 |
   |
|
2010 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul 2009 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2008 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2007 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2006 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2005 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2004 Archives Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2002 Archives Oct |
Burns, Hartsock give Greenbackville a Voice By Stephen Furness - 06/14/2007 The Daily Times More Info on This Book: Voices of the Chincoteague: Memories of Greenbackville and Franklin City
Perhaps both originate from New Jersey and Missouri, respectively. Perhaps, also, both have made the Eastern Shore the land on which they have retired. But the service they have rendered to the town of Greenbackville and the former town of Franklin City, absolves them from any name-calling. Their new book, “Voices of The Chincoteague,” was a four-year journey for Burns and Hartsock into the very heart of Greenbackville and Franklin City, uncovering the towns’ past — both good and bad — from dusty record books, maps, but most importantly, from the people who cultivated the town into what it is today. Located on the fringe of Accomack County and knocking on the door of Maryland, Greenbackville is a small town — populated by working watermen and farmers — that has been somewhat forgotten by the rest of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Many who come here know the town only for its sprawling residential development, Captain’s Cove. Both writers said that many would rather keep the Cove and Greenbackville separate from each other. Because of the Captain’s Cove expanse, both Burns and Hartsock feared that Greenbackville, with all of its people and history, might be overshadowed if the story of its origins were not somehow recorded. “This place is changing so fast,” Hartsock said. “We’re come-heres, but if we had to predict what this place is going to look like in 10 years, it’s not going to be anything like it is now or like it used to be. And if we don’t preserve these stories, it’s all going to be gone. One of the people we talked to said: ‘You know, when one of these old heads dies, it’s like you burn down the library.’” Though Burns and Hartsock have spent much of their lives as career professionals providing business advice to the health care industry and the like, they were both born and raised in rural areas not unlike any town found on the Shore. They met and developed a fast, lifelong friendship while attending graduate school. Together they both hold doctoral degrees in higher education administration, and merged their companies together to form Integrated Options Inc. in 1984. Together, they have worked with associations spanning the country, writing business plans and doing long-term strategic planning. But it wasn’t until they were on their way to visit Williamsburg, in the late 1980s when they decided to take “the long route,” visiting a mutual friend living on the Shore. That diversion proved to be serendipitous. When they looked upon the land and waters of the Eastern Shore, both said they had found where they wanted to retire. “When you’re coming over across the Bay and you’re looking at these twinkling little lights, we said: ‘Who needs Williamsburg?’” said Hartsock. They built their home in Captain’s Cove in 1990, while continuing to operate their business outside of the town, opting to consume their leisure time on the Shore. “It was love at first sight,” Burns said. “It was rural, it was beautiful, it was not city. It was the small-town kind of life that both of us independently had come from. So the transition was a very easy one.” As the years advanced, technology was enabling them to spend more time in Greenbackville, using the Internet and fax machines to maintain their business. All the while, both enjoyed the area and began participating in organizations and events inside the community. They said that at first, some of the town’s-folk were somewhat distant. But as they continued to participate and engrain themselves within the tightly-knit town, the folks got to know them and welcomed them as one of their own. One town event that currently lures many to Greenbackville, is their annual “Old Tyme Festival,” a sort of community gathering held in the fall that celebrates the town’s history, and allows residents to swap stories within the atmosphere of an old-fashioned community dinner. There’s a pig roast, a firehouse raffle, and the occasional hay ride through the town. During one of the festivals, Burns and Hartsock became particularly attached to yarns of the old days spent on the water and in town, spun by the myriad “old-timers” who lived the experiences. The story-telling was epic in scale, and they said they instantly knew that if not recorded by someone, those stories would be eternally lost. And so they began the writing process first by asking Greenbackville resident Frank Merrill, who they should talk to. Merrill gave them eight names. Through those interviews, they would pick up four or five more apiece, until they had enough oral history to literally fill volumes. What did they learn? Perhaps that is not the proper question. More accurately stated, what didn’t they learn? Burns and Hartsock walked away from each interview, riveted by stories of an age sans technology and its accompanying machines which today make life easier for the working so-and-so. “First of all, (we learned that the people were) darn good problem-solvers, because they had nothing to work with and they made everything out of it,” said Burns. “They were ingenious, they took Model-T motors and turned them inside out and somehow figured out how to put them on motor boats. They could take almost anything and make it do something. They were multi-talented, they forged their own pieces and parts to make their machinery work.” Something else they learned from nearly everyone they interviewed, the people of Greenbackville could “can” almost anything. From muskrat to tuna, as well as just about every fruit and vegetable known to man, were canned and stored. Practically the only thing the residents could not preserve was corn, claiming that “it don’t keep.” As they approached each interview, they were warmly greeted inside local homes, but were also warned. “One thing that was inevitable is when we got together with them, the first thing that they said almost universally was: ‘I don’t know why you’re here. I don’t know anything,’” said Burns. “And of course, they knew everything and everyone. They could tell you about anything you wanted to know regarding the town and its history.” They conducted each interview the same, bringing with them a template list of questions to revitalize their memories and get the people talking. And though each interview was flavored with uproariously funny and interesting tales of the town and its people, both said that there were many equally darker tales that were told. They heard accounts of the exceedingly hard times endured by the town through the storms of 1933 and 1962, and the enormous effects they brought to the town, the people, and the local seafood industry. But out of the shadows and into the light, the Greenbackville and Franklin City residents endured, strengthened and renewed by hardship with a readiness to adapt to the changes. “Somebody told me: ‘There were plenty of hard times and we were dirt poor, but we didn’t know it,’”said Hartsock. After four difficult years of interviewing, compiling information and writing, Burns and Hartsock had finished their book and began shopping it around to various publishing houses. Though they said they have a file of rejection letters, they felt lucky to have been accepted and finally published by Arcadia Publishing. Once they signed a publication contract, one of the most difficult tasks they faced was the book’s naming. Together they agreed upon “Voices of The Chincoteague,” which they call appropriate because their research yielded an early land map that exhibited all lands bordering the Chincoteague Bay were once referred to as Chincoteague. “Even today there’s a church on the mainland called the Chincoteague Church,” Burns said. “Today Chincoteague is an island and a Bay, but in the book we explain that in the early days, the whole edge of Chincoteague Bay was called: The Chincoteague. And when you look at the maps, it looks like the United States before the Louisiana Purchase. It was gigantic.” Released just last week, both writers feel satisfied by their finished product, but are quick to divert immediate ownership. Though they claim responsibility for the research and writing, both said that the book really belongs to the town of Greenbackville and its people. Rightly so, as “Voices of The Chincoteague” is the only book completely dedicated to the town’s history. Though it’s been referenced by local author and historian Kirk Mariner, Burns and Hartsock’s book is a complete one-of-a-kind. “We certainly did not do all this by ourselves, and really it’s not our book,” said Hartsock. “It’s Greenbackville’s book. It’s a validation of their lives and their parents’ and grandparents’ lives. It was important enough to have a book written about it. We’re not going to make money on this, either. But that’s not why we did it.” And though their book may be an account of Greenbackville and Franklin City’s history, they said that many parts of the book have direct ties to many Eastern Shore communities, both in Virginia and Maryland. They both strongly believe that “Voices of The Chincoteague” will have a massive appeal to all Shore residents because, simply, though direct circumstances may have been different, their applications are not. “We could have gone to Saxis or Shelltown and gotten virtually the same thing,” said Burns. “Some of the incidents may have been different, but the basic flavor would have been the same. Rural life on the Eastern Shore was rural life on the Eastern Shore, it just happened to be set in different places.” One thing is for certain, Greenbackville folks couldn’t be any more excited about the book. Both writers said that residents are even more proud of their town and history, and happy that people across the country will have access to the book. Because they chose not to identify their interview sources, Hartsock said that the town will probably be fairly busy for the next 10 years or so, reading and rereading the text, attempting to guess who told which story in the book. And because the town is proud, so follows Burns and Hartsock. Both have been published multiple times throughout their careers, but they said that the book feels ultimately more important to them because it’s recording history that would have been otherwise lost. Due to that, “Voices of The Chincoteague” is as important a document as any other Shore-related history text. Like the people that compromise its subject, not a word is wasted inside of it. What’s more, Burns and Hartsock have crafted a perfect balance of historical evidence, oral testimony, mild speculation, and engaging photographs. Combined, “Voices of The Chincoteague” make for a perfect read that is informative, hilarious, contemplative, and nostalgic in all the right places. Finally, it’s a book that’s really easy to locate. Currently it is available inside many area bookstores, independent retailers and national chain stores, as well as from ArcaidaPublishing.org. During each Second Saturday Art Stroll as well as throughout Pony Penning week in July, The Kite Koop and Bookstore on Main Street will host Burns and Hartsock inside signing copies of the book. Buy It Now: Voices of the Chincoteague: Memories of Greenbackville and Franklin City $21.99 |
| Arcadia Pressroom | Arcadia Catalog Search | New and Coming Soon | ||||
 |
||||||
|
|
|||||
| © 2010 Arcadia Publishing | Privacy Policy | Job Opportunities |