Sherry Hamilton

Work on rehabilitating the North End Bridge in Mathews has been extended by two months because of additional support measures that had to be taken after the project was underway. The original completion date for the work was June 8, but that has been pushed back to Aug. 12, according to Kelly Hannon, communications manager for the Fredericksburg District. Hannon said that retaining walls were built to support the road as part of the project, but after construction began, it was discovered that additional support would be needed for the walls because of the soil composition in the area. Crews installed 30-foot-long wooden piles to support the retaining walls along Route 14 eastbound, she said, adding that they were necessary “for the long-term condition of the road to serve the next generation of travelers.” Construction began on the project last April, and it has included replacing the bridge deck and travel surface, girders, and rails, said Hannon in the release. It’s being funded thr...

SHERRY HAMILTON / GAZETTE-JOURNAL The U.S. Coast Guard held a change of command ceremony for Station Milford Haven on Monday. Here, USCG Sector Virginia Captain Peggy Britton, at right, reads the official orders for outgoing Officer in Charge CPO Adelynn Drescher. In the background are Chaplain Lee Farmer and incoming OIC CPO Justin Peed.

The 250th anniversary of the Battle of Cricket Hill/Gwynn’s Island was celebrated in Mathews last Thursday with flags, patriotic music, cannon fire, the unveiling of markers, and inspirational addresses by a range of dignitaries and officials to a crowd of over 300 people.Michael Rhodes, past president of the Richard Henry Lee Chapter of the Virginia Society of Sons of the American Revolution and organizer of the event, called the ceremonies to order and oversaw their execution.Fred Lyon, chair of the Mathews VA250 Committee, told those gathered that it had been clear from the initial statewide meeting of VA250 committees that Mathews, “because of its historical significance, was going to play an important part.”Among the reasons for this, he said, was that Capt. Louis d’Ohicky Arundel was the first French officer in the Continental Army to be killed in the Revolutionary War after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. He died on July 9, the same date that the...

A meet-and-greet will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at Mathews Memorial Library so the community can meet new Library Director Robin Eno. There will be light refreshments and music by Hunter Owens. The public is invited to attend. A Williamsburg-area native, Eno moved to Mathews 12 years ago when she and her husband, Scott, fell in love with a circa 1910 home for sale on Gwynn’s Island. Both were serving as musicians in the U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Band in Norfolk and were looking for a place to raise their children. When they visited the house in Mathews, the couple knew they had found the right place. They set about creating a hobby farm, raising chickens, geese, and goats while filling their lives with pets—four indoor dogs, two farm dogs, and six cats. A woman of varied interests, Eno attended Virginia Tech and earned a BA degree in Music Performance—clarinet, followed by an MA in Music Education, but decided she wasn’t ready to teach and instead joined the Navy right out of college...

Mathews County Attorney Andrea Erard, during last Thursday’s meeting of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors, reviewed a number of pieces of legislation that had passed during the 2026 session of the Virginia General Assembly that will impact localities. Among the laws she outlined were those governing accessory dwelling units, manufactured housing, mandatory family and medical leave, wage transparency, solar farms, and faith-based housing development. Under House Bill 611, localities must develop ordinances allowing the placement of accessory dwelling units in all single-family residential zoning districts and limit the fee charged for a permit to $500. The units can’t have setback and similar requirements that are more restrictive than the primary dwelling unit, and the occupant doesn’t have to be a family member. Erard said the county needs to “be ready to go next July,” when the law goes into effect. Manufactured housing must now be permitted in every zoning district that allows...

Mathews households that have conventional septic systems will soon be receiving notices from the Three Rivers Health District about the requirement that their septic tanks have to be pumped out every five years. Anyone who receives a card and knows their septic tank has been pumped out should contact the company that provided the service and have them submit the electronic report, said Juli Wilkinson, leader of the district’s pump-out program. Those who haven’t had their systems pumped out should make arrangements to do so. Wilkinson said she and her staff will have a booth at Mathews Market Days to explain the pump-out program, provide information about the science behind the requirements, and answer questions. Around 5,000 postcards will be mailed out across the county in the next couple of weeks, said Wilkinson. Gloucester residents will eventually receive notification, as well, she said, but since the county is the largest in the district and will require a phased notification proc...

Artists from the Bay School and community members joined residents of Riverside Lifelong Health and Rehabilitation in Mathews on Saturday for an afternoon of art, entertainment, food and fellowship. Above, residents and visitors gather in the courtyard as, below left, the Haus Band provides entertainment. Below right, Bay School volunteer Christine Corbin, standing, offers guidance to Barbara Delozier, who is adding her own touches to a community painting....

Mathews County’s National Night Out will be held from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday on the athletic field at Mathews High School, 9889 Buckley Hall Road, Mathews. Organized by the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, the event includes free music, free food, and lots of free entertainment for families and individuals of all ages, said MCSO Sgt. Julianna Hill. Special events include Life Flight landing at around 4 p.m. and Captain Marvel skydiving in around 5 o’clock. Lynda Smith and the 7th Street Band will perform throughout the event, while Hunter Owens will kick things off around 4 with a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. There will be multiple inflatables for children to enjoy, including bounce houses, obstacle courses, a water slide, games and more, said Hill. There will also be a water balloon toss and a foam bubble area for anyone who enjoys getting a bit wet. Law enforcement officers will challenge youth up to age 18 to play tug-of-war, said Hill, and there will be a doughnut-eating contes...

The Mathews Board of Supervisors, meeting for a closed session on Monday, July 27, got an earful from former supervisors Dave Jones, Mike Walls and Paul Hudgins. The agenda for the meeting consisted of discussions related to the county’s ongoing litigation with Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill and a performance evaluation of Mathews County Attorney Andrea Erard. At the beginning, supervisor Pat Beattie asked that the board add a public comment period to the agenda. The only speakers were the former supervisors. There was no indication from the published agenda that Erard’s job was on the line, but all three former supervisors made the case that current board members should continue to retain her services rather than terminate her. Each of them spoke of past disagreements with Erard, with Jones saying that “Ms. Erard and I were so far apart when I came on this board, it was a war.” But he said that, while he didn’t always agree with her opinions, “they were done properly.” Hudgins said...

The Mathews County Board of Supervisors and Mathews County Economic Development Authority held a joint meeting last Wednesday, July 29, to talk about various initiatives the EDA has undertaken. EDA chair Joe Syslo briefly ran through a number of those initiatives, including plans for an expanded parking lot at Haven Beach that he described as “pending,” a potential business park in the county that he said is being worked on, and an entrepreneur workshop that has been put on hold because the group has been focused on helping to set up a tourism council. Providing revolving loans for existing and new businesses is one way the EDA supports the business community, said Syslo. He pointed to Ocean Products, which has garnered new overseas contracts with the help of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and he said new major businesses are considering locating in Mathews and have sought the EDA’s assistance. Identifying and preparing surplus county property for development is another...