“Those who grew up in the South have memories of the beginning of the twentieth century at an age quite different from the present. Looking back over the great changes I have seen during my lifetime, I feel the quaint charm of that childhood way of life should be preserved in print. That is the reason for this book.”

- Louisa Venable Kyle

Louisa's Family

Louisa Venable Kyle lived a childhood that was almost picturesque. The memoirs create a beautiful scene of what it was like to grow up in Norfolk, Virginia over 100 years ago. The memories recounted by Louisa take place from 1903 through 1914.

Louisa was born in Norfolk, Virginia in August of 1903. Her parents were unnamed in the memoirs, but she mentioned having a brother three years younger than her named Billy. She remembered her early childhood fondly and spoke highly of her mother: “During my childhood, Mammy was my best friend. Out of the past, I hear her voice calling to my brother and me to wait before crossing the street. She was a good shepherdess for her ‘lambs,’ as she called us, and we loved her dearly.”

Unfortunately, Louisa’s mother passed away from the flu when Louisa was five years old. It was not uncommon in those days for death to occur suddenly; Louisa said “My childhood was a time of perpetual mourning…When a death occurred on the street where I lived, a large black crepe bow would be placed on the door and the shutters on the house were closed.” Disease was rampant in those days; most people vacationed in the summertime to avoid typhoid fever, and Louisa recalled getting the smallpox vaccine; some people who got vaccinated were left with large scars on their arms from it. With scarlet fever and diphtheria, children would be buried in small coffins fit to their size, and measles were dealt with via sulfur candles to burn germs.

It seems Louisa was very close to her father throughout her childhood: “From across the years come vivid memories of my father. We were drawn close to each other by the death of my mother.” Louisa’s father never remarried but was very outgoing and went to parties a lot. “After those parties, I would awake in the morning to find a carnation pinned to my pillow, a party cake, and his dance program with its tiny pencil.” He loved horses, hunting, and reading.

Louisa was raised by her Aunt Emma, her father’s sister, who was a schoolteacher, but not a parent. “She was a remarkable woman and a splendid disciplinarian (which we resented), but never a mother. She told me when I was grown that the first time Mammy took a vacation, she wrote down the order in which she removed our clothes at night so she would know how to dress us in the morning.” Her family dabbled in Catholicism and Presbyterianism, and Louisa learned both catechisms.

Norfolk in the Twentieth Century

Louisa described Freemason Street, the place she grew up, fondly; “The old street was a safe and happy place for a child to grow up during the years before World War I. Everyone knew whose child you were. It was custom to walk in those days, so I made friends with many neighbors. This association of ‘bright youth and snow-crowned age’ had a profound influence on the children who lived there.”

Louisa’s detail in describing her memories is almost poetic. She was enchanted by things we consider today to be annoying or mundane. It repeatedly reminded me while I was reading that the world was significantly less developed in her time. “The era in which I grew up is referred to as ‘the horse and buggy days.’ The Wright brothers were dreaming of flying machines at Kitty Hawk, the automobile was considered a rare and crazy machine, and the ear heard quieter sounds. For me, it was a time that is sweet to remember.”

One of Louisa’s favorite places to be was the library; she said “The cornerstone for the former Norfolk Public Library on Freemason Street, less than a block from my birthplace, was laid in 1903. That building, which was to be such an influence on my life, is just my age. I feel sure I watched its building from my elaborate high wicker baby carriage with a lace and net parasol to keep the sun off me.”

Policemen in Louisa’s neighborhood were friendly with the people they served. “The friendship that developed between the policeman and the families along the street was very special. To come downstairs to the kitchen on a cold morning and find the man in the blue uniform having a cup of coffee was a child’s greatest honor, and we boasted of such visits."

Louisa's Social Life

Louisa had quite the social life growing up! She mentions being close to the other children in her neighborhood. She used to roller-skate over the Ghent Bridge with her friends, and they would sled down the hill when it snowed. She had a pony named Billy Taft, “...because he had once lived at the White House stable.” He was very popular with other children in Louisa’s neighborhood. Louisa would also spend Friday nights in the theater watching plays and shows, and silent movies with piano in the background were rapidly becoming popular. There was also a yearly carnival that came around.

When she got older, Louisa got her first crush in boarding school after attending an all-girls public school until she was in high school. “When I got to high school, I was so fascinated by the boys in my classes that I failed Latin.” In addition to school, Louisa…

• Played music: “I was exposed to music lessons, which I hated because we had to practice at the music school on a piano that made absolutely no sound.”
• Took art classes: “The hours spent in the art teacher’s studio had a lasting effect on me. I learned composition as well as color and an appreciation of art that have given me pleasure all my life.”
• And had weekly ballet classes; she even performed at the Academy of Music: “I have enjoyed an audience ever since that day.”

A Life of Leisure

Fashion at the time was directly inspired by the average sailor; “Norfolk girls of all ages wore regulation sailor blouses called ‘middies.’ The middy blouse had a square collar decorated with rows of white tape and stars embroidered in the corner; the cuffs had anchor buttons.” Layers were so common that they had a special day in May to celebrate the fact that it was warm enough to take most of them off.

Louisa and her family went to the beach sometimes on Sunday afternoons, and often they went to City Park to visit the animals and see the big glass-covered greenhouse called the Conservatory. Ocean View Amusement Park was also a popular family trip spot, with a roller coaster and a merry-go-round, among other things, and people were served dinner with a view of the Ocean, hence the name. Louisa would wade in the river at the Boat Club.

The summertime sounds like it was a favorite for Louisa. Her family visited Hampden-Sydney in July and August. Louisa climbed trees to listen to poetry readings and wash her feet in the bathtub at night because she never wore shoes in the summer. She also visited a swimming hole called Slippery Rock. Lawn parties were common, and kids would play hide-and-seek and I spy, and peek in on couples in the summerhouse. Louisa often went to her mom’s home in Richmond and even went to Washington, D.C. once. They also visited New York to see Niagra Falls and go to Chautauqua. Louisa remembered the toy store at Christmas being magical and being enticed by the dolls. The holidays were spent among family and friends.

The end of Louisa’s memoirs, and her childhood, came with the start of World War I. “That enchanting childhood in Virginia abruptly ended when World War I began in 1914. The peaceful era in which I grew up lives now only in memory.” Despite the heartbreaking moments in Louisa’s life, such as losing her mother so young and witnessing both World Wars, she claimed to have been very happy with how she grew up.

Sources & More Information

Works Cited

• “Louisa Carrington Venable Kyle (1903-1999) - Find a Grave Memorial.” Findagrave.com, www.findagrave.com/memorial/75222431/louisa_carrington-kyle. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
• My Virginia Childhood: the years 1903-1914 Call Number: Special Coll. F 234 .N8 K9

Additional Resources

• There are more materials about Ocean View in the ODU Special Collections and University Archives! Check them out here: Ocean View, Seaside, and Seaview Amusement Parks Collection | Special Collections and University Archives Collection Guides