House

Built around 1881, the Vaughan house was originally the home of Cecil C. Vaughan Sr., who lived from 1839 to 1924, and his wife, the former Antoinette Gay, who lived from 1838 to 1913.

Vaughan, with his son, General Cecil C. Vaughan Jr., who lived from 1868 to 1929,

founded founded Vaughan and Company Bankers in downtown Franklin. downtown Vaughan Jr. was a veteran of the SpanishAmerican War and, at the beginning of World War I, commanded the 29th Infantry Division. He served as a Virginia state senator from 1921 to 1929.

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western tidewater living

Beale House The Beale House

The Beale House, located at 200 S. High St., at the corner of High and Bogart streets, was built in 1916 for James Irving Beale Sr., a native of Isle of Wight County, and his wife, Leora. Later, his son, Roger Irving Beale, lived in the house, followed by his son, Roger Irving Beale Jr.

Roger I. Beale Sr. was president and general manager of the Franklin Peanut Company, located in downtown Franklin. He attended Randolph-Macon College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and, after leaving college, entered into the peanut business with his father. He died Sept. 10, 1947, at the age of 64.

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5

Gertrude T. Williams The Gertrude T. Williams House

This three-story house, located at 300 Lee St., was built in 1905 by William George Williams, who lived from 1860 to 1925, and his wife, the former Gertrude Taylor, who lived from 1865 to 1942. Williams was a son of Mary Eliza Camp, the daughter of George Camp II, and her husband, John W. Williams.

“Miss Gertie,” as Mary Williams was known, was the credit manager for the Camp Manufacturing Company, and held the same position following the Camp merger with Union Bag and Paper Company, forming the Union Bag-Camp Paper Corporation, which later merged with International Paper.

The house is made of beveled clapboard on the outside, and its fretwork, etched glass doors, gingerbread trim, and cedar shake detail, making it — according to Parker — a perfect example of Queen-Anne-style architecture.

Today, the house includes a small spring house with a working pump on the grounds, a four-car garage, three large hallways inside the main house, with 15 rooms and five baths.

The trim work is made entirely of curly pine and the floors are heart pine.

The wainscoting and two ornate fireplace mantles are made of oak. There are a total of six working fireplaces in the house. 

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26 western tidewater living

story by Merle Monahan photos by Stephen H. Cowles

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M

ost people would think that an old, empty tin can would be junk to be thrown away. But not Joan DeCosta.

Her vision of the can would be a lovely painted flower vase, or perhaps a brightly colored container for kitchen utensils.

And DeCosta would transform the can to exactly what she envisioned.

Indeed, the talented artisan has been reconstructing and transforming all kinds of discarded items into beautiful pieces of art for as long as she can remember.

“I always loved to color, paint and draw,” she said. “In fact, I took art lessons when I was in high school and college. Then, when I graduated college, I also took a class in acrylics.”

“I was always happy when I was painting or working on a project in my workshop,’ DeCosta said with a smile. “So naturally, I spent a lot of

“I was always happy when I was painting or working on a project in my workshop...” time there.”

It was not until she and her husband, Don, moved to Southampton County in 1978 that she started selling her work, however.

“A friend of mine and I attended a show at Isle of Wight Parks and Recreation. We took a few of our creations and sold everything we took.

“We made $60, I think, between the two of us,” she added, “and were thrilled.”

DeCosta named her business “Joan’s Folk Art” and gradually started showing her work at various shows. Her business grew and to date, she,

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with the help of her husband, has traveled to shows across the entire U.S., from Virginia to California and from Florida, to Ohio, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Maine and Connecticut. They’ve visited most states several times.

“We feel like some places are too far to drive, so we just ship my things, and then fly to the show,” DeCosta added.

When asked where and how she acquires the items she works on, she laughed.

“We visit auctions, flea markets, yard sales and antique shops, to name a few,” DeCosta said.

“When I go in, my head is filled with ideas of what I can do with the things I see.

“We’ve bought old watering cans, kerosene cans, tin containers, coffee pots and even pieces of wood. Things like that.

“Then people bring us things. For instance, one of my relatives was driving in the country and spotted an old wooden chair in the ditch.

She turned around, picked it up and brought it to me.”

DeCosta said she does take orders when she has time. She added that she just made a Christmas tree ornament for the town of Ivor. It will be sent to Richmond to be shown on the tree at the governor’s mansion.

The ornament is made in the shape of the old Ivor Train Station, which was built in 1850 and designates when Ivor was organized.

DeCosta, 74, only does three shows per year now. Held in Richmond, they usually last four days. She noted that her husband and daughter, Julie, are always on hand to help.

“I love what I do and I am humbled by the success and encouragement I’ve had from so many people,” she said. “I appreciate it so much.” 

Above: Racks of paints include a wide spectrum of tints and shades for each color, all in service to DeCosta’s art. Below: A view of her studio. In the foreground are examples of how she can transform everyday objects such as metal cans into holiday-themed practical art.

western tidewater living

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32 western tidewater living The tasting room at Buskey Cider in Richmond encourages people to lounge, talk, listen to music and even play board games while enjoying the different ciders that Buskey concocts in the warehouse space next door.

story and photos by Stephen H. Cowles

W

Will Correll & Elle Street

ithin a very few minutes after you exit I-64 onto Boulevard in Richmond is West Leigh Street. Less than half a block on the right you’re at Buskey Cider, an ambition of Will Correll’s made fully real — made deliciously liquid. With him in this venture is communications director Elle Street, both 26 and formerly of Franklin.

Will first came to that city from Greenville, South Carolina, when his father was transferred to Union Camp; she’s originally from Franklin.

“We knew each other as kids,” said Elle (pronounced ‘L,’ not ‘l-EE’), who recalled Will coming to a birthday party for her three triplet sisters — Amy, Donna and Julie. They are the children of Rob and

Brenda Street of Cincinnati, Ohio; Will’s the son of Curtis and Ann Correll of Charlotte, North Carolina.

When his family moved to Cincinnati for work, hers followed soon after for the same reason and Will and Elle continued growing up together.

“We were in the same towns for eight years,” he said, adding that his family later went to Memphis, Tennessee, where International Paper is headquartered.

Cut to several years later after Ohio: the couple is engaged to wed in May 2017.

••• Why cider instead of beer? Well, why not? Go to almost any grocery store and you’ll find usually find a wide and tempting selection of craft beers. Will believes

the same can be done for cider, a drink that he calls “America’s beverage.”

Early settlers in this country would make it from the apples grown where they had staked their claims, he pointed out, and even cited John Chapman, better known as the legendary Johnny Appleseed, who also promoted the growth of those trees in his travels.

Ben Franklin gets the credit for the company name; the brewer said he was looking for a historic word that no one was using. Will referenced buskers — people who travel about performing music on the streets. He also mentioned that Buskey is apparently a common surname and those people will contact him, delighted to learn they share their name with his product.

western tidewater living

If a pint is too much, there are tastings in small glasses in which you can sample infusions, RVA Cider and Nitro! The latter means that nitrogen, instead of carbonation, was used to hydroginate the cider. This results in a creamy texture.

Incidentally, buskey appears to be a variation of bosky, which is defined as having abundant trees or shrubs or relating to woods, according to the MirriamWebster Dictionary. Likely all those trees have apples.

He recalled trying cider for the first soon after he turned 21, but was less than impressed with the taste then, thinking it could be so much more.

At 22, Will decided to make a go of creating the kind of ciders he thinks people would really enjoy.

Winning a business competition through Start!Peninsula a few years ago got him $10,000, which he leveraged into getting investors, but that didn’t guarantee immediate success.

“It took a long time — there were obstacles to overcome,” he said.

But the struggles paid off when Buskey

Should a decision be made to put some of the cider in barrels, they're kept in to age for five months.

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34 western tidewater living

An employee at Buskey Cider pulls a draft pint in the tasting room.

Will Correll, 26, is a former Franklin resident who founded Buskey Cider in Richmond.

He’s standing beside one of several 2,000-gallon tanks used for fermenting.

Cider opened on April 23 of this year.

“There’s lot of room for creativity,” Will said, adding that the market for cider is fast growing. Now he’s a part that venture.

••• Buskey Cider is not strictly a warehouse-sized building filled with tanks. A tasting room fronts the operation. Here, visitors can order a glass or sample a few varieties as they sit at tables to talk, listen to music or even play board games.

In the back, though, there is a set of 2,000-gallon tanks to make the cider. From start to finish, the process requires 20 days to one month; infusions of cherry or other flavors can take longer.

“When we do go to barrels, they’re in for five months,” said Will.

The website shows already there’s a neat set of ciders such as:

RVA; 45 and Trying; Citra Hop; Randall’d Ciders; and Nitro!

••• Creating the product is not a one-man operation by any means.

Matthew Meyer brings his many years of experience as a vintner, a person who makes wine; Alec Steinmetz is a brewer.

Their background and skills, said Will, “gives us a unique perspective” on fermenting cider.

The latest development for Buskey is that canning will start at the end of January and the beverage will be in six packs of aluminum cans.

As if that weren’t enough, Will said that Buskey Cider will be in the Hampton Roads market within the first few months of the year.

There’s a reason to raise a glass!

To learn more about the cider, visit www.buskeycider.com, or drop by when you’re next in Richmond and taste for yourself. 

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36 western tidewater living

western tidewater living

Franklin owes early development to Albemarle Steam Navigation Company story by Clyde Parker photos submitted

A major part of Franklin’s early development was the existence of the Albemarle Steam Navigation Company (A.S.N.). Its headquarters was in Franklin, and it was in business from 1837 to 1929. During that timeframe, Franklin became a major regional shipping point.

The conjunction of the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad and the Blackwater River in 1835 made the area now known as Franklin, then a swampy wilderness, a natural link between the towns of the Chowan River/Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, and the Norfolk-Portsmouth area and other points in Virginia. The fact that the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad crossing at the site that evolved into Franklin was at the Blackwater River’s northernmost navigational point was a major factor in selecting the alignment of the railroad.

The Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad, later known as the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad, and, still later, as the Seaboard Airline Railway, transported people and goods from Norfolk to “Blackwater Depot,” which, actually, at that time, was on the east bank of the Blackwater River. From there, starting in 1837, A.S.N. steamships, including Fox, Bravo, Stag and Curlew, going down-river, completed the connection to Edenton and Plymouth, and other stops along the way.

In 1838, the depot was relocated to the west side of the Blackwater River, in Southampton County.

That was the onset of a settlement which, by 1838, was being referred to as “Franklin Depot.”

Other steamships owned by A.S.N. made

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38 western tidewater living roundtrips from Murfreesboro, North Carolina, by way of the Meherrin and Chowan rivers to Edenton. Occasionally, there were trips to and from more distant points, including Wilmington, North Carolina, and other Mid-Atlantic ports, including Norfolk and Portsmouth, by way of the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds.

Freight and passengers arriving at Franklin by rail from the Norfolk area and from Virginia inland areas and by steamship from points in North Carolina and beyond were transferred at Franklin Wharf. For a good period of time, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a rail spur track that ran from the main line right down to an area adjacent to the river. For passengers wishing to have comfortable overnight accommodations, there were Franklin hotels. For some period of time, the Barrett Hotel on Main Street was in existence.

The first A.S.N. steamship was the “Fox” with Captain John Middleton at her helm. In late 1835, she was brought down from New York to run down the Blackwater River from a point now known as Franklin to make the run to Edenton. She was described as “a neat and handy little boat with good traveling accommodations.”

Prior to the Civil War, the following steamships were in the A.S.N. inventory: Fox, Stag, Curlew, Leonora and Schultz.

The following ships were in operation between 1866 and 1929: Appomattox, Aurora, Carolina, Chowan, Clio, Edenton, Ella, Franklin, Haven Belle, Hertford, Isadore, Keystone, Lota, Olive, Oriole, Silver Wave and Virginia.

In competition with the A.S.N. for a period of time was the Clyde Line which operated steamships along the same routes from 1850 until 1876, at which time it went out of business due to competition from A.S.N. And, apparently, a Captain Burbage,

a boat pilot with A.S.N., began his own company in 1859 of which little is known.

By the early 1860s, Franklin folks boasted the fact that they had a depot, a warehouse, a steamboat landing, steamboat lines, a sawmill, a general store, a school, churches, and a popular hotel owned by Richard and Mary Rebecca Murfee Barrett. However, due to the Civil War, much of the commerce up and down the rivers was interrupted. And, Franklin, and the area surrounding it, became extremely desolate. After the war, though, there was a significant resurgence of river transportation activity, causing a sort of “boom” for A.S.N. and the Village of Franklin as well as the villages down the Chowan

“...due to the Civil War, much of the commerce up and down the rivers was interrupted. And, Franklin, and the area surrounding it, became extremely desolate. After the war, though, there was a significant resurgence of river transportation activity, causing a sort of ‘boom’...”

River.

Franklin resident John A. Pretlow (1874-1933), for the greater part of his life, was given to the active direction of the affairs of A.S.N. There were other investors, both in Virginia and North Carolina. The company was immensely successful, operating a fleet of steamships up and down the Blackwater, Meherrin, and Chowan rivers. Serving as president and general manager for most of his tenure with the company, Pretlow was also connected, in an official capacity, with two short-line railways in Eastern North Carolina and had other extensive business interests, including peanut acquisition and distribution.

A write-up in the Nov. 10, 1911, edi-

tion of The Tidewater News indicated that the following A.S.N. officers were serving with President John Pretlow: Robert A. Pretlow (John’s brother), vice president; M.H. Moore, treasurer; and J.S. O’Shea, General Freight and Passenger agent.

John Pretlow was the son of John Alexander Pretlow Sr., and Mrs. Evelyn Bolling Pretlow, and was born at “Riverview,” the old Pretlow plantation on the Blackwater River just south of Franklin. He was educated at the Virginia Episcopal High School in Alexandria and at a private academy in Norfolk.

In 1911, the Company was really “ramping-up” in response to accelerated customer demand. In early July of that year, A.S.N. placed contracts with Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company for construction of two modern steel screw steamships to be built and delivered on or before Nov. 1. The new steamships were to have much larger freight carrying capacities than the present ones.

“The new steamers will meet our demand admirably as they are to be constructed especially for the needs of the line and its patrons,” said Mr. Pretlow in response to an inquiry from The Tidewater News.

Actually, the two new ships replaced two older and smaller ones, named “Hertford” and “Keystone,” which were sent to Newport News for scrapping. The two new ships were named “Virginia” and “Carolina.”

Note: The “Hertford” actually was once known as the “Olive” which, while under that name, sank on the evening of Feb. 16, 1903, during a violent storm, in the Chowan River, 15 miles south of Tunis, North Carolina, and a mile and a half from Holly’s Wharf. The boat was on its way to Edenton, North Carolina. Seventeen of the 30 people on board perished in the sinking. Some of the unidentified victims were buried in a mass grave in

western tidewater living

Franklin’s Poplar Spring Cemetery.

The captain of the “Olive” was George H. Withy of Franklin. He was not in any way considered to be at fault in the tragedy. In fact, he took heroic steps and actions to minimize the loss of life and property.

On Monday, March 2, 1903, the “Olive” was refloated at a cost of $1,800, pumped dry and towed back to Franklin. everal hundred onlookers were at Franklin Wharf (Barrett’s Landing) as two tugboats eased “Olive’s” lifeless hull into po-

came to the United States with his father, Charles Withy, when George was still a small child. His father was engineer for Albemarle Steam Navigation Company for 20 years, starting with his service on the steamer “Stag.” The younger Withy started out with A.S.N. in 1868, serving as a fireman on the “Stag” under his father’s direction. Very soon, he secured his master’s license, allowing him to serve as captain of the company’s several steamers.

A.S.N. President J.A. Pretlow, commenting on Withy’s passing, said, “I have

phus Ashburn Cutchin (the former Mary A. Withy) of Franklin; and four grandchildren: Dr. George Withy Hayes of Portsmouth, Miss Emma Cutchin, Miss Lizzie Mae Cutchin and Adolphus Ashburn Cutchin Jr. Pretlow lived long enough to experience the demise of A.S.N. In 1929, the company went out of business due primarily to the evolution of transportation from waterways to highway and truck. Steamships were rapidly disappearing from the waterways of northeastern North Carolina

sition along the wharf. Later, the “Olive” was rebuilt from the waterline up, with a lower profile, rechristened the “Hertford,” and put back in service, mainly along the Meherrin and Chowan rivers between Murfreesboro and Edenton.

Captain Withy continued with A.S.N. until his death on Sept. 4, 1920, completing 52 years of service.

Captain George Withy was born in Leeds, England, on Jan. 15, 1848. He

always held Captain Withy in the highest esteem. I am in sorrow — as I would be for one of my own family.”

At the time of his death, Withy’s survivors were his wife, the former Emma Gardner; his daughter, Mrs. W.R. Hayes, with whom George and Mrs. Withy had made their home since moving from the old home in Isle of Wight County (Mr. Hayes was master of the Steamer “Hertford” of A.S.N.); his daughter, Mrs. Adol-

and southeastern Virginia. Pretlow died in February of 1933.

Southampton County resident Adolphus Ashburn “Ash” Cutchin III, Withy’s great-grandson, has extensively researched the “Olive” story. And he provided much of the information used to tell the overall story of A.S.N..

A good part of the information for this story came from The Tidewater News archives.

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western tidewater living

where am I? In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater they really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians.

Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate.

So, if you discover where this edition’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. Email your answers to magazine@tidewaternews.com Get out there and enjoy Western Tidewater!

For the fall edition, staff writer Stephen H. Cowles took this photo of the old Woodmen of the World Lodge in Walters. Jesse McFatter of Franklin was the first to correctly identify it.

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