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You are here: Home / Oral Histories

Oral Histories

Gloucester Main Street Stories

The Main Street Oral History Project preserves and presents the  history of Gloucester’s Main Street community through living memory of Gloucester Courthouse’s thriving business district.  It began with the 1930 Edge Hill Service Station, which the Fairfield Foundation acquired in 2010.  The Edge Hill Service Station, now also named the Center for Archaeology, Preservation, and Education, and every other historic structure that comprises the Gloucester Downtown Historic District, is standing testament to the history of this community. Although our initial focus was the Edge Hill Service Station’s people and memories, no community can be encapsulated in one subject and one building. We soon decided to broaden our scope to include all of Gloucester Courthouse.

Untitled

In its simplest form, oral history is spoken testimony about the past.  But in an effort to make this knowledge easily accessible, archival quality, and respectful of the lives of the interviewees, careful protocols must be followed.  We adhered to established best practices when conducting oral history interviews, following the Oral History Association’s (OHA) Principles and Best Practices for Oral History.  Each participant was asked to sign an informed consent form prior to the interview, including permission to allow free public access to the interviews in audio and written form, and receive a CD of their recorded interview to share with their families. After transcripts are finalized and recordings are digitally cleaned, the interviews will become available online at University of Florida’s Digital Collections (UFDC) and at Swem Library at the College of William and Mary.  It is our hope that researchers across the country will discover the amazingly rich history of Gloucester Courthouse and its people.

In summer 2016, we had the pleasure of interviewing long-time residents of Gloucester Courthouse – from florists to teachers to congressmen – about their favorite haunts around the village and their visions for the future. Additionally, we sat down with people from the surrounding county and beyond who relied on the Courthouse’s drugstores, cobblers, doctors, car dealerships, and grocery stores to meet their needs. Browse our latest round of oral histories, available in audio and transcript, to hear about a close-knit and thriving twentieth-century community!

Alice Roberta Wiatt

Carrie West and James “JC” West

Bessie Emory and Nina West

Leola Travis

David Teagle

Jean Smith

Patricia Houtz

Jean Heywood

Elizabeth Haskell

Gilbert Hall

Harry Corr

Jean Corr

Susan Wiatt Briggs

nothing fancy

Veterans’ History

veterans

Gloucester’s men have lived many lives, and for a few like J. Ellis Hall and Hugh Dischinger, their passage into manhood occurred on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater or inside of a tank in Germany. Women and children left behind, like Leola Hogge and Hayes Williams, waited for the return of loved ones during blackouts and supply shortages.  Together, their sacrifices and experiences informed their post-war lives and careers, shaping Gloucester and the rest of the country during the second half of the twentieth century.

https://fairfieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/TMP-001-Hugh-Dischinger-6-17-2013-4.mp3

Southern History

southern history

Remembering landscapes foreign to many current Gloucester residents and come-heres, community elders like L. Roane Hunt and Harvey Morgan grew up in a county populated by daffodil fields, militia musters, general stores, and different values. When they share their stories, they also share triumphs and trials not found in the written historical record: the isolation and darkness of county roads, privacy frustrated on a shared phone line, and the accessibility of neighbors and friends in time of need. These everyday experiences speak in chorus with histories of many Southern communities in their parallel paths toward development and the maintenance of a rural economy after the Civil War.

https://fairfieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/are-you-ready-to-meet-your-maker_.mp3

Civil Rights History

civil rights

Between the Rosenwald Schools, TC Walker High School, and the fight to preserve these spaces, Gloucester’s African-American histories have a rich built record to ground stories of segregation. But oral histories with community members like Orlando Bartlett and Frederick Carter III reveal darker memories of attempted lynchings, police brutality, and open discrimination. Movement-era organizational actions like sit-ins and confrontations with the Klan are at once part of a nationwide story of courage and change, and a badge of honor unique to Gloucester.

https://fairfieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Fred-Carter-bus-after-desegregation.mp3

Collecting the stories of local residents is just one part of the process.  Our goal with this page and blog posts is to spread the information we have gathered, to foster fruitful conversation about Gloucester history, to attract comments, critiques, and additional stories and sources of information, and to interact with the public in the preservation and commemoration of our community’s history.  If you have stories or pictures to share, details or corrections to add, or a desire to get involved, please contact us at Fairfield@fairfieldfoundation.org

 NEW! Podcasts

Interns at the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program studied transcripts and the mid-century South to construct podcasts about some of our favorite narrators: Andy James, Jr. and Ronnie Stubblefield. Listen to them exclusively here!

https://fairfieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Andy-James-Podcast-Final.mp3 https://fairfieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Stubblefield.mp3

The Oral Histories

The following interview transcriptions and recordings are the product of the first stage of this project, undertaken during 2013 and supported by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.  We will continue to upload new interviews, pictures, and thoughts as they becomes ready.  We also hope to soon begin adding archived interviews conducted by various groups and individuals over the years, as well as new ones, as we extend this project into the present and future.

Harvey Morgan

Mr. Morgan talks about growing up in Gloucester and his time at the Edge Hill Service Station.

Click to hear the entire interview.

George Larrimore

Mr. Larrimore waxes lyrical on high school athletics and owning your own Main Street business.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Hugh Dischinger

Mr. Dischinger recounts the first time he flew a jet, his first date with his wife, and his first memories of Christmas at the Courthouse.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Lee Brown

Mr. Brown talks about his time at the CAPE as a young hotdog stand employee for his Uncle Jack.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Ronnie Stubblefield

Mr. Stubblefield remembers “cruising for chicks” in Gloucester and Mathews and his career as a high school football star.

Click to hear the entire interview.

William Weaver

Mr. Weaver talks about growing up in a farming family and his high school experiences.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Lynn Rhodes

Mr. Rhodes helps us envision what the CAPE’s interior looked like in the 1950s and 1960s.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Betty Jean Deal

Mrs. Deal remembers her trips to Richmond with friends, the Courthouse as it appeared in the 1940s and 1950s, and the modern fight for preservation in the county.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Carl Fischer

Mr. Fischer talks about Fairfield Foundation, his exciting career in healthcare and the restoration of his home, Windsor Shades.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Betty White

Mrs. White compares her move to the shore of the Ware River with her time spent as a CIA operative in Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Carol Steele

Ms. Steele, director of Gloucester’s Parks and Recreation, discusses county projects she’s proud of and the democratic spirit of the county’s involved citizens.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Andy James, Jr. and Roberta James

Mr. and Mrs. James discuss their courtship and what made their Texaco station a success.

Click to hear the entire interview.

L. Roane Hunt

Mr. Hunt discusses the importance of genealogy and preservation in Roanes Store.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Bill Lawrence

Mr. Lawrence shares his experiences as a preservation activist in the county.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Betty Marshall

Mrs. Marshall remembers her recreation-filled summers in Gloucester County.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Anne Ducey-Ortiz

Mrs. Ducey-Ortiz contextualizes Gloucester’s county plan and predicts future growth, challenges and successes.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Cabot Hayes Williams and Joyce Williams

The Williams family reminisce about their trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway as a young couple, and about starting a family in Gloucester.

Click to hear the entire interview.

George Rhodes, Jr.

Mr. Rhodes, brother of Lynn Rhodes, discusses the changing business climate on Main Street, and the importance of preservation to the survival of Gloucester Courthouse.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Frederick Carter III

Mr. Carter discusses black activism across Virginia, his own work in standardizing funeral practices nationally, and a variety of other topics.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Cary Franklin

Mrs. Franklin talks about being featured in National Geographic as the Daffodil Queen, and her married life in Gloucester Courthouse.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Carlton and Leola Hogge

Mother and son remember two generations’ worth of family history and funny stories in their combined interview.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Dr. Dorothy Cooke

Dr. Cooke discusses the implications of her preservation work in and around black spaces throughout the region.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Orlando Bartlett

Mr. Bartlett retells ancient family stories and anecdotes from his own exciting travels throughout the United States.

Click to hear the entire interview.

Nam Vu

Mr. Nam Vu discusses home ownership in the county and re-envisions the future of architecture and preservation in Gloucester Courthouse.

Click to hear the entire interview.

J. Ellis Hall

Mr. Hall recounts his climb to the top of Gloucester’s Main Street business world.

Click to hear the entire interview.

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Upcoming Events

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Daffodil Festival Public Archaeo...
Apr 1 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
We are so excited to be resuming our public excavations during the Daffodil Festival in 2023! Come visit us in the green space in front of County Office Building 2, close to the sidewalk, as[...]
10:00 am Timberneck Open House @ Machicomoco State Park
Timberneck Open House @ Machicomoco State Park
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Timberneck House in Machicomoco State Park will be open for tours from 10-2 on Saturday, April 1, in conjunction with the Daffodil Festival celebration in Gloucester! No foolin’!
10:00 am Walter Reed Birthplace Tours @ Walter Reed Birthplace
Walter Reed Birthplace Tours @ Walter Reed Birthplace
Apr 1 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Walter Reed Birthplace will be open for tours on Saturday, April 1, in conjunction with Daffodil Festival celebrations in Gloucester! Stop by between 10-2 to tour the house and to learn more about Dr.[...]
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Center for Archaeology, Preservation and Education (CAPE)

Opening Hours:

Grounds are open to the public to view our building exterior and signage. The CAPE is open for tours on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or at other times by appointment. Lab nights at the CAPE are on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays from 6-9pm.
6783 Main Street
Gloucester, VA 23061

News From the Blog

  • The Plant-Cutter Riots and Fairfield Plantation March 9, 2023
  • King William Courthouse and Quarles Tavern Archaeology January 25, 2023
  • Mary Willis Burwell’s Portrait Returns to Gloucester October 26, 2022

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Contact Us

For more information about Fairfield and other historic resources on the Middle Peninsula, please contact us. We can arrange tours of the Fairfield site and deliver presentations on a variety of topics related to local history and archaeology.

The Fairfield Foundation
P.O. Box 157 White Marsh VA 23183
Phone:
(804) 815-4467
Email:
fairfield@fairfieldfoundation.org
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