Winter/Spring

Inside this issue •When oysters were big business •Endangered horse breeds being revitalized •Garden Week includes historic Isle of Wight homes

Slice of Smithfield

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Slice of Smithfield

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5 Slice of Smithfield

Editorial

John B. Edwards Editor and publisher Diana McFarland Content editor

Contributing writers Alyse Stanley Stephen Faleski Abby Proch

Other contributors Kathy Mountjoy Carolyn Keen

Inside this edition 7 Historic horses Mill Swamp Indian Horses is working to preserve historic pony breeds and portray an early colonial-era farm.

9 Origin of name revealed Cockes Lane in Smithfield was not named after a famed rooster, but someone else entirely.

18-19 Down Country Lanes Garden Week this year includes tours of many of Isle of Wight County’s historic homes and attractions.

21 Golden Age Before Smithfield Foods put the town of Smithfield on the map, it was once an port of call for the steamboat trade.

10 Old Smithfield recipes

25 Handcrafted music

Find original southern Virginian recipes in the Woman’s Club’s popular cookbook. A recipe combining ham and peanuts is featured on page 10.

A Smithfield man has been making guitars by hand for years, including one made out of a toliet seat.

13 Oldest ham in the round The world’s oldest ham and peanut were subject to 21st century technology at the Isle of Wight County Museum.

16-17 Where to walk The town of Smithfield offers several walking routes through historic areas.

26 Isle of Wight's fishing villages Oysters were once so plentiful in the waters off Isle of Wight County that they could be scooped up by hand.

29 A secret recipe One of Smithfield’s premier hams was developed by one of the town’s first black town councilmen.

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Production Diana McFarland Design Jameka Anderson Daniel Tate Graphic designers February 2016 “A Slice of Smithfield” is published three times a year by The Smithfield Times, PO Box 366, Smithfield, VA 23431 www.smithfieldtimes.com (757) 357-3288 Advertising rates and information available upon request. Contact [email protected]

7 Slice of Smithfield

Rebecca Stephenson points out parts of one of the heritage breed goats to her son, Lex.

Horses, animals find safe haven in Smithfield By Diana McFarland eleased from indentured servitude, Thomas Gwaltney arrived in what is now Surry County in the mid-1600s. Gwaltney settled near what is now called Pons in Isle of Wight, and eventually received a land patent for 200 acres. In the mid-1600s, Isle of Wight was considered the frontier, the edge of the British Empire, said Steve Edwards, one of Gwaltney’s descendants. Edwards has recently recreated what Gwaltney’s early frontier farm might have looked like at Mill Swamp Indian Horses, located just outside of Smithfield. In the center of the clearing a wood fire smolders. Circling the fire is a tiny wooden cabin with a loft bed and crude stove, a tobacco barn, smokehouse and corncrib. The recreated farm is also home to colonial-era crops and goats, such as San

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Clementes, heritage pigs and colonial-era chickens — in between fox attacks, that is, Edwards joked. The centerpiece of Edwards’ replica farm, however, is his herd of colonial-era horses — Spanish Corolla and Choctaw ponies, descendants of those brought over by early Spanish explorers. The ponies are part of Mill Swamp Indian Horses, Edwards’ non-profit breeding program designed to restock the two breeds, which are both endangered. The Corollas are from North Carolina, while the Choctaws are more recently from Oklahoma. They arrived there along with the Choctaw and Cherokee Indian tribes along the famed Trail of Tears, Edwards said. The farm is designed to give visitors a taste of life in Isle of Wight County in the mid-1600s. For example, by 1650, there were no Indians left in Isle of

Colonial-era Spanish Corolla and Choctaw ponies are being revitalized after both breeds became nearly extinct. Pictured is Luke Stepenson with one of the ponies. Wight County, having been destroyed by massacre and disease, but they were living just on the other side of the Blackwater River and were a concern, Edwards said. Gwaltney’s descendants have pieced together Thomas’ life, and learned he was

born in Wales in 1613 and came to the colonies by way of Barbados at the age of 21-22, probably seeking adventure, said another local descendent, Gerald Gwaltney. An indentured servant, See Horse, pg.

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Slice of Smithfield 8 Horses, cont. from pg. 7

Thomas arrived in Jamestown in 1635 and came to Isle of Wight a few years later after working off his servitude. It is thought he lived here for several years before receiving the land patent from Gov. William Berkeley in 1666, Gwaltney said. Thomas was able to receive 200 acres because colonists were given 50 acres for each person they brought over, and he brought four, Gwaltney said. Unfortunately, Thomas died of unknown causes two months later, he added. Thomas was married to Martha, who was thought to already be living in Isle of Wight County at the time, Gwaltney said. Thomas’ son William inherited the farm and the family grew from there. Today, Gwaltneys from all over the United States come to Isle of Wight County in the summer to celebrate their heritage

What's the origin of Cockes Lane ? W

Steve Edwards, right, is also an assistant Commonwealth's attorney with Isle of Wight County. Here he's spending some down time with his crew and budding rider, Liam Stephenson, left. and family. Two years ago, the family celebrated Thomas’ 400th birthday. Gwaltney said he and Edwards are second or third cousins. Edwards, whose father is

from another early Isle of Wight County family, likes to joke that, “I am related to myself by marriage.” The Gwaltney Frontier Farm, Inc is a 501 (c) 5 non-profit breed conserva-

tion program that is administered completely by volunteers. For more information contact Steve Edwards at [email protected].

Smithfield spring favorites

Vintage Market

Wine and Brew Fest

Find unique treasures at the Vintage Market Saturday, March 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Smithfield, behind the Bank of Southside Virginia. Smithfield's Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning throughout the summer, followed by specialty markets in the fall.

Enjoy Virginia wine and beer at the Smithfield Wine and Brew Fest, Saturday, April 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Windsor Castle Park. The day also features upscale retail vendors and live entertainment. Proceeds benefit local charitable organizations. For tickets and more information, visit SmithfieldVAWineBrewFest.com.

as it a particularly memorable rooster or someone else that provided the namesake for Cockes Lane in downtown Smithfield? Despite rumors to the contrary, Cockes Lane was not named for a rooster. The small residential street was instead named after the family of Lt. William Cocke. A Navy man, Cocke settled his wife and children in Smithfield in 1823 and set off to fight piracy in the West Indies. In March of that year, Cocke sailed into St. John’s Harbor in Puerto Rico on a friendly mission. The ship was fired upon and Cocke died instantly. The descendants of Cocke remained on the property for many years and the house was eventually town down. Cockes’ grave is located at the Cedar Grove cemetery in Portsmouth. Information courtesy of “Smithfield: A Pictorial History,” by Segar Cofer Dashiell.

Slice of Smithfield 10

Ham and peanuts go together in Smithfield A t one time, a genuine Smithfield ham was required by an act of the General Assembly in 1926 to be made of peanut-fed pigs raised in the peanut-belt of Virginia and North Carolina. The peanut stipulations were removed in 1966. Below ham and peanuts are combined to make a tasty sandwich filling. The recipe was submitted by Witty Donahoe Minton and is included in the original Smithfield cookbook. Minton passed away last year at the age of 97.

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Ham and peanut filling 1 cup ground ham (use salt cured country ham) ½ cup peanut butter ½ cup diced sweet pickle mayonnaise Combine first three ingredients and mix well. Moisten with mayonnaise if served at once. Use pickle juice if sandwiches are to be frozen. “The Smithfield Cookbook” was published by The Junior Woman’s Club of Smithfield in 1978 and is now sold out. A second edition came out in 2010 called “The Smithfield Cookbook: Continuing Traditions.” The cookbooks can be purchased through the Smithfield Woman’s Club or or at local gift shops such as the Isle of Wight Museum and Historic St. Luke’s, and at the Smithfield Library. The new edition is $16 including sales tax.

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While initially leery of ham, peanut butter and pickles being used a spread, "Slice" taste testers found the mix agreeable. Taste testers suggest adjusting the amount of peanut butter as it can overpower the ham. Also, using salt cured ham allows the taste of ham to shine through.

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News of ham heard 'round the world By Stephen Faleski he world’s oldest ham and peanut, housed at the Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield, has experienced a huge growth in national and international interest, particularly from the scientific community, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Bernard Means of the Virtual Circulation Library at Virginia Commonwealth University and museum Curator Tracey Neikirk. Dr. Means, who specializes in three-dimensional imaging of archaeological artifacts for several museums, took scans of the ham and peanut on invitation from Neikirk in December 2015 and published them online. From there, the scans and the story of the ham and peanut’s history circulated rapidly online and ended up being republished in several nationally and internationally read publications including Forbes Magazine, United Press International, ECN Magazine, Techtimes.com, Phys.org and Archaeology. org.

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Above: The world's oldest ham is on display at the Isle of Wight County Museum. Far right: Dr. Bernard Means in the process of scanning the peanut. Right: P.D. Gwaltney Jr. used the now "world's oldest ham" as a marketing tool. It has survived long enough to be used for 21st century 3D printing techniques.

“The ham and peanut intrigued Dr. Means, as they are very different from other items he has scanned, so he did,” said Neikirk, who first met Dr. Means at a Virginia Association of Museums program at Historic Jamestowne. The ham (1902) and peanut (1890) both once belonged to P.D. Gwaltney Sr. Neikirk said that after the Civil War, peanuts became big business in the South and Gwaltney, a veteran of the war, opened a peanut sorting and cleaning business called the Gwaltney Bunkley Peanut Company. In 1890 he picked a peanut and, using an oldstyle fountain pen, wrote the date on it and used it in his letterhead and marketing materials. He also owned a small country store run by his son, P.D. Gwaltney Jr., who

was responsible for getting the family into the business of producing and curing hams. According to Neikirk, one day Gwaltney, Jr. realized one of his hams was left behind after shipping, which he kept for himself. “He referred to it as his

‘pet’ ham,” Neikirk said. “He had a brass collar made for it and carried it around to food shows, and even had it insured for $5,000 during the 1920s.” Around the same time, the ham appeared in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not,” which at that time was a printed section of the funny pages, and was promoted as the world’s oldest ham, spurring the ham’s initial claim to fame. The claim was and still See Ham, pg.

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Slice of Smithfield 14

Ham, cont. from pg.

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15 Slice of Smithfield

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is justified, according to Neikirk. The Smithfield curing process is to add salt to a ham for a couple of weeks, and then smoke the ham and let it hang in the smoke house. “That’s what preserved it,” Neikirk said. “It’s kind of like cheese. So that’s why it’s famous.” The now completed scans of the ham and peanut can be sent to a 3D printer to produce an exact replica that people can touch and feel, Neikirk said. The scans will also help museum personnel monitor changes in the ham and peanut over the years to see if there is any water loss or fat loss. Means has since printed out 3D versions of the peanut, which will be painted and then returned to the Isle of Wight County Museum. Right: The peanut as it is being scanned.

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Slice of Smithfield 16

here To Walk... alk... W Where

17 Slice of Smithfield

Within Within Smithfield: Smithfield: Windsor Castle Park Windsor Castle Park 310 Jericho 310 Jericho Road,Road, downtown downtown Smithfield Smithfield 356-9939 356-9939 WindsorCastlePark.org WindsorCastlePark.org Located Located right in right downtown in downtown Smithfield, Smithfield, this riverside this riverside parkpark features features four miles four miles of woodland of woodland trails.trails. BikesBikes are not areallowed not allowed on theon pedestrian the pedestrian trails trails but there but there is a one is amile one mile bike bike pathpath in in the park. the Hours park. Hours are dawn are dawn to dusk to dusk

Riverview Riverview Park Park

259 James 259 James St. Smithfield St. Smithfield 357-2291, 357-2291, Co.Isle-of-Wight.va.us Co.Isle-of-Wight.va.us Community Community center,center, tennistennis courts, courts, basketball basketball courts, courts, playground, playground, picnicpicnic area, area, softball softball fieldsfields and soccer and soccer field.field.

Historic Historic Downtown Downtown Smithfield Smithfield VisitorVisitor CenterCenter at 319atMain 319 Main St. St. 357-5182 357-5182 VisitSmithfieldIsleOfWight.com VisitSmithfieldIsleOfWight.com Sidewalks Sidewalks are available are available throughout throughout the historic the historic district district of of Smithfield. Smithfield. Stop by Stop thebyvisitor the visitor centercenter to pick to up picka up walking a walking tour map tourdescribing map describing the many the many historic historic homes homes in town. in town.

Walk 1.941.94 MileMile Walk (through (through downtown downtown Smithfield) Smithfield) StartStart fromfrom the Isle the of IsleWight of Wight Visitor Visitor Center Center heading heading south south on Main on Main Street Street Turn Turn left on leftUnderwood on Underwood LaneLane Turn Turn left on leftCedar on Cedar Street, Street, proceed proceed to Church to Church Street Street TakeTake left on leftChurch on Church Street Street MakeMake rightright on Main on Main Street Street heading heading down down Wharf Wharf HillHill take take left onto left onto Commerce Commerce Street Street Below Below Smithfield Smithfield Foods Foods headquarters headquarters taketake leftleft ontoonto Thomas Thomas Street Street CrossCross overover Church Church Street, Street, proceed proceed on Grace on Grace Street Street MakeMake rightright on N.onMason N. Mason Street Street Proceed Proceed downdown and and up large up large hill take hill take left left ontoonto Washington Washington Street Street Passing Passing library library taketake left onto left onto James James Street Street TakeTake rightright ontoonto Grace Grace Street Street MakeMake finalfinal turn turn left onto left onto MainMain Street Street andand return return to to Tourism Tourism Bureau Bureau

Walking Walking Route Route through through Downtown DowntownSmithfield Smithfield

3.23.2 Mile MileWalk Walk(through (throughdowntown downtownSmithfield Smithfield&&WCP) WCP) Start Start from from thethe Isle Isle ofofWight WightVisitor VisitorCenter Centerheading heading northeast northeast onon Main Main Street Street Turn Turn leftleft onon North North Mason MasonStreet Street Turn Turn right right onto onto Grace GraceStreet Street Cross Cross over over Church Church Street Streetand andproceed proceeddown downThomas Thomas Street Street Make Make right right onon Commerce CommerceStreet Street Proceed Proceed past past Smithfield SmithfieldFoods Foodsheadquarters headquarterstaking takingright right upup Wharf Wharf HillHill onon Main MainStreet Street Turn Turn leftleft onto onto Church ChurchStreet Street Make Make second second right right onto ontoHill HillStreet Street Take Take leftleft onto onto Mason MasonStreet Streetand andproceed proceedtotothe theentrance entrance of of Windsor Windsor Castle Castle Park Park Follow Follow thethe park park route routeasasoutlined outlinedononthe themap mapabove above Once Once returning returning from from park parkroute routefollow followS.S.Mason MasonStreet Street Make Make final final turn turn Left Left onto ontoMain MainStreet Streetand andreturn returntoto Tourism Tourism Bureau Bureau

Walking Walking Route Route From From the theLuter LuterFamily FamilyYMCA YMCA

22 Mile MileWalk Walk(from (fromthe theLuter LuterFamily FamilyYMCA) YMCA) Start Start out outmoving movingsoutheast southeastononJames JamesStreet Street Turn Turn right rightonto ontoGrace GraceStreet Streettotothe thenext nextblock block Take Take left leftonto ontoCary CaryStreet Street Make Makeright rightonto ontoMain MainStreet Streetand andtake takeimmediate immediateleft left onto onto Underwood Underwood Turn Turn left leftonto ontoCedar CedarStreet Streetproceeding proceedingtotothe theend end Make Makeleft leftonto ontoChurch ChurchStreet Street Walk Walk one oneblock, block,turn turnright rightonto ontoMain MainStreet Streetand andproceed proceed down downsteep steephill hill Take Take left lefton onCommerce CommerceStreet Street Make Makeleft leftonto ontoLuter LuterDrive Driveproceeding proceedingupuphill hill Cross Crossover overChurch ChurchStreet Streetonto ontoThomas ThomasStreet Street Proceed Proceedone oneblock blockand andtake takeright rightonto ontoNorth NorthMason Mason Street Street Go Go down downand andthen thenup upthe thehill hilltotoWashington WashingtonStreet Streettoto thethe left. left. Finish Finishon onJames JamesStreet Streetatatthe theYMCA YMCA

3.23.2 Mile Mile Walk Walk (from (from the the Luter Luter Family Family YMCA) YMCA) Start Start outout southeast southeast on James on James Street Street pastpast the library the library Turn Turn right right on on Grace Grace Street Street to the to the nextnext block block Turn Turn leftleft onto onto Cary Cary Street Street Make Make right right onto onto Main Main Street Street andand taketake immediate immediate left left onto onto Underwood Underwood Turn Turn right right onto onto Cedar Cedar Street Street for for some some distance distance Take Take leftleft onto onto Jericho Jericho Road Road proceeding proceeding to the to end the end Make Make leftleft onto onto Church Church Street Street Walk Walk three three blocks, blocks, turnturn right right ontoonto Main Main Street Street and and proceed proceed down down steep steep hill hill Take Take leftleft on on Commerce Commerce Street Street Make Make leftleft onto onto Luter Luter Drive Drive proceeding proceeding up hill up hill Cross Cross over over Church Church Street Street ontoonto Thomas Thomas Street Street Proceed Proceed oneone block block andand taketake rightright ontoonto North North Mason Mason Street Street GoGo down down andand then then up the up the hill hill to Washington to Washington Street Street to the to the left. left. Finish Finish on on James James Street Street at the at the YMCA YMCA

Slice of Smithfield 18

Down country lanes

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et a glimpse inside some of Isle of Wight’s most historic homes and buildings during Historic Garden Week, Saturday, April 23. The “Down Country Lanes” tour is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes five

historic homes, Boykin’s Tavern and Historic St. Luke’s Church. Also featured are Revolutionary War re-enactors, hammered dulcimer music, smoked ham demonstrations and Gypsy Vanner horses. Tickets are $30 in advance

and are available at Alphabet Soup in Franklin and The Peanut Patch in Courtland. They can also be purchased the day of the tour for $35. Tickets are also available online at vagardenweek.org. The Down Country Lanes tour is hosted by the Frank-

19 Slice of Smithfield

in historic Isle of Wight

lin, Suffolk and Portsmouth garden clubs and is part of Historic Garden Week sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia. Historic Garden Week, April 23-30, features tours of historic properties and gardens throughout Virginia.

Davis-Day House

The Davis Day House, a two-story Flemish bond cottage circa 1809, was constructed of bricks made in a kiln nearby. The current owners spent two years working with an architect to construct two wings to minimally impact and perfectly complement the original structure. The house is surrounded by acres of pasture for the Gypsy Vanner horses that are the heart of the family business. Refreshments will be served from 2 - 4:30 and period music will be performed.

Historic St. Luke's Church

Historic St. Lukes is the oldest church in Virginia and is thought to date back to 1632, although that has recently been questioned by some historians. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church includes many stained glass windows, including one dedicated to Pocahontas. The church underwent its initial restoration in 1954 and a more recent one in 2011.

Boykin's Tavern

Thomas Darden House

Boykin Tavern, circa 1780, is furnished in authentic 18th century antiques and is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmark Register. Boykin’s Tavern is named for Francis Boykin, who served as a lieutenant during the Revolutionary War. Boykin inherited the land in 1780, as well as the house that had stood there since 1762. A smart businessman, he donated land for the Isle of Wight Courthouse of 1800 and jail. This way his tavern easily accessible to court officers and personnel, those passing through and interested residents. Used as a private home early in the 20th century, the tavern was purchased by Isle of Wight County in 1973. Francis Boykin, complete in period dress and tri-corn hat, will be available to tell stories about its history.

The Thomas Darden House, a gracious two-story Federal home with a tree-lined lane, has the original detached kitchen and the Darden family cemetery. This historic home is well-preserved with family antiques including numerous sets of china, which served at the basis of the color scheme in many rooms. Special events at the 1850 Darden farmstead include a smoked ham demonstration, a detached old kitchen with a weaving demonstration, a beehive operation to inspect and the Orbit Road Bluebird trail will be discussed. Hand-made bluebird boxes will be available.

Lunch is available

Box lunches are available for $15. Eat-in or take-out at Woodland United Methodist Church, 20051 Orbit Road in Windsor. Lunches will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations required by April 16. Make check payable to Woodland United Methodist Church, attention Maria Bell, 20051 Orbit Road, Windsor VA 23487. For more information call 357-5810 or send an email to [email protected].

Photos courtesy of Keen-Farmer collection.

Oak Level Six Oaks

Six Oaks, circa 1750, a gambrel-roofed Tidewater cottage, was occupied by Gen. Cornwallis’ army in 1781. They left a telescope there which can be seen at the 1750 Courthouse in Smithfield.

Oak Level was owned by generations of the Young family who were Isle of Wight County clerk of courts. They were responsible for saving the court records during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Francis Young’s wife, Elizabeth Bennett, is credited with saving the court records during the Revolutionary War. Later, Nathaniel Peyton Young would have his slave Randolph Booth save the court records in the Civil War. Elizabeth Bennett Young will be on site with rich details.

21 Slice of Smithfield

The steamboat "Accomack" at what was once Smithfield's wharf area and Commerce Street.

A golden age for steamboats By John Edwards century ago, steamboats were the lifeblood of Smithfield and many other river towns up and down the Chesapeake Bay. The first two decades of the 20th century were, in fact, known on the Chesapeake as the Golden Age of Steamboats. And no town benefited more from their service than did Smithfield. A port town since its founding in 1752, Smithfield was also an early steamboat destination. In 1819, only 12 years after Robert Fulton proved the commercial benefit of steam-powered boats, a steamboat excursion was undertaken from Norfolk to Smithfield, giving the city folks a chance to visit the country for a day. From then until the Civil War, intermittent visits by steamboats became a popular pastime, but had little commercial appeal. That changed with the Civil War. One of the things acquired by northern soldiers as they marched through and bivouacked in the South was a taste for peanuts. They were easy to carry and required little or no preparation. Peanuts grew well in Southeast Virginia, and soon after the war ended,

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local entrepreneurs began to realize that there was a potential export market for goobers. Pembroke Decatur Gwaltney moved into Smithfield from his farm in Isle of Wight County and began experimenting with peanut shelling and cleaning equipment. Eventually, he and Augustus Bunkley created what they declared to be the world’s largest peanut handling operation. While Gwaltney was shelling peanuts, the Old Dominion Steamship Company was building a steamboat network that would be crucial to Smithfield’s growth. A regular run of large steamboats was established from Norfolk to New York, and feeder lines were quickly established to Chesapeake Bay towns, including Smithfield. Old Dominion began by sending steamboats to Smithfield four days a week, but the Gwaltney Bunkley peanut operation quickly outgrew that schedule and by the 1890s two steamboats were running two and from Smithfield every day but Sunday. The steamboat traffic tied Smithfield to the outside world as never before. You could board a boat at Smithfield’s wharf at 7:45 a.m. and be delivered to

Main Street Norfolk by 10 a.m. After five hours of shopping or conducting business, you would board the steamboat again and return to Smithfield, arriving See Steamboats, pg. 22

The "Occracoke."

Slice of Smithfield 22 Steamboats, cont. from pg. 23 shortly after 6 p.m. For its day it was amazingly fast and comfortable travel. An offshoot of Smithfield’s steamboat prosperity was renewed interest in Battery Park, previously known as Patesfield. Efforts to establish a town there had lagged because of Patesfield’s isolation, but the steamboats connected it to the world and it became an important boat building and seafood center. The Golden Age was shortlived, however. World War I adversely affected the Old Dominion Steamship Company’s finances and in 1920 the financially-stressed company abruptly cancelled all of its feeder routes along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including Smithfield. With two weeks, local farmers and businessmen raised $200,000 to buy one of Old Dominion’s boats and the steamboat dock on Commerce Street in Smithfield,

Care and Compassion and the Smithfield, Newport News and Norfolk Steamship Company was born. A year later, the Gwaltney Bunkley peanut warehouse burned, ending the peanut processing and shipping business in Smithfield and shifting it to Suffolk. And in 1928, the James River Bridge system opened, making truck travel to Newport News and Norfolk possible. That same year, the last commercial steamboat to serve Smithfield blew its whistle and departed for the last time. Editor’s Note: The information that formed the basis for this story was collected from newspaper columns written by the late Segar Cofer Dashiell, who in turn relied heavily on the research of the late Alexander Brown, a noted Chesapeake Bay historian.

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25 Slice of Smithfield

Slice of Smithfield 24 Significant Smithfieldians: A.E.S. Stephens Allie Edward Stakes (A.E.S.) Stephens, of Smithfield, served as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, from 1952-62. He lived at the corner of Grace and Mason streets in what is known as “The Grove.” Prior to serving as lieutenant governor of Virginia, Stephens, a Democrat, represented Isle of Wight County in the House of Delegates and the Senate. Stephens was a leader in the first 1957 restoration of Historic St. Luke’s, where he is buried.

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Tommy Griggs picks a tune on one of his many handcrafted guitars.

Music made by hand By Alyse Stanley t the insistence of his wife, Tommy Griggs sat down with a boyish grin to pluck a few songs on a guitar he made himself. He had waved off her request once before, playing at being shy, but it didn’t take much encouragement to get him to play. The Smithfield musician choses Louie Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” sung with a timbre dipped in downhome twang. On the headstock, a label says “Griggs.” Griggs has been constructing guitars for 20 years, and playing them all his life. He said it’s just a hobby; he’s only sold three or four to friends, and only then after they pressured him. A couple he’s given away, and some he traded for horses. What pays the bills is his full-time job as

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a meat inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture. Born in southern Norfolk, Griggs sings and plays guitar at various Hampton Roads locations. He’s been on stage, singing and strumming to classic country and rock, for the past half a century. “I’ve been a guitar widow for 53 year,” his wife, Cathy, said. The first guitar he fixed was a Gretsch Roc Jet he’d long since forgotten about when he found it, still broken, under his bed. In the 70s, after a night playing at O’Hare’s Lounge in Ocean View, the band left their instruments onstage until

morning. A clumsy cleaning attendant must have knocked it over during the night, he said, because the next day he found a splintering crack down the neck. The thing was unplayable. When he pulled it out years later, he figured he’d try his hand at fixing it. An employee at Isle of Wight Music Store, Sonny Meeker, fueled his newfound hobby. He funneled individual parts from his shop to Griggs, feeding his stock of necks and pickups. When See Guitar, pg.

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Right: Griggs' famed toliet seat guitar.

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Oysters, cont. from pg.

Rescue - Battery Park William Carter lives on the same piece of property in Rescue as his father, who ran a buy boat business for oysters. Behind Carter is the original machine shop where boats were repaired.

When oysters were king By Diana McFarland orking the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries — or in related industries such as boat-building and repair — were once the main occupations for those living in Battery Park and neighboring Rescue. O.A. Spady, 80, grew up in Battery Park and continues to live at Oyster Point Farm — a tract of land overlooking Jones Creek and the Pagan River. Over in nearby Rescue, William Carter, 93, remembers hearing stories of there once being so many workboats in Jones Creek that it was possible to cross from one side to the other on their bows and sterns. And it all revolved around oysters. Spady’s grandfather, O.A. Bloxom, started the Battery Park Fish and Oyster Company in 1913. In addition to the shucking house, Bloxom

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and his brothers also owned the Bloxom Brothers railway, which was used to pull boats from the water for repair. The business passed to Spady’s father, Lawrence, when up to 105 men came to work every day shucking oysters. The oysters came in the shucking house on a belt and were dropped in a bucket in front of the shuckers, who culled and threw shells into holes in the floor. Under the floor, another belt took out the shells, where they were burned into lime. The lime was then sold to farmers as a soil conditioner, O.A. Spady said. Carter’s father, Frank P., ran a “buy boat” — which was used to buy the day’s catch or seed oysters from watermen working nearby. Carter said his father would haul about 1,200 bushels of seed and shucking oysters to Norfolk and Hampton for processing.

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nesses in Rescue. The kepone “poisoned the river” and “everything just quit,” he said. The kepone disaster, which was caused by the improper handing and dumping of the insecticide from Allied Signal Company in Hopewell, led to a 13-year ban on shellfish harvesting in the James River. Today, Carter lives in his father’s house at the base of the Rescue Bridge. From his yard, he counts just two workboats in the river. And those watermen are not local, he said. For Spady, the decline came a decade earlier, with the introduction of MSX, a protozoan parasite, which invades the shellfish and eventually kills it. Because local stocks were infected, Spady had to seek out oysters from farther and farther distances until it was no longer economically feasible to do so. He closed the oyster house in 1987 and opened a commercial laundry in Smithfield. Today, through efforts by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and others, the oyster population is beginning to make a comeback in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Photo courtesy of Keen - Farmer collection

The marina area at Rescue. Fear of the kepone still lingers in Carter’s mind. He prefers to get his shellfish from places other than the James River. “It turns me off, local oysters,” he said. Spady, on the other hand, believes

the long-standing scarcity of oysters has resulted in a surviving crop that is bigger and meatier due to decreased competition. “They were never like this before,” he said of oysters prior to MSX. “They’re beautiful now.”

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The Rescue post office was once a gasoline station. Seed oysters were used to replenish oyster grounds, and Carter’s dad tended leases off Ocean View and in the Pagan River. As a young boy, Carter said oysters were so plentiful that they could be scooped up by hand at low tide. That was the easy way, Carter said. Spady and Carter agreed that tonging oysters — a form of harvesting the bivalves — was hard work.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Spady returned to Battery Park to help run the oyster house by selling lime to farmers. Carter was drafted to serve in World War II and would spend two decades as an Army pilot. For Carter, it was the kepone disaster of 1975 that shut down the oyster industry, related fisheries and busiSee Oysters, pg.

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Slice of Smithfield 28 Guitar, cont. from pg. 25 Meeker’s supply ran out, he suggested Griggs start making the whole guitar. Now his man cave is full of them — all originals marked with his signature “Griggs” label. He didn’t even try to think of how many when asked. “Every one sounds different. You can’t make two exactly alike. You can use the same construction, the same wood and have different tones. Two different pieces of wood have different tone qualities.” His favorite is a red and black hollow made of maple. However, the one that gets him the most attention was a novelty project: a guitar with the body made from a toilet seat. “Before people even ask, I tell them ‘Yup, that’s exactly what you think it is,’” he said. He experimented with several methods for the insides

of the guitar before he found a way to produce the best sound. Three quarter inch blocks run the length of the guitar to the bridge and another block is placed beneath the bridge. Since he makes the center block the thickest, it gives the body a nice arch, he said. It costs him $200 in parts alone to make one of his “Griggs” guitars. A cheap guitar goes for $500, he said, so there isn’t really any money in it. Instead, he uses his creation to stock his ever-expanding guitar collection. And to get that little touch of pride when audience members say they’ve never seen that kind of guitar, what is it? “My own,” he said with a cheeky smile.

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Charles Henry Gray

The story behind a special ham By Diana McFarland hoppers at Taste of Smithfield may be unaware that one of its most premier hams was developed by one of Smithfield earliest black leaders. Charles Henry Gray — former Smithfield Foods executive and the town’s second black councilman — came up with the recipe while experimenting in his kitchen in Jersey Park. And to this day, the recipe remains a secret. “He was always trying out something for the plant,” said his widow, Mary E. Gray

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29 Slice of Smithfield

“He loved to do it. He would sit back and smile after people said they liked it.” Charles Henry was born in Smithfield in 1919 and started working at what was once Luter’s in the 1930s. He stayed with the company for 47 years. Charles Henry learned every part of the business and was promoted several times — to personnel and later to working with the hams. Eventually Joseph Luter III, who became the company’s CEO and chairman of the board, made Charles Henry his executive assistant.

“He was always trying out something for the plant.”

said his widow, Mary E. Gray a few years ago.

a few years ago. Today, a Charles Henry Gray ham fetches $149.99 for a whole ham, or $9.99 for eight ounce slices at the shop in Smithfield. But in the beginning, Charles Henry and Mary spent many nights before Christmas processing and cooking the hams for friends and family. Mary said Charles Henry had a special procedure for making the ham — starting with slicing the ham and removing it from the bone. Then he would baste the slices in the secret recipe and put them back on the bone. The ham was wrapped in layers of aluminum foil and put in a 250-degree oven for about three hours. Often they would be up at 3 a.m. pulling one batch of hams out of the oven and putting in another. “Sometimes we’d be up half of the night fixing those hams for his friends,” Mary said.

Luter often consulted with him on personnel and union matters, said Lawrence Pitt, who is a close associate of Luter. Mary said Charles Henry was particularly effective at negotiating the sale of truckloads of hams. “Some people wouldn’t buy the hams unless they bought it from Charles Henry,” she said. In 1984, Charles Henry decided to run for the Smithfield town council. At the time, there was only one other black person on the council — James Chapman. “He didn’t know if he would win, but he did,” Mary said. While on the council, Charles Henry was named to Who’s Who Among Black Americans in 1985. Unfortunately, Charles Henry was only able to serve two years of his four-year term. He died of a heart ailment May 21, 1986.

Charles Henry Gray

Virginia Wade with a current selection of Charles Henry Gray ham at Taste of Smithfield on Main Street in downtown Smithfield. It was after he died that Smithfield Foods decided to name a ham in Charles Henry’s honor. Mary said someone from the company called and asked her permission to create the special ham. She

agreed. Today, the ham’s recipe remains a deeply guarded secret. The ham is advertised as a party ham that provides the “a rich, mellow taste” and continues to receive rave reviews.

31 Slice of Smithfield

Slice of Smithfield 30

Enjoy a picturesque ride on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry

What came first — PB&J or PB&H? The Smithfield Times Editor and Publisher John Edwards and his wife, Anne, bought this jar of peanut butter and "Smithfield Meat" about 20 years ago at an auction — and date it to mid-20th century. To make your own peanut butter and ham sandwich, see the recipe on page 10.

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