Cobbs Creek

This is a picture of Hills Bay off Gwynn's Island. In spite of the title to this post Cobbs Creek is nowhere in sight here, although it's dead ahead way down the Piankatank River, hook a left.

I've never been on Cobbs Creek, but I drive through there every single day, sometimes two and three times a day. Cobbs Creek is a body of water and it's a place, a bend in the road on Route 198 between Blakes and Soles.

My friend's father used to run Cobbs Creek Market which over the years has changed hands several times. Now it's a pizza parlor in spite of the fact that I was truly pulling for it to become a Thai restaurant. The pizza is actually good so I've backed off my disappointment at the lack of Thai food because it's never gonna happen here for the time being.

Anyway.

Cobbs Creek has another claim to fame; it was the home of a circuit rider who had his own segment on TV, a fact which never ceases to amaze me. Click here for a link to the background on that story.

In the book, "Memories from Mill Point, the Autobiography of Henry Gwynn Edwards," Mr. Edwards, born in 1904, provides another fascinating fact about Cobbs Creek. At one time it housed the only high school in the county, presumably at or near what later became Cobbs Creek Elementary School, which is now Cobbs Creek Post Office. The book is available from the Gwynn's Island Museum, and is a delightful, quick read.

On page 15, he says:

"Cobbs Creek, about 10 miles away [from Gwynn's Island where he lived], was the only High School in the County of Mathews. Since there was no public transportation it was necessary to become a boarder in Cobbs Creek. Charlie H. of Cherry Point was in the same situation, so we roomed together at Mr. Garret's who was the Principal of the High School. Where did I get the money to pay for room and board? I had a nice racing horse. Elliott my older brother used to race horses at the track located at Ward's Corner at the intersection of Routes 14 and 198. I sold my horse to Elliott for $300 which was a lot of money in those days."

From Heres know where Ward's Corner is, and the race track was located on that tract of land that has long been considered for development, adjacent to where Emory's once stood. Come Heres may be amused to know that horse racing was actually a pretty big deal here in the county at one time. One of my Meals on Wheels ladies told me about a race track on Gwynn's Island, and showed me a painting of her favorite pony.

Can you imagine a Thai restaurant located in downtown Cobbs Creek? a modern-day teenager selling his prized possession to raise money to pay rent to live with his principal, 10 miles away from home, just to attend high school?

Now, unrelated to Cobbs Creek, Thai restaurants, awkward living arrangements, horse racing or Hills Bay, here is a picture of Mathews Mark. Over the next week or so he's going to line up another photo shoot and interview with a local character man whose family owns a very unique store.
If you know anything about the old Cobbs Creek school, Cobbs Creek in general, the old racetrack at Ward's Corner or a way to entice a Thai restaurant to open up in Mathews horse racing in the county, please leave a comment. If you don't know anything about any of it, that's OK, neither do I leave a comment anyway.