By Maurice K. 'Doc"
Collier
The fleet used to berth in Hampton Roads frequently, and at night when all their lights were on, the picture was spectacular and attracted many visitors. The small boats took passengers out to visit the ships on Saturdays and Sundays.
Until recently, there was a large dock at Old Point, and steamers from Norfolk to Washington and Baltimore used to stop to take on passengers. Numerous people came down each night at seven or eight o'clock to see their friends or family embark or disbark. Small ferry boats shuttled back and forth from Old Point to the Norfolk side at Willoughby Spit. At that time, there were no bridges so the ferry was the only means of crossing.
The overnight trip to Washington or Baltimore was a pleasant and relaxing journey. As automobiles became more numerous, sad to relate, roads failed to keep pace. The dirt highways were very bad and tires of such poor quality that a trip to Richmond and back was an all day project. That is, if you were lucky and had only two or three flat tires. Washington was an all day trip one way. The roads started improving about 1920, about the time I returned from World War One.
Some of my earliest memories are treasured. In my last year at Phoebus School, I was awarded a prize for achievement in history. A five dollar gold piece was the prize. I thought that was something else. In those days, little things meant a lot.
The Phoebus Sentinel, a weekly paper published by Mr. L.M. Brown came to press on Fridays. We kids sold about twenty or twenty-five papers each at 3 cents per copy. One cent for each paper was our very own. Not much money, but in those days, a penny candy bar compared in size to a ten cent bar today.
Does anybody remember Heinickels Bakery? Bread 5 cents a loaf, doughnuts 10 cents a dozen, and the kids delight, Washington Pie, a concoction made of stale bread, stale cake, molasses, raisins and spices, which they sold for a penny a slice, and two slices was enough for a meal, and good. Our newspaper money kept us in candy for a week.