Strickland, Victor (1893-1986) |
Worcester County Library: Local History and Genealogy Collection, Snow Hill Branch, Snow Hill, MD
|
Interviewee: |
Victor Strickland (1893-1986) with comments from wife Myrtle Strickland (1897-1990) |
| Interviewer: |
Eric Burns |
| Date of interview: |
1982 April |
| Length of interview: |
49 Minutes |
| Transcribed by: |
Lisa Baylous |
| Preferred Citation: |
“Name, Oral History Collection, Date of Interview, Worcester County Library, Snow Hill Branch, Snow Hill, Maryland.” |
Topical Terms:
School
Transportation
Worcester County (Md.)—History
Worcester County (Md.)—Social life and customs
Location Terms:
Klej Grange (Md.)
Worcester County (Md.)
Interview Begin
INTERVIEWER: Uh, I got questions, here.
VICTOR: Alright. Fire away!
INTERVIEWER: Ok. Um, how was your childhood? Like, what was, what did you do around the house? Like, what kind of chores, responsibilities (unintelligible)? Do you remember?
VICTOR: Well, um…I remember wiping dishes and, uh, splitting wood. Slab wood. We had a lot of slab wood. (unintelligible) they called it “The Old Klej Grange School.” That was, um, a two large, two room school, with the Town Hall on the second floor. Anyways, they had festivals in the summertime. (Unintelligible) ice cream, cake, you know. The boys would, uh, the girls (brought) cakes, you know. The boys would bid on them sometimes (unintelligible). Fantastic (unintelligible)—for those days. And, um, I remember one time we didn’t have electricity, of course, (unintelligible) a lot of people (unintelligible). There was a rail around the stairway. I was standing up, watching the people who were (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Um, school—
VICTOR: And, they, um, (unintelligible) at the school (unintelligible) and my father used to go to the mill pond (unintelligible) and cut the ice (unintelligible) and store it in sawdust.
INTERVIEWER: He stored it in sawdust?
VICTOR: Yeah. It would keep until (unintelligible) and there would still be some left (unintelligible). Well, uh, there was, uh, two of them in school downstairs. But, we only had one teacher.
INTERVIEWER: One teacher?
VICTOR: Mm hmm.
INTERVIEWER: Uh—
VICTOR: (unintelligible)
INTERVIEWER: What subjects did you take? Did she teach everything, a little bit of everything?
VICTOR: Oh, yes. One teacher for, um, seven grades, is it? Or eight? Seven, I think. There was seven grades all in one room. (Unintelligible) and, um, different classes. I used to go over here (unintelligible) lessons, and I didn’t have much to (cough) learn the next year. I can remember the lessons from the previous year. You don’t have any advantages like that. Do you?
INTERVIEWER: No. (Unintelligible). You have to go every year to school.
VICTOR: Mm hmm. Well…that’s the main parts I remember about the school. (Unintelligible) Then after the seventh grade, I had to walk, uh, three miles to Girdletree School. One, and the following, the following year, I had to walk four miles. That’s each, one way.
INTERVIEWER: One way? Where was the school? Girdletree, did you say?
VICTOR: Girdletree.
INTERVIEWER: Ok.
VICTOR: And, uh, my brother, I had two brothers that were older than I, and, um…My brother died when I was thirteen. He was murdered.
INTERVIEWER: Murdered?
VICTOR: Yeah. And, uh, my father was in the store business. He had a steam mill. And, a little farm. And, uh, we had to pick these, uh, (mill) stones (unintelligible) stones. For grinding—
INTERVIEWER: Grinding. Mill stones?
VICTOR: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Ok.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) and, uh, I remember seeing him operate the sawmill. I remember…What was it? (Unintelligible) buzzard.
INTERVIEWER: (unintelligible) buzzard?
VICTOR: Yeah. And, I chased him and he ran away (unintelligible) and landed in the (unintelligible). And, when I got close to him, he (unintelligible), you know.
INTERVIEWER: Wow.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) Well, I’m going to let you (unintelligible). I’ve been a half a mile (unintelligible) names were (unintelligible) ambitions (unintelligible) mouth to the Pocomoke River about, uh, three miles up the road. So, I had to hire men (unintelligible). Let’s see…They used to have a (unintelligible). I saw the largest tree I ever saw, and, um, (unintelligible) his name? The town commissioner’s? (Unintelligible) It’s about eight feet across, the stump.
INTERVIEWER: Eight feet?
VICTOR: Yes. I never saw one that large in the East. ‘Course I’ve seen that in the West and I never saw a tree like…It was a Sycamore tree. I’ve seen other large Sycamore, but I never saw one that large. Well, my, uh, father and grandfather—
INTERVIEWER: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: (unintelligible)
INTERVIEWER: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: --They, um, organized the church. We didn’t have any church (unintelligible). I guess there was one way back (unintelligible) because it was in ruins there. An Episcopal Church. But, they organized the Methodist Church. And, um…Uh, Myrtle?
Wife: Yeah?
VICTOR: Where’s that, uh, Church Rules?
Wife: The What?
VICTOR: Church Rules.
Wife: I don’t know where they are.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) be here somewhere.
Wife: I know they are but I don’t know where they are.
VICTOR: Anyway, I had some rules (unintelligible) books.
Wife: (unintelligible) book. I don’t know where the rules are.
VICTOR: Ok. (Unintelligible)
INTERVIEWER: So, your father organized the Methodist Church?
VICTOR: Mm hmm.
INTERVIEWER: And, is—
VICTOR: My father and grandfather.
INTERVIEWER: And grandfather?
VICTOR: Yeah. And, uh, it’s still in operation to this day. Well, I don’t know who the pastor is. Ok, and the (unintelligible) got the church. The congregation (unintelligible) the church.
INTERVIEWER: Oh. Where is it located?
VICTOR: Klej Grange.
INTERVIEWER: Klej Grange?
VICTOR: That’s where I was born (unintelligible). What’s his first name? I can’t think of his first name. (Unintelligible) And, uh, (unintelligible) about two weeks ago, (unintelligible) golden wedding anniversary celebration of, uh, Mr. Pilchard’s, uh, father-in-law and mother, mother-in-law. That’s where I observed this treaty which was about a hundred yards from where I was born.
INTERVIEWER: Um, do you remember what year you were born in?
VICTOR: 1893.
INTERVIEWER: 1893.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) Let’s see…What else could I tell you?
INTERVIEWER: What did you do, like, for recreation? Like, did you ever ice skate?
VICTOR: Oh, yes! My goodness! I was…I guess I was, I was one of the first to skate from Pocomoke to Snow Hill and back and live to tell it.
INTERVIEWER: (unintelligible) scandal.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) It was very fool-hearted (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever swim, like, in the summer?
VICTOR: Oh, yes! (Unintelligible) Oh boy! (Unintelligible) regular picnic (unintelligible) every so often. And, um, I almost got drowned in the Pocomoke River. (Unintelligible) where the, uh, golf course is now. It had a nice-looking sandy beach there. And, uh, that was in the days of, uh, steamboats.
INTERVIEWER: Steamboats? All right.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) steamboats going up and down (unintelligible) making the waves wash that beach. It was a nice little beach. And, I never did go (unintelligible) (telephone ringing) (unintelligible) That’s, uh, (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: What did you ever do around town? Like, was there any festivals or parades, circuses?
VICTOR: Well, I was raised in the country and Klej Grange was…My father’s store was the only, uh, (unintelligible) and (unintelligible) post office. There was only one store and one post office.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
VICTOR: And, uh, the (unintelligible) Landing, Steamboat Landing, was down. It was around three miles, I guess. (Unintelligible) chickens and eggs, (unintelligible)…I guess. And, um, there was baptizings.
INTERVIEWER: Baptizings?
VICTOR: In the Pocomoke River.
INTERVIEWER: In the Pocomoke River?
VICTOR: Mm hmm. That’s where I was baptized. I was, uh, I was converted when I was eight years old. (Unintelligible) too afraid to get baptized. My brothers (and sister) did. Well, I was baptized when I was nine. Now, let’s see…There was a store (unintelligible) they had a parade there.
INTERVIEWER: Ok.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) go across the bay to the other shore. Are you getting anything out of this?
INTERVIEWER: Oh, yeah. I’m getting most of it. Um, how did you get around? Did you ride the horse and carriage? Or, like, did you (unintelligible)—
VICTOR: (unintelligible) Well, I walked.
INTERVIEWER: Walked?
VICTOR: Yeah. I walked, uh, three miles, uh, ever, ever since school one year. And, uh, the next year, (unintelligible) house, and (unintelligible) another mile further away. I walked four miles. But, uh, I didn’t do that very long. My (brother) managed to get a hold of a bicycle for me.
INTERVIEWER: A bicycle?
VICTOR: And, I weren’t much good on sandy roads. We didn’t have anything but sandy roads. (Unintelligible) ride your bicycle. But, anyway, (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever ride on a train?
VICTOR: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Where did it run from? Do you know?
VICTOR: (unintelligible) later years, I, uh, (unintelligible) met them at the railroad. And sometimes (unintelligible) Wilmington from Delmar and, uh, (unintelligible) to the Baltimore Tunnel and over to Washington.
INTERVIEWER: And (unintelligible) this was in your later years, right?
VICTOR: When I was in my later years.
INTERVIEWER: Do you—
VICTOR: (Unintelligible) the first ride I remember a train was a…I think they had a, an excursion, uh, from Snow Hill to, um, Ocean, Ocean City.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Uh, to Ocean City?
VICTOR: Mm hmm. And, uh, that was a great adventure.
INTERVIEWER: Ok. That was—
VICTOR: (unintelligible) train unloaded on Ocean City itself, over across the bay. And (unintelligible) and, um, (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Um, do you remember when the first car came? Like, do you remember the arrival of the first car?
VICTOR: Automobile?
INTERVIEWER: Yep. Automobile.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) I saw and the person I rode in. The, uh, Doctor (Unintelligible), my protégé, owned it. And, he had a boy somewhere around my age. (Unintelligible) get in it. I don’t remember going anywhere. Maybe I just got in. And, uh, he used to drive it to call on his patients, you know. Doctors would come to see you in those days.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Instead of you going to them today. Um, did you ever go to Public Landing?
VICTOR: (unintelligible)
INTERVIEWER: Public Landing?
VICTOR: Oh, yes. Yes. That and Red Hills.
INTERVIEWER: Red Hills?
VICTOR: Famous, uh, picnic places. One, um, first Thursday in August, and the other was the second (unintelligible) first Wednesday in August. And, they had a great farmer’s picnic.
INTERVIEWER: Was that Forrester’s Day?
VICTOR: Hm?
INTERVIEWER: Was that Forrester’s Day?
VICTOR: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Farmer’s Day? (Unintelligible)
VICTOR: Yeah. We had a great time there. And, um, I rented some kind of little sailboat, and, uh, (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: I don’t know how he come to trust me with that boat. But, I sailed it (unintelligible) and, uh, (unintelligible), you know. (unintelligible) memorable. But, the (unintelligible) was my past. (Unintelligible) was on the side. Uh, (unintelligible), uh, centerboard and, I don’t think there’s been much more. I was glad to get it back.
INTERVIEWER: So, they rented sailboats at Public Landing?
VICTOR: Mm hmm. Then, also, they used to rent little sailboats at, um, Red Hills.
INTERVIEWER: Red Hills?
VICTOR: (unintelligible) the boat was already made of, uh, (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: All right.
VICTOR: But, uh, two or three of us used to ride down, I guess it was thirteen miles from Pocomoke. That’s where I lived then. I, I graduated from the Pocomoke High School. And, um, we took our bicycles and ride over there. And then, (unintelligible) rented (unintelligible) fifty cents.
INTERVIEWER: Fifty cents? How long did you have it? Like, most of the day?
VICTOR: I guess we only had it two or three hours—until we got tired. And, uh, that was, uh, quite a little place at that time. But, the, um, beach wasn’t satisfactory. A lot of (unintelligible). And, let’s see. What else could I add to that?
INTERVIEWER: Um, did you ever go, like, to Assateague?
VICTOR: Assateague Island?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Like, when you were younger?
VICTOR: I didn’t know there was one.
INTERVIEWER: You never knew it existed?
VICTOR: Only later years.
INTERVIEWER: You spent, like most, mo-most of your early childhood, you spent on the Pocomoke River? All right.
VICTOR: And the (unintelligible) Chincoteague Bays.
INTERVIEWER: What about the shipyards? Did you ever spend time near the shipyards in Pocomoke?
VICTOR: Well, yes. And, the first job I had was before (unintelligible) Snow Hill (and), uh, Tull Shipyard. They used to have a Tull Shipyard a long time (ago). Well, I went down, uh, to go to work for this, uh, (unintelligible). I forget the name of it. And, uh, (unintelligible) in the, uh, paddleboat, (unintelligible) sailboat. And, uh, he begged me to go in it (unintelligible) boy. And, uh, he was having a boat hauled ou there. So, (unintelligible). And, uh, he was like, uh, (unintelligible). He was kind of a (unintelligible). Used to, uh, (unintelligible) and, uh, we tied up the boat in Sanford, Sanford, Virginia. And, uh, he just stayed around, I guess. Waiting for (unintelligible). Got moved to way down to Cape Charles, and, uh, hauled cabbage or something. But, anyway, we (unintelligible), uh…He lived in the house nearby, and, uh, we boarded there. (Unintelligible). There was no action, you know. I got a (unintelligible). I did have my bicycle (unintelligible). And I, and I had a suitcase. I (put) that suitcase on the bicycle and I let myself go to Snow Hill. And, uh, (unintelligible) and, uh, after (unintelligible) who it was. And, they took me in for the night. The next day, I came back to Snow Hill (unintelligible). And, uh, later on, I got a job on, uh, (unintelligible) Crisfield crabbing in Tangier, Tangier Sound. I don’t know how long (unintelligible) it wasn’t very long. It was (unintelligible) experience (unintelligible), you know, at that time. (Unintelligible)
INTERVIEWER: Um, do you remember any, like, superstitions or legends that you heard that were passed on to you?
VICTOR: Well, (unintelligible) I was, more or less, of that (none) of those stories. I remember when I was, that was when I was, uh, fourteen, I guess. Thirteen or fourteen, after father died. I don’t know, um, what I was doing out that night, but I was (unintelligible)…I don’t know. I remember the moonlight, uh, was sh-shining bright. And, I was coming along the road and there was a ghost. I saw a ghost playing. I (unintelligible) courage to (unintelligible) on by and it was at the edge of the woods. And, uh, as I got past, I saw it. It was moonlight shining on the old tree. And, uh, there was another time, I rode my bicycle to see my, my girl. I must have been fifteen or sixteen, I guess. That was from Pocomoke. There’s supposed to be, uh, um, man riding without a head at (unintelligible). But, uh, another time (unintelligible) hair stand up (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember, um, like big storms? Heavy snow storms or hurricanes, rains?
VICTOR: Well, (unintelligible)…I was down in North Carolina on the top of Mount Mitchell, which is the highest point in the East in ’33. And, uh, (unintelligible) storm…it was the greatest storm (unintelligible) here. And, uh, (unintelligible) the science of the storm, saw some debris (unintelligible). (unintelligible) higher than (unintelligible). It was (unintelligible). But, uh, lately, I’ve been seeing (unintelligible) that storm. My, uh, two daughters were keeping the store for me, and, uh, I didn’t see (unintelligible) next year. Next year was the year (unintelligible). I still own it. (unintelligible) I didn’t (unintelligible), uh, I was telling you about the, uh, time I skated to Pocomoke, from Pocomoke to Snow Hill and back. Not the same day. The next day (unintelligible). Uh, after I did that, my older brother thought that he had to do something (unintelligible) and he skated from Ocean City to Public Landing. And, after he got started a little ways, there was a snow storm and he couldn’t see any way he was going. He made, made his way to (Reverend) (unintelligible) and got his (unintelligible) there. From there, he couldn’t see the shore.
INTERVIEWER: The snow was so heavy?
VICTOR: (unintelligible) by, you might say. But, he didn’t know. He didn’t have a compass. But he, he knew the, uh, direction the wind was going, which was North East. And, after (unintelligible), he made his way to Public Landing.
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever, like, did you ever have, uh, like, any music festivals? Like, music bands that ever came by?
VICTOR: Any what?
INTERVIEWER: Any music. Did you ever listen to any music? Like, when you were younger? Like, bands came in to town?
VICTOR: No. The, uh, oldest memory I have from a sound of a bugle was, uh, when my father was keeping store in Klej Grange. There were two men and two bears (unintelligible), you know. And, they (unintelligible)the bears for show (unintelligible). And, uh, I had to take them over to, uh, the Sycamore tree. And, he (unintelligible) them up on command (unintelligible) when he wanted to. But, that was, uh, a great occurrence.
INTERVIEWER: Um, were you drafted in World War I?
VICTOR: No. I was very lucky. I had, uh…Let’s see…I was on the farm with my brother and, uh, somehow, I never did know how, I was classified as a farmer, of course. But, um, I was classified in the same, uh, class with the preachers and the, um, uh, civil (unintelligible) and the courthouse. I never did know how I got it but I didn’t, didn’t question it. My, uh, brother was in the World War. (Unintelligible) I mean.
INTERVIEWER: Do you remember, like, the Depression? Like, how did you get by, how did you (unintelligible) through the Depression?
VICTOR: Yeah. Did without. We, uh, had a lot of, (unintelligible) and, uh, (unintelligible). Well, we had, uh, gardens in those days. We had beans, and beets, and peas and onions, and so forth. And, we had a cow. Had two cows. And, uh, of course, we had (unintelligible) and we had, uh, two chickens. We always got eggs. And, that’s how we got by. (unintelligible) butchering (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Um, were you too old to get drafted for World War II?
VICTOR: Yes. I guess I was. But, I had, uh, my wife had a twin brother. He was drafted. He was drafted, wasn’t he?
Wife: No, he wasn’t drafted. He signed up.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) volunteer?
Wife: Yeah.
VICTOR: Anyway, he was on the (unintelligible) and, uh, witnessed, uh, some battle. And, one time, in rough sea, there was rough, uh, waves, (unintelligible) rolling so much, he got water in his (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) very much. And, he saw a lot of, uh, Japanese, Polynesian (unintelligible). And, uh, put out, put out their lifeboats (unintelligible) and tried to save them and they fight them off.
INTERVIEWER: They didn’t want to be saved?
VICTOR: No. They, they thought that, uh, they had been told that (unintelligible) (cuckoo clock). And they, they…So, I was in the business of raising tomatoes and so forth in World War I. (Unintelligible) Back breaking job.
INTERVIEWER: Raising tomatoes.
VICTOR: Mm hmm. (Unintelligible) tomatoes…I think right now fifteen cents (unintelligible) pastures for them.
INTERVIEWER: Is that, was that a good price?
VICTOR: Starvation price.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. (Unintelligible)
VICTOR: (unintelligible)
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
VICTOR: Let’s see, um…What else could I tell you?
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, ‘cause I’m out of questions. I covered everything on the sheet. I’ll even add all you want if you have more things you’d like to talk about, talk about it.
VICTOR: Well, uh, I guess, um…You know anything about my history?
INTERVIEWER: Ah, no. I don’t. Sorry.
VICTOR: Now—
Wife: I thought you’ve been giving him your history.
VICTOR: In, um, (unintelligible) a farm in, outside of Princess Anne, on King’s Creek. And, um, I, I lived in Princess Anne when I was married. I was married in 1913.
INTERVIEWER: 1913?
VICTOR: And, of course, I had…I had four, four children (unintelligible). Two of them already when the, uh, war broke out.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
VICTOR: And two more before it was ended. And, uh, I came to, in, uh, the various jobs I had, on the railroad, and so forth. I finally got to, um, Berlin. And, uh, I learned of, um, (unintelligible) told me about little stores (unintelligible) which, I went (unintelligible) starvation (unintelligible). I bought it. And, um, I went from there to, um, (unintelligible) near West Ocean City and bought one in, um, (unintelligible). And, uh, (unintelligible) Berlin where they, um, have Burbage’s now. And, uh, when I had a store in Ocean City, branch store, of course, and, uh, when I went to Berlin and I had a store in, uh, Denton, I couldn’t get away from my first love, though. My first love was my first, uh, country store. So, I bought it. Let’s see…which (unintelligible) store (unintelligible).
Wife: I don’t know.
VICTOR: (unintelligible) I had a man from (unintelligible). Good man. All, all my men were good men. Except one. Got rid of him. And, uh, (unintelligible) store (unintelligible). One in (unintelligible). One in Plowville, and one in Pittsville. I didn’t own them all at one time, but, (unintelligible) seven or eight is the most I had at one time.
Wife: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: Yeah. I, I, I mentioned it.
Wife: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: And, uh, she worked right alongside of me. Went to work when I did and came home when I did. And, uh…she was the secret of my success…
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
VICTOR: If I had any. So, um, that’s most of it, I guess. We made three trips out to, uh California in a car.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
VICTOR: I’d like to go again.
Wife: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: Yes. (Unintelligible)…And, of course, (unintelligible) seven inches. (Unintelligible) thirty-two. Never had any mishaps. (Unintelligible) water fountain (unintelligible).
INTERVIEWER: Man.
VICTOR: And, um, there’s one thing (else) (unintelligible). After I came into money, I bought this house. And, uh, it cost me, the house and land (unintelligible), six day, sixty-two and a half foot (unintelligible) I think it is, for three thousand dollars.
INTERVIEWER: (unintelligible)
VICTOR: And, the house was already built.
INTERVIEWER: Man! That’s a real good price! Like, compared to today. Today’s houses go for one hundred thousand dollars.
VICTOR: Yeah.
INTERVIEWER: Um, when did you first arrive in Berlin?
VICTOR: Nineteen hundred and, um…Wait a minute…1930—29.
INTERVIEWER: Uh, right. When the Stock Market crashed, huh?
VICTOR: Mm hmm. Yes. My goodness. I bought, at the time, at the top of the market, and, uh, I had to place, uh, depreciated prices for the next three years and four…it was (unintelligible). But, I rented that store (unintelligible) it is one hundred twenty-five hours (unintelligible) awful high. But, (unintelligible) landlord (unintelligible) he, uh, he does, uh, I guess the financier and he, uh, gave me one month’s rent which was a big help, of course. And, he was trying to, uh, take care of me. He also (unintelligible) on the, uh, (unintelligible). Something else (unintelligible). Bob Masey. And, he always treated me all right. A lot of people said things against him, but, I have not a thing to say against Bob Masey.
INTERVIEWER: Is that about all you have to say?
VICTOR: (unintelligible) say that much.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Well, thanks a lot. I’ve got plenty here.
END OF INTERVIEW