Nestled near Gloucester Point sits the community of Guinea, an area full of rich history and the unique culture of life working on the water. The Guinea Heritage Association is a nonprofit that celebrates the traditions and people of Guinea and focuses on charitable and educational purposes.

Established in 1985, the GHA was founded by a group who made up the Guinea Jubilee Committee at that time. Their idea was to create a nonprofit organization and be able to offer scholarships, raise money to open a museum, and celebrate the local Guinea culture, while preserving and honoring its history.

Since being established, the GHA has numerous achievements. They offer programs, classes and events, have curated information and resources, and even opened Buck’s Store Museum. Many traditions have been preserved by the GHA, from selecting a Grand Marshal at the Guinea Jubilee, to selling barbecue sandwiches at Buck’s Store Museum, to their newest event, the “Burning of the Socks.” They have even published the Guinea Heritage Cookbook, which offers 935 authentic Guinea recipes.

Some of the biggest events the GHA host are Guinea Heritage Day, Wonders of the Water, and perhaps most notably, the Guinea Jubilee. The Guinea Jubilee is a two-day event where thousands of people come together to celebrate and honor life in Guinea. There’s a parade, pageant, activities to represent and honor traditions, craft and food vendors, and fireworks to end festivities.

Guinea Heritage Day is a community event that highlights history, stories and memorabilia of Guinea. There is an annual Homemade Guinea Cake Silent Auction and an unveiling of the annual T-shirt design. During the event, the Jubilee Grand Marshal and pageant court are announced, as well as scholarship and Children’s Art Contest winners.

Wonders of the Water is an event for children, ages 5 to 10, introducing them to the way of life of the watermen. The groups learn boat identification and safety, knot-tying, and how crab pots are made and how they work. They also learn how to clean a fish, tong for oysters, and pick a crab.

In 2020, the GHA began a monthly program called Fourth Fridays, which takes place at Buck’s Store Museum and offers educational programs and entertainment, with the focus of topics related to Guinea. During the first ever Fourth Friday, there was a screening of “They Live in Guinea,” a 1996 documentary. Every year in the fall, local musician Bill Jenkins and the Virginia Mountain Boys perform during a Fourth Friday, to help raise money for Buck’s Store Museum.

Each year, the GHA awards scholarships to four applicants of all ages and educational interests. According to the board, they began with a single scholarship of $500, given to a local high school student, Nicholas Bonniville, who is now a GHA board member. Over the years, through a grant from the Kenneth and Patricia A. Hall Charitable Foundation and local monetary donations, that single scholarship has multiplied into four, totaling $8,000.

Buck’s Store Museum is a physical representation of just how far the GHA has come, both in opening a museum and preserving Guinea. The year Clarence Benjamin ‘Buck’ Rowe, also known as the unofficial Mayor of Guinea, was born, his father opened C.B. Rowe & Son General Store at the corner of Mark Pine and Guinea roads, according to the GHA website. Following in his father’s footsteps, Rowe continued on the store as a place for the community to gather, and purchase supplies. The store even served as the Bena Post Office from 1947 to 1977, while Rowe was Postmaster.

After his death in 2005, the C.B. Rowe Memorial Foundation and Guinea Museum board, following Rowe’s wishes, kept the store as it was, continuing basic upkeep. In 2016, the boards of the GHA and the store came together to see how they could continue the store’s preservation and begin the process of turning it into a living history museum, serving as an example of a typical 20th century general store.

Money for a new roof and siding, a bathroom, and an accessibility ramp began being raised. Over time, the GHA has added more historical resources and displays, with the goal of longer hours and more programs. They continuously seek guidance and education, working to improve display, labeling, and digital possibilities, and have established a research section.

The tradition of Buck’s Store Museum being a place for people to gather has been kept going by the GHA, offering a glimpse into Guinea of the past, and what stores like Buck’s were like in their time. Exhibits can also be found on their websites, with audio clips of interviews on the General Store, Life on the Water, and Guinea Commerce.

Why is preserving Guinea’s memories, history, and traditions so important? Some of the members of the GHA board gave their personal insight on the matter. For board president Rose Marie Smith, Buck was her uncle. His love for the community and wish for his store to live on as a place to share memories and educate younger generations makes the preservation of the Guinea community that much more important to her.

“Guinea is my home,” offered the board’s vice president, Virginia Snowden. “Like everywhere, the Guinea of my childhood is gone. The memories of the people and places need to be preserved because there are so many water communities that are disappearing … literally sinking into the marshes,” she said.

“Guinea is a unique part of Gloucester County with its connection to the watermen culture,” explained board secretary Sharon Zuber. “By preserving the history of this community, the GHA helps strengthen community identity and respect as well as gives people a better understanding of the knowledge and traditions that shape this area.”

For Hamilton Williams, history and genealogy are as intertwined in his life’s purpose as the Guinea DNA of his father, grandfather, and so on, he explained. “My goal in life is to pass on a record to that of my descendants, telling and showing them what my Guinea community was like.”

Over the years, the GHA has made numerous changes and affected the community in many ways. One of the ways Williams has seen the GHA bring change in the community is through the faces of those who attend the Guinea Jubilee.

“The faces at this event switch from ho-hum everyday expressions to that of joy, excitement, surprise, and yes, even love when it comes to renewing acquaintances of old friends,” he stated.

Like Williams, Zuber has also seen change because of the Guinea Jubilee. “I have seen the Jubilee inspire community pride that is now spread throughout the year at Buck’s Store Museum,” Zuber said. At Buck’s Store Museum, through personally connecting with people, Snowden has witnessed the bridge the GHA is helping to create between those familiar with Guinea and those not. As for Smith, she’s watched those who grew up in the area be able to come back and share their stories and memories.

The board has many more goals for the GHA, like the Watermen’s Memorial, more exhibits both at Buck’s and the Jubilee, more programs, and bringing in more volunteers. The GHA is a great organization with awesome volunteers, said board member Wayne Hall. He hopes the organization “can get some younger volunteers to continue on the GHA.”

Williams said much of the same, highlighting the time the volunteers spend together and encouraging new volunteers to join, sharing in “the joy of purpose,” and reaping “the rewards of accomplishing a worthy goal” in telling the Guinea story.

“We have the family we’re born with and the family we choose; well, for me, the GHA extended circle has become my family of choice,” said Snowden. “Maybe I have been around GHA too long, and yes, we need new young members, but please let me stick around for a little longer. Love what has been accomplished but have so many dreams and hopes for what the future can hold.”