Peninsula In Passage

Introduction Family trees sprout and grow like the crops that thrived in this once rural community. Natives of the area easily recall generations of family ties and connections. Recent residents, however, may wonder who was Bennett of Bennett’s Creek or Eberwine of Eberwine Lane. They may not know what “running truck” means, why there is a cow on the roof of the Bennett’s Creek Market, or who grew watermelons on what is now their front yard. “Peninsula in Passage” follows the evolution of North Suffolk from a colonial history second only to Captain John Smith’s Jamestown to life as it is in 2012. Residents and friends reminisce here about the area’s history, legends and lore. Vintage photos as well as contemporary images and maps help define the community and convey a sense of place. We also document the more recent development of North Suffolk into a thriving suburb with an ever growing range of amenities and services. The basic chronological facts are here – the events and people who shaped the early history from the Nansemond Indians forward – but to highlight the area’s heritage we rely on story tellers. These are the ones that saw the places and lived the events, or heard about them from their grandparents over Sunday dinner. We’ve lost some of the storytellers recently including John Holland and Virginia Harlow. In April 2012, we lost a renowned storyteller, Judson “Juddy” Rodman, the guru of barbecue who presided over Rodman’s Bar-b que on Shoulder’s Hill Road. His obituary read “He was always one to have

the latest joke, never at a loss for words and always had a double brown bag of warm Suffolk peanuts…the consummate Virginia gentleman who never learned to say no.” Fortunately many surviving storytellers opened their memories, searched old family albums and shared their life adventures to help us capture, in their words, the essence of the community. The stories we’ve collected may vary slightly from person to person or from documented data but the individual perspectives of our story tellers add color, insight and humor to the bare bones of history. The enthusiasm of the community generated more material and stories than we possibly could fit into this book. The Crittenden, Eclipse and Hobson Heritage Foundation, which has expanded its coverage to include Driver, Bennett’s Creek and Harbour View, will set up an archive at its website (www.suffolk-river-heritage.org). Photos, interviews and other primary sources collected for this project will be available there to teachers, students, genealogists, journalists and others. “Peninsula in Passage” is not intended to be an academic or complete history of North Suffolk, but rather an introduction to the community’s heritage – flavored with a few recipes for favorite local dishes. Enjoy.

John H. Sheally II

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