Bob Klein, Tucker County Mental Health 

Interview with Congressman Bob Wise

Captain Arthur C. “Bill” Johnson (1927-2016) piloted international ships through the Chesapeake waters. He easily named the lighthouses he passed regularly along the Potomac River. Johnson spoke with great respect for the pilots of the passenger steamers with whom he exchanged light and whistle signals passing in narrow stretches of water. He outlined the terminology of steamships and spoke with high regard for the statuesque passenger boats around which local economies were based.

Charles Feller Frazier, better known as Feller, is a native of Cody, Kentucky, born in New York City while his parents were working there. His family moved back to Kentucky, where they started their business, and Feller has lived there ever since. His father's family originally hailed from Letcher County, Kentucky, from a community called Hot Spot, while his mother's family was from Jackson County, Kentucky, near Annville. Feller's parents met in Vicco, Kentucky, and after working on the road for a while, they returned home to start their business.

Charles Brock, born in Lobelia, Pocahontas County, worked as a wildlife manager with the Department of Natural Resources, focusing on game management and habitat improvement. Arlene Brock, originally from Huttonsville, is part of a large family of nine girls and six boys. The couple raised a family of seven sons and seven daughters, and their lives have been marked by extensive travel and experiences in various locations, including New Mexico, Texas, and Florida. 

Charles J. "Chuck" Harney (1922-2004). At the time of the interview he had been retired to Lancaster County fifteen years. He said he had videotaped over 150 interviews with local people on boats, in homes and shops, in fields and marshes throughout the region.

Charles R. Winstead, Age 88 (1915-2008). Captain Winstead spent most of his working life aboard a menhaden (type of fish) fishing boat. A powerful and articulate seaman, Winstead elucidates the inner workings of a steam-powered fishing vessel, including singing an example of the chanteys he led as a crew member to draw in the nets. Winstead, the first African-American in the region to acquire a pilot and captain’s license, rode passenger steamboats on several occasions during his younger days.

Chuck Crabtree was born in 1952, in Buchanan County, where he was also raised. His family, originally from West Virginia, moved to Grundy in the late 1920s, following the coal mining industry. His grandfather was one of the first contractors for Harman Mining Corporation in Harman, Virginia, where he mined coal using ponies to pull the coal out of the mountains. Crabtree's family lived in a small camp, in houses owned by the Harman Mining Corporation, known as company houses.

Clarence Benjamin "Buck" Rowe (1921-2005). Interviewed by Carrie & Michael Kline with Dianne Jordan for the Steamboat Era Museum; 11/3/03. At the time of the interview Mr. Rowe was keeping a store at Bena in the Guinea community of lower Gloucester County. The store was established by his father in 1920, at the height of the steamboat era. His vivid memories brought to life details of nearby wharves where he went twice weekly as a young boy with a wagon and team to pick up deliveries for the store. 

Interview with Corbett Mullins