Memories - The Carvers
" Some Memories of the Carver's of Washington, NC "
by Linda Carver Clark
Yes indeed am a 'Carver' of Carver's Drive Inn. I have been Linda Carver 'Clark' now for 24 years (I started young)... The article on Dad was good! Dad was so modest that he didn't tell the interviewer that he pumped the sand to create Stewart Parkway (He was a dredger--and so was his dad) Some of the homes on W. Main have breakfronts that my Granddad and Dad built (unless they have all been redone)...
I have an 18 year old and a 20 year old, both sons, Joseph and Israel Clark. My brother David and my Daddy started Carver Machine Works 22+ years ago. My husband Don has been the main supervisor for 20 years. It is employee owned now. I am proud of my Dad, and he is kind of an unsung hero in a way--the tax base of Beaufort County must have been enlarged due to his line of work, because (before it became illegal in the 70's) Dad and Granddad enlarged people's riverfront property all up and down the Pamlico--and in other counties...These lots are worth hundreds of thousands now... Some of them in the 40's and 50's sold for $200.00 --Eeeekkkk! My Dad actually got paid in waterfront land once, but he sold it because of hard times. OUCH!
Carver Machine Works is now an "S" corporation and has international clients... A lot of folks have great skilled jobs there. My Grandma and ailing Granddad opened Carver's Drive Inn in the early 40's; it was just a gas station at first. Grandma started selling sandwiches. Chicken salad--ham salad. Soon, roast pork--sliced turkey... Then her famous "Chili dogs". I can't say that Grandma invented the Chili dog, but, what I was told is that some after school kids didn't always have 25 cents for a hotdog, so the chili was spread on the bun for them at 15 cents... Hence, the Chili dog became a requested favorite, even if one had the money for a hot dog. People wanted cheese on them, sweet or dill pickles on them (no extra charge) and my Daddy motorized Grandma's hand-operated ice shaver ("Snow King") because she couldn't shave ice fast enough to make the hand-stirred fountain drinks. Some people wanted vanilla, cherry, mint and sundry other flavors in them. My Dad used to deliver these 'Cokes' to fine ladies in Washington Park on his big balloon tired bicycle, sometimes twice a day. Grandma's fame spread so, that people would come "all the way from Hyde county" sometimes...She loved this! She retired and watched from what is now PJ's front porch. She would make me "count the cars" at the Drive Inn. The Beacham family ran this Drive Inn very successfully for a long time.
Hurricanes swept through Washington, and would flood the Drive Inn. When Hazel hit, my Mom was newly married into the Carver family, and she helped Grandma for a time. The flood waters were in the Drive Inn and coming in Grandma's house. My Dad and Granddad feverishly worked to save their valuables... Mom opened a refridgerator in the Drive Inn and a bowl of chicken salad "floated out". She grabbed some bread and made everyone some lunch. My grandma (instead of watching all this mayhem) simply said "I'm going upstairs to pray!" Dad and Granddad got in a small boat and drove up Market street to rescue stranded folks on their roof tops and such. What a time!
I am getting somewhere with my searching for my Carver origins. I hired James and Karen Ward, Virginia Family researchers, to do lookups in Virginia. We came from Stafford County and I have the first Thomas from early 1700's verified as our ancestor. We are not from the Mayflower Carver's. That made me even more curious to find out more. The Ward's think our folks came directly to Virginia as immigrants. My next project is to have them find out how Thomas got to Virginia.
P.S. Today I got an e-mail from a Carver researcher--and guess what!!!! My earliest yet known ancestor was indeed Captain William Carver who helped stage Bacon's Rebellion--the first resistence against the Brittish. Unfortunately, He was hung in 1676 for his part in the Rebellion. Maybe that's why we Carver's can be so stubborn, that is, when we really believe in something....we'll fight!! Dave is a sweetie, isn't he?
Love, Linda Carver Clark
If you have any old pictures that you want to share, email me. We will scan your picture, put it on
this site and return the original to you (negatives are acceptable). Thanks !
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