Truckin' on the Western Branch

Rachel Mitchell Armistead was born in 1947 and remembers Bowers Hill as a nice, quiet community with big, grassy yards when she grew up there.

I was the middle child of seven children. We were not Polish, but the community was, and I remember everyone making watermelon wine and everyone raised flowers. We went to Indiana United Methodist Church, but I was never aware of the Indian connection. There were bars in Bowers Hill—Sophie’s, The Moonlight Room, and Harpers Grocery. My parents would go out for dinner and dancing there on a weekend night. The Polish children were all Catholic, and I don’t know where they went to school, but I went to a little elementary school that is now a firehouse. We had two teachers for six grades, and Miss Craig was my teacher. We had less than 50 students in the whole school, and I was in the last class before the school closed. I went to Deep Creek High School, and I remember the school buses all had names not numbers.

Mother never drove so we relied on the community bus, the Airline Boulevard shuttle. A dollar would buy a movie ticket, popcorn, drink, and bus fare.

As the older families age and fade and encroaching development brings new homes to Bowers Hill, the remaining residents value the charm of their once rural village.

“It’s important to recognize our history as we go forward,” Szymanski said. “We remain a model community, the garden spot of Hampton Roads. There is a connection to the earth here and the people here still have an incredible work ethic.”

Rachel Mitchell Armistead. Image by Sheally

Image by Sheally

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