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Buckroe Beach
Hampton, VA 23664 Vintage
Personal Photos |
![]() N. Mallory Street at Atlantic Avenue |
05/23/04 |
Courtesy of Frances Goodson Wang ('65) of MD - 01/24/04 Thanks, Frances! |
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http://www.nnhs65.com/buckroe-amusement.html http://www.nnhs65.com/buckroe-BW.html |
My
father was Chief of the Domiciliary Clinic at the
Veteran's
Administration Hospital at Kecoughtan. Once a month, he was
requited to be Officer of the Day, a rather insane practice which required
that physician to stay on duty for 24 hours. On such days
my mother
would drive him to work so we wouldn't be left without transportation. The next day she'd take my sister Eleanor ('59) and me along to pick him up at 4:30 when he finished work. As often as not, Daddy would suggest we'd drive to nearby Buckroe Beach to watch the ships. Unlike the "submarine races" along Chesapeake Boulevard, these were actual ships and boats. He could sit for hours, both fascinated and mesmerized by their movements - and sometimes we did just that. We had our own regular spot at the end of whatever street that is that was between the roller coaster and the San Souci Motel - would that have been Point Comfort Avenue? |
This was a regular ritual for our
family. But one time was special. It was Christmas Day of 1955. The Peninsula was enjoying record high temperatures that day. It was such a gorgeous day, in fact, that Daddy suggested we all go to Buckroe to watch the ships. I recall I was wearing the same white organdy dress I had worn for Easter that year. (Yes, Jimmy, I always remember what I wore for such important moments of my life, Christmas Eve of 1962 included!) Daddy and I were the only ones who wanted to do this; Mama and Eleanor thought it sounded colossally boring, so the two of us went alone – with no coats. They just weren’t necessary that day. It was no doubt colder on the beach itself, but we stayed in the car, parked in our usual vantage spot, and just watched the ships for the longest time, entranced by the way they appeared to be little toy boats. It was a very simple, quiet thing, but I'll always remember it |
- Carol Buckley Harty ('65) of NC - 04/16/04 | |
In June of 1963, my
sorority, Theta Delta Chi, had raised
enough money to spend a week at Buckroe Beach. We had
wanted to spend a week at Virginia Beach, so we sold Krispy Kreme donuts
every Saturday and held a car wash or two until we accumulated a bundle.
But that first summer we only raised enough to go to Buckroe, not Virginia
Beach, which wasn’t nearly as exotic in our minds. But we rented a cabin, and off we went. Unfortunately, it rained all week, and we spent much of our time lolling around the cabin instead of soaking up the sun and meeting guys (which after all was the major reason we were there). The cabin next to ours housed a bunch of guys from Hampton – also bored and disappointed. |
On one particularly dreary day early in the week, Katie Haan ('64) and I were lazing around on the upstairs screened-in sun deck porch thingie, when I became so bored and frustrated, I let out a really loud Tarzan yell. In all modesty, I must say I do a better – and louder – Tarzan yell than even Carol Burnett. Some of the other girls ran out to see what was going on. We all got to giggling, and I did several more just for the fun of it. But suddenly, we started hearing more Tarzan yells – and more and more. Then we realized that the fellows next door had tape recorded them, and were playing them back at us! And they continued to do so all week long!!!
Ah well – at least we weren’t bored anymore – embarrassed, |
- Carol Buckley Harty ('65) of NC - 04/16/04 | |
Ahhh, Buckroe Beach…….now there are some good memories. Everyone drove slowly by the beach……..go to the end, turn around, and drive back the other way…….go to the end……you get the idea. It was like Shoney’s on Pembroke Avenue……the place to ride around and be seen. Where was I? Oh, yeh, Buckroe……..besides the sand and the boys, my best memory is going to Barney’s on the corner and getting French fries and a soda. |
(Should I
post a picture?) But young adults did not go there at night because it was
one of those “beer joints” (aka really bad places) along the street. So, it was a huge deal when my brother Mel (HHS/56) took me there one night. And the amusement park…….. loved the roller coaster, snow cones, and DANCING in the pavilion! |
- Gloria Woolard Price (HHS - '65) of FL - 02/16/05 Thanks, Gloria! Oh, by all means - send us a picture - we'd love it! |
THEN: | |
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I used to sing at Pier One both in the restaurant and on the pier... seems like another lifetime ago! |
- Cheryl Mays Howard
('66)
of VA - 03/17/05 Thanks, Cheryl! |
THEN: | ||
I saw mention of Buckroe in the Spider Man newsletter (1/05/07). Here are some images that might be of interest. |
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The first image is of two tickets left over from long ago years for rides in the amusement park. | The other shows stores that lined the boardwalk. The roller coaster is visible in the background over the stores. The people in the picture are my sisters, me, and our mother. My sister, Joanne, Class of 1962, is on the left eating a candy apple. I am in the middle, also eating a candy apple, and my sister, Rose, Class of 1960, is on the right, next to our mother, finishing cotton candy. A fifth unidentified person was apparently behind my mother, but the camera caught only her feet. | Then I found another picture of the store fronts on the Boardwalk at Buckroe. My sister, Rose, (Class of 1962) is crossing the street to the beach with her cotton candy. My guess is that the pictures of the Buckroe storefronts were probably taken around 1955, maybe 1954. |
Hope everyone enjoys these pictures. |
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-
Aretie Gallins Patterson ('59) of Northern VA - 01/07/07 Enjoys them?!? OH, yeah! These are priceless treasures, Aretie, especially for those of us who had forgotten the richness of detail which you always recall with such clarity! Thank you so very much! |
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WOW!!! Those certainly capture the moment. You can almost taste the hot dogs and french fries they sell .... (with apologies to The Drifters) I bet you get some great comments when you post them. |
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- Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA -
01/07/07 Thanks, David! I just did! |
The Sand and the Sea Artist: Nat King Cole Words and Music by Hal Hester and Barry Parker, 1955 If I find peace of mind in the sand and the sea, There's a hope in my heart that you'll soon be with me, There's a prayer that I share with the sand and the sea, And it cries "Come to me, come to me." As my eyes search the skies from the edge of the shore, You are here in my arms for a moment or more, Then a tear rushes down to the sand and the sea, And it cries "Come to me, come to me." But as long as there's sand, as long as there's sea, As long as there's time, I'll wait hopefully. As long as there's heaven up above, Let the sand and the sea bring my love to me. But as long as there's sand, as long as there's sea, As long as there's time, I'll wait hopefully. As long as there's heaven up above, Let the sand and the sea bring my love to me. |
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Artist: The Drifters When the sun
beats down |
"Under the
Boardwalk" midi courtesy of
http://smickandsmodoo.com/aaa/rocknroll/,
at the suggestion of Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 07/03/03
Thanks, Dave!
"Under the
Boardwalk" lyrics courtesy of
http://www.jackis.com/lyrics/here_comes_sun_sum02/under_the_boardwalk.htm,
also at the suggestion of Dave
Spriggs ('64) of VA - 07/03/03
Thanks again, Dave!
Map image courtesy of http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=azR7Qep_0ToAQtGFytBwmGMaIuMRKtK6v1tfNg--&csz=VA+23664&country=us&new=1&name=&qty= - 05/23/04
Pebble Lines gif courtesy of http://gifsnow.com/ - 05/01/03
"The Sand and the Sea" lyrics transcribed by the Webmistress - 2003