115 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 4, 1910
from the Mathews Journal
A select party, consisting of Capt. Joseph Gayle and family, Mrs. John F. Jarvis’s family, Mr. Willie Jarvis and Mrs. Clarence White, embarked on board fishing launch “Seabird” on Saturday making an excursion to Tue’s Marsh lighthouse, which is kept by Mr. John F. Jarvis, who on seeing the craft approaching, concluded that they were not pirates of the worst type and allowed them to board. On recognizing his wife and children, his brother and sisters and a number of his cousins, also a goodly number of well-filled lunch baskets, they received a warm welcome.
Mr. J.B. Grinnell is adding greatly to the beauty of his home by raising the house and building a fine porch.
100 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 6, 1925
from the Mathews Journal
Miss Amy Grace Jenkins of Grimstead entertained on her eighth birthday anniversary Tuesday afternoon.
90 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 8, 1935
from the Gloucester Gazette
Messrs. J.W. Ferguson, W.D. and J.D. Davis and A.B. Fitchett, of Remlik, while fishing off Beech Point in the Rappahannock River Monday morning, caught a large shark in their net. It weighed about 400 pounds and measured 7½ feet in length. Tuesday morning, they caught another one, which measured 9 feet in length. They had little difficulty in landing the sharks, as the tide was high and when they got in shoal water, the large fish soon played themselves out, which prevented damage to the net of any great extent.
from the Mathews Journal
R.H. White has been placed in charge of the local office of the U.S. Employment Service, established here for the registration of those eligible for work on WPA jobs. In order to meet the eligibility requirements for employment, persons must register with the employment office, where they will be interviewed and classified.
It is understood that 90 percent of the men and women used on WPA projects must come from the relief rolls. Ten percent may come from the ranks of the unemployed but non-relief class. Relief cases will be given preference.
The office is located in the Court House. The office is open every day and until noon Saturday.
80 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 9, 1945
from the Gazette-Journal
LABANI
Everett and Warren Trusch are spending this week at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Brooks, Mr. and Mrs. Lem Hunt, Mrs. Susie Sadler, Mrs. Madison Hall and son visited Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Hudgins and Mrs. Vernon Sadler on Sunday night.
Mrs. Fannie Forrest and Miss Helen Diggs visited Mrs. Clara Dow on Sunday afternoon.
70 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 4, 1955
from the Gazette-Journal
The new fire truck of the Gloucester Volunteer Fire Company answered its first call, manned by Watson Brown and Bobby Thrift, about midnight Tuesday of this week when the summer house and part of the dock, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Herbert I. Lewis, of “Seven Coves” on Wilson Creek, were destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning in the severe electrical storm which first hit Gloucester County about 9 p.m. Mr. Lewis stated yesterday that the loss had been estimated at approximately $1,200.
60 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 5, 1965
from the Gazette-Journal
The Gloucester Airport has been purchased by Gloucester-Aire, Inc., a corporation composed of local business and professional men. Officers of the corporation are: C.R. Royals, Jr., president, an official of a Hampton construction firm; Earl F. Robins, vice-president, owner and operator of a Gloucester automotive parts firm; Horace A. Gray, III, secretary, owner of the York River Yacht Haven; and Arthur Lazarow, treasurer, operator of radio station WDDY; and directors: William B. Brown, a local physician, and Francis J. Mellar, a landscape contractor. All six of the men are pilots.
The 33-acre tract, including a 4500 ft. runway and adjoining taxi and parking area, was purchased from Evans Realty Corp. for $32,500 according to a deed dated July 28 and recorded in the clerk’s office at Gloucester.
50 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 7, 1975
from the Gazette-Journal
The proposed Gloucester County Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance bit the dust last Thursday night after more than an hour of discussion. The supervisors voted unanimously, on a motion by York District Supervisor W.E. Belvin, to defer action on the proposal “until such time as an ordinance is prepared that can be understood by the board of supervisors and interpreted by the people.”
County officials will now work with state and regional officials to rewrite the proposed ordinance to clarify the language and prepare a more acceptable document.
40 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 8, 1985
from the Gazette-Journal
The state Department of Corrections will not give Gloucester County a simple yes or no answer on whether the new jail at the Court House is suitable for housing juveniles and females.
Instead, the corrections officials have again said in recent correspondence with county attorney Michael Soberick, a simple yes/no answer will not, due to certain considerations, suffice.
No females or juveniles are presently housed at the jail, awaiting clarification from the state. The county has to pay for their incarceration elsewhere.
30 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 10, 1995
from the Gazette-Journal
You may have heard his voice on the other end of a phone reading a story to your child through the Gloucester Library Storyline; or you may have heard him calling numbers at a charitable Bingo game. Either way, you probably don’t know a lot about Frank Wojcik. But for a quarter century, he has been working quietly as a volunteer in Gloucester, donating his time to numerous community service projects and asking for little in return.
This year’s Gloucester County Fair is being dedicated to Wojcik because of his service to the community and his contributions to the county fair, said fair association president Rachael Burnette.
20 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005
from the Gazette-Journal
Young swimmer Abrahm Stokes of Gloucester, has only been practicing his strokes for about four months but he is already a blue-ribbon winner and record setter. Abrahm, son of Renee and Jerry Stokes of Ark, first started swimming at the Riverside Wellness and Fitness Center, with other homeschooled students. He then took lessons and his natural ability caught the eye of RWFC swim coach Richard Talbert who believed Abrahm could swim competitively. In June the 10-year-old began practicing with the Deltaville Sharks and had an outstanding debut season with the team.
Competing with nine- and 10-year-olds in the backstroke, breast stroke and medley races, Abrahm won 14 out of 16 events and placed second and third in the other two.
10 YEARS AGO
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015
from the Gazette-Journal
The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission recently held two public meetings to help its update of the 2011 Middle Peninsula All-Hazards Mitigation Plan—but no one from the public showed up.
Jackie Rickards, regional project planner for MPPDC, said hearings were scheduled for July 29 at King and Queen Library in St. Stephens Church and July 30 at the MPPDC boardroom in Saluda. Although nobody from the public turned out at either site, Rickards said she did receive two letters that raised concerns about aspects of the plan, both stating that sea level rise and land subsidence should not be included in the revised plan.