A to Z April Challenge: C is for Cradock

Genealogists and family historians get a lot of satisfaction from chasing their ancestors’ stories. Finding a diary, a message on a postcard, or a photo with a name attached is like the sun coming out after a storm. One day we will be somebody’s ancestor. We need to leave our descendants a little bit of sunshine too. So here is my story told alphabetically, not chronologically: Growing Up in Cradock.

is for Cradock.

I was not born in Cradock, a community in Portsmouth, Virginia, but it was my mother’s home from the 1940s and the place we returned to not long after Daddy was finished with school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Cradock was a wonderful place to grow up in the 1950s and 60s. That was a time when neighbors knew neighbors and no one locked their doors. Children played outside and had lots of freedom to explore even after dark. We lived there until 1971 when my parents bought a new house in the up and coming area known as Western Branch in the neighboring city of Chesapeake. Still I regard Cradock as my home although it is difficult to drive through there today. The vibrant community I knew has deteriorated due to age of the homes and buildings, economic woes of residents, and lack of leadership in city government. Revitalization efforts have mixed results.

Photo by Laura Purvis

Cradock is a historic neighborhood built in 1918 to house shipyard workers during World War I since the neighboring city of Portsmouth, Virginia was not equipped to handle the large numbers of workers moving in. It was the first government-funded community in the United States. A little over 300 acres was developed to be a fully self-contained pedestrian neighborhood of 35 blocks surrounding a shopping district close enough for most residents to walk to stores, to school, to church, to the library, to the post office, and to recreation areas. Today that is called “new urbanism.”

Cradock was named for Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock whose fleet was sunk by the Germans in 1914. The street layout is based on an anchor with Gillis Road (where I lived) forming the stock and Afton Parkway forming the shank. The curved part is created by Alden and Dahlgren Avenues. Many of the roads were named for naval heroes.

I’ve put together some “then” and “now” photos of the commercial district of Cradock.

Historic photos
http://rqbing.tripod.com/afton_square_1950s/

It was a short six blocks from my house on Gillis Road to Afton Parkway. At the corner was Reds, a bit of a forerunner to convenience stores where you could get lunch as well as buy light bulbs, cleaning supplies, toys, and candy. I was often scared of this store because boys smoking cigarettes were always hanging around. However, I had to be brave because Reds had the best selection of Barbie doll clothes. Today a Christian outreach operates there, still a gathering place for Cradock residents.

Afton Place is a Christian mission
where Reds used to be

Next door was a hardware store, but I doubt it is still in business. At the opposite corner was a bakery and later a florist. I don’t know what is there now.

Across the street was a dry cleaners (although it was some other business in this older photo) and jeweler. At one time there was an upholsterer.













Now, the stores are home to a real estate management company and other offices.

Moving on up Afton Parkway the road becomes “one way” around a circle. 

The park in the middle was where every summer Holy Angels Catholic Church held its annual bazaar. We went every night. We could play Bingo, enjoy pony rides and carnival rides, play carnival games for cheap prizes, and even have our fortune told. My favorite game was picking a plastic duck out of the “pond” to see if I was a winner – yeah, I’m easily entertained. And cotton candy! COTTON. CANDY. EVERY. DAY. This park remains although not quite as lush as it used to be, but it still sees plenty of action with fall festival and “Come Home to Cradock” activities. That iconic cannon is still there too. I am sure kids climb on it just as we did.

Cannon in Afton Square

Shops and apartments on Afton Square

This part of the shopping strip gives a good view of the “new urbanism” concept with apartments above the stores. On the right was Highs Ice Cream. It was five cents a dip when I was a kid. My friends and I used to find bottles to trade in at the grocery store - 3 cents for small bottles and 5 cents for large ones. On a good day we could get a double dip of ice cream for our efforts.

On the far left corner was Moys. They ran both a Chinese laundry and take-out restaurant. I remember thinking it was such a treat to get chow mein to bring home for dinner. A variety of businesses have come and gone over the years including appliance stores, antique shops, thrift stores, and beauty parlors.

Here’s the bank where I had my little savings account and Christmas club. In recent years a series of restaurants have tried but failed to make it there. The empty lot was once Overtons Supermarket. We did most of our grocery shopping at Colonial Store where my grandmother worked, but if we needed something right away, Momma sent me to Overtons because I could walk there. Supposedly a community garden is there now.

Next to the old bank is the library marking the end of the commercial center and of one-way traffic. Across the street facing Prospect Parkway are the fire station and post office.

Fire station and post office (hidden by the tree)

Coming down Afton in the other direction is – or WAS – the Afton Theater where we spent many Saturday afternoons. Since I wrote about that on A day, I’ll move on. Next door was Halls Drug Store with the best penny candy. Independent real estate offices, property management firms, and tax services have made these old buildings their homes.

Left to right: Halls Drug Store, Afton Theater, Afton Apartments

Down from the Afton, the shop on the corner was a fabric store where Momma was a frequent customer since she made most of our clothes. At one time it was run by her high school friend Bertie Winn Campbell. It is now a convenience store.

The corner store was a fabric shop but now a convenience store.

In the next block was a restaurant and appliance store ending with Chapman's market, a butcher shop. My grandmother sometimes helped out since the Chapmans were old family friends.

Now look at that stretch of Afton Parkway. So depressing. The Bar & Grill with upstairs pool hall are long gone; even the restaurant in business when Google Maps took this picture is closed.

On the curve were the bakery although I have more vivid memories of it being a florist, a grocery, a beauty parlor and another drug store. This was my favorite drug store. Although Halls had good penny candy, this store sold Sixteen magazine and boasted a lunch counter. Today the VFW occupies that spot. I do not know if there are other businesses next door.

This brings us back to the park in Afton Square. The Gazebo (bandstand) has always been the heart of “downtown Cradock.” It was originally on Prospect Parkway but was moved to its current location to be a focal point for community activities.

The bandstand will probably always be important in the hearts of Cradock citizens as a reminder of the Cradock that once was and the hope of what Cradock could be again. 

Count on my comrades at the A to Z April Challenge for clever and creative contrivances.

© 2016, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.