My Seven Square Mile World
Can you say when your life was formed, what set the foundation so you could proceed with your life. I am lucky and can remember that place and time very well. The location, Wythe, consisted of about seven square miles considered my "world" growing up in the 1950-1960's; I was born and raised there. The second of five children, we were raised in a strict household. My father, a WWII veteren, now owned his own business and my mother, a former school teacher, was a "stay at home mom".
Wythe was comprised of several neighborhoods that made up my "world"; a thriving community where people took pride in their homes and businesses. Our neighborhood, Indian River Park, was made up of all types of families; car dealers, school teachers, owner of the local television station, shipyard workers, city judges and treasurer, doctors, NASA employees, pastors, business owners, and co-owner of our local newpaper. There was no class system then, just neighbors living together helping each other out and when needed often stepping in if we were misbehaving. Adults were treated with respect and always addressed by their proper names such as Mr. Brown or Mrs. Anderson, and mothers played bridge, attended church circle meetings, or participated in scouts and school activities, but were always there to greet us when we returned home from school.
The neighborhood was very safe, doors were left unlocked and keys left in cars, crime was only something you heard of in those far away cities. Usually out of the house by sunrise, when not a school day our parents didn't look for us until it got dark and the street lights came on. I spent my time with friends riding my bike, building a tree fort and playing war games; during the fall we played football in an empty lot. The "creek" was a constant source of adventure, our "go to place" for fishing and crabbing, often taking a rowboat out to one of the islands to hunt for duck eggs, but usually running away from a very upset mother duck. Always coming home knee-deep in creek mud, I was met by my mother for a hose down and scolding, but she could be seen chuckling as she walked away.
We had everything we needed in our little "world". There was a library and several schools nearby all of which you could walk or ride your bike to; two public elementary and a junior high school, as well as two private schools. I ended up attending one of the private schools, but because my birth date was a month after the start of the school year for first grade, we were told I would have to be held back until the next year. That was until my mother intervened and they apparently saw the error of their ways. As I pressed on throughout my childhood, I fondly remember reading Tom Swift and Tarzan books, serving as a safety patrol, playing in the band and a particular sixth grade teacher who left a lasting impression on me for her kindness and understanding.
We were fortunate to have a doctor's office just up the street, where the doctor would make house calls or come to visit if you were admitted to the nearby hospital, and a locally owned Pharmacy whose pharmacist was always on call when needed. There was a "five and dime" where we picked out toys while our mothers searched for household items or children's clothes and a men's clothing store as well as a women's clothing store down the street where you could also find a hair salon, two barber shops, a florist, two grocery stores, three dry cleaners, two banks, two new car dealerships, as well as paint, hardware and auto parts stores. Our firehouse, police station and post office were all part of the community and our postman Mr. Taylor, was known to everyone for his kindness and singing as he went about his day.
Church was always a very prominent part of our everyday lives. In Wythe, all denominations were represented with Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic churches as well as a Jewish Synagogue and cemetery nearby. I rarely missed Sunday School, which earned me perfect attendance for seven years straight; unfortunately, my older brother stole my award pins.
Life lessons were all a part of this growing up process too; I assisted with my three younger siblings, helped out at my father's car dealership and began cutting grass for extra spending money at the age of thirteen. I soon learned the ups and downs of negotiation and the value of a dollar.
Entertainment could now be found at home on our very own black and white television where we watched cartoons and family shows, occasionally eating tv dinners when my father worked late. But we also had a state-of-the-art movie theater where first run movies could be seen and children's movies were shown during the summer at a discount price providing a built-in babysitter which made our parents happy. There were two ice cream parlors serving all the latest flavors; everything from a single scoop to a banana split, a community pool, miniature golf at the local putt-putt or a game of duckpins at the bowling alley. Families could get together at the drive-in theater, attend football games at the local high school stadium, head to the beach and amusement park at Buckroe or go out to eat at any one of the restaurants nearby. There were no fast-food chains in Wythe, but we did have four locally owned and operated restaurants, two of which served home cooked meals, including breakfast, and is where I was first introduced to "scrapple" which still evokes a response of "Yuck" to this day. One of the restaurants was up-scale where children were seldom seen. but we also had a Chinese restaurant, burger joint, BBQ and several places to purchase seafood to dine in or carry out.
Water sports were also a very significant part of our community. Walking across the Indian River bridge from our neighborhood, it was always special to go down to "the bay" (Chesapeake) as we called it, to jog, watch a regatta or launch a sailfish for sailing. The homes along the waterfront were called the "Gold Coast" of Wythe where they were built in the 1800's and early 1900's usually by sea captains or carpetbaggers, post-Civil War who started seafood businesses in the area. It was great to just walk or simply sit and enjoy a sunrise or sunset over the Hampton Rhodes. And to be perfectly honest, my final true love was there, but it took me forty years to figure it out. This was called trying to out think your life.
Now as I reflect on that "world", I can understand why I finally moved away. You see, I stayed in Wythe most of my life thinking if I did, my "world" would remain the same. Thinking back, I should have seen the demise; things had dramatically changed and not for the better. First the neighbors started dying off and either their houses went empty or their children rented or sold the property for a quick dollar. Unfortunately, the new neighbors did not have the same love or attachment for the neighborhood community. One paycheck families had become a thing of the past, and crime had now perpetrated my 'world". Children's bikes were stolen, cars ransacked or stolen, houses broken into while parents were at work, the park we had enjoyed over the years was now unsafe and businesses began to close.
By the time I moved away, my seven square mile "world" had shrunk to about two square miles that I wished to live in.
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