Pictures from the Waterway 5k

I wanted to post these while the race wasn't too far in the past. I'm planning on posting more house pictures on the www.historic-hertford.com site in the next day or so...and possibly beginning the three next phases. I'm going to list people by surnames so they can be tied together with the homes and businesses, and I'm going to post inputs for local churches, and graveyards. I know that having accurate records of a graveyard can be of great help to folks who do genealogy. We will accompany both with pictures and as much information as possible...

Soon I'll be getting more people involved, also, and things will start growing with greater speed. Anyway...here are the pictures. Me first, then Billy, and then Stephanie...I came in last in my age group - but I expect to do better in the Hertford race on the 27th of October.







Onward!

The Waterway 5k and Early Morning Fog

Well, Billy, Steph and I made it through the 5k on Saturday - not in the championship form we hoped for, but hey...for Billy it was the first race ever, and Steph only intended to walk...fun was had by all. I got a 31:27 and Billy came in somewhere around 27 minutes. Next race? Hertford, 27 October. If you haven't signed up, and you are at all inclined to do so, you should sign up now. You can do so at the Trailblazers website: Trailblazersnc.org. They have an online registration system, as well as contact info. Billy and I signed up already, so we'll see you there - the race starts at the tennis court right around the corner from our house.

This morning I had a good run, two miles in 18:26 - which makes me wonder what happened on Saturday. The fog was so thick you couldn't see half a block ahead of you, but it was great weather for running.

The web site - Historic-Hertford.com - is coming along well. I've added the functions to allow local organizations to put up their contact information, local events to be recorded and presented, and an announcement board. More to follow. Today I begin the tedious task of making the pages of the site pretty and uniform - adding that professional touch. Hope to see you on the site where we can watch the history of our little town come to life.

DNW

Elizabeth City Waterway 5k Run/Walk

This seems to be the season for road racing. Two of our household will be running in both the Elizabeth City Waterway 5K and the upcoming 5k in Hertford in October. In the first one we'll be representing my company, VectorCSP - wearing our company colors proudly. In Hertford, we'll be racing only a few blocks from our house, and will likely be a bit more casual. I also expect to announce the Historic-Hertford.com site at that race and hand out some flyers, hoping to get people involved in filling in Historic data, making suggestions, and improving the site.

Anyway, you can visit the site for the Waterway 5k (this Saturday) by clicking the picture below - it's linked to the race site. It's an image of last year's race. Just imagine a really fast runner in there and plaster my face on him ...

In reality, it's my son Billy that has the best shot. He's run miles as fast as 6:05 in preparation...

You can read about the Perquimans / Hertford race at Trailblazers NC's Website

See you on race day. And if you run across this and have time - please check out the growing site over at: The Historic-Hertford Home Page

Dave & Family

Burning HIstory - The Thomas B. Walters Home Gone

The Thomas B. Walters home, a tall, worn old Colonial Revival home that has guarded the mouth to Skinner's Creek since the 1800s, was burned tonight. It didn't catch fire from careless kids, or catch a stray bolt of lighting after all the years. It was burned on purpose by the local fire department with several local luminaries looking on.

This saddens me in ways I can't describe. Sometimes it seems as if the only people interested in preserving the history of our town, our state, and even our country, are people who have moved in way after the fact. This house needed a lot of work. It had some issue with fiberglass, I'm told, that made renovation expensive and difficult...but let's be serious. The land it stands on was bought by developers from out of town. They intend to plaster the bank of the river with million dollar waterfront houses, and the old Walters house was just in the way. They had the money, time, resources, and everything else necessary to fix it - and they chose to tear it down. It's the way things work. It's the way we forget the lessons we should remember, and disappoint generation after generation of our forefathers.

This home belonged to a prominent farmer near the end of the nineteenth century. It was two stories with tall square columns out front. It had a smokehouse and was backed up against the river. I think the developers missed the boat. At whatever cost, the best thing they could have made of that old home was a gateway - the offices, whatever -- the first thing people saw on the way into the new waterfront houses. People come to live in places like Hertford because they are quaint, historic, and filled with history. The more of that history they bulldoze and burn, the faster this whole town will shrivel up and become a memory.

I intend to do what I can to prevent it from happening. The new site is semi-live at:
Historic Hertford

Check it out...drops us a line, or a comment. Help us fill in the data and make it something to be proud of. Help us remember our past before that's all it is. Before it's too late, and there's nothing to save.

Here's to you, Thomas B. Walters. I'll be researching you, and I'll be writing more on this soon.

Until then...keep the memories alive.

If you know anything about Thomas B. Walters, or that house, I'd love to hear from you.

--David

An Exciting New Hertford Site is Underway

I've begun piecing together the website I hope will begin collecting the history, stories, memories, and facts about Hertford, NC and recording them so they are never forgotten. To keep the explanation simple, I'm using skills learned at my day job to create an interactive history. Currently, all that exists is a database and a couple of pages that link to it. There is a form where you can input certain information about Hertford Houses. This data is stored and presented on another page, along with a link. We will build the links one at a time - each to another house in Hertford, with historical information, a place for people to enter photos, stories, and comments, and links to the people who lived there, designed the building, and interacted with it. Next will be a database for people, but I want to start by getting the city in place.

When I'm done, I expect to put up a map of the area, broken up into lots. There will be links on the side, and you'll be able to enter a year - press a button, and only the houses that existed in that year will populate the map. It's ambitious, but I think history is important...so there you go.

Interested readers can check out my progress by watching here - and by checking the following link: The Hertford Houses Web Page

Onward!

DNW

What's in a Name? A few from Hertford

I've been trying to memorize the names from the historic homes along my run in the morning, and a few have stuck. George Major. Hattie Darden. Dr. Thomas S. McMullan. Guy Newby. The historic district in town seems to break off into distinct periods of growth. There are a few very, very old homes, but the majority of historic homes seem to have happened late 1800s - then another burst in the 1920s - and then a burst around 1940/50 that still got signs...some of those are businesses.

When my database begins to grow, I think I'll create a map. With the information from the database, I should be able to break the map up into plots, and then - using the dates homes were built or destroyed - the hope is that you'll be able to choose a decade, or even a year, and the map will populate with Hertford as it was at that time. It's only an idea at this point, but my way-too-active mind tells me that from a programming sense, it's not outside my ability to create...

In any case, still running every morning, and looking forward to both the Waterway 5k in Elizabeth City - 22 September - and the race being sponsored by www.trailblazersnc.org - in Hertford - a 5k being held on the 27th of October, a day before my birthday.

Until next time,

DNW

The Guardian of the Yard...Rocky the Magnificent

I thought, since there was no morning run to comment on, that I'd bring you an image of our Malty-Poo (I hate that name) Rocky - Rocket Man - Rock-Star - whatever. He's about ten pounds of fluff and bone and thinks he's a T-Rex. He considers himself the guardian of our yard. Keep in mind, that he is not too bright. He guards us from such things as the neighbor's trash cans when they've been rolled to the street. He can't see most of the time above the level of the ground, so any sound makes him hop in circles and whuff. Trish has determined that he keeps himself in the dark on purpose, because when it comes time to beg at the dinner table he has no trouble at all tossing his head back to show his feed-me eyes. (It's his one super power, and as super powers go, it's not much).



He chases leaves and garbage because they make noise - not because he can see them.

His nemesis is a Mocking Bird that dive-bombs him constantly to get him away from the tree where its nest resides. He never sees the bird. He hears it ... occasionally it comes close enough to ruffle his fur with its wings...but he usually ends up hopping in circles and barking at the air where it used to be...funny stuff, but as a guardian he's no great shakes.

If you happen to wander down Market Street, odds are you'll run into him eventually, pacing up and down his post and looking ridiculous.

DNW

The Morning Run

I've been running lately, every morning just after 6:00. It's funny how much of a town you notice at different times of day. In the morning you see the branches that are down, the houses for sale...you notice the animals. Huge V-shaped squadrons of Canadian Geese were honking overhead this morning. A couple of folks were out with their dogs...early in the morning dogs show little interest in runners...I've yet to be chased, except by Rocky - our Maltese, who THINKS he could run two miles but is probably good for about two blocks before I'd have to carry him (which I'd gladly do, he's a fuzzy white warrior) but it's not in the morning plan.

Down by Missing Mile Park I take a turn past the water on a wooden walkway that runs parallel to the river. Sometimes there are turtles or snakes on the walk, but not today. Today, there were spider's webs stretched across, catching night bugs, I suppose. I broke through, but I know they'll be back again tomorrow.

I'm going to start posting regularly here again - notes from the morning run will be big on the list.

One thing to point out. I have a new book out, and another due by the end of the month. Both can be purchased at Carolina Moon Books - which I pass every time I run. The first is "Defining Moments," my new collection, which features two stories set in the fictional town of OLD MILL, NC - which is loosely based on Hertford and Winfall. This is a collectible edition - only 167 were ever printed by the World Fantasy Award Winning SAROB PRESS in the UK. It's a bit pricey at $50, but is gorgeous. "Ancient Eyes," my new novel, will be in stock soon - it's $45, but an absolutely GORGEOUS signed limited edition book. There are 300 copies of it in existence. Several of those reside at Carolina Moon - and I'd be happy to run by and personalize them.

Checking in from the outskirts of the Great Dismal Swamp...

David Niall Wilson

PS - Welcome to Steve & Family - Go Chargers!

The "S" Bridge is in danger...

If you're familiar with the town of Hertford, you know that one of the most scenic, quaint, and memorable things about the town is the curving little bridge that you cross coming in on Business 17 from the Elizabeth City side. If you don't hear the Andy Griffith theme song in your head when you see that road, you never saw the Andy Griffith show, and I'm a lot older than you are.

Anyway, the road leading to this has been repaired, resurfaced, and worked on for a long time now, and it's being studied again. The study isn't expected to end for several more years, but sadly it seems like they intend for it to end in some new method of acces, skipping that little section of road and likely spelling the end for the longest remaining "S" bridge in the United States.

I don't know if there is something that can be done, or even how to go about finding out, but I'd truly hate to see this landmark pass away from us...I love the town, even though we've only been there five or six years...and I love that bridge.

If I don't update here often enough, you can always find more comments on what is up in Hertford, my life, or my work over at my Live Journal...

http://deep-bluze.livejournal.com


David

The Fourth of July...Fireworks and Fun

Last year we attended the Fourth of July celebration in Hertford, down at Missing Mill Park (there was once a mill there - now it's missing). We had a great time despite a tired old band and a lot of goose droppings. The Fireworks were spectacular. This year, however, the folks who usually do this weren't around - and so we packed up our car and drove in to Elizabeth City. They had a special $25,000 fireworks display, and we managed to find a free bit of grass with a good view.

Katie saw the fireworks last year and seemed to have a good time, but this year she REMEMBERS seeing them...and had an even better time. Here are a few photos our daughter Stephanie took (she is actually becoming quite the giftted photographer).





I intend to start updating this a lot more regularly...stay tuned!

From the Historic William R. White House - DNW

Book Signing at Caronlina Moon Books

For those of you who know I'm an author, as well as a chronicler of the oddities of Hertford, NC, I thought I'd mention that I have an upcoming book signing here locally. Melanie James has a bookstore about three blocks from my house - Carolina Moon Books - and she has graciously scheduled me to sign copies of my just-released Hurricane, Bermuda Triangle thriller "The Mote in Andrea's Eye" on the 24th of June. In cae you want to know how to find the signing...

Drive down Highway 17, turn into Hertford. The center of the three lights in town is Market Street. From that corner, if you look down Market Street, you'll see THIS:



That's it (lol). If you know where my house is, you can go there...and you've gone three blocks too far. Really, Hertford IS that small.

Hope to see you all there...

David

Tommy the Hertle ..um...Hertford Turtle

I posted these over at my personal journal site as well, but since Tommy IS a Hertford turtle, found in the cemetery over on King Street - obviously descended from the courageous turtles who guard the tributary off of the Perquimans River that slides under the old "S" bridge winding into town, I thought it was fitting if he had his day in the sun -- so to speak -- here at The Great Dismal Swamp Gazette.

Click here and you can see Tommy's great "escape" move -- performed when he runs across humans

And finally I wanted to mention that on Saturday, 24 June, I'll be signing copies of my novel, "The Mote in Andrea's Eye," at M. James Booksellers on Market Street in Hertford, right across the street (basically) from the drugstore. Come on down and mett us.

DNW

Eerie Haste's Hardware Store

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything here...been a hectic spring, including my first real bout with allergies. Pollen and I, apparently, don't mix well...and if there is one thing Hertford North Carolina has in abundance (and at the oddest times of year) it's pollen. Anyway, I thought it was time I brought in one of Hertford's coolest attractions.

Once you drive in over the curved road and cross the ancient "S" bridge into Hertford, you pass by a few old homes, and roll into the short, one block "downtown" area. The first thing you'll see when you reach this point (There's a light there, and the speed limit is SLOW - if you break that speed limit, and don't have NC plates -- and maybe even then - they WILL pull you over).

When you reach that light Eerie Haste's "Hertford Hardware" store is on your left. The wall facing you sports a mural that has been, at times, controversial, but that seems loved by all members of Hertford society. It depicts many bits and pieces of Hertford history, the most controversial piece being the larger-than-life rebel flag.

Eerie keeps an interesting shop. He has a shelf around the top of the inside wall that sports memorabilia from the store's long history. There is a short, squat Coke machine near the counter where -- if you hand over your money to whoever is in charge, they will retrieve a small gree bottle of Co'cola for you to enjoy. It's one of the oldest working machines of its type I've ever seen.

Eerie sells everything from paint to power tools, big screen TVs to fishing licenses. He used to be the town's gun shop as well. If you need a lawn mower or have one that needs fixed, Eerie is your man. If you need tools, appliances, or a Christmas tree, he can hook you up.

It's a quaint little shop in a quaint little town, and Eerie Haste, the proprietor, has been more helpful to us since we moved into our big old house in need of LOTS of work than most others in town. We got our dishwasher from Eerie, and the paint that covers our walls and porch. I also got my fishing license there, and if I buy a boat - I'll get the license through the same window.

In Hertford, very little changes....

The Cemetery on King Street

On King Street in Hertford, behind the high school, is the cemetery. This is a very old cemetery. It has a pump station in the center, which I suspect is being used to help keep the swampy ground dry and prevent the stones from falling, and the graves from sinking.

It’s not a huge, ostentatious place, but it is full of a sense of history. You’ll see from the included photo that the White Family (the same White family, I believe, who built our house, though what branch of it I have no idea) has been burying their dead in this same graveyard, side by side, for literally centuries.



Another family planted a small dogwood in a stone rectangle plot many years ago. That Dogwood is very large now, flowering brilliantly, and its roots bind the graves of the family almost certainly, having grown outward from the center of that plot to embrace them all. It is beautiful.

The Cemetery in Hertford isn’t laid out in any geometric pattern you can discern, and the markers and monuments are as varied, no doubt, as those whose memories are contained within them. Families are buried there, not individuals. Not just Dogwoods put down roots, it seems.

On our way out of the cemetery, we happened upon one of the Hertford Turtles – a very small one. I knew the weather would turn bad last night, so we brought him home, and he now resides in a turtle bowl in our kitchen. Life, from a place dedicated to the remembrance of other lives….

His name is Tom.

DNW

THE HERTFORD TURTLES...

On the winding road into town, which is very reminiscent of the road on the Andy Griffith show where Andy and Opy skip stones at the beginning of the show, there is a lot to see. There are almost always Canadian Geese and ducks, sometimes walking across the road and holding up traffic. Now and then a deer crosses - or ten - all at once. There are snakes (Billy and I even found one on the bridge one day, where it had no business being). The most remarkable thing, though is a nondescript log sticking up at an angle away from the road.

Local legend (wholly unsubstantiated as far as I can tell) says that a pirate ship, trying to take a tributary off te Perquimans River, sank there, and the log is the broken off tip of the mast. I don't know what it is, but as long as we've been in town, it's been there. The thing about it is, it is always inhabited. Our town is guarded by sentinel turtles. They crawl up on the log, sometimes one, sometimes as many as four, the rear turtles crawling up on to the shells of those in front.

They stare out over the water toward the river, as if they are watching for something. Unless weather doesn't permit it, they are always there...and down the road is a flat log where smaller turtles seem to be in training...lined up as many as a dozen at a time...so that there will always be a guardian on the log.

I don't know what they are guarding us from, but being an author, worlds of possibility open up. I'm not sure how they'd warn us when the time comes, but every time I drive in over that bridge and see them there, noses to the river, I feel safer somehow. Here is a photo of two of our guardians...

The William R. White House - 1911 - 2005 (when the photo was taken)

I’d like to take a few moments of appreciation to comment on the work that Trish has done over the past few years on our big ol’ historical house. Keep in mind, this is a small, slender woman with attitude – a mom who has suffered severe heart trouble in giving birth to our daughter Katie, and has been largely on her own for the greater part of the labor involved in repairing and preserving our home. Last year alone she nearly single-handedly painted the entire house. There are parts we can’t reach, of course – and some that I can reach, and she can’t, that I’ll be painting this year, but we are talking about a 6-7000 square foot, three story house. It has columns all around, a porch (also painted – and which we repaired last year) – shutters, leaks…you name it. She is one of the hardest working, most talented women I’ve ever met, and I present, without further ado, the fruit of her labor (so far). This is a photo of the Historic William R. White House as of 2005…this is the first of the Market St. Houses we’ll cover here. Eventually I’d like to have links to photo galleries covering each street, along with some stories about each of the older homes, the families who built and lived in them, and how they all fit together to form the basis of the town we live in. For now…here is the first picture of many.



David

Market Street in Hertford - Home Sweet Home

This is just a quick, introductory post for those of you who happen by and find our little news-on-the-net site. We are a family transplanted from Florida and Virginia. Trish and the kids lived, formerly, in Ft. Myers Florida, and now we all call Hertford, NC home. From the first time we rolled in around the curve and saw the water, crossed the "S" bridge and drove into town, we've known, somehow, that this would be home.

Our home is in the historic district downtown. William R. White worked for the Carteret Lumber Company and built the house in the early 1900s. Stephanie has been researching the history of the house, the families who have lived here and the ghosts who might have lingered. Mr. White went on to own a peanut factory that burned to the ground. We've yet to find a picture of that factory, but we've met some wonderful people who lived in our home, or knew those who did, and every time we learn something new it feels as if we've branched out onto a new street, with more to find around the corner.

Eventually we'll be posting short articles here, photographs, historical points, and announcements of current events and happenings in the town and area. For now...Welcome to the very first post in the Dismal Swamp Gazette. Kick back, put your feet up, and stay a while.

David