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November 2016
“Traveling to Cuba”
Traveling to Cuba will be the topic presented by Ed Tillett at the Mathews Maritime Foundation speaker meeting. His extensive travels to Cuba over the past 17 years culminated in a book titled, Cuba Bound, The North Coast: Ports of Entry and Anchorage. Ed is an award winning film and video producer, author and journalist. His initial travels to Cuba resulted in a film documentary produced with the University of Richmond’s Dr. Mike Davison that examines the relationships between American…
Find out more »December 2016
Holiday Open House – Puddin’s Creek House & Tompkins Cottage
Step back to the 19th century! Puddin's Creek (old Methodist Parsonage, 119 Church St.) and Tompkins Cottage (43 Brickbat Rd.) will be open to celebrate the Christmas season. Period decorations, costumed docents and holiday refreshments will make the holiday bright! Ornaments, publications and Capt. Sally Tompkins dolls will be offered for sale.
Find out more »Prehistoric Indians of Mathews County and the Chesapeake Bay area
Professor Martin Gallivan of the College of William and Mary will give a talk on the prehistoric Indians of Mathews County and the Chesapeake Bay area. Dr. Gallivan is perhaps best known for leading the archaeological investigation of Chief Powhatan’s home village of Werowocomoco. He has written several books on Virginia Indians and his most recent book, the "Powhatan Landscape" was published in August. His lecture will focus upon a number of the issues raised in the book, including an…
Find out more »January 2017
Maritime Speaker Meeting – Luna
The construction of an 18th century Bermuda sloop named “Luna” will be the topic as presented by Mr. John Collamore. He will describe the current construction of the “Luna” as well as the history of this “coastal workhorse” that at one time hauled goods from one port to the next and spread the day’s news. Mr. Collamore and crew intend to sail her to historic ports from North Carolina to Maryland “to be able to tell the maritime history of…
Find out more »February 2017
Prehistoric Mathews County, Part Two: The Tools Used by Prehistoric People in the County and Artifact Identification
The lecture will cover the three periods of Indian occupation in Mathews County: Paleoindian, Archaic, and Woodland. The lecture will be followed by an artifact identification session by a panel of experts from the Longwood University Longwood Institute of Archaeology and the Nansemond Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia. The information will be integrated into a computerized database which will permit us to have a better understanding of who, what and when prehistoric people lived in Mathews. Although the…
Find out more »Braving the Wartime Seas
The book Braving the Wartime Seas is the subject of this month’s Mathews Maritime Foundation Speaker Series. Presented by the author, Tom Schroeder, it is a tribute to the Cadets and Graduates of the US Merchant Marine Academy who died in World War II, honoring the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Of the estimated 243,000 men and women who served in the Merchant Marines, it is estimated that 8,421 were killed at sea, as prisoners of…
Find out more »March 2017
American Legion Post 83 Flag Disposal Service
American Legion Pots 83 Flag Disposal Service, 73 Hookemfair Rd. 725-7422
Find out more »Gilbert Klingel: Man of Steel
Film Director/Producer Dave Miller to introduce his newest film project: “Gilbert Klingel: Man of Steel” on Tuesday, March 7 at 7 pm at the Gwynn’s Island Civic League building. Next Tuesday there will be a special event at the Civic League building to preview the upcoming PBS documentary about the sailboat “Freya” project and Gwynn’s Island boatbuilder, Gilbert Klingel. Director/Producer Dave Miller will be there to show the film trailer and talk about this project. The film will feature Gwynn’s…
Find out more »Maritime Lecture: Adonia
Ed Tillett will present an overview of his work on renovating motor vessel Adonia at the next Mathews Maritime Foundation Speaker’s meeting. His 60 foot 1947 John Trumpy & Sons diesel cruiser was launched in 1947 as contract #330. The vessel’s home port is now Urbanna, VA, after spending the past 40 years on Long Island Sound. Ed, his wife and various crew spent the summer of 2016 sailing over 1,200 miles in the Chesapeake Bay and south along the…
Find out more »April 2017
Raising the CSS Hunley
Clyde Smith, alias Dirk Pitt, Special Projects Director for NUMA, and Chairman of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, specializing in promoting Virginia underwater archeology and historic maritime preservation, will be the featured speaker at the April 19th meeting of the Mathews Maritime Foundation. Clyde Smith will tell us a bit about NUMA, The Sea Hunters, and the search for the Confederate submarine Hunley. Clyde was introduced to Clive Cussler in 1980 during the search for the C.S.S. Hunley off…
Find out more »May 2017
MAY FAIRE 2017
May FAIRE is a spring event celebrating Mathews County's heritage, culture, seafood bounty, and natural beauty! It will be held May 6, 2017 from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the Historic Mathews Court Green area. Remember the Mathews Spring Festivals and the May Day Festivals with May Pole dancing! The Mathews County Historical Museum is bringing them back with a twist! We are combining them with the celebration of different periods of Mathews County's past. This year's May Faire…
Find out more »Tompkins Cottage Museum
Tompkins Cottage Museum (ca. 1820) operated by the Mathews County Historical Society, Inc. - The cottage contains changing exhibits and a collection of objects reflecting a typical home of the 1800s. The building is named for Christopher Tompkins of Poplar Grove, a prominent local planter, merchant sea captain and ship owner/builder. A room is dedicated to his daughter, Capt. Sally Louisa Tompkins, CSA. Capt. Sally was the first woman to be commissioned an officer in an American army.
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