Down On the Chickahominy, by Jack Trammell

Review by Brenda Seward

I received a copy of this book some time ago, and I’m embarrassed to say it sat on my shelf for far too long.  As other advance copies would come in, this book about the life and history surrounding one of Virginia’s lesser known, yet vitally important rivers would fall farther and farther from the top of my “to be read” stack. A couple of different things changed that recently. The first was the change of season- a return to warmer days and reemergence of the desire to be outdoors- as well as my returned desire to be near the water. Another would be an almost constant reminder, as I went about my errands from day to day near my home, passing over that area on the Hanover- Henrico line where the swampy, stream-like headwaters of the Chickahominy begin. As I would pass by the small sign noting its location, I would remember that book waiting to be read. Finally, it found its way to the top of the stack.

In Down On the Chickahominy, Jack Trammell gives the reader a multi-dimensional experience. Part history lesson, part sociological study, interwoven with research into the impact of industrial and residential growth on a complicated eco-system, the book is also an ode to a sadly fading way of life.

Interwoven with historical accounts related to the settlement at Jamestown, Trammell discusses the Chickahominy tribe of Native Americans and their unbreakable ties to the river they named. Their devotion to this Virginia waterway is echoed in the stories of the watermen Trammel interviewed. These men- who like their Native American counterparts before them- both lived and made their living on the waters of the Chickahominy relate a deep kinship to this particular stretch of water. These men relate stories of the hey-days of seemingly endless bounty on the Chickahominy and of the craft and art of fishing those waters - an art that is quickly diminishing into extinction.

As I mentioned before, Down On the Chickahominy offers a little something for everyone. For the history buff, there are little known facts relating to the river’s importance in the Civil War as well as the importance it, and the native Chickahominy tribe played to the colonists of Jamestown. For those interested in conservation, Trammell documents the changing complexion of the Chickahominy and how industrial development- most especially the construction of Walker’s Dam- has impacted the balance of the river’s eco-systems. This impact is shown most dramatically by the difference in the fish that once populated this river compared to now. Trammell’s discourse on fishing along the Chickahominy will delight any angler, especially his chapter on the yellow perch.

Most importantly, this book will touch a note in everyone who has a place in their heart for the by-gone places and traditions that make Virginia what it is to many of us. We seem to love our history as well as our progress and those devotions often have conflicting demands. This book gives us a snapshot view of that conflict and the result of choosing one over the other. Finally, Trammell reflects on the overwhelming constancy of the river. Eventually impervious to the intrusion of man and machine – the boundaries and flow may change, but the river will remain long after we are gone – a force onto itself.

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Review by Brenda Seward

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