Thalia Acres Horse Racing

Despite the raging of World War II, Thalia Acres was abuzz with equine activity during the mid 1940s. At the same time that captured Germans were imprisoned at nearby Camp Ashby, the site adjacent to Robert Steinhilber’s property became host to wartime entertainment in the form of horse racing and showing. Steinhilber had purchased his land about a decade previously. While his Thalia Acres Inn restaurant had opened a few years prior to the opening of the racetrack in 1943, the facility was serving as an officer’s club during the war and racing days.

Former longtime Thalia Acre resident Margaret Stroud, whose father was the horse track’s founder, was one of several who shared her memories of Thalia’s racetrack. J. H. Spivey, then president of Princess Anne Saddle Club, had purchased the large tract of land in Thalia Acres from Herman Steinhilber, brother of restaurant-owner Robert. According to Stroud, her father was somewhat of a visionary: it was his goal to keep the Thalia area active until peacetime prosperity lifted wartime building restrictions and it was viable to develop the land. Under the direction of Spivey, a new horse center/trotting track, including boarding stables, was built.

The tracks were approved by the U.S. Trotting Association and the starting gun fired in the fall of 1943. They were off! The horse races provided area residents and servicemen both weekend entertainment and a welcome diversion from the stresses and calamities of the war. Events were held in April and again around November, as state law then prohibited horse racing December 1 through March 31. Typically, a few hundred spectators made the trip to Thalia Acres in Princess Anne County for a day at the races.

Spivey had designed an oval course for the flat races, allowing spectators a view of both the starts and finishes of the heats. Flat and harness races with sulkies became the main events, although show classes, bar jumps, brush races, and “hunter hacks” were also billed (NOTE: According to Wikipedia, “Hunter hack is a type of English pleasure class where exhibitors in Hunt seat tack and attire perform on the flat at a walk, trot, canter and hand gallop, and then jump two low fences”). The track’s racing program eventually encompassed the one mile 2:17 trot and free-for-all paces, three heats each, the half-mile flat race, the five-eighths mile flat race, and the one and a half mile steeplechases. Both thoroughbred and non-thoroughbred events were offered with prizes for winners of the competitions ranging from about $85 to $200.

Applicants were by no means limited to Princess Anne County horse owners: entries came in from the outreaches of Hampton, Suffolk, Nansemond, Chesterfield, Smithfield, Richmond, and King and Queen County. Lin Morris, W. C. “Bud” Powell, and Forrest “Buster” Newhall were among well-known Princess Anne County citizens of those days who proudly raced and showed their horses at “Thalia’s Oval.” Sunrise was Spivey’s own favorite horse. Forrest Newhall, Jr. recalled that Bud Powell raced and showed several of his horses, including his stellar thoroughbred stallion imported from England.

George Albert Reel set out from his dairy farm in Great Bridge to Thalia’s racetrack, the closest to him in those days, to win many a ribbon. Reel’s daughter, Mrs. Coley, shared that her brother-in-law Elwood Bradley had the honors of riding their prize racehorse, Lady Rivers, to the finish lines. Coincidentally or perhaps by some grand design, Mrs. Coley’s grandson was in later years employed as a busboy at Steinhilber’s restaurant adjacent to the racetrack. Cody literally worked on his great grandfather’s stomping- or, shall we say trotting- grounds.

Even locals without registered steeds could join in some of the fun. Bill Onderdonk, for instance, along with other local high school age teens, recalled unofficial “face break” races of subpar farmers’ horses (even mules!) on afternoons at the tracks that included a chicken dinner. 

It seems the horse races in Thalia came to an end in 1946. The track's oval is notable in aerial photographs of subsequent years.

Terms and Conditions: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.  No one may modify, copy, reproduce, or distribute any content in any manner or medium without permission. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice.

Collins Square

In the 1930's, John “Johnny” Collins and his wife, Paula, of Manhattan, New York, purchased a summer home on Virginia Beach Boulevard at Thalia. Not having fared well in New York during the depression, they eventually packed up and moved to their summer home in Princess Anne County. Joining them soon after were Paula’s sister, Eleanore Masters, and their mother, Julia Masters.

Julia Masters lived in the two-story wood house situated next to Kettlers that is now the law office of Bruce Mills, Paula’s nephew. For her livelihood, Julia leased out its eight bedrooms to boarders. Thomas R. Kay, a cousin to Paula and Eleanore, moved to the area in the 1940s and set up his home on the land now occupied by Kettlers. “Tommy” Kay went on to serve as Thalia Volunteer Fire Department’s first fire chief.

For their livelihood, John and Paula Collins built tourist cabins around their summer home and rented these out as Cabins-in-the-Pines in recognition of the prolific pine trees dotting their land.  While the cabins are now gone, some remained until recent years.

Sometime before World War II, the Collins constructed their first commercial building, from which a general merchandise store operated along with a tavern and gas station with Amoco pumps. During the war, the influx of military personnel who manned Camp Ashby, the military prisoner of war camp across the boulevard from the Collins business, increased clientele and the success of their commercial enterprises.

In 1949 after World War II, Paula Collins sponsored Andrew Borek, of Polish descent, to come to the states from a German displacement camp. His non-English-speaking family accompanied him, but there was no communication barrier with the Collins family, as they spoke Polish. Borek served as handyman for the “tourist camp.”

In the 1950s, with the widening of the boulevard from a two-lane to a four-lane highway with feeder roads on either side, the State condemned a portion of the Collins’s real estate. This required the removal of their commercial building. The top second floor of the two-story building, which constituted their living quarters, was separated from the bottom floor and moved back to its present location. It served as the law office of the Collins’s nephew Bruce Mills from the mid 1970s until recent years.  As Bruce quipped, in this single-story dwelling, it could be said in truth that one is standing on the ceiling!  Today the building is the studio of Fine Art Specialists at 4145 Virginia Beach Boulevard.

Over the following years, the Collins’s acquired the adjoining parcels of real estate, amassing at one time a total of forty acres with over 2,000 footage along Virginia Beach Boulevard, approximately from Lynn Shores Drive to Ash Street in Thalia Village. John and Paula were quite active in the civic as well as political affairs of their community. They served as General Registrars for the Kempsville precinct, which then included Thalia, registering residents to vote. Among other community activities, they were responsible for the establishment of the all-volunteer Thalia Fire Department and the installation of city sewage and city water to the Thalia area. John Collins also served as deputy sheriff for the recently created City of Virginia Beach.

After the demise of their first commercial building, the Collins’s constructed a new, two-story commercial building and named it “Collins Centre” (1963). One of the first signed leases was to the Thalia Hardware and Cut Rate Supply Company, owned and operated by Henry C. Carney. Carney wore at least two hats, also serving as area Justice of the Peace. He operated Carney’s Confectionery at Collins Centre through 1963. Thalia Confectionery, as some called it, had been the site of a “cake and pie sale” held by the Thalia Garden Club in July of 1955. Thalia Curb Market, otherwise known as Dickens Market, was the small grocery store at the opposite side of Collins Centre from Carney’s. Hazel Craig, a resident of the area for over sixty years, worked as a butcher at Dickens.

Eleanore Masters married Rodney Bailey Mills, a local boy. They had four children: Rodney, Barbara, Bruce, and Billy. Billy Mills served as Thalia’s second fire chief.

Collins Square Shopping Center was constructed on fifteen of the family’s original forty acres. It was open to the public in 1990. Julia Masters’ house has been leased through the years to various antique and art vendors. As stated, it currently serves as Bruce Mills’ law office.

Terms and Conditions: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.  No one may modify, copy, reproduce, or distribute any content in any manner or medium without permission. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice.

Skicoak Living Museum of the American Indian

Although within some Thalians’ memories, others may not know that our community was once host to an historic and entertaining museum that honored and displayed the ways of the American Indian. The site of the Skicoak Living Museum of the American Indian was west of Thalia Creek, across from Pembroke Mall.

The museum, affiliated with the Foundation of North American Indians, was the brainchild of founder and director Leslie “Douglas” Waldorf  (1927-2007). He developed the show-and-tell facility on the acreage adjacent to his home. Skicoak Living Museum opened its doors, or perhaps more accurately, its teepee flaps- in 1965.  The entry road was dubbed “The Lane” by the residents of the three houses along the dirt road. Children referred to it as “The Time Tunnel” alluding to their magical venture back to the days of the past.

Waldorf was a man of many trades, having worked in radio broadcasting, banking, real estate, television, and motel management. He had gained local notoriety in the 1940s and 1950s as “Wally Douglas,” an area radio and television personality, as well as a stand-up bass player and drummer. His interests in history and archeology greatly influenced his extracurricular activities, including involvement in various organizations and societies to the benefit of many. Putting his knowledge of Native Americans to use, Waldorf, under the name of “Chief Thundercloud,” had been in charge of the Indian exhibit at Frontier City. Frontier City was an American West historic theme park that operated from 1960 through 1964 at its location between Birdneck and Laskin Roads. When Frontier City closed, Waldorf easily segued into his “living museum” role, bringing with him not only public recognition as an “Indian,” but also, conveniently, some of the park’s costumes and props.

Waldorf prided himself in his thirty-five years of service to youth organizations including school children, Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls, by sharing his knowledge, time and talents. It was Thalia Elementary School’s fourth grade students’ enthusiastic response to his American Indians presentation that prompted his inspiration to develop his living museum adjacent to his family’s home. In the name of authenticity and in keeping with Waldorf’s passion for the history and lifestyle of American Indians, the entire family, wife Olive and the six children, took on many indigenous ways of life, including planting and harvesting their own crops for food, preparing food as the Indians had, and using deer skin hides as coverlets on their beds.

Waldorf named the museum Skicoak in keeping with local history of the area’s first settlers, the Chesapeake Indians. Skicoak was believed by historians to have been their main tribal village on the Elizabeth River in today’s Norfolk. It was depicted in drawings by John White, English artist, cartographer, and mid-1500s visitor to this area. Skicoak was seemingly gone before the arrival of the English at Jamestown in 1607.  Some believe the village was destroyed at the hands of Powhatan’s people, who resented the Chesapeans for not joining their confederacy.

The Skicoak Living Museum of the American Indian closed in 1971. For more information about the museum, go to http://www.mark422productions.com/SkicoakLivingMuseum.html

Terms and Conditions: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.  No one may modify, copy, reproduce, or distribute any content in any manner or medium without permission. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice.

Colonization of Thalia

Let’s roll the clock back to the 1600s. To encourage the colonization of Virginia, land patents were being granted through a “headright” system that offered 50 acres of land per person for the financing of another's passage from England. Two of our area’s earliest settlers from England, entrepreneurs Adam Thoroughgood and Lancaster Lovett, were utilizing this system to acquire hundreds to thousands of acres in what is today’s Virginia Beach. Seemingly, Thoroughgood and Lovett were the earliest European landowners in today’s Thalia (which was not so-named yet). 

Adam Thoroughgood had married the well-heeled Sarah Offley of London. It has been surmised that he basically used her dowry to embark on his colonial ventures. He did very well for himself, ultimately owning about 7,000 acres of land, much of it being in today’s Bayside. Adam was very active in the early development of the church and community of what was then called Lynnhaven Parish. He died in his mid thirties in 1640, leaving the majority of his land to his wife, Sarah. He left his Thalia land called “Timber Necke,” apparently land west of Thalia Creek, to his only son and namesake.

Lancaster Lovett had been granted the land in Thalia east of the creek. In 1645, he married young Bathsheba as his second wife. The following excerpt from early court records that same year illustrates an unfortunate (for Bathsheba) tiff between the pregnant sixteen-year-old and the aforementioned influential Sarah Thoroughgood Gookin. Sarah, then in her second widowhood as a result of her husband Captain John Gookin's death in 1643, was quite busy in the county court those days. In this instance, Bathsheba was accused of slandering Sarah and her daughters:

15 August 1645 - The difference in controversie betweene Mrs. Gookins Pltf: and Lancaster Lovett deft: concerning Bathsheba the wyfe of the said Lanc: Lovett at the request of Mrs. Gookin is referred to the next Court to be heard and determined .... for as much as it appears that Bathsheba the wyfe of Lanc: Lovett hath much misdemeaned herself towards Mrs. Gookins her Mistress and the Court taking due recognixance thereof doe order that the said Bathsheba shoud aske the said Mrs. Gookins forgiveness in open Court upon her Knees and if it shall appeare that the said Bathsheba shall hereafter misbehave herself in an uncivill or undecent manner worthy of punishment then she the said Bathsheba shall receive 20 lashes on her bare back after she is delivered of her child she nowe goeth withall and pay the Court charges. (A f 21a p 264)

Francis Yeardley married Sarah Thoroughgood Gookin in 1647 to become the twice-widowed woman's third and last husband. He was the youngest son of Sir George Yeardley, who served as Governor of Virginia from 1618-1621 and again from 1626-1627. By 1648 Timber Necke (again, west of Thalia Creek) was “taken up by” Francis Yeardley, most likely courtesy of his having married Sarah.

Sarah outlived all of her spouses. On her epitaph at the Church Point “parish church” graveyard, the thrice-widowed woman Sarah Thoroughgood Gookin Yeardley claimed each husband. But, per her wishes, she was buried with her second spouse, Captain John Gookin. Her marriage to him had been a happy but short, two-year union. Her burial request and will left no doubt that Gookin was her preferred husband.

Terms and Conditions: All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.  No one may modify, copy, reproduce, or distribute any content in any manner or medium without permission. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at any time and without notice.

Thalia's new history blog

Hello, 

I am Deni Norred, former Thalia resident and currently a Thalia neighbor in nearby Birchwood. Eighteen years ago, I teamed up with a neighbor to write a book about Thalia. Many life events and side projects later, the project is mine alone now and is still alive, and there will be a book one day. My research encompasses a much larger "Thalia" than we acknowledge today, including Town Center and Pembroke. Until the book is completed, I will use this blog to tease you with Thalia’s history.

Beneath the veneer of Thalia’s asphalt streets, manicured lawns, and the hubbub of residents’ everyday lives is an amazing history, rich for its acreage, which needs to be told. Like disjointed squares once a quilt, Thalia’s legends are passed in scraps from speaker to listener, their details sometimes tattered, faded and threadbare, while at other times embroidered richly with far-fetched color. Names, dates, major elements and minutia vary from teller to teller. Among the most-passed tales are those of a camp for World War II prisoners of war, a furniture store that once was a hospital, and a restaurant on the site of an old country club and golf course. Inarguably, most captivating are the tales of a Madam’s brothel and her private landing strip. Thalia has been home to notable artists, judges, TV personalities, and radio pioneers.

Of all Thalia’s story’s gems and riches, it is the memories of current and former “Thalians” that are the most treasured gold. After all, personal anecdotes are far more fascinating than any deed or passage in a book. Reliance on memories, however, may lead the reader to wonder how much of this gathered oral history can be called fact. As memory introduces interpretation into the record, it is impossible to know. Recollections of events long over are imperfect, their details often missing, time-corroded, or chronologically misplaced. But I am emphatic in my assertion that it would be tragic to discard the unproven from Thalia’s story.  

I look forward to sharing and expanding my knowledge of Thalia with you.

Sincerely,

Deni