Digging into Suffolk’s past

Eager to take the spotlight off herself and turn the questions back on the questioner, Sue Woodward asks, “Did you know that Suffolk used to produce television sets and cars? Did I tell you that Lipton used to have an English tea taster?”

“I don’t like a lot of attention,” Woodward says. “When I was growing up I was the shyest kid in the class.”

Today, though, the North Carolina native is one of Suffolk’s premier historians and, as such, often finds herself speaking to groups of people interested in learning more about the city’s past.

She has done much to preserve the history of Suffolk through her work with the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society and through her personal love of the stories she has uncovered.

“Suffolk’s history would pretty much be lost without her,” said Lee King, curator of Riddick’s Folly. “No one knows the history quite like she does. Her tireless efforts to preserve Suffolk history have been invaluable to the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society and to the Suffolk community.”

Woodward, 63, grew up in Winton, N.C. Her mother instilled in her a love of history.

“She liked history and talked to me about history and old houses,” Woodward recalls. “She pointed out how beautiful certain pieces of the houses were.”

Woodward’s hometown has a rich history, but, she says, many of the people there took it for granted.

It was not until August 1969 that Woodward moved to Suffolk. She came to Virginia to teach in Nansemond County schools. Woodward taught history for a year before moving to Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, where she taught history and English.

During her first year in Suffolk, she met her future husband, Tom, on a blind date. A fellow teacher and the teacher’s husband, Tom’s friend, set up the successful match.

Woodward taught for about six years before taking time off to raise a family. During her time at home, she became involved with the historical society.

That was during the mid-1970s. Woodward originally joined the historical society impassioned by the Jordan House, a historical home that was soon to be lost.

She was also inspired by the Bicentennial celebration that was soon to take place.

“The spotlight was on this area,” she says.

It didn’t take long for Woodward to find her niche in the historical society. She was quickly assigned tasks by her mentor, historian Marion Watson.

“Marion Watson decided I was going to learn what she knew,” Woodward recalls.

Watson had Woodward running a slideshow presentation featuring Main Street during Woodward’s second meeting with the historical society.

Under the mentorship of Watson and family friend, historian Anna Burton, Woodward became president of the historical society when she was in her 20s.

During those early years as president of the historical society, Woodward began the Candlelight Tour project, which would come to raise money to preserve old homes and buildings by featuring the significance of the historic buildings.

“A lot of towns did very well by honoring their history and preserving their history,” Woodward says. “Charleston lives on history. It puts them on the map.”

Woodward’s desire for Suffolk is that it will embrace its rich history.

“Part of it is an interest in the community and seeing the community take some pride in itself,” she says. “This is my life. It doesn’t save anybody’s life, as far as I know. But it’s important to understand all your background. It makes it work better.”

Woodward says that a big part of her volunteer job as a historian is to answer questions. A number of groups and organizations — and even the city — call the historical society for business reasons and to gather information for anniversaries, background and special events.

She writes newsletters, does research, leads tours and more.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Woodward says.

But her favorite part of being a historian is gathering and organizing information.

“I love it when a plan comes together,” she explains with a laugh, alluding to popular 1980s television program “The A-Team.”

When Woodward is not at work, she enjoys reading, visiting museums, looking at old homes and furniture, and taking day trips with her husband.

Many of their day trips are inspired by a love of travel and a desire to see new sights. Others are inspired by her quest to find the perfect barbecue.

Woodward has traveled around Virginia and North Carolina in search of barbecue. She says she and her husband do fun things on the way there and back. Their quest has led them all across North Carolina to destinations like Goldsburg, Wilburs, Rocky Mount, Windsor, and Scotland Neck and to a number of places in Virginia.

If nothing else, the trips have convinced her of one important thing. There is no good barbecue west of Raleigh.