Frank discussed Bernard Godwin’s boat being at Packett Wharf
Frank talks about Lucy Upshur coming to Chuckatuck with the horse pulling her car
Frank is 91 years old. Born in 1918 Born in Chuckatuck Top floor left hand window. House built in early 1800’s. First house was the one Harvey Saunders lived in.
Lucy Upshur held dances in a one room building with rooms around each side around 1931.
Gwaltney’s and Johnson’s store had Bar’s in the basement.
Talks about Mr. Jones going to see Blanche.
Mrs. Latimer owned Mammy and Granddaddy Chapman’s house before they did.
John Bradshaw clerked in Mr. Moore’s Store. Talks about the pickle barrel. Someone fell in the pickle barrel.
Mrs. Moore boarded teachers in the early years. This is the house next to the current post office.
Discusses Gen. Pickett when he married Sarah Corbell.
Talks about the man who lived (Walter Daniels) across from the packet wharf. Bobby Jones gave him a bar of soap one day and he said he thought he ate it.
Talks about Percy Pitt when he lived behind the bull barn (Saunders’ Farm).
Talks about the Pinner Home which was on the right as you went down the hill toward the grist mill. Talked about filling sacks with sawdust and throwing them in the road.
Talks about Duke, my dog, and his hunting trip with him.
Good story about Duke, my Irish Setter.
20-34 MINUTES
Went into the service in 1944 in the Army Air Corp. Flew B-24’s. Was shot down and jumped out at 27,000 feet over Germany. Talks about falling several miles and losing his flying boots. How he landed and what happened to him. How he was saved.
Met his wife after the war from Berkley Norfolk. Been married 63 years this June 2009. Have five children: Karen, Matt, Jim, Jean, and Frank Jr.
Got interested in Architecture while in the POW camp. (pause at 38 minutes) Worked in Norfolk under an Architect for about a year then off on his own.
Built home in Chuckatuck in 1947 back of Meadow lot. Stella and Hank Hernly were already in the barn. Mrs Linthicum lived behind the barn, now the home of Jerry and Iola Saunders.
Talked about Leroy Pope, Leroy’s Dad Give the three principal parts of Birth. Berth Bust Busted.
Talked about the school when he was there. Classrooms on either end of the Auditorium. Chemistry lab in the basement. Boys and girls bathroom in the basement. Boiler room was in the basement and Capt. Johnny Hicks, Joe Hicks’ granddaddy, was the caretaker of the school.
George Frank Wilkerson’s wife was his teacher in grade school.
Frank graduated in 1937 and was a school bus driver. So was my Dad.
Frank talks about driving the school bus to Everetts and to Cotton Farm Lane. 1st bus was a 1926 Cheverolet. Driving in the area of the Veteran’s Cemetery saw a snake in the road and was afraid to run over him that it might be thrown into the bus. All dirt roads to Everetts and Crittenden all in dirt.
Between 1937 and 1941 he worked in the shipyard. Needed to know someone to get in. Knew Mrs. Sara Gayle who worked in the employment office. Always paid in cash. Silver dollars.
Uncle Matt use to run a meat house during this time. He had silver dollars in every pocket. This store was right by Mr. Spady’s garage. This little store was the original post office which I think was where Foots Spady (Wilson) had his store. That would be across from the 7/11 . Frank talks about this store. Wilson saw a rat in the store next to the drink box and shot the rat, but messed up the drink box.
Talks about the stores in the area (54-56 minutes).
Indians were gone long before Frank was born.
Need to get a picture of Store from Frank showing the Spady store. Picture shows Emmitt Pitt standing by a pole. Emmitt had a Roadster and was killed on Bernard Godwin’s boat somewhere around Nags Head. They were filling it with gas and overflowed the tank. Blew Bernard Godwin, Emmitt Pitt overboard, a gentlemen by the name of George Lee Cowling overboard. All of Emmitt clothes were burned off of him and he died before they could get him to the hospital.
Talks about the houses in Chuckatuck (60- Bernard Godwin and the Lone Star Cement Corp. Good discussion about the houses and the cement corp. First Marl Hole was the one we all learned to swim in. This was just to the South of RT 337 (also where my Grandfather died of a Heart Attack).
Frank remembers when he and Wilson would sit out in the front yard on a Sunday and count the cars as they went by. Would get stuck going to Suffolk at Reid’s Ferry. Bridge was one way and one day Mr. Moore got a ride to Suffolk with Mike Keary in his Pierce Arrow. Went down that road at about 80 MPH . Mr. Moore said he thought he would stay awhile since he did not want to ride back.
Frank is the oldest member of Wesley Chapel Went there in 1922 when he was four and Mattie Godwin was his teacher. Went to Sunday School in the left entrance to the church.
Frank talks about one of older preachers and how he had such a raspy voice.
091103 004 (3.50 minutes)
Frank talks about Dottie Mae and how she did not mind her mother. Discussed how my Momma, Dorothy Chapman, would keep the church kitchen straight.
Katherine talks about growing up in Berkley
I talked about meeting a friend of Jean Chapman’s who was from out of town.
091103 003 (1.10 minutes)
Talked about Dottie Mae riding her tricycle at his house.