Now, if I have to add the word "Barbecue" after "Bill's" then you
didn't grow up on the Peninsula. An institution since the '30s, the
small building next to the fire house with the plywood pig sign and the
odd-shaped parking lot served many a meal to this old Crabber. One meal
in particular comes to mind as one of those childhood memories that
stays with one forever.
It was a Friday afternoon in the autumn of 1958. I was only a few
weeks shy of my fourth birthday, yet I was already a veteran of Bill's
(probably my first real food was a BBQ and a Coke). My sister had
married two years earlier and her mother in law worked behind the
counter at Bill's. By coincidence my brother in law's name was also
Bill � in my three year old mind it was named after him since his mom
worked there. They did treat me like family � Bill's was a hangout of
many regulars. This one afternoon it was very crowded and I wanted to
get my usual nickel bottle of Coke (there is something magical about
the taste of an old six ounce bottle of Coke that no other container
could match). My sister shunned my request, stating they were too busy,
in spite of my begging, pleading and subsequent whining. Then I threw a
major league conniption fit, and drew the attention of all and the
embarrassment of my sister and her husband. Well, once we got home my
folks were less than impressed. This was the second and last time my
father ever spanked me (first was the year before for "flying" one of
his model airplanes into the bushes and ripping off the propellers. I
knew I had really been bad if Dad paddled me. I did get my barbecue,
and a Coke from the fridge, and squirmed on my tender seat for a bit.
As I got older I ventured out of the "hood" for food � Shoney's on
West Pembroke was the cruise in hangout of the late '60s and early
'70s, replaced by the Willow Oaks Jack in The Box in '73 (yecch .. we
really did eat that stuff), as well as Rich's, Carroll's, McDonalds,
and the Southampton Burger Chef (a mere bike ride from my house down
the little dirt road that ran from behind the ABC store over to Ivy
Home Road). But I never forgot my true love � good ol' Bill's. I moved
back to the Peninsula in 1985 and took the wife and daughter there
once. My wife hated it and would never go back (she said the same
about Monty's Penguin on Warwick Boulevard, another classic eatery of
the day). She never liked Hampton High either, but that's a subject
for another time!
Sadly, Bill's is but a memory � gone the way of High's, the Brown
Derby, Wythe Amoco, most of Wythe Shopping Center, the bowling alley,
and a lot of the core businesses of the area. I saw the pig sign at the
Hampton History Museum a few years back. Perhaps someday they may
recreate a diorama of the Wythe of my youth. Until then, if you want to
enjoy the taste of a traditional Bill's Barbecue sandwich, head to
Pierce's Pitt in Lightfoot. Same minced pork barbecue sandwich and
you can even buy one of those six ounce nickel Cokes. The Coke will
cost you close to a dollar and a half, but the memories of 1500
Kecoughtan Road are priceless.
My last permanent residence in Wythe was in 1975, when I was 20 years
old. I left to join some friends at a shared apartment in Newport News.
Now 30 years later, my husband Steve and I are returning to Wythe this
January, and it is a joy! Wythe has traditionally been a �nice
neighborhood� and thank goodness some things never change!
I was a lucky kid to have grown up in Wythe during the late fifties and
early sixties. The best and most unique things were definitely
WATER-oriented. Robinson Creek, accessible by our back yard, provided
endless entertainment. We had a pier and a rowboat, and my siblings &
neighbors conquered and named all the islands in the creek (the big
island between Chesapeake Avenue and Crescent Drive we dubbed �Duck
Island.�) We found duck nests, caught sand fiddlers, and at any given
high tide, caught enough blue crabs to provide for a family feast.
Small children could easily catch crabs by tying a chicken neck to a
string, waiting for a crab to attack, then gently pulling the
unsuspecting crab into the net.
One day in 1961, after a hurricane had passed nearby, I caught a
seahorse right out of Robinson Creek. I was on our pier one September
morning, changing the creek water in the jar so I could bring the
seahorse to show my second-grade class, and the seahorse escaped! Oh,
how I cried!!
There were dozens of white ducks in the creek in those days. I believe
these were kid�s Easter ducks that were
eventually set free into the wild � when they were no longer cute,
yellow & fuzzy. They probably originated at Helmer�s Feed Store in
Newport News. It was rumored that an elderly lady who lived near
Robinson Road made the official complaint to have the ducks removed.
These white ducks were taken away in the late sixties, maybe to
Huntington Park. White ducks couldn�t fly, which was the main
difference from mallard ducks, also prevalent in Robinson creek.
Speaking of ducks, as children, we would save the �heels� from loaves
of bread, store them in an old Premium Saltines cracker tin, and use it
as duck-feed. The miraculous thing was � you could go down to the water
anywhere on the creek side of Chesapeake Avenue - holler �Herrrre,
duckies!!� and several dozen hungry ducks would appear out of nowhere.
We lived on Chesapeake Avenue and our neighbor across the street
permitted access to the beach via her yard. We would go swimming at
high tide, and �skim-board at low tide.� �Skim-boarding� involved
tossing a flat, plywood board along the edge of a sand bar, leaping on
it, and skimming along for a ride. �Mosquito Beach,� down the road a
bit, was on the beach across from Wythe Parkway. This was a famous spot
for fraternity initiations and other teenage shenanigans. I don�t know
if 8th grade fraternities still exist now, but they were legendary in
the 1960�s.
Speaking of Chesapeake Avenue, did anyone else take piano lessons from
Mrs. Trout on the corner of East & Chesapeake? And I know many of you
out there took oil painting lessons from Jack Clifton.
Who remembers the �Best-Ever� ice cream truck creeping down Wythe
Crescent Drive, and all the kids running out with their nickel for a
blue popsicle or a Nutty-Buddy?
One thing different about the fifties and sixties, kids could run wild
and nobody worried. We rode our bikes everywhere. Helmets and safety
gear were unheard of. If you wrecked your bike and scraped you knee,
boy, it was just �tough!� We would spend our 25 or 50-cent allowance at
Woolworth�s or the Wythe Pharmacy � usually on candy, Beatle cards, or
�16� magazines. The Wythe Theater held a kiddie matinee movie on
Saturday mornings during the school season, then on Wednesday mornings
during the summer. They would show newsreels, Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny
cartoons, and classic films like �Jason and the Argonauts.� The theater
was always jam-packed with rowdy kids. I remember the ushers would try
to get two skinny kids to �double-up� into one seat so everyone would
be accommodated.
We would also venture off to Doc Clodfelter�s Drugstore on Kecoughtan
Road (near Cherry Avenue) because this was the only place in town that
carried Archie-series comic books. They also had a real-live soda
fountain. This location became Evelyn�s Restaurant in later years.
The Wythe Pool was new around 1960. It was built on the site of the
OLD Wythe School...yes, there used to be a tall school there! I only
have a faint memory of driving past that old school that my mother
attended. But I do remember that in the early days of the George Wythe
Recreation Center, you had to have a metal �pool tab� for entry to the
Wythe pool or tennis court; and at first, you had to pay a quarter each
time you visited. You fastened the �pool tab� to your bathing suit with
a safety pin. The metal �pool tab� changed shape and color every year,
but I know the FIRST one was silver-colored and oval in shape.
The big highlight of Halloween in Wythe was trick-or-treating at
Coca-Cola Brown�s house. Everyone knows this magnificent house on the
corner of Chesapeake & Claremont. �Coca-Cola� had a large cooler on his
porch, would open a half-frozen, short green bottle, give a big smile
while handing it to you, and say, �Have a Coke,� just like in the
commercials!! It was so wonderful, we were almost afraid! At the time,
he kept two horses on the premises. My friend Claudia & I used to
retain our school apples, cut across someone�s yard on Claremont Avenue
after school, and feed the apples to the horses. We almost believe
these two red-bay horses were �ours� and had names for them.
Kindergarten was not mandatory in the early sixties, but my sister,
brother, & I attended kindergarten at Miss Porter�s Private School,
which was at the Tudor-style house at the corner of Chesapeake Avenue &
Cherokee Road. The kindergarten teacher�s name was Mrs. Bassett. Some
kids went on thru sixth grade at this school, but as for our family, we
dutifully participated in Miss Porter�s formal graduation ceremony from
kindergarten, then went on to public school. It began with walking to
Wythe Elementary School (�Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve�) every day,
except in bad weather, when the non-working moms would serve as
taxi-drivers. I still remember the names of every teacher I had at
Wythe: Mrs. Dickenson, Mrs. Edwards, Miss Pollard, Mrs. Folsom, Mrs.
Kostyal, & Mrs. Bowers. How many people remember that the third floor
was almost exclusively sixth-grade? And the maroon velvet curtains in
the auditorium that had letters W.E.S. in yellow? And the library books
that smelled like (ahem) let�s just say �sour milk....�
The Wythe School Carnival, every October, was a MAJOR neighborhood
event. The most exciting thing for the young kiddies was - PONY RIDES!
And there was the ever-popular cake walk, rummage sale, and
silhouette-cutting (which was expertly done my the mother of a very
good friend).
Another thing that was soooo very Wythe until recent years � BILL�S
BARBECUE. We thought going there and eating their delicious hamburgers
and grilled-cheese sandwiches (eating in the car, of course, and making
a mess) was heaven on earth!!! The hamburgers were garnished with
nothing more than a dill pickle, mustard, and chopped onions, but for
some reason they were out of this world. Limeades were outstanding
also. I was so sorry to see Bill�s vanish a few years ago. Across the
street from Bill�s was the High�s Ice Cream Store, which vanished about
the same time. And while driving down Kecoughtan Road recently I was
saddened to see that the Rendezvous Restaurant building was not even
restaurant any longer. Hey! Where are we �Wythians� (Wythites?
Wythonians?) supposed to eat now? The Ming Gate is gone too, along with
Fergie�s, and Joe�s Subs & Stuff (formerly the Brown Derby). Thank
goodness we still have Vancosta�s the Oasis, and the Oaks! I haven�t
been in the Oaks lately, but my Dad says that around 1939 the White
Oaks Lodge was a dress-up place to take one�s date for dinner &
dancing. They had a juke box and a dance floor. He did say, after
around 10 p.m., the place got a little seedy. Anyone have any memoirs
of The Oaks? It�s a wonderful old log building, and I�m sure it�s
bursting with history! Please e-mail me, and I�ll try to compile a
history of THE WHITE OAKS LODGE, maybe for future issues of the
newsletter.
Does anybody remember the �park house� in Robinson Park? I�m sure many
of you have noticed the large, round concrete slab in the middle of the
park. Well folks, believe it or not, that was once a lovely
pavilion/picnic shelter with columns made of unevenly-stacked concrete
slabs and a shingled roof that was pointed on the top like a carousel.
The old �park house� provided shelter for many happy, memorable events
for school groups, scouts, church picnics, etc. If you hollered while
standing in the �park house,� it emitted an odd echo. Remember I spoke
of young teenage fraternities in the 60�s? I recall a few RUMORS going
around when the �park house� was knocked down - referring to local
hoodlums - around 1969. If anyone reading this is worried, forget it -
your secret is safe with me. But my best friend Claudia & I have a
reasonable idea of who�s guilty. One of these hoodlums was party to the
theft of our rowboat as well.... and these guys were from GOOD
families! Go figure, and let�s forgive and forget. I would sure like to
see the Robinson �park house� restored to its original architectural
structure, though.
One memorable thing that has vanished from Kecoughtan Road was the
display of neon signs. Most of us remember Bill�s neon �whale of a
snack�, the hot dog on roller skates, and of course, the pig family.
Then there was a Mobil Gas station with a neon flying horse, with
moving wings. This was across from the Boulevard Beauty Salon. Next to
the Rendezvous was �Chicken Delight�, and there were the bold, blazing
letters WYTHE at the old Wythe movie theater, now an auto parts store.
A car dealership beside Wythe Florist also sported some neon. I seem to
recall, at the good old� Wythe Lanes, there was a neon bowling pin. Can
anyone tell me if this is true? If anyone has pictures of these
treasures, I hope they will submit them for the website!
Anyway, thanks, Mom & Dad, for deciding to live in Wythe!
The Summer Of �69 (apologies to Bryan Adams)
At age 14 no car had I,
But on my bike I would spy,
The newest muscle cars so fine �
It was the summer of �69.
The dealer was just down the street,
Their showroom window was oh so sweet.
Merrimac Motors was on the sign �
It was the summer of �69.
Barracuda, Road Runner, GTX,
Curious what they�d bring in next.
Hearing all those engines whine �
It was the summer of �69.
I�d picture myself behind the wheel,
Cruising to Bill�s BBQ for a meal.
Cokes were a nickel, not yet a dime �
It was the summer of �69.
Three years hence they sold me a car,
I didn�t have to walk very far,
No 340; mom said a six was fine �
It was the summer of �69.
Looking back, forty years have passed,
I now drive a Corvette that�s very fast.
But still have memories of a special time �
It was the summer of �69.
