Memories of Hillton Village

Memories from Dave & Sheila Ahrens
We moved to Hilton Village in August of 2005 and initially rented from Pat & Elisa Finneran. Dave and Sheila had a destination wedding in Saint Lucia in July 2006 and purchased the house on Ferguson in August 2006. Since then, we have been enjoying the very pleasant surroundings, the great neighbors and spending much of our discretionary time renovating the inside of our house. On warmer days, we enjoy rides in the country in our Mini convertible.

Submitted by Pam (Cutter) Ellen - 301 Piez Avenue
My parents (Bob & Joyce Cutter) and I moved to 301 Piez Ave. in the fall of 1957 from Aurora, Indiana, I was 10 years old having been born in Cincinnati, Ohio, not Newport News. My father was the chief inspector for a French coal exporting company for almost 23 years. Mom and Dad rented the house for almost 10 years before buying it from a Henry Brunk, whose aunts had previously owned it. When we moved in, there was the Colony Inn Hotel right on the corner of Piez Ave. and Main Street. Later on, the telephone company bought the property and built the present building, which has since gone through many changes of businesses. The bank building at the corner across Main St and to the other side of Piez Ave, has been there since 1956, and started out as the Bank of Warwick. And Bank of Hilton. There used to be 2 drug stores in the Village, but the smaller of the two didn't stay open long after we moved there, White's Pharmacy remained for many years, I ate many orders of fries and drank Cokes at the soda fountain it had and there was also a post office window in the back of the store. Seward's Grocery Store was there, it served residents of the Village with necessary needs when you couldn't get to the bigger stores. Crumb's Bakery, a dry cleaners, shoe repair and a Christian book store were also a part of the shops in the Village. Rose's five & dime store was a longtime establishment along with the Village Theater for movies on the weekend. The building (house) that is now "Plantiques" was once the medical offices of Dr. George Mitchell, we also had a jewelry store, and besides Beecroft & Bull men's wear, there was Hawkins-Knight for men. When that business moved up into the newly built Warwick Shopping Center, the building became a pool hall for the teenagers-all clean fun. Many lawyers started their practices in the houses along Warwick Blvd. And at one time we even had 2 dentists and various beauty shops have come and gone as well as gift shops. The 4 churches on each corner of the Village, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, & Episcopalian, have seen their share of growth and changes in their buildings. The fire station and library have been a source of help and comfort to all residents of the Village, I found many books for book reports and research papers in that library until I graduated from Warwick High School in 1965. I attended Hilton Village Elementary from Oct. 1957 until June of 1959-5th, 6th & 7th grades. Boy has that school changed! The ravine was there only it was not as nice as it is now and if we ever got snow, that hill leading down from the road into the now parking lot of the school, was great for sledding. We had no fence across the playground to keep us from the beach, and there was a beach back then. In fact Hilton Pier was "the" place to hang out in the summers of the early and mid '60's. Why we even had two lifeguards on the pier, at the first landing and at the very end of the pier-that's when people could actually swim in the James River! It wasn't an easy decision for my parents to make to put their house at 301 Piez Ave. up for sale in Nov. 2006, but my father was diagnosed with 4th stage lung cancer in Oct, and then wrecked his car due to a heart condition. So they came to live with my husband, Jay and I the first of November in Wilmington, N.C., and my father never really gained any strength back. He died here on Dec. 9th. My mother still wants to move back, but can't handle the house and all its responsibilities alone due to her health, so she'll continue to live here with us. Many years ago I was given a heart-shaped wooden plaque with the saying, "I left my Heart in Hilton Village." Having only lived in the Village for 12 years, and not as long as my parent's 49 years, I did leave a bit of my heart there when I moved away in 1969, but not as much as my parent's left.

Memories from Eugene Thompson, Jr. Baltimore, Maryland
Congratulations to the sudent’s on the Hilton Village Website.
My parents (Eugene Sr, & Claire), brother Kevin, and I lived in Hilton Village back in the
seventies. My father was in the service. It was a great neighborhood with lots of kids and great families. We all went to Hilton Elementary School. Kevin and I hung out with Chip & Butch Buchanan. They lived on River Road. Our family lived on Ferguson Ave. I’m not sure of the house number anymore . Ferguson Ave was named after one of the first
N. N. Shipbuilding Presidents, Homer Ferguson. There was also a Ferguson High School in Newport News named after the same Homer Ferguson.   Granny Smith was our neighbor. She wasn’t our biological grandmother but loved and cared for us like she was. That’s why we called her Granny. She was a warm caring woman who loved all the kids in the neighborhood. She would bake and share cookies with us on her front porch and tell us
stories of the past. Her stories always had a lesson for us to learn from.   Shortly after our family re-located, Granny Smith passed away. May she always rest in peace. She was a wonderful caring neighbor much like many of the neighbors in Hilton Village. Out of all the cities and states we transferred to, Hilton Village in Newport News was our families favorite. I remember lots of kids and bicycles riding through the neighborhood. The
Village was known for the famous Hilton pier behind the school. At one time, they had a wooden platform and steps towards the end of the pier and you could jump off the platform and swim.   Fishing off the pier with our friends and the beautiful sunsets will forever be etched in my mind. We literally spent thousands of hours playing with neighborhood friends at the pier. I remember four churches on each corner of Main Street. Lots of
children in the village (including my brother and I) would attend Vacation Bible School at each of them. That took up several weeks during the summers off from school and it was a memorable time. Is Monty’s Penguin still around? Our parents would let us ride our bikes down the back streets of River Road to get there.   Great memories of Hilton Village. My mother and father have both passed on and are in a better place in the hands of our LORD. My brother Kevin is married to a wonderful lady named Lisa. They have a daughter
named Megan and they live in Louisville, Kentucky.   My wife Elisa and I live in
Baltimore Maryland. Our son is Eugene Thompson, III.   Thanks for letting us share these memories on your website. God Bless.

Memories from Nelson Farley, Hilton Village
My wife Maryanne and I moved into our Hopkins Street home on December 2, 1962. The cost of our home was $13,000 and is now paid for. We have two sons who are now grown and out on their own (Sidney, and Christopher). My wife Maryanne has passed away.

Memories from Gary Sealey, Main Street, Hilton Village
I have lived in and out of Historic Hilton Village for over 40 years. As a young boy, I spent many summers and lots of time visiting with my great-grandmother Elizabeth Andrews in her home at 203 Palen Ave. Grandma loved her family and friends and she loved living in Hilton.   Grandma Andrews would take me with her to Calvary Baptist Church where our
family attended.   Rev. Samual Tatem was the pastor then and served Calvary until he passed away in 1995. He was a wonderful pastor who everyone loved and respected. My uncle Alvin Andrews and Doc. Almond spent lots of time at Grandmas house. They were deacons at
Calvary and they strengthened my walk with God.   Today, Doc Almond still lives on Raleigh Road. Uncle Alvin and Aunt Ann now live in Chesterfield, VA with their daughter Sharon and family.   Grandma lived in a duplex. On the other side lived Mrs. Jones. She was a wonderful lady When I got older, I remember Mrs. Jones selling movie tickets in the little box in front of the Village Theatre. She worked there for many years and was known by many people.. She loved Hilton Village and she was a great neighbor. Grandma and Mrs. Jones had flower gardens and vegetable gardens in their ajoining backyards. I remember collard plants. While a fence in the back divided the yards, there was an opening for them to come back and forth between the homes. Barbara Insley lived across the street from Grandma as well as Mr. & Mrs. Cox. All good neighbors. Mr. Cox use to sit and talk with me when I was a young boy. Those were good days when the world was not at such a fast pace and neighbors could be neighbors.   Barbara Insley still lives in the same home and still has the warm caring and loving personality heart for her neighbors as she has always had. Grandma loved to take my brother Todd to the Hilton Pier and fish. She had a bamboo pole with string tied to it. But they always brought fish home. Grandma would let my brother and I walk to 7-11 together to get a slurpee. She made us tell her We must of gone 100 times but each time we had to tell her the route we would walk before she would let us go. (go down Palen, left onto Hopkins, right onto Hurley, left onto Raleigh, walk past two houses, turn left into the 7-11 parking lot. )
Years later, when I was in college (then CNC, now CNU), I would go visit Grandma between classes.   She loved to knit and tell me stories about the family and about life in general.
Grandma lived during some very tough times. Many of her stories were from her own experiences and most of her predictions have come true. I’ll never forget grandma telling me that “ONE DAY, CREDIT CARDS ARE GOING TO RUIN THIS COUNTRY”.    Grandma said credit cards just give folks a reason to spend money that they don’t have.   Here were are forty years later and I think maybe Grandma had something there. Grandma was a very wise woman. Today, I teach seniors at Menchville High School.   I am constantly reminding students to listen to their parents and especially spend time with heir grandparents. And don’t forget the advice they give you or the stories they tell you. Learn to love your grandparents. Love and appreciate your grandparents. We won’t have them forever.
Grandma passed away on my birthday in 1983. Grandma and I use to walk to the Roses store on the corner of Main and Warwick Blvd.
She would purchase some things she needed for the house and she would always buy me a piece of candy. I have some wonderful memories of my grandmother.   My wife Susie and I purchased a home in Hilton at 89 Main Street. We look out our kitchen window and we can see the business on the corner of Main Street & Warwick. The same building that grandma use to buy me a piece of candy from every Saturday morning. Today, ACT II is occupied by the building. Looking out the kitchen window brings back some great memories of Historic Hilton Village.
This village has touched the hearts of many folks like myself and hold the reassures of memories to come.

Memories from Greg Bailey, Tuson Arizona
I want to share a document I found. This is a friend of my Grandfathers. His name is George A. Crump. It states, In Hilton Village, Va., on July 31, 1926, a child was born to Augusta Carter Crump, a piano teacher, and George A. Crump, a naval architect. The first of three children, he was named after his father, though his family used his middle name, Aubrey, to avoid confusion. Friends and later, business associates, called him George. A career opportunity caused the Crump family to move to Arlington, Virginia.

Memories from David Lambert (Richmond, VA)
My family has lived in Hilton since it was built, my great grandparents lived at 44 Hopkins. My grand parents 48 Hopkins, great uncle on Post Street and my aunt on River Road until just a few years ago. Hilton was a great place to grow up. I miss it.

Memories from Mary Ann Taylor (Hampton Roads)
I remember walking to school everyday…I was a crossing guard in 5th grade, Summers were awesome, from dawn to dusk everyone was out…walking, at the pier, on the ravine, kids from other neighborhoods would always come over. The highlight of the summer was the 4th of July parade picnic and fireworks. I remember watching $1 movies at the Village. One of my first apartments was on Warwick. I didn’t want to leave the area. My mother has lived in the same house she grew up in and moved into 1937. She’ll die there, she could never live anywhere else. I had a great childhood in HHV.

Memories from Linda Thurmond DeCristofaro Jacksonville Fl
We use to go to the pier in the summer and lay out and flirt with the lifeguard.
My family moved to Hopkins Street back in the early 70’s. Man I had some great times!! Sneaking out at night down at the pier!! The scandal of it all!! We lived one door down from the Hogges, I went to school with Billy. How funny that “Margie” Hogge raised most of our children, Ohhh, the stories I could tell……

Memories from KammeO Iam (Texas A&M)
I’m MiChal Wilson’s baby sister….. I went to Hilton elementary 1st and 2nd grade. What I remember most was the pier, the big black top behind the school and the July 4th parade. J

Memories from MiChal Wilson Hall
I lived at 194 River Road from 1963 – 1973. Just down from Hilton Elementary and between the Poteats and the Tilsons, I drove through the neighborhood 2-3 years ago for the first time in twenty years or more. The neighborhood (and my old hours) looks great !!

Memories from Nick Caffacus
I lived at 227 Hurley Ave from 1968 – 1984 – went to Hilton Elementary 1970- 1973…and know every inch of the ravine next to the school…and jumped it on my bike! I was also the paperboy for Warwick, Main, Piez, Hurley, Palen and Ferguson (200 block side) from ‘76 to ‘83…and I remember the original pier !...also when Silverman’s was a drug store and Roses was next to the theatre!
Some Historic / notable Hilton Residents I grew up knowing and delivered papers to:
Gump Steinmeyer – I believe the longest to ever reside in Hilton, he was still around when I visited a couple of years ago from 221 Hurley --- Mayor Don Hyatt – 50 block of Main Street – the big white house in the middle, left side heading toward the school --- Frank Monfalcone – founder of Monty’s Penguin 210 Piez Ave --- Mrs. Earl Nistle – a lifelong resident –widow of a shipyard lifer – a wise lady – 51 Main Street --- My friend, Gary Hudson – 201 Hurley – still acting in Hollywood and around the world – Richard Jolly – 213 Palen Ave – best mechanic anywhere – MG’s galore in the backyard ! – Mrs. Zehmer – 221? Ferguson Ave --- Mr & Mrs. Abicht – 57 Main Street --- Bill “Coach” Hurdle 300 block of Palen Ave – my old coach ---
in the 70’s and 80’s I could tell you probably 80% of the village residents names and house numbers --- they’re fading away…

Memories from Fritzi Bormann Barbour (Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation)
I unexpectedly bought a house in the commercial district of Hilton Village in 1986, when I was 23. A friend needed to sell and I thought I’d land there for a couple of years and move on. It didn’t quite work out that way…it was a great small place to live ! All my married friends were nearby, I could walk to the pier and felt like I was on the country club with the tennis courts right behind my house ! When I had parties I would turn on the lights, and it was like Shea Stadium back there ! (yes I knew the combination to the lights back then) Got married and moved away from the Peninsula in 1998, and kept the house rented for probably 5 or 6 more years after that before selling. I still have found memories of my single-girl days in my little Hilton village row house at 10206 Warwick ! It’s a unique neighborhood, for sure !

Memories from Charles Howard Webb (Newport News, Virginia)
I am a historian for the village. I moved into HHV in 1983 and was intrigued by the historic marker – a federal housing project ??? I went to libraries Main st/West—William and Mary -- > National Archives, I put together a talks that I have given 15-20 times, most recently at the November HHV, Inc meeting in recognition of the 90th year anniversary. I have a filing cabinet full of info. HHV is a great place to live – a quality neighborhood full of quaint houses, great people. -- Chuck

Memories from Bonnie Adams (Hilton Village)
I actually have the book that was published by the Hilton Woman’s Club back in 1962, that goes through the history, architecture, everything about the Village. I scanned the whole thing, so I have it on PDF and can burn it to a CD if anyone wants it:0)
One of the true joys of Hilton – showing how we take care of each other: After tan unexpected horrible day, which ended up in the Emergency room – went to one neighbor to “borrow a shot of Scotch” and share a drink. Came out, the neighbor on the other side was outside to check and see how things were going, and had food ready to feed me. This would NOT happen in any other neighborhood. I am so grateful and blessed to live here. May they carry me out of here feet first!

Memories from Davis Streker (West Palm Beach, Florida)
HILTON TOP TENS:

Learning to ride a bike at Hilton School…and then crashing straight into Hilton School itself.
Finally earning a #1 ranking on the 7-11 Shinobi video game
Trick-or-Treating in the greatest neighborhood in the world and filling over 3 pillow cases of candy.
Fishing off of the Hilton pier with squid and carving words into the pier on a slow fishing day. Most days were slow.
Being in the 4th of July Main Street Hilton parade in the morning…
And then winning back-to-back egg tosses later that day after the Brandon Heights parade block-party
Using the metal jungle gym “uprights” to kick the extra points for our pick-up football games.
over 10 trips from the Hilton School playground to the Riverside Emergency Room. See #4.
“um-ball and Pine-cone” dodge ball fights at the bus stop on Raleigh Rd and Hurley Avenue. And being the winner ! (Trust me, losing that game sucked)
Sledding down the frozen ravine in the winter time! Strait into a tree.

Memories from Duncan Garnett
I ran up and down Palen Avenue in the early 70”s, was George Washington with cotton ball eyebrows in the 4th of July parade (was also a fire cracker tied to my firecracker compatriots.) I think I saw “Fantasia” at the old movie theatre, loved to play down by the river and in the ravines. Summertime brought countless kids together to play freeze-tag, hide and seek, mother
may I….Hilton Village has a special place in my heart.

Memories from Ted Ficklen (St. Louis, MO)
I went to Hilton from 1967 to 1972, I think, It was a wonderful school. I had Mrs. Russell for 3rd grade. I had Mrs. Connors for first grade. She had taught my Dad there when he was in Seventh grade. She called me “George” all year.