Army scenes on the Chickahominy

Army scenes on the Chickahominy
Harper''s pictorial history of the Civil War. (Chicago : Star Publishing Co. 1866)

Thursday, April 28, 2016

"Fellows, You Have Not Had Any Fun Yet"


When western New Kent was home to both a Methodist Orphanage camp and a large Y.M.C.A.camp . . .


Y.M.C.A. CAMP TO BE HELD JUNE 19 TO SEPTEMBER 1
Fellows, you have not had any fun yet, not until you have been to Camp Orapax. Camp Orapax is operated by the Y. M. C. A. and is located only seventeen miles from Richmond. This camp consists of six hundred acres of woodland and lakes, and is the most modern equipped camp in Virginia. Camp Orapax is operated from June 19 to September 1. At Camp Orapax you live in cabins with six boys and a leader. There is always something doing from morning till night. At camp all kinds of summer sports are indulged in, such as swimming, rowing, hunting, baseball, tennis, and others. Every boy in John Marshall and George Wythe is eligible to attend camp for not only the two weeks' period, but throughout the summer, and during the week-ends. The fee is only $10.00 for a ten-day period.
For further information see Irving Solomon in Room 112, or see Mr. Blayney at the Richmond Y. M. C. A.

-The Monocle,24 May 1929
The Monocle was the newspaper of John Marshall High School



Thursday, April 21, 2016

"High-Priced Labor and Low-Priced Potatoes"

A WAIL FROM NEW KENT
High-Priced Labor and Low-Priced Potatoes Bring Trouble- Government Asked to Regulate.
There comes a cry from New Kent County. Some of the farmers down that way who sell all of their produce on the Richmond market seem to be in hard lines. Charles E. Palmatier, a truck, and general farmer, living in that county sixteen miles from Richmond was in the city the other day, and. speaking for himself and neighbors to a Times-Dispatch man:
"We New Kent farmers have been trying to answer the call to duty by making bigger crops than ever before. We did make good crops of potatoes and truck, such as salad, etc., and to do so we had to pay higher prices for labor than ever before. Because of the scarcity and high price of labor we cannot raise potatoes for less than $1 per bushel, and this week I could not get over 60 cents per bushel for them on Cary Street. It was at similar sacrifice figures I had to sell salads and other truck. At such ruinous figures we will just have to quit farming in New Kent this year- will, anyhow"
"If the government demands of us to stay on the farm and make bigger crops it should come to our relief, and not let do business at such a loss. The government has fixed prices on wheat and corn and some other products as well as upon many articles of commerce. Why not go the whole thing and fix prices on all of the extra stuff it demands that the farmers shall grow in abundance? Why should it leave off so important an item as potatoes? Seems to me it might guarantee us as much as $1.25 per bushel. That would give us a little profit, and we would be satisfied."
Mr. Palmatier also expressed the opinion that such back-lot gardening in the city has much hurt the truckers very much.

-Richmond Times-Dispatch, 08 April 1918



Sunday, April 17, 2016

"Under the Management of Competent Teachers"

             
                                             NEW KENT FEMALE SCHOOL
THE exercises of this School will be resumed on the 16th October, under the management of competent teachers,and will close on the 15th of August, 1849.
Board and Tuition in the English branches, $100 
French,                                                       10
Music, and the use of Piano,                         25
One half of the Board and Tuition will be expected to be paid when the scholar enters the school, or the 1st January, and the other half on the 1st May.          
                                                                           R.T.LACY.

-Richmond Enquirer, 22 September 1848



Sunday, April 10, 2016

Telephones Come to New Kent

1908 Western Electric Ringer Box and Kellogg Candlestick Telephone


NEW KENT VA: The New Kent Telephone and Telegraph Company has been incorporated with $5,000 capital stock. The officers are C.L. Harrison, president: R.E. Richardson, vice-president, both of Talleysville, Va.: T.N. Harris, secretary-treasurer, New Kent.

-Telephony magazine- December 26, 1908


By the end of 1918 New Kent Telephone and Telegraph would have some 63 miles of line up in New Kent, as well as 15 miles in Hanover. To that can be added the 36 miles in New Kent belonging to Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone(C&P).


And here is some proper phone etiquette from 1908 . . .

The Bell Telephone
The "Busy" Report
We have had people tell us that operators report telephones "Busy" when the telephone is not actually in use when called for. In every such case we have been able to convince the complainant by positive evidence that such an occurrence is not possible as a matter of practice. We have not simply assumed that such a thing did not occur, but we have investigated cases of the kind many times. We have proved conclusively that the telephone was in use by a servant or a neighbor without the knowledge of the subscriber,  that the line was out of order or that the receiver had been left off the hook.
It is easier for the operator to test the line than to make a "Busy" report without testing. The supervision is so close and constant that an operator engaged in such a practice would soon be detected. Then too, our operators take a pride in their work and have absolutely no object for reporting a line "Busy" without first making the proper test.
Oftentimes when you call a store or other business place and receive a "Busy" report, the telephone is being used by some one other than the subscriber or his employees. This is one of the results of permitting the telephone to be promiscuously used, and is something we cannot control.
If you should receive a "Busy" report on a station that you think is not in use, do not argue the matter out with the operator. Report it to the proper department and we will make an honest investigation and a truthful report. Poor service hurts us worse than it does you. We are here to give good service and there are many ways in which you can help us.
For Information About Rates and Service
Call Contract Department, Number 9080
Southern Bell Telephone& Telegraph Co. of Va.

 

-The Times Dispatch, 26 April 1908



Southern Bell Telephone& Telegraph Co. of Va., would soon become Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone.





Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Roads

                                       INSPECT CHARLES CITY ROADS.

                     Members of New Kent Board of Supervisors on Automobile Trip.
                                           [Special to The Times-Dispatch]
Malvern Hill, Va., July 14.-An automobile party, consisting of members of the Board of Supervisors of New Kent county, made a trip to Charles City county on Thursday to Inspect the Improved public highways of this county, which are In so much better condition than those of New Kent. The party was brought over at the instigation of J.R. Richardson, a well-known citizen of New Kent, and Richard Mountcastle furnished his motor ear for the occasion.

-The Times Dispatch, 15 July 1912




Friday, April 1, 2016

Wild Man?!

A repost from 3 years ago . . . 




The Times of Richmond, April 2, 1902 . . .

I believe the date is probably the secret behind this odd sequence of articles.