A line of cars gathered at Scotland Wharf in Surry County on a blustery February morning 90 years ago, their drivers eager to be included on the inaugural voyage across the James River of a ferry capable of carrying gas-powered vehicles.
Fewer than 20 cars filled all the available space aboard the Capt. John Smith, a ferry vessel built for $19,000 and operated by local waterman Albert Jester.
The 60-foot, diesel-powered ship then set sail across the choppy waters to a dock at Jamestown Island, offloading its cargo and completing the first voyage of what has become a fixture on the historic waterway.
Ninety years later, Jester’s descendants — and a former deckhand of the Capt. John Smith — joined dozens of other people for a celebration Tuesday at Jamestown Settlement of the ferry’s long life.
“The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry is a unique part of the transportation landscape in Virginia, and we should treasure it,” said Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne, noting that the ferry is the only 24-7 public ferry service in the commonwealth.
Jester ran the service for 20 years, offering the only consistent connection between James City and Surry counties. It was joined by the James River Bridge in 1928 as one of the only ways to get across the James River without having to drive to the Richmond area and then circling back around.
Rodney Taylor, a former deckhand of the Capt. John Smith, said he steered the ship while Jester collected fares.
“[Collecting the fares] was very important to him,” Taylor said, eliciting laughter from the crowd gathered at the celebration.
Taylor said the ferry was used during World War II as a way of transporting workers from the southern shores of the James River to Camp Peary, Langley and Fort Eustis.
Franklin Jester, the great-grandson of the ferry’s founder, said the ferryman was an entrepreneur who also operated boat services on the Eastern Shore and in Newport News.
“He had that entrepreneurial spirit to help provide for his family that I think is something everyone can learn from,” Franklin said.
The ferry was operated by Jester until 1945, when the then Virginia Department of Highways purchased the ferry and converted it from a fare-based private service to a public connection across a waterway where state officials were loathe to build a bridge.
Since then, the ferry fleet has expanded to four boats. It takes around 1 million passengers per year across about on 32,000 trips, with about 2,000 vehicles per day in the winter and 3,000 per day in the summer.
A replacement for the fleet’s oldest ship — the Virginia, which can carry up to 28 vehicles — is currently in the design phase, with construction set to be complete by 2018.
The new boat will increase the ferry’s capacity by about 50 vehicles per trip, opening more space for a river crossing that links James City County with the rural fields and hamlets of Surry County.
The link is an important one for Surry County, as it provides a direct path for its citizens to work and access services in the Historic Triangle.
“We don’t look like James City County or Williamsburg,” said Judy Lyttle, the chair of the Surry County Board of Supervisors. “We don’t have that retail capital. We’re rural.”
Layne, the transportation secretary, read a proclamation from Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who formally recognized the ferry’s birthday. He was joined by Secretary of Administration Nancy Rodrigues, a commuter who has regularly used the ferry since 1976.
“The ferry has afforded me opportunitities to pay bills, apply makeup, watch bird migrations, eat Edwards sandwiches and meet people from around the country and the world,” she said.
After the celebration at Jamestown Settlement, the attendees boarded a ferry vessel for a ceremonial crossing of the river. Joining them was a handful of Ford Model A sedans, which were in production and on the roads when the ferry was inaugurated in 1925. The sedans were driven by the Cape Henry Model A Ford Club.
