Part 2: Lloyd Kellam Remembers Cape Charles

November 30, 2013

(EDITOR’S NOTE:  The Cape Charles Historical Society has for more than a decade been recording oral histories of the area’s earlier days.  In 2002, as one in a series of lectures sponsored by the Cape Charles Library entitled “The Way We Were,” Cape Charles native Lloyd Kellam shared the following account.  In 2012, funded by a grant by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the recording, along with 14 others, was transcribed. The Historical Society has now made it available for readers of the Wave.  All the transcriptions are also available for reading at the Museum.  This is Part 2 of Mr. Kellam’s reminiscences.  Click here to read Part 1.)

Anyway, where was Sample’s [Barbershop]?

[Audience member]: Near Wing Sing’s Laundry. Right in that group.

I don’t remember that. I remember apartments being over top. Anyway, to change the subject, in my time, Sample’s Barbershop was down that same street. He moved it. His son’s picture is in the paper this week, Johnny Sample. If you wonder who he is, Tommy Savage taught him all he knew about football!

When you turned the corner, there was Savage’s Drugstore and then, I can’t remember what was next to that. Was it a dress shop? OK, there was a dress shop there. Then the Palace Theatre was my first recollection, but I do remember when the Palace was built and I remember them tearing all those old buildings down. But I can’t remember who was there. I do remember Mr. Tilghman and I spent many a day in Mr. Tilghman’s place watching him fix watches. Back in those days, a watch was probably the most important thing that people had. And then there was Adam’s Quality Shop [?], Harry Rudy had a barbershop in there. And Lee Hart had a plumbing place, I forgot what it was called. And then Byrd Vick and then a Western Auto. The Radium was between Waddell’s Popcorn Shop, I called it, and Slim Colonna’s Barbershop. Then about the time I really remember, they opened up a beauty parlor upstairs and F. Winslow Toussaint’s.  F. Winslow Toussaint and he started taking pictures. In looking back on it, I think that he didn’t have a bad deal with having the Miss Virginia Pageant in the Palace Theatre, which is another story. The newspaper that had that in it had nothing in there but pictures of all those beautiful girls from F. Winslow Toussaint. They were great, he could make a local girl look like a movie star! He was good.

Mr. Sak’s was down there. Where the building burned, I can’t remember exactly what was there, but my recollection was it was a grocery store.

[Audience]: Gaskill’s Grocery Store.

Then last but not least on that corner, in my memory, is the Palm Tavern. If Cape Charles ever really does come back, I want to go in there and open up a restaurant called Peach Street Chicken! [Read more…]

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Wednesday Service for Frances Parks, 85

November 30, 2013

Frances Christine Parks, 85, wife of the late Thomas Smith Parks, Jr., and a resident of Cheriton, passed away Friday, November 29, at Sentera Norfolk General Hospital.

A celebration of life service will be 3 p.m. Wednesday, December 4, at Cape Charles Baptist Church with Reverend Russell Goodrich officiating.

A native of Franktown, she was the daughter of the late John Showard and the late Lottie B. Travis Showard.

She is survived by three daughters, Jo Ann Edmondson and her husband, Bill, of Cape Charles, Sandra Parker and her friend, Bill Powell, of Cape Charles, Ann Walker of Cheriton; six grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, William Thomas Parks, and son-in-law, Doug Walker. The family wants to make a special thanks to Dominic Horner. [Read more…]