THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607200093
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSAN W. SMITH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 217 lines
IF YOU WANT TO get a sense of the fortunes of South Norfolk, consider the grocery stores.
People identified the area so much with J.A. McCloud's store, which opened in 1873, they called it McCloud Town. Later, around the turn of the century, the names Sam W. Wilson and Sons and Overton's became synonymous with South Norfolk. The 1950s brought major chains - A&P and Colonial Stores - when South Norfolk flourished as a city with more than 20,000 people.
Today, 33 years after the community became part of Chesapeake, grocery stores, along with many other business, have disappeared.
Frank L. Portlock Jr., 88, Linwood L. Briggs Jr., 76, and Raymond L. Harper, 68, remember the stores, the trolleys and even the wooden sidewalks of South Norfolk. They recently got together to talk about the history of South Norfolk, their lives there and their hopes that the good days will return.
Portlock's family dates to the 1600s in the area. Briggs is a former mayor of South Norfolk, and Harper has spent the past six years gathering oral history, researching court documents, inspecting cemeteries and poring through records and family Bibles.
Portlock's tales and family history go back to the expeditions of 1685. In 1687, his ancestors were given a land grant that extended from Ferry Point in the Berkley area, along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, to Great Bridge. The settlement of Portlock was named after his family.
Briggs, like Harper, was born, bred and schooled in South Norfolk. Briggs and Harper graduated from South Norfolk High School, married and stayed in the community to work and to raise their families.
They shared reminiscences and swapped bits of information as though they were telling stories about a favorite child or an old love. Harper related the early story from his book, ``History of South Norfolk 1661-1963''.
In the early 1600s, adventurers, explorers and fortune hunters traversed the woods, rivers and bays of Virginia. As word spread of the great opportunities, land seekers, craftsmen and traders made the dangerous ocean voyage to start a new life.
Soon a trickle of English settlers discovered the rich land and waterways of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. At the site of endless forests, promising fields and the teeming river, the newcomers built a church and their homes.
The original Norfolk County included Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Through the years, the area of South Norfolk was part of the Southern Shore Parish, Elizabeth River Parish and St. Bride's Parish.
Some referred to the area as Scuffletown, after the dances and hoedowns they held. Others called it McCloud Town, after McCloud's store. Years later, all would call the area South Norfolk.
Around the Southern Branch Chapel of the Church of England, near the present-day Lakeside Park, the village took hold. For several hundred years, the tight-knit community of farmers, builders and merchants valued hard work, family, school and the church.
``The South Norfolk area is as old and historical as Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.'' Harper said. ``But South Norfolk differed in that it stayed an agricultural area through the colonial times. Then it grew from a village to a town of blue-collar workers amid the railroads and lumber, knitting and fertilizer mills.''
After the Civil War, the growth of railroads provided a bigger market for Norfolk County's farms and villages. The expansion of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, the Virginian Railroad and the Berkley Street Railway through South Norfolk attracted industries and businesses.
Soon blacksmith shops, general stores and a post office, connected by wooden sidewalks, replaced strawberry fields.
A large farm purchased by Alvah H. Martin and other investors for $3,500 was divided into lots that would form Poindexter, Eighteenth, Liberty, and ``B'' streets. Martin and his wife donated two lots for construction of the Liberty Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South. It was the first church organized and built in downtown South Norfolk. More than eight other churches opened their doors during the next few years.
Before long, Liberty Street hosted general stores, a cafe, a laundry, a furniture shop and a saloon. That was about the time S.W. Wilson opened his grocery store. In 1891, a two-room school was opened on what was later Jackson Street. By 1889, developers began to lay out streets and lots for planned growth.
British Admiral S.W. Poindexter and his family were among the first to locate in town. Poindexter named streets like Jackson, Porter, Lawrence, Baron and Truxton after British military officers. Although the Poindexter house is gone, a Ginko tree and a magnolia tree planted by Poindexter still survey Ohio Street.
Lumber and cotton mill owner Edward Munroe Tilley was one of the first developers and home builders. A Norfolk ordinance required all new homes to be built of brick, but because of Tilley's influence, most homes in South Norfolk were built of wood.
Tilley's large rambling home with a wraparound front porch and full basement set the style for South Norfolk homes. The Tilley homestead still stands at 1106 Chesapeake Avenue. Two homes built for his sons are at 1049 Chesapeake Ave. and 1007 Ohio St.
By 1900, there was an estimated population of almost 1,500. Along with the 20th century, South Norfolk boomed.
With box factories, sawmills, guano plants, railroad lines, restaurants, schools and churches, South Norfolk had it all, an early newspaper article bragged.
The Chesapeake Knitting Mill on ``B'' Street and the Elizabeth Mill on Bainbridge employed men, women and children of the community. F.S. Royster Guano Plant, Columbia Guano Co., Pocomont Guano Co. and A.S. Lee and Sons, Lime Manufacturers, were among the 15 fertilizers plants that dotted the waterfront.
The Mexican Oil Co. and the Texas Oil Co. had large distribution plants. J.G. Wilson Corp., which employed 500, made doors and blinds that were exported all over the world.
``It was the perfect town to be a young boy in,'' said Portlock, who grew up in a large house on Ohio Street and lived across the street from the Poindexters.
Portlock remembers horse trolleys, street cars and busy train stations. Horses cooled down in the shade of elm trees on Ohio Street after home deliveries of ice, milk or newspapers. There were ice cream sodas from Preston's Pharmacy and a livery stable where the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co. now stands. Mail was delivered twice a day.
There were wooden sidewalks, muddy streets, conductors and motormen. Neighbors sat on front porches in the evenings to chat about the day's news. And in 1919 there was a lot of talk when rumors abounded that Norfolk wanted to annex South Norfolk and the Campostella area.
Although many favored the move for lower taxes and better services, a town meeting stirred a heated argument. Q.C. Davis Jr., South Norfolk's Virginia General Assembly member, prepared a bill for the legislature to incorporate the Town of South Norfolk.
With assets of almost $4 million, South Norfolk was chartered and organized as a town on Sept. 25, 1919. Davis was the first mayor of the town of almost 8,000 people.
``Everybody worked, everybody went to church and everybody helped each other,'' Portlock said.
``Yes, sir,'' Briggs said. ``The city was prosperous. People worked together, and there was appreciation and respect. Police Chief Polly Warden and his men walked beats, and neighbors shared telephones.''
With a population of 10,000, South Norfolk met the General Assembly requirements to be declared a city of the second class in 1922. A $300,000 bond was issued to build concrete streets to replace dirt streets and wooden sidewalks. And sewer lines were installed in the new city.
Liberty, St. James and Poindexter streets, Chesapeake Avenue, and Bainbridge Boulevard were bustling commerce centers. The Grand Theater, Tabb's Department Store, Richfield Service Station, Carl Parker's Restaurant, Worrell's Pharmacy, South Norfolk Ice Co. and the Bank of South Norfolk took care of local needs.
Green-Gifford Motor Corp., a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership, was born on Liberty Street in 1939. The home of Kimnach Ford Inc. was also South Norfolk. Merchants and Planters Bank, which later become Nations Bank, advertised four percent interest.
In 1947, the city changed to a city manager form of government. The police, fire, recreation, public works, welfare, Planning Commission and Department of Health reported to a city manager and an elected council of five men. With another big step forward, South Norfolk annexed Portlock and became a city of the first class with a population of 20,000.
In his campaign for mayor, Briggs' slogan was the ``Rebirth of a City.'' Briggs promised tax reductions, capital improvements and not to touch city employees salaries or the school budget.
During Briggs' tenure, the South Norfolk Library, and a new health center, a welfare office and a police station were built.
``There were so many filling stations and gas pumps in town, that we turned down applications for new businesses.'' Briggs said. ``We had our choice of shopping at the Colonial Store, Piggly Wiggly or the A&P for groceries.''
In 1961, South Norfolk ranked third in the state with the lowest per capita debt of $123.91. Harold I. Baumes of the Virginia Municipal League wrote that South Norfolk was in favorable condition and was to be congratulated.
Then came the merger of 1963 to form the City of Chesapeake, and the downfall of South Norfolk, Briggs said. Harper and Portlock nodded in agreement.
As taxes and improvements were not put back into the community, landlords moved out and tenants moved in. Homes fell into disrepair, and businesses, including grocery stores, boarded up.
Now organizations and groups like Greater South Norfolk Business Consortium, the Neighborhood Preservation Program, Chesapeake Council of Civic Leagues and the Historic Preservation Plan have joined with neighbors and local businesses to encourage revitalization through clean-up and rebuilding programs.
``Just bring us back some grocery stores,'' Briggs said. ``We need anchor businesses. That's the first step in a positive direction.'' ILLUSTRATION: Historic photos courtesy of RAYMOND HARPER
In 1915, the F.L. Portlock Real Estate Investments office was
located on Poindexter Street. ``It was the perfect town to be a
yound boy in,'' Frank Portlock says.
A horse waits outside Portlock Station at Freemason Avenue and
Bainbridge Boulevard in 1902. South Norfolk was now booming and had
railroad lines, schools, churches, restaurants, mills, plants and
factories.
Members of the South Norfolk Police Department pose in 1921. By 1922
the city had a population of 10,000 and met all the requirements to
be declared a city of the second class. A $300,000 bond was issued
to build concrete streets to replace dirt streets and wooden
sidewalks. And sewer lines were installed in the new city.
Raymond L. Harper, 68, left, Linwood L. Briggs Jr., 76, and Frank L.
Portlock Jr., 88, recently got together to talk about family history
of South Norfolk and their lives there.
A class at the schoolhouse on "B" Street in 1924. "The city was
prosperous," says Linwood Briggs. "People worked together, and there
was appreciation and respect."
Grapic
[Box] SOUTH NORFOLK
South Norfolk, in decline for decades, is experiencing a
renaissance.
New families are moving in, fixing up the aging Victorian-style
homes. Construction crews are restoring an old four-room
schoolhouse, which will open next year as a museum.
Police officers patrol streets on bicycles and on foot, getting
to know the residents. Cars and trucks rumble once again over the
repaired Jordan Bridge, a vital neighborhood transportation link
that was closed for a year and a half.
The most important plan for restoring South Norfolk to its former
glory began last week. City inspectors hit the streets to check
homes, businesses and other structures for violations of building,
zoning and safety codes.
Residents say their efforts to clean up South Norfolk would be
futile without the Neighborhood Preservation Program, which will
force property owners to clean up dilapidated buildings.
KEYWORDS: SOUTH NORFOLK by CNB