Jerry Varner of the Historical Committee of the Guinea Heritage Association announced last week the publication of “Sammy’s Job.”
“Sammy’s Job” is the fictional account of the adventures of Sammy, the 12-year-old son of a local waterman, who takes a job on a Chesapeake Bay buy boat during the Great Depression. He does this to help his family who is still reeling from the total devastation brought on by the August Storm of 1933.
The story was written by Charles “Chuck” R. Davis, previous co-owner of Hayes Plaza Pharmacy and the originator of the annual heritage celebration known now as the Guinea Jubilee.
“Sammy’s Job” originally appeared as a serial story, chapter by chapter, in the newsletters of the Watermen’s Museum of Yorktown. That ended when the museum stopped printing them.
Fast-forward several years to 2023: In an effort to help preserve the Guinea heritage and its traditions, Davis gave Varner a flash-drive containing his collection of Guinea stories, newspaper clippings and o...