Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-04
COUNTY Of MATTHEWS
IRREGULAR PENINSULA
Many Waters Filled With Superior
Fish and Oysters That Arc Sources
Of Considerable Wealth.
EVERY CoUNTYMAN A FARMER

Happy People Who Grow All They
Eat and Have Much to Sell.
Splendid Lands That Produce Most
Abundantly.
! Mathews is one Of the small counties
OF Virginia. 1t being twenty miles long
and not over nine miles in width at
the widest point. 1t contains an area
OF just nincty-two square miles. 1t
is peculiar shaped peninsula. being
almost entirely surrounded by water,
which waters jut in and out. leaving
the land within tho county with un-
! even and Irregular borders. Along the
| north end the broadencd Piankatank
| River hows into tho Chesapeake Bay.
and the waves of the Chesapeake beat
upon the entire eastern border. The
| Mobjack Bay borders the south, and
| II and tho North River touch the west
ern rim over half the distance OF tho
| county, leaving a few miles OF the land
| of gloucester County 20 touch the bal
ancc OF the western side. There arc
numerous nariEable inlcts OF these
! bays and rivers that iut into the
county and furnish transportation by
! all manner OF craft. Then tho East
! River extends through the central part.
dividing the county into two nearly
equal parts called East and West
| Mathews.
with so much water. Il goes without
saying that tho fishing and Clustering
| Industries OF Mathews County are
something worth talking about. TAX
| ing them as a whole. Il may be said
that the ASKING and oysterinE business
is the leading industry of the county.
and Is a source of very large revenue
to the people. and gives employment TO
4 very large number OF Non Mathews
ranks near the FIRST among the coun-
ties Of Virginia in the yield of its
fisheries, and the people claim that tho
fish caught along the shores Of
Mathews are superior IN quality to any
that swim the waters of this part OF
the globe.
EVERY MAN EITHER Is
FARMER OR a TRUCKER
Like the two counties or the Eastern
Shore. Mathews is famed by cooling
saltwater breezcs in the summer and
by the winds from over the Gulf stream
in winter. making the climate delight
ful all the year around, and no people
enjoy better health than those who
make their homes i'll this county.
The surface is level and the soil is 4
sandy loan that is easy TO cultivate
and is very productive. The farm pro-
ducts are corn. wheat. oats. rye. etc.
and all Of the vegetables known to the
trucker. In fact, Mathews is equal to
any section Of Tidcwater Virginia as
trucking land the soil and the climate
being adapted 10 growth of any vege-
tahle that can grow anywhere along
the Atlantic coast Every man In tho
county is farmer Many of tho people
are In other lines OF business and the
professions havc their representatives,
but every lawyer and every doctor. ev-
cry preacher and school teacher. every
merchant and every fisherman is also a
farmer. and they nil grow plenty to
eat, with n large overflow for the mar
kets. Therefore, it may be said that no
people on the earth are more independ-
ont than are the inhabitants OF Ma;h-
ews County. Half Of the land of the
county is in cultivation and the other
half In covered with timber. principally
plno with some oak, hickory and cy
Z. press.
80 NEED OF RAILWAYS
IN THIS FAVORED LAND
In recent years the people have been
giving much attention to raising poul-
try for the northern markets. and this
| IL growing into an extensive industry,
| They are also doing some right lively
stunts In stock raising and they GER
tainiy raise all of the meat necessary
| for homo consumption. They also grow
! fruits of various kinds. especially
pears. peaches and grapes.
| The county has no railroads and docs
not need any. The people can ship their
products all over the world by water.
| All kinds of craft from the big steam
| ships Of the Old Dominion line TO the
small gasoline and sail boats ply the
waters all around and In the county
and freight and passengers can he
moved ut almost any hour OF the day
and can be carried to the outer world
! In almost as short time AZ any rail-
road could carry them. For the same
reason the people do not seem to need
| improved highways very much. at least
they give very little attention to them.
The nearest railway town is West
Point. thirty miles distant, hut with
daily steamers TO Norfolk and other
kind of water craft to any and every
where, nobody cares how far the rail-
road is away.
SONIC OF THE INDUSTRIES.
THE TIDE MILLS
The industries Of tho county. out
side of general farming and trucking.
arc the fisheries and oil factories, cam
neries. sawmills. Touring mills and
some other smaller Industries required
by tho home people Among the mills
one may find a curiosity that perhaps
cannot be found anywhere else and
that la Grist mill. known as a tide
mill, which means that it is right on
the shore Of the bay, and tho power
which turns it's wheels is tho incoming
!
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