THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100240
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
Historic Francis Land House is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a museum with all the magic and color of the Legends of the Beach.
Visitors can mingle and hear from the fierce pirate Blackbeard and the mysterious witch Grace Sherwood or chat with tamer characters like Francis Land and his family.
The can visit an American Indian village and talk to Shirley ``Little Dove'' Custalow McGowen, a member of the Mattaponi tribe, and see how early inhabitants in this area lived.
They can relive the Revolutionary War Battle off the Virginia Capes through an ``eyewitness'' account of a 18th century tobacco farmer, and they'll learn about the War of 1812 with ``Pvt. Luke Hill'' who serves in the 20th Regiment of the Virginia Militia.
Pirates and farmers alike will all be on the grounds at the Francis Land House from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday 10 years to the day the Francis Land House opened as a historic house museum. The mood will be enhanced by hammered dulcimer music by Land House volunteer Bob Clark.
You can come any time as the programming will be continuous for all three hours. Although hot dogs, potato chips and sodas will be for sale that evening, all the programming is free.
``We wanted to make it free to thank the community for their support,'' said Land House Program Specialist Vicki Harvey.
There's also another good reason for celebrating at the Francis Land House on Friday. Its 10th anniversary just happens to fall within Virginia Heritage Tourism Weeks, May 4-19. Developed by the Virginia Division of Tourism, these special weeks focus on the state's rich historical resources.
And at the Francis Land House, you'll be able to focus on Virginia Beach's rich historical resources all at one time. Harvey is excited about gathering together so many historic interpreters at one time, because it's an ideal program for school children, especially third graders who are studying Virginia Beach history this spring.
``We're a small museum, but over 12,000 school children visited us last year,'' she said
Many came on field trips to enrich their third-grade study of Virginia Beach history, but they didn't have the chance to meet the formidable Blackbeard, who pillaged ships off the Virginia coast in the early 1700s. Ben Cherry of Plymouth, N.C., who plays Blackbeard, is known for re-creating the infamous pirate at waterfront festivals from Virginia to Florida and in the Cayman Islands.
On a routine visit to the Francis Land House, school children don't have the chance to meet Grace Sherwood either. She's played by former Land House volunteer, Molly Kratt, who has moved to Fredericksburg.
``She comes back to do Grace for us, primarily this time of year for third graders,'' Harvey said.
Nor do the kids have the chance to meet Francis and Elizabeth Moseley Land who will be on hand Friday night to talk with visitors. Interpreted by Land House volunteers Paul Lankford and Sandy Craig, the Lands will talk about life on the plantation in the mid-1700s.
The ``eyewitness'' account of the Battle of the Capes will be a first for Virginia Beach. The program was developed especially for the Land House anniversary, Harvey said, by Willie Balderson of Living History Associates in Richmond, professional historic interpreters. Balderson will play William ``Berry'' Jenkins, a tobacco farmer who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Others have contributed to the Francis Land House anniversary, too. The Life-Saving Museum of Virginia will be sending their 19th century member of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, Surfman Sam. Adam Thoroughgood House will send ``Mrs. Burwell,'' a 17th century lady and friend of the Thoroughood family and the Great Neck office of Rose & Krueth Realty Corp. donated the food.
Now all the Land house needs to make the celebration complete is families, especially those with third graders!
P.S. As part of the Virginia Heritage Tourism celebration, wood carvers will demonstrate and discuss the art of carving waterfowl from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, Saturday and next Sunday at the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum. The museum is in the historic de Witt Cottage at 1113 Atlantic Ave.
A GRAY COCKATEEL with a yellow head is on the lam in Aragona Village. If you hear a bird talking or if you think there's a fresh male nearby giving a wolf whistle, it's Echo. Call Mary Breeden, 499-9909.
IT'S MOTHER'S DAY and I'm thinking about all the caring calls I've gotten from you recently about mothers of the non-human species. It seems that house finches, doves and robins, particularly, have chosen to nest in front-door wreaths in huge numbers and more and more ducks have selected garden flower beds for their nurseries. The birds have lost their nesting habitat and have found a way to adapt to ours. In turn, most of you have adapted to the birds' presence. They are great stories to hear! MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ben Cherry will portray Blackbeard the pirate at the historic
Francis Land House for the 10th anniversary program, ``Legends of
the Beach,'' at 5-8 p.m. on Friday.
by CNB