Recollections from generations past (Tennis & Severn Whitehead- 1)

 

Mrs. Tennis Whitehead (1904 - 1991)

Mr. Severn Whitehead ((1905 - 1988)

Interview recorded April, 1982

TRANSCRIPT PORTION

Interview Begins

TENNIS: When I was a little girl, about 9 years old, I took a trip from Townsend, VA and came to Pocomoke and I crossed the bridge, had to go down the other side of the river, so we came, we came right down in the Front Street there someplace. And it looked like to me, I was a little girl, it was just made of wood, and I went across it in a horse cart, so that was around 1914. I remember that much. I remember a lot of you all probably do. I remember the Acme store was on Clarke Avenue. It was an American store then, and I remember that was there then. And the Duncans worked in there then. They were young men. Remember Linwood Duncan and all worked there, and they were young men then. Okay, that’s all I know. My folks, mother and father weren’t raised up here. I was raised down Towsend, VA so all I have up here is my children, 9 of them, that I raised from 1925 here.

INTERVIEWER:  What were your parents’ names?

SEVERN:  Maude Whitehead, she was a Richardson before she was married and my grandfather’s name was Severn Whitehead and my grandmother’s name Rose Whitehead, and my father’s name Walter Whitehead, and it was about 7 head of us in their family and they were all raised down North Hampton. So we moved up here in 1914 from VA. Up here and we moved over to a little place called Big Mill, Little Mills, near Rabbit Knaw, and that’s where I went to school. That little bit over there. Then I went to Remson school and from there Elizabeth Warren and Frand Warren was the teachers, at Remson school over there, and then my father, he left, went back and stayed down VA a few years and moved back up here and I’ve been up here ever since. And my married life was, got married in 1925, on the Clay Powell farm. Is on the other side of the river, where the John Deere place is now. And I remember the Fairground round here. Used to go there and have good times. There when I was real small and the last time they had a fair, let’s see, that was back, let’s see, I think the last time they had a fair here, used to go to Tasley   come here and then go to Salisbury. But they had a fight down VA, to Tasley and the, some man got in love with one of the showmen’s wives and the showman killed him and they were a week gettin’ up here, and they come up here, then went to Salisbury and that was the last time they had a fair here. And that was back in ‘bout, see I was working for Frank Hudson when they had the last fair, and that must have been about 27 or 28, about 29, when they had the last fair here. And they went to Salisbury and they never did have no more fair here. I remember when Pocomoke got burned down. I remember where it started at. It started in the old barn where the Armory is now, and it switched from there and it went through store. Davis store was on Willow Street and it swept through there and then crossed over and went crossed Market Street and back, otherwise swept right on through. Back where the undertaker parlor is now, swept all the right on down through. I remember some of the buildings used to be there and the wind, I think, if I can think of it right, it was blowin’ about 80 mile an hour. It would blow from one side of the street right straight cross and some of the buildings fell on the fire hose and they had a job to get more fire hose back out there, and it flew from there clear cross the river over there on, I can’t think of his name now, and flew from there clear cross the river over there on his barn and set his barn on fire. I do remember every now and then.  I could go back a little further, and I remember in 1917, ‘18, winter. From Greenback, VA to Chincoteague, bay froze solid and they used to have ice boats to carry food and mail across to Chincoteague, and some fellow said he was going to drive his Model T across there, and he got out there and he struck an air pocket and the Model T sunk with him, and they had to go get him onto one of the ice boats. I remember when the fountain was there in the center of the street where people used to water their horses, and had hitching posts all up and down the street to hitch their horses to. And I remember when Jim Clogg, it’s been run by the Duncans the last few years, but I remember when that was built. And I think that was built, ‘bout long ‘bout 1917, ‘18, when the Model T started comin’ out.

(CONTINUES NEXT SATURDAY HERE AT THE POCOMOKE PUBLIC EYE.).