Cooperative Living May 2018 - 35

Left to right: Melanie Parkhurst, who lives in a home that dates to 1815 and owns six convertible sports cars, is always well dressed; Fred
Moore, pictured with one of his goats, finds Pungoteague to be a friendly place to live; Richard McDowell leaves the Pungoteague Post
Office with his dog Toby; Eddie Bishop has lived in Pungoteague most of his 72 years and tells a story from his youth that is rehashed
every so often at Village General Store; Frank Drummond, 86, stands in the " new " portion of his house, built about 1809; Maurice
" Moe " Spector with a wood sculpture of a Firebird he created.
Eddie Bishop tells a story from his youth
that the men in the Coffee Club still recall
with laughter more than 60 years later. When
he was 6 years old, his grandmother wanted
a bag of apples from the Smith family in town,
who had an orchard. Bishop was sent to the
house one Saturday morning with a burlap
bag in hand.
Television was relatively new in the area
then, and before picking his grandmother's
apples, he joined a girl in the Smith family
about his age to watch cartoons on TV. Mrs.
Smith made her son, Harold, who was about
three years older than Bishop, go out and pick
the apples. Harold was not happy about
having to do Bishop's work, but went out and
brought a full burlap bag back to Bishop.
Bishop's grandmother was none too pleased
when she opened the bag and found a couple
of rotten apples, some horse manure and a
few brickbats. And the story lives on more
than a half century later at the Coffee Club.
No one has lived in Pungoteague longer
than 86-year-old Frank Drummond, who
was born just outside of town and has lived
since 1956 in the Heath House, believed to
be the oldest house still standing in
Pungoteague. The oldest portion of the
house dates from the 1700s, with the main
portion built about 1809.
" This town was loaded at one time with
all kinds of activity, " recalls Drummond,
" but today it is a quiet place and a nice
place to live. I guess I've been here longer
than anyone, " adds Drummond, whose
wife, Dorothy, passed away seven years ago.
He and his wife both went to the same
high school, but they never dated until he
came to her house to fix a door. He left some
tools after the job, and when he returned to
get them, they started up a conversation.
That house was the Heath House, purchased
by her parents in the early 1940s.
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They raised two daughters in the house,
and one gave him two cats when her work
prevented her from caring for them. That pair
has grown to 10, but Drummond says caring
for them keeps him occupied. " I like staying
busy doing yard work. In the winter I meet
some friends at Wendy's six days a week and
we just chew the fat. I also go to the cemetery
almost every day to visit my wife's grave. "
Pungoteague Prominent in Artists
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is home to
numerous artists and Pungoteague boasts
its share. Each year on the Friday and
Saturday following Thanksgiving, the Artisans
Guild hosts a holiday tour. Last year, three
of the artisans were from Pungoteague,
including glassblower Ken Platt, who
designs functional and artistic glass
featuring hot and warm techniques.
Platt heats the glass to 2,500 degrees in
making his designs. He once made computer
chips in Silicon Valley. " It was good work, but
I always wanted to switch from the scientific
field to the artistic side, " notes Platt. He and his
wife, Edith, now the president of the Artisans
Guild, settled on Pungoteague because there
were numerous artists in the area but no glass
blowers. " It has been the perfect place for
us to be, " she says.
Also on the tour last year was the alwayspopular
alpaca farm owned by Tara King and
Andrew Leach.
The couple raises a
colorful herd of
alpacas, native to
South America, and
uses the yarn to
make rugs, hats,
scarves, baby
sweaters, socks,
handbags and
other items
available in the
farm store. Their pride and joy is By the Bay
Bristol, a six-time champion.
" Alpacas are friendly by nature and loved
by children, " says King. " We are open to
the public by appointment if people want to
see the alpacas. " (757-442-5651)
Maurice " Moe " Spector creates his wood
and stone figurative sculptures at his nearly
400-year-old farm outside of town at the
end of Taylor Creek. His works have been
featured in galleries in New York City and
have filled three books compiled by a
former National Geographic photographer.
On his property is a small family burial
ground shaded by ancient sycamore trees.
The earliest tombstone dates back to the
late 1700s, and there are some unmarked
graves that may be even older.
" I like ghosts, " says Spector, 72, " but I had
never seen any until maybe last week when
I was sitting on my porch and saw my dog I
lost three months ago walking toward me from
the graveyard. I promise you I wasn't
drinking, " adds Spector. 
Tara King with six-time
alpaca champion Bristol.
Scott Harmon, left, a
barber who is usually
fishing on his day off,
jokes with Andy Hurst,
seated, and Billy Murphy
at his shop.
May 2018 | Cooperative Living | 33
JAY DIEM PHOTO

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Cooperative Living May 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living May 2018