I've referenced this archaeology before.. the excavation of an American Indian settlement around Great Neck in the late 70s & early 80s.. as the area was being gradually developed, like the plot from Poltergeist II. It's a very thorough accounting of the artifacts, arrowheads, etc found around the area that is today near John B Dey elementary and Thomas Bishop Lane.

This diagram (of the yet developed lot numbers) is in the Great Neck report, though it predates the excavation by about a decade. It's an interesting artifact in itself though.. because it shows the area prior to the current bridge. The old bridge was the only route over Long Creek in the early 70s. And that route is now 'West Great Neck Road' (the road that is angling to the left of the map).

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Tidewater Landfalls is a 1969 hardcover collection of newspaper columns authored by George H Tucker. Basically Tucker wrote about the cultural habits and quirks of southeastern Virginia (then mostly known as Tidewater, now more Hampton Roads). Below is a column, where Tucker made a compelling case for Hampton Roads to show love for the under-respected seagull:

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Couple pics of the old bank building, at the corner of Princess Anne Plaza's parking lot. Looks like it's marked for remodeling.. or extinction. It was kind of a monument to the elegant banking of the past. With most people doing online, or ATM banking, direct deposit, etc. now.. I don't think you'll see these large bank branches built anymore, as signals of brand strength.

An old Princess Anne Plaza ad from the early 80s, listing a pair of banks. that could've inhabited this building around 1983. I think at one point in the 90s, it was also a Nationsbank.

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The end of Columbus Square 1.0

This complex at the corner of Constitution & Virginia Beach Blvd used to be a Hechinger hardware, that was converted into a large Barnes & Noble. Then it was Planet Music, then it was carved up in to various retail businesses. I don't really remember when the Bed, Bath, and Beyond was added (I was probably out of the area).. but looks like it's getting leveled. And in the process of remodeling the area, they dumped their old Columbus Square sign, that had probably been there 30+ years.

Rest in peace, gothic(ish) lettering..

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The old Hostess/Wonder Bread store on Bonney Road was vacated many years ago (I think). It then looked like it was being used as overflow parking for the nearby car dealership. But I guess it's finally being re-developed.

There aren't many good reasons to go to Bonney Road these days, but that Hostess outlet used to be the spot for your bulk Twinkie needs.

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extinction of Lynnhaven East..

Looks like the old Lynnhaven East strip mall is being remodeled (or torn down). It lost its Toys R Us anchor a while ago. Toys R Us went up in the late '8os, along with a couple other tenants.

This is the strip's listing in the 1992 phone directory. They weren't kidding when they described the non-consecutive suite addresses as 'Irregular'. Toys R Us and Schlotzsky's had different physical but identical (mailing) addresses?

The shell of Toys R Us. A lot of memories from this place. And it was a bold move opening there, because if I remember right.. Children's Palace was still operating just across the street when they opened, and Toy Castle was still in business just another couple blocks away. Rest in peace.

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Remembering a local men's suit shop, Alexander Beegle. There was one near the Oceanfront, and a location inside Military Circle. This is a newspaper ad from December 1979. 

I found an old interview where I pulled this screen cap, of Beegle's Military Circle facade.

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