NEWSLETTER Eastern Shore of Virginia Barrier Islands Center Winter 2014-2015b a r r i e r i slands c e n t e r @ g ma i l .co m / 7 5 7 -6 7 8-55 5 0 / w w w .barri e ris l a n d s c e n t er. c om Heart of the Community, Soul of a Culture Snow on the Half Shell by Diane Ginsburg This BIC exclusive gallery-wrapped canvas comes in a variety of sizes and ready to hang. Look inside for more great gift ideas!
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I am so excited! I have a new little grandson, Hayes, born in Austin, Texas on
October 1st. My first grandson, Gabe, will turn 5 soon and has a baby sister due by
Christmas. And by mid-January, another little bundle of joy is due in Virginia Beach.
With all these grandbabies coming into my life, I’m spending a lot of time wondering
what my legacy to them should be.
Growing up in rural eastern North Carolina, both sets of grandparents
delighted in imparting to me their respect and appreciation for the wisdom of those
who work the land and the water. In addition, my Grandma Lallie instilled in all of us
the value of music and art, as well as the joy of pulling out the shiny silver for guests. I
have my country doctor Granddaddy to thank for teaching me the importance of
serving and being trusted by your local community. I am super proud that the BIC’s My First Field Trip
program is recreating some of those same elements that my grandparents instilled in me: exposure to
culture, an understanding of local history, and using good manners as a sign of respect.
Recently, founding Board Member Ann Dearman personally experienced My First Field Trip. This
was her first visit since the BIC opened its doors in 2002. Ann was able to watch as the four-year-olds
enthusiastically absorbed the top shelf music and art lessons, learned how to use an old-fashioned pump to
draw water from the ground and, most importantly, were positively reinforced in their use of good manners. Ann also learned how the local community continues to support the BIC. After recalling the many difficult
and critical decisions faced by the founding board members, Ann was thrilled to see that her hard work in
those early days continues to pay off.
I am inspired and grateful every day that this property provides such a perfectly yummy and inviting
setting to share with the community. All children should grow up understanding where they’re from and
what makes them who they are, and I love that the BIC helps preserve important local values and traditions,
as my grandparents did for me. Thanks to wonderful people like Ann Dearman, all our children can connect
with their history and learn what makes them special. What a wonderful legacy to leave the Eastern Shore!
shrugged his shoulders and explained in a soft voice that it was really about his grandchildren: he was
doing this so his grandkids can have a piece of their grandfather forever.
In capturing the stories of Tim Bell and others like him, the BIC is preserving core aspects of
the Eastern Shore’s culture and heritage, and making sure that future generations will have access to
them. Each film or book brings a rich treasure of personal stories that resonate with familieseverywhere. BIC is able to take these personal stories to venues across the Commonwealth through
the BIC On the Road outreach program.
The most satisfying part of BIC On the Road is being able to connect with a wide range of ages
and groups representing different spheres of influence. This fall, the outreach effort is reaching
audiences from the Cape Charles Library, where a dozen preschoolers chuckle about Hog Island sheep
shenanigans during story hour, to the 2014 Richmond Folk Festival, where thousands of attendees
learn about decoy carvers perfecting their craft and passing it on to subsequent generations. So Tim
Bell’s legacy to his grandchildren also becomes his gift to the Eastern Shore – and well beyond.
BIC On the Road highlights:
In partnership with the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District, the BIC screened the
film Watermen for every 6th grade public school class in Accomack County, and some private
schools – that’s over 400 students! The film served as the culmination to the annual Watershed
Festival, with the theme “Compare the Chesapeake Bay of 1800’s to Today.”
Andrew Barbour, author of The Hog Island Sheep in Red, White and Ewe , read the story to
children and adults attending the Pungoteague Elementary School Family Literacy night, and
story hours at the Cape Charles Library and Northampton Free Library. All three locations
received donated books.
The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) screened the BIC film Spirit of the Bird as
part of their documentary series at the 2014 Richmond Folk Festival. The weekend-long free
annual festival attracts over 125,000 people. Eastern Shore decoy carvers Grayson Chesser and
P.G. Ross, both featured in the film, demonstrated their craft at the festival.
The latest film, Watermen, will air on Hampton Roads public television station WHRO in early
December during the station’s fund drive week. Stay tuned to the BIC Facebook page and Channel 15
There is a magic that happens at the BIC when the right person withthe right piece of history walks in the door at the right time! This season,that magic has centered on the memory of Harry Holcomb, a foundingmember of the BIC and volunteer extraordinaire. Though Harry passedaway last year, his legacy to the BIC lives on through the careful accessionsprocesses he established and the Smith’s Island history he so lovinglysought to preserve.
Growing up in a New England shipping family, Harry heard talesabout one of his grandfather's ships, the Massasoit , having wrecked off thecoast of Virginia. After moving to the Eastern Shore, Harry attended adinner party and met Virginia Walker. As they exchanged personalhistories, Harry discovered that it was Virginia’s grandfather, U.S. LifeSaving Service Captain George Hitchens, who led the rescue of theMassasoit on Smith’s Island! Bolstered by this discovery, Harry devotedmuch of his energy and time to preserving the story of the Massasoit andother aspects of Barrier Islands history. The BIC could never have dreamedof having such a knowledgeable and dedicated volunteer!
A second set of Smith’s Island (or Smith Island, as it is now commonly known) coincidences occurredrecently. As the gallery was being updated this summer, two new artifacts found their way to the BIC:
a pocket watch that belonged to Capt.George Hitchens, loaned by theCaptain’s great-grandson, DonaldHitchens
a remarkable fragment of 1700s brownstoneware pottery discovered on SmithIsland this summer, donated by NatureConservancy employee Karli Rogers
These additions will add even morecontext to the Smith Island gallery. Harry
would be very pleased! Additional Collections updates:
The Congressional Silver Medalpresented to James Doughty for the1892 rescue of the San Albano, donated by his great-grandson, Sam Taylor;
Outdoor information markers about the buildings and history of the alms house,donated by retired BIC historian, JerryDoughty;
A new display about the geography of barrier islands in the Map Roomcreated by summer intern, Bess Badger;
A Native American display withhundreds of artifacts, collected andinterpreted by Bob Bredimus; and
The white cross marker andinformation about the souls buried inthe Almshouse cemetery, by MiriamRiggs.