Reedville Local Custom Tips by grandmaR

#11 Historic Main Street -Northern Neck State Bank

This building at 876 Main Street was formerly the Peoples Bank of Reedville. It opened in 1910 and was built of the same brick as the Gables across the street (#14). Captain Fisher supervised the construction. During the depression, this was the only rural bank to remain open, due to Captain Fisher who personally loaned the bank $109,000.

Lobby:
Monday & Friday
9:00am - 4:00pm

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
9:00am - 2:00pm

Next to the bank in what is now the parking lot, used to stand the Dey Building which housed a law office, a milinery shop, a dentist, the Post Office, a bowling alley, a grocery store and a barber shop. It was razed in the 1950s.

Phone: (804) 453-4151

#20 Historic Main Street - Marine Railway

In 1906, Isaac Bailey's workshop was on this site, and Sam Butler bought the workshop and set up the first marine railway. Several tools owned by Mr. Bailey are still being used today in building, restoring and conducting maintenance on many area boats. The railway is now being operated by the third generation. George Butler helped the Reedville Fishermans Museum to restore the byboat Elva C.

From Commercial Fishing and Boatbuilding News:

"George Butler of Reedville Marine Railway..., has one of the primary railways on Virginia’s Northern Neck for commercial fishermen. Butler’s railway is hardly ever empty...

"Watermen pay a hauling fee and work on their own boats or they pay to have Butler repair and maintain their boats. The railway holds two boats and in June the Kath-De-O, a 42-foot crab boat and the Joyce, a 36-foot trap boat were on the rails.

"Owen Lawson of Fairport Va. owns the Kath-De-O. Lawson arrived back at his dock after a day working crab pots, only to have his shaft break and his prop fall to the bottom...

"Lawson keeps a spare shaft and Butler will install it. A diver was hired to search the bottom near Lawson’s pier to find the prop. “If he finds that prop, we’ll have him going in no time,” Butler says.

"Pound-net fisherman Tommy Lewis owns the Joyce and the boat was on the rails for routine maintenance. Lewis is going to do his own work. He works out of the Little Wicomico River and fishes pound nets in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

"Butler is also building a 16-foot deadrise wooden skiff for Bob Martin of White Stone, Va. The skiff will mostly be a pleasure boat, but it is typical of commercial fishing skiffs Butler has built for years. White cedar is used in the bottom and sides; the transom, stem, guardrail and ribs are oak, and the keel and keelson is made of Douglas fir. “It’s a typical Butler skiff,” says the builder. “I always have a skiff going and there’s plenty of demand. I guess there aren’t too many around who build wooden skiffs anymore.”

#3 -Historic Main Street - #504 the Oldest House

This is the William Walker house which is the centerpiece of the Reedville Fisherman's Museum. It was built (according to local tradition) in one single day on 17 April, 1875 while Mr. Walker was out oystering.

It was built on land which was purchased from Captain Reed (who came to Reedville the previous year) and is the oldest house still standing in Reedville.

Out in front next to the house is a bronze propellor from a menhaden ship.

The back of the oldest house where it has been 'attached' to the rest of the museum is in the second picture. I think the back porch was there, but the handicapped ramp was not.

It has been restored and furnished with accessories and items that would have been typical of a waterman's home in the late 19th century. The museum docents give a tour of the house which is quite interesting.

Website: http://www.rfmuseum.org/walker.html

#1& #26 Historic Main Street - Millionaire's Row

The Reedville Historic District begins at Crowder's Lane which is partly visible at the top of the drawing (the dark line). I have not walked up past the church (#2) which is below what is pictured to see the homes in the 300 block because I knew I had to walk all the way back to the marina afterwards.

So I have only the drawing to illustrate the first stop on the walking tour, starting on the west side of the street at #316. There are six Edwardian style homes built between 1910 and 1920 which are referred to as Millionaire's Row.

Across the street at stop #26 on the walking tour is 415 Main Street which was built in the Queen Anne style in 1910. John Jett, the National Football League punter grew up in this house and practiced his skills in many locations around town. There's also a Jett Foto at 617 Main Street - maybe a relative.

#6 Historic Main Street - Elijah Reed Monument

Halfway down Reed's Lane (which is now Main Street) the Reed Monument is enclosed by an iron fence. The fence is an example of the iron fences that once enclosed the yards of a number of the houses on Reed Lane aka Main Street. Sometimes these iron fences may have been sold as scrap for the war effort in WW II.

This plot was the site of the internment of Elijah Reed and his wife, family and close friends. Subsequently, they were moved to Roseland Cemetery.

The monument says:
"Elijah W. Reed

"Born November 27, 1827
"Died January 27, 1888

"Founder of Reedville"

Except for the monument itself and the information from the Fisherman's museum, there seems to be nothing on the internet about Elijah Reed.

#24 Historic Main Street - The Garrison House

I'm not exactly sure of the address of this house, but it is next to the Masonic Hall which is position #25. The house at #503 Main Street is the Garrison House, which was built in the Queen Anne style in 1885, and was a boarding house for 25 years. Bob is walking on that side of the street. I took the picture because of the mermaid by the door.

#16 Historic Main Street-793 Bailey Cockrell house

The north wing of this Queen Anne style home was built prior to 1884 to house Elijah Reed's factory workers. In 1886, Isaac Bailey purchased the house and one acre of land. An addition was then built which more than tripled the size of the house.

Isaac Bailey designed and built the "Bailey Skiff" which was a popular open shallow draft fishing boat used in the lower bay region at the turn of the century.

In 1899, the house was sold to Dr. L.E. Cockrell, who had his office next door at 791 Main Street (stop #17).

#19 Historic Main Street - 729 Main - Restaurant

On this lot there was originally the Blundon and Hinton store building - a grocery and department store. Behind the store was the Blundon and Hinton Cannery. Later it was the Reedville Market.

In 2001 at our visit, this was Elijah's Restaurant (named after Elijah Reed the town founder). In 2004, the name had been changed to Tommy's Restaurant.

#18 Historic Main Street - #729 Chesapeake Oil

This building is uninhabited and appeared to be abandoned on both of our visits. The inset was taken from the restaurant (then Elijah's - now Tommy's) of the back of the building in 2001. The front was taken in 2004.

The building was purchased from the Chesapeake Oil and Guano Company in 1884 by Captain John Hinton as a family home. Later it was called Reedville House and was used as a hotel with a livery stable in the rear.

#21 Historic Main Street - 621 Main

This house was built in 1890. The first house here was built in 1876, but was burned down in 1888. (Loss by fire was quite common in wooden homes.) The story goes that after the fire, the family took out the pot of beans that had been cooking in the oven.and had them for dinner. The building appears to have some later non-authentic architectural additions (like the porch and the iron porch railings).

The house at 691 Main Street was built by Isaac Bailey after he sold his house to Dr. Cockrell (see stop #16). The house burned. To the left of this house stood an automobile agency, the Reedville Motor Company, which burned down in 1925.

The Dey family ordered a pre-cut building from Sears and Roebuck and had the present house at 691 erected in 1926. This would be an interesting building to see, but I don't have a picture of it.