110 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 2, 1909
from the Mathews Journal
Cook and nurse wanted: Mother and daughter preferred or two sisters, nurse not under 15 years old. Apply Journal Office.
Electric fans, call and door bells, switches, motors, etc., installed on short notice. Switches, batteries, wire and other supplies for sale. L.A. Drake, practical electrician, Mathews, Va.
About 400 people went down on the excursion last Thursday given by the Confederate Veterans for the benefit of the monument fund at Mathews Court House.
100 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 4, 1919
from the Gloucester Gazette
Postmaster R.M. Janney returned Sunday from an automobile trip to Washington and Baltimore.
Mrs. John Tabb spent part of last week with her cousin, Mr. Richard Jones, and family, at Land’s End.
Prof. N.C. Starke arrived in the county Tuesday after his summer vacation, prepared to resume his duties as principal of Botetourt High School at the opening of school next week.
The Campfire Girls hold their annual picnic at Ware View today.
from the Mathews Journal
Gwynn: Percy E. Respess, 2nd officer of the Steamship Matoa, is visiting his parents this week and judging his avoirdupois, “Salt horse and hard tack” agrees with him as he is close second to Zeb Foster, although in the Coastwide trade at present, he holds a deepwater ticket and has been to all the prominent ports in the West Indies and naturally has seen it much hotter than when he was last home as he and a neighbor then skated a hog across the Haven and he was delayed getting away on account of the freeze up.
90 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 5, 1929
from the Gloucester Gazette
Lost: Between Golf Club, Court House and Ware Neck, pair black horn glasses. Reward, W.W. Talley, Ware Neck.
For Sale: Canoe, will carry 275 bushels of oysters; 24 h.p. Lathrop engine, good as new. P.W. Smith, Cappahosic.
Will furnish dwelling and eight-acre lot, free of rent, to reliable person who will live on premises and protect the New Upton property. Write Mrs. O.J. Harcum, New Upton.
For Sale: Female Irish Setter, one year old, unbroken. Price $20. Address or phone Dr. B.B. Dutton, Hartfield.
from the Mathews Journal
The store of Mr. Walter Shawn, of Foster, together with its contents, was totally destroyed by fire Saturday night at about 10 o’clock.
Mr. Shawn had closed the store to attend to some business in the post office which is in his new store across the road and was called by Mr. Parker of the Foster Motor Company who first discovered the fire. Mr. Shawn says he left a lamp in the store and it is supposed the fire was started in some way by the lamp. When the blaze was discovered, it had gained such headway that nothing could be done to check it or to save any considerable amount of the stock and fixtures.
It is understood that the building was the property of Mr. Geo. A. Philpotts.
80 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 7, 1939
from the Gazette-Journal
Virginians are expected to observe Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 23, instead of Nov. 30, this year, in accordance with President Roosevelt’s decision to change the holiday and the announcement from Governor Price’s office that it was anticipated that Virginia would conform to the change. President Roosevelt also has decided to proclaim Nov. 21 as Thanksgiving Day for 1940, it being the third instead of the usual fourth Thursday of this month.
70 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 1, 1949
from the Gazette-Journal
Gloucester County will receive $37,972.30 as its share of Virginia ABC profits for the last fiscal year. The State Comptroller’s office began yesterday, the distribution of $10,649,475 out of Alcoholic Beverage Control Board profits. Mathews County will receive a sum of $28,431.50.
60 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 3, 1959
from the Gazette-Journal
Mathews: After the temperature going over 90° for 17 consecutive days, Mathews County occupants experienced a break Sunday, Aug. 29.
The highest temperature recorded in Mathews in five years was 97° on Wednesday, Aug 26. A 99° temperature was recorded in August 1954.
The cold wave reduced temperatures to the middle 80s Sunday, consequently warmer weather has returned, recording a temperature Wednesday (yesterday) of 91°.
50 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 4, 1969
from the Gazette-Journal
The first local football game of the season has been scheduled for tomorrow night between the Gloucester Dukes and the Mathews Blue Devils.
Efforts are being made to complete the new athletic field at Gloucester High School in time for the game.
In the event installation of lighting cannot be finished, the game will be played Saturday at 3 p.m., school officials said. “Rain could delay the work,” William D. Bowling, GHS principal, said Tuesday. “If it doesn’t rain, we assume the lights will be up.”
He reported that seating will be limited for the first game as steel frames for the new bleachers have not arrived. “A lot of people will have to stand.” Bowling added. “The new bleachers should be up in time for the game with James Blair on Sept. 26.”
40 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 6, 1979
from the Gazette-Journal
In the not-too-distant future, Diggs Post Office should have a permanent home.
Since February 1976, the post office in the east part of Mathews County has been housed in temporary quarters, first a truck, then a trailer, placed on rented land. Before then, the post office operated from a country store in the neighborhood.
Placement of the trailer on rented land required a temporary permit from the Mathews Board of Supervisors, because the county trailer ordinance allows such housing only on land owned by the user or a lineal relative.
30 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 7, 1989
from the Gazette-Journal
The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors expressed interest Tuesday afternoon in taking over operations of the Gloucester Library next year.
The library has always been privately owned, with the county board making appropriations to the library as it might other county agencies. But now, library officials want the facility taken over and maintained by the county.
20 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 9, 1999
from the Gazette-Journal
Although a uniform dress code has not been adopted by Gloucester High School, almost 10 percent of its student population will be sporting uniforms this fall. The uniformed students will be among the record-number 192 cadets registered with the school’s Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps for the 1999-2000 academic session.
Just two years ago the Gloucester NJROTC unit was on probation with the U.S. Navy and at risk of folding for having a cadet membership of fewer than 100. The unit gets its big membership boost this fall from the 101 freshmen who signed on for naval science classes.
10 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009
from the Gazette-Journal
Code Red Alert: Mathews County tested its Code Red emergency alert system Monday morning, according to Dave Burns, emergency services coordinator. The system is designed to alert residents of information on flood conditions, road access, flooding, damage to public and other buildings, availability of relief supplies and other disaster conditions connected with a hurricane or other emergency. Monday’s test “worked great,” Burns said. “It was the first time we sent out cell phone text messages and e-mail messages.” The system also sent out approximately 6,500 voice calls and about 500 e-mails and cell phone text messages. Burns said it took the system about nine minutes to make the call. He also said the Verizon cell phone text message limit is 160 characters (not words) including spaces, punctuation, etc. “We failed to count header and punctuation characters,” Burns said. “As a result, half of the last sentence of the text message was not transmitted.” He also said that the Mathews County Sheriff’s office did not show up in the caller ID. The tests, he said were also completed to allow residents to register special needs they may have with Mathews Sheriff’s Office. Residents can call the office at 725-7177 with a special need they may have in the event of an emergency evacuation.