HOW 'BOUT THIS WEATHER?

Col. Lewis Martin Bean (1843-1933), a former school teacher and Civil War veteran, founded the Jackson Weather Bureau, July 1, 1893. A civil engineer and surveyor by trade, who held several Cape County offices, Col. Bean was the county's official weather observer 1893-1920. During that time he recorded a low of -25, Feb. 13, 1899 and 6.45 inches of rain in 24 hours, July 20, 1905. The highest temperature recorded was 112 degrees, July 24, 1943 -- long after the Colonel's time.

Col. Bean outlived three of his four wives. His fourth wife, Mary Bean, followed him in death Dec. 28, 1938. According to area historian K.J.H. Cochran, Col. Bean's folksy weather sayings were often quoted, such as "At night when the rooster crows, bad weather is sure to blow."