Archiving Form

LOG SHEET

Tape number:V17

Name: John Cowart

Location: Westminister Canterbury, Irvington, VA

Date of Birth: 11/3/1918

Date of Recording:

Recorded By: Dianne Jordon

Log Sheet by: Grayson Mattingly

Item
In Point
Category
Description

01 00/49 F 1908 father built house he was born and raised in. On Coan River - Barnes Wharf up at Heathsville - Born in a place called Lake after his grandmother's family name.

02 3/50 L,H describes the family home - built in 1700s and father bought it in late 1800s. On the other side of the river was first court house in Northern Neck

03 5/10 L 1908 built steamboat wharf, then a country store and post office. Wharf had a roof over it from one end to the other. End of wharf had a warehouse on it. Built a cannery and oyster house next to the wharf. Cannery is still operational - caning fish row and homony and fish for bait.

04 7/00 W Tomatoe cannery, last in the NN operated until 1997. 450,000 case, 24 cans in a case, in 1997, largest amount in NN - Used to be 20 to 30 canneries in the NN. Old days peeling tomatoes by hand employeed 150 people or so.

05 8/00 W With moderazation only used 50 or so

06 9/00 W Describes tomatoe processing. In summer time blacks depended on tomatoe business - 100 or so people employeed to pick tomatoes. 1970 mechanical pickers were introduced and illiminated need for hand picking. 10 people on a machine - brother had three machines.Planted tomatoes in series. Cowart describes how tomatoe picking machine worked. Cowart at Lake last cannery - Lake Packing Company

07 13/43 SW Steamboat wharf was a gathering place - talks about steamboats serving the Coan River. Kids would gather just to see what was going on - Bundick Wharf goes back to 1700s - Wharf used to ship tobacco out.

08 15/44 SW Peaches, apples any products produced on local farms plus cattle were shipped via steamboat to Baltimore. Interesting to kid to see how loading and unloading was done - used carts on rails - Kids would swim off the steamboat wharf - swim around the boat. On kid he know would hand onto the back of the boat as it was pulling out from the dock.

09 18/00 SW Grand father had oysters to ship - John and brother went down to wharf 1928 - five gallon cans to be shipped to Baltimore - Father had a signal arrangement with the boats to stop them at the wharf at night time. Stationaly carosel lamp. Interesting story about signaling the boat one night.

10 21/00 SW Oyster house now employees about 100 - at least 25 are from Mexico.

11 23/10 W In old days workers in the oyster house - 25 men - would sing as they worked. Tomatoe workers would also sing but John remembers one in the oyster house. Tomatoe pickers were paid with chips for bucket of tomatoes

12 26/20 W Get drivers licence at 14

13 28/10 ST Fathers favorite steamboat was Dorchester - side wheeler - Remebers groups from Baltimore would come down in the summer on the steamboats - the Masons. Baltimore priciapal place during steamboat era. Talks about families involvement in civil war. Lake family in Dorchester Md supported the Confederacy. Lots of people went to Baltimore to get jobs.

14 32/40 ST At four or five years old John went to Washington via ferryboat at Colonial Beach and Bus then returned to Washington on the steamboat.Remebers eating in the dining room His wife used to go to Baltimore a lot on steamer.

15 34/55 L Steamboat museum needs to become a community place - Develop activities for the community.

16 37/36 L Talks about the Adams Floating Theater. Stopped at Kinsale, Bundick - describes boat. Actors and actresses all lived on the boat -intereting affect on the community.

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Item	In Point	Category	Description
01	00/49	F	1908 father built house he was born and raised in. On Coan River - Barnes Wharf up at Heathsville - Born in a place called Lake after his grandmother's family name.
02	3/50	L,H	describes the family home - built in 1700s and father bought it in late 1800s. On the other side of the river was first court house in Northern Neck
03	5/10	L	1908 built steamboat wharf, then a country store and post office. Wharf had a roof over it from one end to the other. End of wharf had a warehouse on it. Built a cannery and oyster house next to the wharf. Cannery is still operational - caning fish row and homony and fish for bait.
04	7/00	W	Tomatoe cannery, last in the NN operated until 1997. 450,000 case, 24 cans in a case, in 1997, largest amount in NN - Used to be 20 to 30 canneries in the NN. Old days peeling tomatoes by hand employeed 150 people or so.
05	8/00	W	With moderazation only used 50 or so
06	9/00	W	Describes tomatoe processing. In summer time blacks depended on tomatoe business - 100 or so people employeed to pick tomatoes. 1970 mechanical pickers were introduced and illiminated need for hand picking. 10 people on a machine - brother had three machines.Planted tomatoes in series. Cowart describes how tomatoe picking machine worked. Cowart at Lake last cannery - Lake Packing Company
07	13/43	SW	Steamboat wharf was a gathering place - talks about steamboats serving the Coan River. Kids would gather just to see what was going on - Bundick Wharf goes back to 1700s - Wharf used to ship tobacco out.
08	15/44	SW	Peaches, apples any products produced on local farms plus cattle were shipped via steamboat to Baltimore. Interesting to kid to see how loading and unloading was done - used carts on rails - Kids would swim off the steamboat wharf - swim around the boat. On kid he know would hand onto the back of the boat as it was pulling out from the dock.
09	18/00	SW	Grand father had oysters to ship - John and brother went down to wharf 1928 - five gallon cans to be shipped to Baltimore - Father had a signal arrangement with the boats to stop them at the wharf at night time. Stationaly carosel lamp. Interesting story about signaling the boat one night.
10	21/00	SW	Oyster house now employees about 100 - at least 25 are from Mexico.
11	23/10	W	In old days workers in the oyster house - 25 men - would sing as they worked. Tomatoe workers would also sing but John remembers one in the oyster house. Tomatoe pickers were paid with chips for bucket of tomatoes
12	26/20	W	Get drivers licence at 14
13	28/10	ST	Fathers favorite steamboat was Dorchester - side wheeler - Remebers groups from Baltimore would come down in the summer on the steamboats - the Masons. Baltimore priciapal place during steamboat era. Talks about families involvement in civil war. Lake family in Dorchester Md supported the Confederacy. Lots of people went to Baltimore to get jobs.
14	32/40	ST	At four or five years old John went to Washington via ferryboat at Colonial Beach and Bus then returned to Washington on the steamboat.Remebers eating in the dining room His wife used to go to Baltimore a lot on steamer.
15	34/55	L	Steamboat museum needs to become a community place - Develop activities for the community.
16	37/36	L	Talks about the Adams Floating Theater. Stopped at Kinsale, Bundick - describes boat. Actors and actresses all lived on the boat -intereting affect on the community.