Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Gwynn's Island Times



This building is located across the road from the old Scrooch's Market (now Roz's Island Market) on Gwynn's Island. The picture is lopsided because I was stopped in the middle of the road, and a car was coming, plus some man in the parking lot across the way was glaring staring at me. In times like this, one cannot be too hasty. However, haste does make lopsided pictures.

Anyway.

Today we're taking a look at an excerpt from the book called Gwynn's Island Times, News Items from the Mathews Journal, 1905-1937, and Gazette Journal 1937-1950. One particularly newsworthy page caught my eye, and that was page 84. I'll wait while you find it in your copy.

In case you can't locate it, here's what it says:


Jan. 18, 1940: Mrs. Missouri Morgan, the oldest woman in Mathews who was 98 years old, died Wednesday night, January 18 at her home near Gwynn.

Feb. 29,1940: Grimstead. Saw mills are buzzing around here. It is to be deplored as the woods make fine breaks for the winds of the Chesapeake Bay.

April 11, 1940: Gwynn's Island. H. H. Ambrose who had a cancer of the lip is all right now after Dr. Nelms treated him with radium.

May 9, 1940: At Mathews a pound net belonging to J.C. Williams of Gwynn's Island caught a 400-pound sturgeon, one of the largest of the species caught in Virginia waters this year. The eighty-pound roe sold for $80 and the remainder of the fish boosted the total to more than $100
.

So to recap: The oldest woman in Mathews dies; saw mills are a-buzzin' but should be deplored; a patient is cured by a dose of radium; and a 400-pound sturgeon is caught--all in the span of the first five months of 1940 on little old Gwynn's Island.

Who says nothing ever happens around here?

This talk about catching the Loch Ness Monster a 400-pound sturgeon in a pound net, though, sounds borderline crazy to me. Tune in again tomorrow when we'll learn more about this sea creature called a sturgeon and why 80-pounds of dead fish eggs would have made that pound fisherman forget all about the deplorable buzzing of radium the saw mills.

Have you ever had caviar? Do you like it?

7 comments:

Occasional Kate said...

I think I've finally come out of my food coma from Thanksgiving... Hurrah!

I wonder who is the oldest living Mathews resident these days?

I have never had caviar, but I have had pate, which is not bad at all.

WV... imate. Oh, let's not go there - this is a family friendly blog after all! :)

Caution/Lisa said...

That's a lot of excitement for 5 months. I'm counting back 5 months now -- okay, that would be July 1. Nope, I didn't have nearly as much excitement as Gwynn's Island had in 1940. That's sad.

Mental P Mama said...

If I won't even eat a fried oyster, what do you think my answer is on the caviar? I wonder if that cute market ever restocked the chardonnay supply.....

big hair envy said...

I'll pass on the caviar, thank you.

I haven't had that much excitement in the past five YEARS!

WV: phing I can't phink of a phing to write to day!

Daryl said...

most caviar is too salty tho Osetra is nice on toast points washed down with a glass of Prosecco or Verve Clicquot but I do love smoked sturgeon .. on a toasted H&H bagel smeared with real butter .. and a nice hot cup of coffee ..

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

I'll pass on the caviar. It's too salty for me. Gimme oysters anyday!
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foolery said...

Yes, I've had caviar. No, I didn't like it much. Tasted like the underside of a dock. Probably.

I want that little building for my very own studio. Think it'd fit on a railroad flat car?