MURDER at Whalehead...

View of the Whalehead Club from Currituck Lighthouse

While I have been on my vacation that is not a VACATION but is a vacation I had the pleasure of having a book plopped in my lap with the exclamation of "YOU MUST READ THIS!!!"

My first thought was "Where the hell is Whalehead?" I seriously had never heard of it at all but figured what the hell why not. As I dove into the pages of the book by Joe C. Ellis I had mental images pop up of the way things were supposed to look.

Last night I finished the book and am happy to say I knew whodounit from chapter one. I have talent like that. However, lets back the train up just a tad, to where I said I don't know where Whalehead is.. I do now. Whalehead is the Whalehead Club located right here in Corolla beside the Currituck Lighthouse that I featured in photos yesterday of that little climbing adventure. What I did not tell you was that after Drake stopped threatening to kill me shaking due to the incredible heights I made him climb to, we continued on our little afternoon fieldtrip and decided to check out the tour of the Whalehead Club. It was amazing but, you can not take photos inside the building, so let me just tell you it was worth every moment. Stepping back in time AND living out the pages of the book that I was so engrossed in, it was just WONDERFUL!

Here are a few photos that were taken during our tour in legal photo taking places.

I love it when houses look like they have faces, this one has a long nose and vampire teeth
(i will now stop smoking the doobie and get on with my post)

Loved loved loved the windows... I could just imagine living there 80 years ago and waking in the morning to the beautiful view of the sound. Those windows you see were the bedrooms on the second floor.
"Kenny Queen" I actually ran into a character from the book while at the Whalehead.... seriously READ THE BOOK.

Drake said that this was part of the Mystery and that we needed the Mystery Van to figure this out.. I am sure Phyl will not be so pleased to hear that.

On a side note.. my mental images matched up perfectly to what really stood in front of me while I was touring ... I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS...

Not my legacy...

This is not MY family's legacy but I am sure it is someone's families.. but I enjoyed visiting just the same.

Yesterday after work Drake and I took out on a little adventure you know one of those adventures I could take weekly if I say LIVED HERE!!! we drove a little bit farther north than where we are staying and saw four people from Mathews no KIDDING... and they were NOT in the same group.. three different groups, four different people I thought I had returned to hell taken a wrong turn and ended up back in Mathews. Alas, we had not and we kept on our merry way and did not even wave at the people we saw, hey it is my vacation I will not wave if I want to!

After parking our car we hopped out and looked at the very tall looming building above us at which time Drake said there is no way in hell I am going to climb to the top of that thing so you can take a few lousy pictures.. not happening woman! "We are going to climb THAT???" It was at that moment I realized that the sound in his voice was not exactly excited but one tinted with a bit of fear. I told him we would be fine and off I flew to throw $20 bucks at a man older than Methuselah and he made me sign a form saying if I dropped to my death that he was leaving me there for the Osprey's to eat .... well to be honest I don't really know what it said I just signed it.

Off we went.. up up up up up... up up up up up... up up up up... SCREECHING HALT just one platform from the top. I look back and Drake is plastered to the side of the wall shaking his head and mumbling this bitch is crazy.. this bitch is crazy.. this bitch is crazy I can't do this! I can't do this! I can't do this! So I make my way back down 20 steps that I had just lumbered my way up and explained to him that there was only one more tiny flight and that he could make it and that there was a platform there he could stand on while I went out and took the photos, I explained I would be really fast and we could head back down. He mumbled something under his breath then I didn't quite catch but there were some not so nice words I can promise you and in a broken little voice he said... "o-o-o-ok"

Back up those 20 steps I climbed and then up 20 mor.... oh shit... this is not happening... where is the platform??? Why is there a door that wind is howling in?? WHERE IS THE FREAKING PLATFORM? I glance back and Drake is right behind me with the look of complete fear and wild look that I know says "I can overcome this fear thing just to throw you off for lying to me!!!!" I had just trudged up more than 200 steps I would be damned if I was going back without one single picture, so I again said "Drake there is nothing to worry about honey I promise! Just stand here REALLY close to the side of the building and hold on to this handle I will run around and take the photos and we will RUSH back down!!" He replied with an evil look that would have curled your toes.

But without further ado.. here are the shots from Not My Legacy, The Currituck Lighthouse...

The Keeper's Home
Views as we ascended.
From the bottom looking up....



From the top looking down...



Views from the Platform outside..
Photos from my weird ass view...




I am sorry but I do believe that there photos I got were worth my painfully cramped curled toes that resulted from the evilness in my son's stare!!!

QT

My baby ain't so much of a baby anymore....

It is a goooood thing.

This week so far has been full of wonderful little moments like these.

Hope to post more of these later....

All of a sudden the world just melts away and all you are left with is you and your dog.
I stand here today with the whole world ahead of me for the taking... I just need to take that first step.

"Yes I just said "Chhhheeeessseee!" but no one is going to believe you when you tell them I actually talk.." *Wink*

New Point Comfort Light a different view...

The shots I didn't show you yesterday.. Just some random things I took shots of that I liked...

The abandoned baby... I think he just didn't make it. It made me rather sad. The nest was built right on the little dock.

It is really just a window frame but I adored it..

Hmmmm this looks a bit lived in... like it is someones current home... nah...
Stand stones and a peek of a window (I hid the dead bird that was hung up in it)

Am I in a dungeon???

What apparently happens to paint in salt air..

Sand Stone steps.

Underneath the steps...
Ladder to the top.. umm yea I used the thing...


See... I used it.. by the way that is a LONG way down.
Loose brick..

ACK!!!! We ended up NOT ALONE.. I knew that little home looked lived in!!!!


This little guy was MUCH more calm than the other dude...

Even when he doesn't look like such a little guy!!!!!

hehehehehehe

Legacy...

Everyone wants to leave some sort of legacy in this world my family left a huge one and hopefully it will continue to stand for many years to come. We may not have fame and fortune but we have roots in this community that have stood the test of time and elements for over two centuries now.

The Historical Information was found at The New Point Comfort website and will appear in italics.

Looking down from the top.

In 1802 Elzy Burroughs (the brother of my GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT Grandfather.. there I got that right.. SHEW.) had just completed building the Old Point Comfort lighthouse and was aware of the need to build another to the North. He acquired then sold 2 acres of land at New Point to the Federal Government with the understanding that he would be awarded the contract to build the lighthouse and keepers dwelling.

Burroughs was a stone mason by trade, and his proposal to build was submitted hand written without drafted plans or drawings, and based primarily from his experience of building the Old Point Light.

Looking up from the bottom

A final note at the end of the proposal- "I agree also to put down four stones for landmarks lettered U. S. to designate the boundaries of the public land, and to paint the lantern with three coats at my own cost without any additional charge," is a testament to his character and dedication to the project.

Don't ask how I got this shot you do NOT want to know.

With the appropriations of $150.00 dollars for the land and $8,500.00 for construction Burroughs set out in the spring of 1802 to build his second lighthouse.

Burroughs and his men persisted these and other unforeseen difficulties, and on January 17, 1805 the 63 foot Lighthouse was completed and lit. The first lantern was an octagon shaped cylinder 6 1/2 feet in diameter and stood 8 feet tall. Within its light chamber were a series of lamps suspended by adjustable iron chains. Each lamp was powered by burning fish, sperm whale, or lard oil. The illuminated beacon could be seen for up to 12 miles.

President Thomas Jefferson personally appointed Elzy Burroughs to be the first keeper of the light, and he remained there for ten more years. Since then many keepers have come and gone, some serving for many years while others could not endure even one. In 1854, James White lasted a mere 3 weeks until his appointment was revoked for reasons that are unknown.

Since the lighthouse was built, it has steadfastly withstood the relentless forces of the wind and waves. The sandy beaches on which it stands have not held up as well. In 1847, a succession of strong Nor'easters began to carve out an inlet in the beach near the lighthouse. By 1852 the tip of the peninsula was cut off by the sea and the lighthouse and dwelling now stood on a new island.

In August 23, 1933 a great storm descended over the Chesapeake Bay. By 9:00 am. the sky at New Point darkened and torrents of rain began to fall. When the fury had passed the larger island had been torn from the lighthouse. 24 days later on September 16, another mighty tempest passed just offshore the Virginia Coast. New Point Comfort was again pummeled by the raging seas. Winds rose to 87 mph at Cape Henry, and tides reached 8.3 feet above mean low water. The combined force of the two storms dramatically transformed the New Point Comfort beach. Two islands now lay at the end of the peninsula. Heavy damage was seen with this storm in Virginia. The lighthouse sustained severe damage to its foundation and tower. Repairs were soon made and it continued in operation.

The erosion of the sandstone

My absolute FAVORITE shot of the day.. I like odd angles.