Glimpses of a Town - by Patricia Joyce Parsons (Paperback)

About the Book

This collection of vignettes describes the author's experience growing up in the small bayside town of Cape Charles, Virginia, from 1940 to 1960.

Book Synopsis

Situated on Virginia's Eastern Shore, Cape Charles was once a vibrant railroad town, serving as a vital hub for troop movements between the northern and southern states during World War II. Its placement on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, along with its fleet of ferries and fishing boats and its position among the farming communities of the Eastern Shore, made it a town of plenty in the lean times of rationing that occurred during the war-and a perfect place for a child to grow up.

Glimpses of a Town takes the reader on a nostalgic, invigorating journey through Cape Charles with a child's-eye view-from playing in a swamp to jumping the railroad's coal chute to fishing the barrier islands that line Virginia's oceanfront. In this collection of vignettes, Patricia Parsons portrays life in Cape Charles during World War II and beyond. Using her own childhood memories and her family's life as a powerful touchstone, she follows the town's period of prosperity into a period of decline that transformed it from a bustling commercial center to a forsaken backwater-and back again. Recently, this historic town has experienced revitalization, rising from its own ashes to become a family-style tourist destination. Today, Cape Charles beckons you to explore-and see why it truly is a memorable town.

Review Quotes

"In Glimpses of a Town, Pat Parsons reflects with warm nostalgia on her experiences growing up in a lovely and proud Victorian bayside village on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Her delightful portrayal of daily life during WWII, and of Cape Charles's struggle to survive the changing times, provide valuable insight into the history of the area."

John M. Barber, Fellow, American Society of Marine Artists

"Pat Parsons's new book, Glimpses of a Town, speaks of her youth growing up in the Chesapeake Bay waterfront/railroad town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Parsons's straightforward approach to storytelling and marvelous memory capture the very essence of small-town American life during the decades of the 1940s and 50s. Her tales make the reader long for those wonderful, simple days of youth. Although specific to the town of Cape Charles, her well-written stories will interest those near and far as her life memories are a reminder for many of their own lives growing up in small town America. . . . [W]ell worth reading!"

Larry Chowning, author of Harvesting the Chesapeake: Tools and Traditions; Chesapeake Legacy: Tools and Traditions; Chesapeake Bay Buyboats; Deadrise and Cross-planked; Barcat Skipper: Tales of a Tangier Island Waterman; and other books on the Chesapeake Bay