Truckin' on the Western Branch

Benn Griffin Benn Griffin’s great-grandfather, John T. Griffin, had several farms in Churchland in the late 1800s with a house at the end of Cardinal Lane on the water near Midfield Point and Cavalier Forest. His grandparents lost the farms in the Depression. Griffin said, I’ve heard that they had the best crop of potatoes they ever had but not enough money to get them harvested. The government was shipping potatoes from the north and giving them away. But they never complained, never bemoaned the situation. I heard a few things from the family, but the loss was never talked about much. I grew up in downtown Portsmouth, on Washington Street. My father worked in the City Steam Laundry, my grandfather’s business. I grew up going to the Y on High Street—swimming and playing basketball there. It had been built in 1910/1911 and was immaculate, with rooms for young men to stay. But by the 1970s it wasn’t in good shape financially or physically . Griffin graduated from Wilson High School and the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary (Old Dominion University), majoring in business and playing basketball all the way. When he realized that he was reading the sports page not the business section, he switched to teaching physical education as a career.

Benn Griffin. Image by Sheally

He taught general science and physical education at Harry Hunt Junior High for five years.

Rabbit Howard was coaching at Churchland and got me in there teaching and coaching basketball in 1967. When the annexation happened, Rabbit went to Western Branch and I stayed at Churchland. Back then people came to Churchland for the land, the good housing, and the good schools. But annexation split the community—now everything is piecemeal. The schools would have been better if they had all stayed together. After 12 years at Churchland, I resigned and went to the Y. I didn’t know the magnitude of the situation and how hard it was to raise money in Portsmouth. But we finally raised $3 million through people in the city, etc., to buy several acres from Junie Lancaster on Cedar Lane and High Street—he was ready to sell and leave. City Manager George Hanbury wanted a grocery store, but zoning was in the way for that and Junie turned down grocery store’s offer. The Y was something we needed since there was no recreational facility like that out there. The Y opened in April 1989, and since then its board of directors has voted to remain independent of the Hampton Roads Y but remain part of the National YMCA. The best thing the Y has brought to the community is a place where the very young to the old can come to participate in a wholesome atmosphere for a nominal fee. Richard E. H. Wentz, Executive Director, YMCA of Portsmouth Richard Wentz’s father, Robert Wentz, was a banker who also served on the Portsmouth City Council and as vice mayor. In the 1970s he produced two books of Portsmouth history. Richard Wentz shared his own memories of Churchland in transition during the 1970s. Growing up during the ’70s in Churchland on River Shore Road, or as my friends would say “out in the sticks,” was a wonderful experience for a boy, his dog, and his 10-speed bike. I had the river across the street. I spent time walking the shoreline during low tide collecting old bottles, some dating back to the late 1800s. We’d go fishing, swimming, and water-skiing. Not much could keep us out of the river except when we had to get a tetanus shot and the Kepone spill in 1975.

Richard E. H. Wentz. Image by Sheally

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