Turns out an old abandoned building, at an even older intersection, had an interesting history.

This is actually the back of the building. Some say they see the figures of an adult and a child. What do you see?

Edward Hobbs supplied the following information:

Here is a pic from the original constructed purpose of that building. It was a Sinclair Oil service station. Pictured are Benjamin Bruce Riddick and his daughter, Margaret, on the left. The other two remain unidentified at this time. The photo was taken by Hamblin Studios of Suffolk, VA, in 1924.

Route VA 32 (passing by on the left in the foreground towards Edenton, NC (via Cypress Chapel (Nansemond County, VA), Corapeake & Sunbury, NC) & US 13 on the right headed towards Winton & Ahoskie, NC (via Whaleyville) in the background.

Photographer was north of the building looking south. Also of note that at that time, US 13 had the stop sign, Not VA 32

Edward continues:

The front portion of the building was the bar. And I think the back portion was storage at that time. I maybe vaguely remember a detached shelter & would venture a guess that this perhaps served as the pump house as no city water existed in rural Nansemond county. The pumphouse very well may have been clapboard, I don't recall. Note that there are no power lines or poles shown in the pic & it was likely they did not exist at the time here so there would have been no need yet for a pumphouse to house an electric pump. I was probably a teen when the bar closed & it was later an antique & trinket store. I do recall going in there once in the daytime with my dad as a child for him to see someone. I believe the bar was along the left side as you entered the front door.

I recall the main building having a large sign with the 3 black cats on it that was attached to the building near the bottom of the roofline along the long side of the building (I think sticking up instead of hanging down, but am not 100% certain). I very vaguely remember when Carolina Rd (VA32) came on one side of the building & Whaleyville Blvd (US13) came on the other side as shown in the above pic. I do remember when they changed it & put the crook in VA32 to have the intersection behind the building & after that, US 13 had the right of way at the intersection. If I had to guess, I would say this was done in the late 60's.

Before there were automobiles, large sections of what is now VA 32 did not exist & many of what are now are the backroads were the main route from Suffolk to Edenton which was a part of the Kings Hwy, later also called the First Post Road. For example in this part of the county, the current Old Somerton & Airport Roads where part of that main route.

There was much going on in this area in its heyday. Just to the north on the same side of the road was a sawmill & just beyond that was a Cotton Gin. Across from the Cotton Gin was Bob Holland's Auction Barn & I recall going there some evenings with my dad when auctions for horses & ponies were held. This was back in the 60's when no one was afraid to let little kids run around and play with other kids their age w/o close supervision. Just north of the Auction barn was a restaurant/Truck Stop that later was know as the Red Apple Truck Stop (don't know what the name was back then).

However big the original building was, you can see how it’s been “extended” over time.

Marty York writes, “My mom called it 'The Black Cat', not 'Three Black Cats' and was a hot place in the 1950s and 60s. I believe it may have even had a dirt floor. People traveled 40-50 miles to go to it. There were good acts that played there. My mom and her brothers would travel from Edenton NC. to dance and see bands.

Karen Eades commented, “It was one of the “landmarks” we drove by on our way from Suffolk to Kitty Hawk every summer as a child.”

Betty Jo Gray said, “When I was a teenager in the 70s this was one of the places my parents didn't want me to go. Too wild for a little teenager from Wakefield!”

Albert Buppert noted that, “My uncle Philip Rountree owned it at one time. Had my first illegal beer there.”

Rebecca Faulkner offered, “This property was first owned by my Granddaddy. His house was back behind it. When my Uncle Charles was old enough he turned it all over to him. He ran the airport and took care of the 3 Black Cats. When he died in a car wreck, Aunt Goldie ran it. This is my cousins Mary and Betty Jean Riddick's house. Thanks for this story. This is part of my family history.”

Bonnie L. Cichorz-Hammond wrote, “I worked in there for Phillip Roundtree who owned it in the winter, I drove dump trucks back in the day for Blair Brothers. So in the winter when work slowed up, I'd work weekends. I have a lot of memories from that place! It was a bar, I served beer and food but mostly beer.”

And back in 2017 a Blogger who goes by the name of GeekGirl27803 wrote this wonderful article on it, “Three black cats was smack dab in the middle of the "Y" intersection. I've always thought it was super cool name. And any mention of our location was "Out at 3 black cats". There was a bar / local hangout located at the apex of the "Y" intersection named 3 Black Cats. The bar … had a good sized detached shelter. The shelter had a sign on it of 3 black cats (facing away) sitting on a board looking at the sun. Nothing fancy. I have to say, it's one of the coolest names of communities where we've lived. I'm sure Dad thought it was cool to be able to go over and drink a beer after mowing grass, yard work. "

GeekGirl even offers this speculation about the name “3 Black Cats”, “Unanimously, the symbolic meaning of cats is that of protection and guardianship... Stoic, silent and mysterious, cats fit the bill of for being expert guardians of homes and people... They are also master secret keepers, and are a symbol of esoteric (hidden) knowledge...The number three is highly promising – it is a number that deals with creativity, new ideas, new partnerships, and new business ventures.

The fact that you have seen three black cats on your stoop is a very auspicious sign. It may mean you will be forming a new business relationship, or that you are coming into a position in which you will become more stable.”

To read her article in full, she's an excellent writer, go here: https://geekgirl27803.blogspot.com/2017/09/1962-suffolk-virginia-3-black-cats.html?fbclid=IwAR1yk1ijDyRQUoNeQeORw_OhRqt58YgcVlruiZnOKozMfqs54nrOvR3-WYU)

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