Arlene Stafford-Wilson's Blog, page 52
September 16, 2016
Port Elmsley – Drive-In Dreamin’
Someone decided one night that to save a few dollars we should put a couple of people in the trunk of a car so that they could get in for free at the Port Elmsley Drive-In Theatre.
I guess we can just chalk this one up along with the other peculiar things that we did as teenagers. Luckily no one was hurt, but for the three bucks they each saved on admission it was a pretty undignified way to arrive at the movies.
It’s possible that we weren’t the first ones to try that little stunt. After all, the Drive-In had been open for a long time before any of us had ventured there.
It was in September 1952 that ‘The Perth Courier’ ran a short article about a Drive-In being constructed at Port Elmsley. The article stated that it was the first to be fabricated in this district and it was built by Gordon White of Ottawa for W.J. Williams, of Newboro.
The article went on to say that it would be assembled on a ten acre property a half mile south of Highway 15 and that the Drive-In would have a capacity for 300 cars. It would feature a design first of its kind in Ontario, where the projector booth would be in a two-story building nearly 400 feet from the screen. This was a distance that was 150 feet greater than any of the other Drive-In theatres at that time. It was to open the following May of 1953 at a total cost of $75,000. True to their word, they opened on schedule and called the new Drive-In ‘the Showplace of the Golden Triangle’.
Port Elmsley was indeed a great location for a Drive-In theatre because it’s situated about halfway between Perth and Smiths Falls. There were always droves of cottagers and tourists staying around Rideau Ferry and the surrounding lakes in the summer. There were also many residents of the towns and villages nearby that enjoyed a drive up Highway 15 on a warm summer night to see some great movies.
Because the Drive-In opened in 1953, many folks had parked in that huge parking lot and viewed many movies on that big screen long before my friends and I ever made it there in the ‘70s. In fact, it was more than twenty years after it opened that it became one of our familiar haunts each summer as we passed the nights away under the stars.
Some of us were lucky enough to have gone to the Drive-In as children, dressed in pajamas, playing on the teeter-totter and swings between the first row of cars and the giant screen. As the sun sunk low in the sky, we were having the time of our lives. What could be better than staying up past your bedtime with a whole bunch of other kids, the aroma of popcorn in the air and watching the cartoons at the beginning of the show?
Every kid knew the words to the concession jingle ‘Let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby, let’s all go to the lobby, to get ourselves a treat.” When we heard that song it was our cue to start heading back to our parents’ cars because the movie would be starting soon. By the time they played the Chilly Dilly song about the big, juicy, dill pickles, we were in the back seat with our pillows and blankets, all ready for the show to begin. Much to the delight of most parents I’m sure, we were asleep by the time the second feature began and this allowed them some peace and quiet and time alone – well, almost alone.
We’d usually begin assembling all of our gear during the afternoon. First, we’d pack up a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels, because there was nothing worse than having a big messy streak or some bugs splattered right in the middle of your window.
Mosquito coils were also vital to a relaxing evening. Because of the speaker hanging off of the front window we weren’t able to close it all the way, so burning a mosquito coil would take care of any of the little pests that flew into the car. If none of the gang had any, we’d have to head out to Canadian Tire on Highway 7 and pick some up before the show. We’d place one of the little green coils on its small metal stand, set it on the dashboard and light it up. Many years later I happened to read on the side of the package that those coils were for outdoor use only. Oh dear!
A couple of pillows and a blanket were a nice touch and made movie-viewing a comfy, cozy event. We’d also bring a small flashlight because nothing was worse for us girls than stumbling around on the gravel path trying to find our way to the washroom on a dark, moonless night; especially right after watching a scary scene in a horror movie. That just didn’t work for us. Sometimes we’d bring a roll of t.p. from home, in case they ran out, which happened once in a while during the all-night movie marathons.
I still recall the crunch of the gravel as we slowed down to enter through the gates into the Drive-In and began scouting for a good spot. A good spot to us was front row centre and enough space for the three cars to park side by side so that we could socialize. We also had to make sure that all three speakers worked so we would pull into the spots and test the speakers, otherwise we’d have to move all three cars to a new location, maybe a row behind. Of course every row farther back that you were you would have to contend with people getting in and out of their cars in front of you or turning on their cars to clear their windows because they were fogged up for some reason. So, the best real estate in the lot was the front row, right in the center of the screen and if we went early enough the best spots would be ours.
I think the lads liked having spots near the front not just for the sake of the movie, but so that their cars were together and very visible in the front row. There’s no denying that they all had sweet cars. Those three cars managed to get some looks touring around town and had been known to burn up more than a little rubber on the quarter mile runs down Roger’s Road.
The warm summer air would be filled with strains of Foreigner’s ‘Hot Blooded’, or Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and typically a little bit of our favourite space cowboy, Steve Miller singing “The Joker’; a song that you could say became a symbol of the times. Some have said that it was an era of music like no other, before or since and the sounds of our generation could be heard throughout the parking lot of the Drive-In on those sultry summer nights in Port Elmsley.
As the sun slid down lower in the sky the horizon glowed first in a dusty pink, then a soft purple. There was always one car that began honking their horn because they believed that it was dark enough to see the movie. After a minute or two, more people started to honk and then shortly after that the show would begin.
One of the things that we enjoyed the most were the ‘Dusk to Dawn’ shows where the first movie would begin at dusk and the movies would continue all night until the early morning when it became too light to see the picture on the screen. The movies were played back to back and were often horror films like ‘The Exorcist’ or ‘The Omen’ or ‘Jaws’. I recall one night that my friend and myself, even after having consumed large quantities of pop, did not want to use the washroom just in case that giant crazy shark ‘Jaws’ had somehow compromised the plumbing system out in Port Elmsley. We just weren’t taking any chances.
We saw many nights come and go in Port Elmsley. There were some beautiful, sleek, muscle cars in those days parked row after row, paint glistening in the moonlight. We made numerous trips to the concession stand in an attempt to fill our unquenchable teenaged appetites. We even had a few scary trips in the dark, giggling on our way to the washroom and back. We screamed a few blood-curdling screams as did some of the folks in the neighboring vehicles one evening I recall, as the character Jason appeared in his hockey mask in the thriller ‘Hallowe’en’.
Today, the Port Elmsley Drive-In is one of a handful of drive-ins still operating in Ontario. Leave it to the folks in Lanark County to know a gem when they see one and to continue to go out and enjoy movies under the stars. I hope that in the future that the little kids in their p.j.s, young people and not so young people will take the time to visit the drive-in and have as much fun as we did. Take a trip to Port Elmsley and make some of your own memories!
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In its heyday, Port Elmsley had many residents and some of the family names that were common in that area were: Armstrong, Taylor, Stone, Hunter, Weatherhead, Best, Couch, Wicklum, Weekes, VanDusen, Seabrook, Shaw, Sherwood, O’Hara, Moore, Dudgeon, Lavender, Findlay, McTavish, McVeety, Beveridge, and Clements.
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The full story “Dusk to Dawn in Port Elmsley” is part of a collection of stories in the book “Lanark County Chronicle”
Book Signing – at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario,
Saturday, September 24th, 2016
12 noon to 4 pm
Refreshments will be served. All are welcome
Call 613-267-2350
September 14, 2016
Stomping in Ompah!
Late one summer, we heard that there was going to be a music festival over the Labour Day weekend, up in Ompah. This was going to be a back-roads tour to end all back-roads tours – an outdoor party with live music, and we couldn’t wait!
There wasn’t really much up there at that time. The most popular thing in Ompah was likely the Trout Lake Hotel owned by Wayne Kearney. It was a former residence; over 150 years old, in fact it was the oldest building in Ompah and was now a bar. The old timers around there say that they began serving liquor there in 1904. It was the first licensed establishment in Eastern Ontario and the locals also said it was one of the first bars in the province. That place was the home of some famous and infamous barroom brawls too, but we won’t get into that. There were quiet times, but the people who went up there mostly summer fishing enthusiasts and the winter snowmobiling patrons kept it fairly busy.
After much anticipation, Labour Day weekend finally arrived. We packed as many of us that could fit into one of my friend’s parent’s cars and off we headed to Ompah. We drove up the third line and turned up Cameron Side Road, past Calvin Church and over the tracks and onto Hwy 7. We turned onto the Elphin Maberly Road and continued onto Hwy 509, then Lake Road and Lafolia Lane. We parked and got out of the car. The Stomp grounds were beautiful with tall, majestic trees, situated on a hill, overlooking Palmerston Lake.
That first Ompah Stomp was held on September 3, 1978 and their special guests were Max Keeping of CJOH TV and Doug Anderson of CKBY FM. The step dancing contest was held at about 8pm followed by old fashioned round and square dancing. The musical guest artists that year were Sneezy Waters, Mike O’Reilly and Wayne Rostad.
I guess we thought that it was our own little ‘Woodstock’, and over the years the Ompah Stomp grew as people heard about it and wanted to experience the live music and party atmosphere. That first year, the organizers had anticipated about 200 people showing up and they ended up with a crowd of closer to 3,500. The second year the crowds grew to 5,000 and the third year saw that rise to 6,500.
Some of the musical acts that performed at the Stomp were: Neville ‘Nev’ Wells, also a member of the Ompah snowmobiling club, the Family Brown, Jack McRae and the King of Clubs, The Prescott Brothers, Hugh Scott, Ron McMunn and Carbine, Steve Glenn, David Thompson, Fred Dixon, Lynn and Chris, Lloyd Wilson, Dallas Harms, Ted Daigle, C-Weed Band, Terry Carisse and many others.
“Perth Courier” September 12, 1979 – a review of the second year of the ‘Stomp’:
A poem written by Kathy Norwood, about the ‘Stomp’ printed in March 1980
“Perth Courier” Sept. 2, 1981 page 19:
Poster from 1982
The Road to ‘The Stomp’ – 1983
Poster from 1984
Liquor and beer flowed freely from coolers and wineskins and the lineup at the washroom facilities was unbelievably long, but everyone enjoyed themselves just the same. It was wonderful to have a music festival so close to us. Usually, if we wanted to hear live music of that calibre we’d have to travel to Ottawa or Kingston, so it was great to have the Ompah Stomp so close by.
The Stomp would carry on for many years after those first few annual celebrations, and people would come up from the States and would come from neighbouring provinces as well, some came from as far as Alberta. Labour Day weekend was one of the busiest and most exciting for us in the area, because we had the Perth Fair and the Ompah Stomp.
Who would have ever thought that a small village of around 100 people and their little snowmobile club would be able to create a music festival that would attract thousands of people from all around. It was another example of the spirit of the people who lived in rural Eastern Ontario. They never faltered in their belief that they could succeed, or lacked the confidence to organize a music festival just because they were a handful of folks from a tiny village. The Ompah Stomp became a metaphor, an example for all of us that it only takes a few people who believe strongly in something to make a difference. It sure made a difference for us kids in the country who were always looking for a little excitement; and the Ompah Stomp made our last weekend each summer something we’d all remember fondly for years to come.
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Some of the families who settled around Ompah: Dunham, Kelford, Closs, Conlon, Dawson, Ellenberger, English, Gunner, Hitchcock, Cox, Keller, Killlingbeck, Kirkwood, Mabo, Massey, McGonigal, McDougall, Molyneaux, Moore, McDonald, Murphy, Payne, Praskey, Sproule, Thomas, Tooley, Richardson, Riddell, Roberts, Sproule, Stewart, Stinson, Thomas, Uens, Ostler, MacRow, Martelock, James, Ackerman, Allen, Struthers, Brown, Gunsinger, Lemke, Armstrong, Jeannerett, Hermer, McNeil, Badour, Johnston, Kring, HIll, Weiss, Wood, Card, Boyd, Dempster, Donaldson, Larock, Morrow, Mundell, Praskey, Ryder, Shanks.
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A link to the 1911 Census of Frontenac County, Palmerston, including Ompah:
http://ontariocensus.rootsweb.ancestry.com/transcripts/1911/3811-1.html
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If you would like to read more about the Ompah Stomp, the complete story “Stomping in Ompah” is included in a collection of stories in the book “Lanark County Kid: My Travels Up and Down the Third Line”
To get your signed copy of “Lanark County Kid” featuring the story Stomping in Ompah,
Join us – Saturday, September 24, 2016
from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St., E., Perth, Ontario
Refreshments will be served! All are welcome. For information: 613-267-2350
For more information on the history of Ompah and some of its founding families:
Clarendon and Miller Community Archives:
http://www.clarmillarchives.ca/index.html
September 13, 2016
The Legend Behind the Recipes
The bright-eyed twenty-something grabbed her hat, and headed straight for the recruiting station, after hearing that her only brother was rejected from the military because of his poor eyesight. “Someone has to represent our family in the war efforts!” her voice fading as she ran down the sidewalk, vanishing out of sight.
The No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School in Lethbridge would become her new home, where she would meet the dashing young Lanark County farm boy Tim Stafford.
After a whirlwind of dating, he asked for her hand, and they married on July 12, 1943.
In the months that followed she began to feel a bit queasy, and discovered that they were going to have a baby. The rule in those days was to discharge female soldiers who were expecting, and sadly, she gave up her position as Corporal, and returned home, where she gave birth to a strapping baby boy on a warm spring day in May of 1944.
When the war ended, they settled on a farm on the Third Line of Bathurst Township, Lanark County, just west of Perth, Ontario, and the family continued to grow. Now there was big brother Tim and his two little sisters Judy and Jackie.
Always busy in the kitchen, an excellent baker, Audry began to enter the home-craft competitions in Perth Fair. Her baking was a big hit, and she won blue ribbons, red ribbons, silver cups, silver trays, and filled her china cabinet with the spoils from her winnings. She won so many prizes over the years that her reputation for baking was the talk of Lanark County, and the Agricultural Society asked her to be a Fair Judge.
For decades, Audry was a Fair Judge throughout the County of Lanark – at the Perth Fair, the Maberly Fair, the Lombardy Fair, even more distant fairs in Madoc and Tweed. She became a well-known Fair Judge throughout Eastern Ontario.
Audry lived a long life, and when she passed away her children assembled all of her prize-winning recipes, and included stories of growing up on the little farm out on the Third Line of Bathurst. The book was called “Recipes and Recollections: Treats and Tales from Our Mother’s Kitchen” (Audry’s first-born Tim, and second-born Judy are featured on the cover)
This popular book has become the ‘go-to’ guide for anyone who loves the traditional, the classic, the old-time, farm-style recipes. No less than 93 prize-winning recipes are featured in the book, and it has become a best-seller, ideal for anyone considering competing in the baking categories at the local fairs who’s looking for an ‘edge’.
“Recipes and Recollections” will warm your heart, and fill your stomach, with homemade comfort foods guaranteed to please the crowd!
Have your copy signed on Saturday, September 24th, 2016 from 12 noon to 4 pm at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome!
For information, or to reserve your copy – 613-267-2350
September 3, 2016
UFO Sightings Over Perth
The night skies in Eastern Ontario became very active in the summer and fall of 1973, and some organizations reported that it was one of the largest number of U.F.O. sightings over North America, calling it the ‘Autumn of Aliens’.
In Lanark County, it all seemed to begin with a sudden hailstorm, on the Friday the 13th of July. The hailstorm came out of nowhere, and huge chunks of ice fell, many almost three inches in diameter. Hundreds windows and car windshields smashed by jagged pieces of ice. A Smiths Falls resident was cut on the head by a chunk of falling ice, and required seven stitches. No one was seriously injured, although there were a few farmers that got caught outside, working in the fields, and had to seek shelter from the large chunks of ice falling from the sky.
Barely 48 hours after the hailstorm, police departments in Perth and Smiths Falls received a number of calls from residents, claiming to have seen flying objects in the sky.
A local man reported that he and five others were on the Eighth Line of Balderson at 9:30 p.m., when a flying object appeared to be travelling south to north, then returned to the south. He observed that it was quite large, shaped like a tart. Another report came in from a resident of Sherbrooke Street in Perth, who saw the same object overhead. He said that his dog had howled constantly while the object appeared in the sky.
So many people had observed the same object that CJET radio station in Smiths Falls held a call-in show the following Monday, so that people could phone the show, and share reports of what they had seen.
The next UFO sighting to be reported in the fall of 1973 took place in Beckwith Township. A young man was returning to Perth from Ottawa, driving along the road, about 7 miles from Carleton Place, when his headlights suddenly went out. Concerned that he might be pulled over by the police with his headlights out he decided to take the back way, and turned onto Tennyson Road. The section of the road closest to Perth has swamp on both sides, and the lad noticed two large lights in the sky, hovering over the swamp. The object was in the sky just above the tree line. He pulled the car over to the side of the road, and as he stopped the car he noticed that the object stopped as well, and hovered over the swamp. He remained parked for a few minutes, and then started to drive again. When he began to move, so did the object, and it traveled parallel to him for a few more minutes, then disappeared.
Another sighting in the late summer of 1973 was first reported by a young lad working at a gas station in Smiths Falls. He spotted a small sphere in the sky that appeared to be hovering in one fixed location. He reported seeing silver flames coming from both the top and the bottom of the craft. The lad was quick to call CJET radio station, and ask if anyone else had seen the odd sphere in the sky. The radio station confirmed that yes, indeed; they could see it as well. In the days that followed, at least 40 people in the Smiths Falls area came forward, stating that they had seen the object as well.
In the summer of 1974 people were once again talking about another strange object in the sky. It was a typical warm summer evening on the Rideau Lakes, and there were cottagers and residents alike, who saw more than they bargained for, on the night of August 12th. At around 10 p.m., many were sitting outside, enjoying the call of the loons, and listening to the water lapping on the shore. Suddenly, high in the night sky, a cigar-shaped object appeared. Some described it as a long, flat shape, orange in colour. Many said that it was more red than orange, and was shaped like a sphere. Everyone that saw it agreed that it was silent, and it hovered over the Big Rideau Lake, on the south side of Horseshoe Bay, for several minutes, and then vanished.
It wasn’t just in the Perth area that strange objects and lights appeared in the sky. Several residents of the town of Brockville, including some local police officers, confirmed the sightings of some odd lights moving in the night skies.
Strange sightings of unidentified flying objects were recorded in the Perth area as early as the late 1950s. Fiery balls of light, objects moving up and down, back and forth quickly in ways that airplanes were not able to maneuver. UFO tracking stations were established just outside of Ottawa, and rumours of government radio towers and underground facilities were heard up and down the concessions in Lanark County. Excavations were reported near Almonte, and government agents were testing the soil on several farms in Ramsay Township. When reporters attempted to investigate, the government representatives denied all, despite the fact that local men were working as labourers on many of the projects and could confirm what they had seen.
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For more information on strange sightings in the night skies over Lanark County, and some of the government’s secret projects in the 1960s and 1970s, read the full story ‘Perplexed in Perth’, from the new book “Lanark County Classics: A Treasury of Tales from Another Time”.
Book Launch – At The Book Nook, Saturday, September 24th, from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
For more information or to reserve your copy: 613-267-2350.
September 2, 2016
Lanark County Classics – Sneak Preview
“In this collection of short stories the author invites the reader to journey back to a small farm in Eastern Ontario in the 1960s and 1970s. Discover Irish legends, and learn about the troublesome banshees of North Burgess Township. Visit Clyde Forks, and share in an unsolved mystery that continues to baffle police today. Join the celebration of a milestone, in the picturesque village of Middleville, and watch as a tragedy unfolds along the shores of the Mississippi, in Pakenham. Chat with the neighbours at a popular general store in DeWitt’s Corners, and witness something unusual in the night skies over Perth. Join the author as she travels back to a simpler way of life, in this treasury of tales from another time.”
“Once again, Arlene Stafford-Wilson triumphantly transports the reader into the heart of rural Eastern Ontario in the 1960s and 1970s. The stories selected for Lanark County Classics, are a fine and timely follow-up to her 2015 release Lanark County Connections.
Stafford-Wilson’s stories are composed with an intense clarity of phrase and image. As in her previous books, her fascination with the human and natural history of her native ground — the rural farmlands, villages and small towns in Lanark County is inexhaustible.
In her latest renderings, even seemingly uneventful lives in sparsely peopled Eastern Ontario hamlets like DeWitt’s Corners, Clyde Forks, Lanark, Middleville and Pakenham — farmers, shopkeepers and townsfolk — are brought back to life for closer examination. Her stories come alive with local names and family connections. In the simplest of words, and with the richest descriptions, she makes us see and hear an ‘unremarkable’ scene that we will never forget.
No one, having read this latest book, would ever again question, “What is so interesting about small-town rural Canada?” Her thorough and dedicated study of historical ingredients, always come up rich and fresh, seem never to be used up, and draw the reader into that place and time.
What makes Stafford-Wilson’s growth as an author so crisply and clearly visible throughout Lanark County Classics is the familiarity of her materials. With her vivid reminiscences set in rural towns and villages; the more she returns to it, the more she finds.
This latest work, once again confirms that the short story is alive and well in Canada where these heart-warming tales originate, like cool fresh breezes straight off the Rideau Lakes.”
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The book launch for Lanark County Classics is Saturday, September 24th from 12 noon to 4 pm at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario. For more information, or to reserve your copy: 613-267-2350.
August 24, 2016
Meet Me in DeWitt’s Corners
‘The Corners’ was a phrase heard often in our small community. The Corners referred to DeWitt’s Corners, a mile or so west of our farm, and was located at the crossroads of the Third Line, Munro’s Side road and Cameron’s Side road.
The early settlers in Bathurst Township were keen to have their own church instead of driving to St. John’s Church in Perth, or St. Bridget’s Church in Stanleyville. Roads were treacherous at times in the winter, with deep snow, sometimes freezing rain, or both. John DeWitt, son of a pioneer settler, and his wife Mary Neil knew there was a need for a Roman Catholic Church to serve the growing community. Hoping to improve the situation, they made a promise to donate the land to build a church.
The construction progressed quickly, and the first mass was held on November 23, 1889. The church was packed that day, and this stately building has served generations of families around DeWitt’s Corners and the area for over 125 years and counting.
A bike ride down the Third Line often meant that my friends and I would gather around the millstone at Cavanagh’s general store. It was a central meeting place where we could sit and talk. Between us, we could usually scrounge together enough pocket change to buy some penny-candy at the store.
DeWitt’s Corners was a busy place in the 1960s and 1970s, with cars stopping at Cavanagh’s store for gas and groceries, or zooming up the Third Line toward Christie Lake. Christie Lake was a tourist destination with accommodations of all kinds for seasonal visitors. Norvic Lodge, Arliedale Lodge, and Jordan’s Cottages, were some of the busiest places in the summer months.
Across the Third Line from Cavanagh’s store was the old Bathurst cheese factory. The factory produced cheese until about 1954 and then ceased operations as other larger factories began to edge out the smaller producers.
Not far from the ‘Corners’, just up Cameron’s Side Road was the little white school house – S.S. # 4 Bathurst, where many of the members of our family attended school. Mary Jordan taught all eight grades, keeping order in a compact classroom, heated with a wood stove, and bursting with energetic farm kids.
Front row – Brent Scott, Carl Gamble,John Conboy,John Cameron, Peter Kerr, Bev Miller
2nd row – Standing Kim Kyle,Betty Conboy, Judy Radford, Janice Jordan , Nancy Radford, Beverly White, sitting in front of Nancy Radford is Bobby-Jean Gamble and beside her is Mary White
Beside Kim Kyle is Brent Cameron, Bryan Tysick, Maxine Closs with her arms around Judy Radford, behind her is Kenny Perkins, Brad Kyle, Susan Turnbull, Darlene Charby,
Back row Randy Sargeant, Kent Shanks, Mrs Carrie Barr, Doug Jordan, Brian Miller and Mark Greenley
When Mary Jordan wasn’t busy teaching eight different grades, she coached the DeWitt’s Corners softball team. Both of my sisters Judy and, Jackie, played on the championship team in 1959. My brother Roger was on the team in 1964.
FRONT ROW David Scott and Bill Cavanagh
MIDDLE ROW Earl Conboy and Ronnie Brown
BACK ROW; Arthur Perkins, Roger Stafford Norman Kerr Arnold Perkins Connie Conboy and Mrs Mary Jordan
Interior photo of S.S. # 4 Bathurst School
Front row Earl Conboy, David Scott, Arthur Perkins, Ron Brown, John Conboy, Bill Kyle
2nd row Arnold Perkins,Joe Mitchell, Roger Stafford, Norm Kerr, Bob Perkins,Paul Cavanagh
3 rd row Peter Kerr, Betty Conboy, Anne Kerr, Bill Cavanagh, Carl Gamble, Judy Radford, Janice Jordan, Doug Jordan Back row Mary Jordan, Kim Kyle, Connie Conboy, John Scott, Richard Cooke, Sharon Doyle
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There always seemed to be a sense of history in DeWitt’s Corners, and intriguing tales of the early settlers were told and re-told around that small hamlet. Most of us in the community were aware that Helen Cavanagh was a member of the DeWitt family, but many may not have realized how far back her roots stretched to the earliest settlers.
William DeWitt, and his wife Margaret Noonan DeWitt had a large family of eight daughters: Helen Mae DeWitt who married Jim Cavanagh, Margaret Gertrude DeWitt, Vera DeWitt who married Ed Brady, Carmel DeWitt Matthews who settled in San Francisco, California, Jean DeWitt Garry, Mary DeWitt O’Hara, Josephine DeWitt who settled in Toronto, and Sophia DeWitt.
Cavanagh’s Store
The store opened on June 3, 1947 – carrying a full line of groceries, confectionaries, and tobacco products. Along with groceries and everyday sundries, Cavanagh’s store also sold gas supplied by Esso, a branch of Imperial Oil. Locals and cottagers, along with campers at nearby Christie Lake, were all pleased to hear that there would be a general store in the area, and they would no longer have to drive to Perth to pick up daily necessities.
Jim and Helen Cavanagh operated the popular neighbourhood store for nearly four decades until they retired in 1985.
Many members of this proud community played a part, and their descendants carry with them the legacy of this historical settlement in Lanark County:
Adams, Allan, Blackburn, Blair, Brady, Cameron, Carberry, Cavanagh, Chaplin, Closs, Conboy, DeWitt, Dixon, Doyle, Fife, Foster, Gamble, Heney, Hogan, Johnston, Jordan, Keays, Kerr, Kirkham, Korry, Kyle, Leonard, Majaury, Menzies, Miller, Mitchell, Morrow, Munro, Murphy, Myers, Noonan, Palmer, Perkins, Popplewell, Radford, Ritchie, Somerville, Scott, Siebel, Stafford, Stiller, Truelove, Turnbull, and Tysick.
Thanks to JoAnne Cavanagh Butler for contributing the photos, and thanks to Janice Gordon, JoAnne Cavanagh Butler, Roger Stafford and Beverly Miller Ferlatte for all of their help identifying our neighbours and classmates in the photos!
For more information about the history of DeWitt’s Corners and the people who settled in the community, you can read the full version of the story in “Lanark County Classics: A Treasury of Tales from Another Time” – book launch is Saturday September 24th from noon to 4 pm at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario.
For information: 613-267-2350
August 21, 2016
The Cry of the Banshee in North Burgess Township
In the 1840s, Irish peasants came to Canada by the thousands to escape a horrible famine that swept through Ireland like an unstoppable plague. A disease called Potato Blight ravaged their crops for nearly a decade, and during that time over a million died of starvation, and an equal number fled Ireland on ships sailing to Canada and the United States. Most were tenant farmers, leasing their land; unable to pay their rent when their crops failed, and were evicted by ruthless landlords. They bundled up what little they had, and boarded ships headed for the new world.
Seven weeks was the average length of time spent at sea, and the conditions endured by these Irish immigrants were so terrible that the ships were nick-named ‘coffin ships’. The lice, ticks and fleas common in these over-crowded vessels were the ideal breeding grounds for the transmission of disease, and by 1847 an average of 50 passengers died each day of typhus on their voyage from Ireland.
Many came to Lanark County, and the number of Irish who settled in North Burgess Township, was so great that it was referred to at the time as ‘The Irish Invasion’. Most, but not all came from County Down and County Armagh, and some settled around Westport, and around the Scotch Line, Black Lake, and Stanleyville.
These new settlers brought their traditions, customs and stories with them to the new country. Stories and legends were passed down from father to son and from mother to daughter. Tales from the old country were told in the evenings by the fire, and the one story that seemed to run up and down the concessions in North Burgess was the legend of the Irish Banshee.
The Banshee, or ‘Bean Sidhe’ is an Irish spirit, and her high-pitched wail foretells of a death in the family. It was said that each family had its own Banshee, and that they travelled with them from the old country. Some said that the family’s Banshee would stay in Ireland at the family’s estate, and mourn the dead. The settlers to the new land brought their vivid descriptions of the Banshees – some claiming that she was an old hag with red eyes, but others said she was a fair, pale Irish beauty with long red hair dressed in a flowing gown.
It’s been said that whoever hears her high and piercing shriek could be sure that there would be a death within 24 hours. Irish lore tells that the Banshee always wailed when a family member dies, even if the person had died far away, and news of their death had not yet come. The wailing of the banshee was the first warning to the household of the death.
When several banshees appeared at once, it was said to foretell of the death of someone prominent, or of an accidental or unintended death – often of a murder victim, a suicide, or a mother who died in childbirth.
The early settlers in North Burgess passed down their stories of banshees, fairies, ghosts and the little people. Although they were fiercely loyal to God and to the church, they never abandoned their beliefs in the spirits and creatures of their ancient folklore.
Some of the families who were among the earliest settlers to North Burgess Township:
Adam
Bennett
Byrne
Byrnes
Byres
Callaghan
Chaffey
Darcy
Deacon
Donnelly
Dooker
Doran
Eagan
Farrell
Hanlon
Haughian
Jackman
Kearns
Kelly
Kerr
Lappan
Lennon
McCann
McCracken
McGlade
McIver
McLeod
McNamee
McParland
McVeigh
Mullin
Murphy
O’Connor
O’Hare
O’Neill
Parry
Powers
Quigley
Quinn
Ryan
Scanlon
Smith
Stanley
Stapleton
Thompson
Toole
Traynor
Troy
White
For more information on Irish Folklore in the early days of Lanark County:
‘Banshees of Burgess’, is part of a collection of short stories in the new book ‘Lanark County Classics – A Treasury of Tales from Another Time’. The reader will discover more about the early families from Ireland, and their customs and beliefs in the supernatural, brought from the old country. The story explores some of the tales passed down by these Irish settlers, and documents their personal experiences with Banshees, ghosts, and fairies while living in Lanark County.
The book launch for “Lanark County Classics – A Treasury of Tales from Another Time” – is Saturday, September 24th from 12 noon to 4 pm at The Book Nook, 60 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario. For information, or to reserve your copy, call: 613-267-2350.
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In 2002 the townships formerly known as North Burgess, South Sherbrooke and Bathurst were part of an amalgamation, and adopted the name of Tay Valley Township, as they are known today.
For genealogical records of the founding families of North Burgess Township:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onlanark/nburgess.htm
Lanark County Genealogical Society
Archives Lanark
http://archiveslanark.ca/index.php
July 11, 2016
Settlers’ Heritage Day & Lanark County Plowing Match!
They came from Scotland and Ireland, strangers in a new land. Some came to escape persecution, and some came in search of a more prosperous life, far away from the harsh economic realities in the old country. Some young men came alone, and they were the adventurers, and explorers, eager for fresh experiences, and new challenges. Many brought their families, wives, and young children on the long ocean voyage, leaving behind parents, and grandparents that they would never see again.
Whatever their reasons for leaving their faraway homelands, they all brought their hopes and their dreams of a better life, and a brighter future for the generations that would follow. One of the earliest settlements was Tay Valley Township in Lanark County. It was an area rich with fast-flowing rivers, and picturesque lakes. Early settlers cleared the forests, farmed the land, built mills on the banks of the rivers, and laid the foundations for future generations.
2016 marks the 200th anniversary of Tay Valley Township’s earliest settlement, and events and celebrations to mark this milestone will be held throughout the year. One of the most exciting events will be the Settlers Heritage Day, combined with the 2016 Lanark County Plowing Match.
On Saturday, August 20th, beginning at 7:00 a.m,. through to 4:00 p.m., there will be activities for the whole family, including a maple-syrup pancake breakfast, fence building, sheep shearing, blacksmithing, genealogical research assistance, antique exhibits, and the popular plowing match. In addition, there will be presentations of Legacy Farm anniversary certificates, and lots of activities for the children, like wagon rides, a miniature animal farm, a puppet show, and story corner to name a few.
Don’t miss this special event celebrating 200 years of this historic township and the contributions made by the founding families!
Share in this historic celebration at 2677 Scotch Line, County Road 10 in Tay Valley Township.
For more information: www.tayvalleytwp.ca or call 613-264-0094 or 613-267-5353 ext. 133.
May 1, 2016
Record Crowds at the Annual Festival of the Maples in Perth
The weather was picture-perfect for the 40th Annual Maple Festival this year in the pretty town of Perth, Ontario. The bright late-April sun warmed the thousands of residents and visitors who had gathered for this annual rite of spring in Lanark County. Known as the ‘Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario’, the county of Lanark enjoyed a banner year with an exceptionally lengthy maple harvest. Week after week of cold nights with temperatures dipping below zero, followed by warm afternoons reaching highs in the double digits meant a long and abundant run of sap. No less than 40 gallons of this sweet, watery fluid are required to produce one solitary gallon of syrup and the task requires patience, care, and an abundance of labour.
The annual festival drew crowds in the thousands for this year’s event. Partly due to the sunny spring temperatures, but mainly because of the incredibly talented live musical acts, delightfully tempting wares of the local food trucks, as well as arts and crafts vendors, and of course the stars of the show – the Lanark County maple products offered up and down the streets, closed to all but pedestrian traffic.
Leslie Wallack, owner of popular local store The Book Nook was busy all day both inside and outside as customers dropped by to pick up a selection or two from some of their variety of literary offerings in the store. In front of the store on this beautiful sunny day, local authors were there as part of Authors for Indies Day, raising awareness of the importance of Canada’s independent book stores.
Our book table was busy throughout the day with many friends and former school-mates and neighbours dropping by to say hello.
Nancy Hudson, sister of talented band member Don White (of ‘Grateful We’re Not Dead’) stopped by to chat, and we briefly discussed the local musical acts including her nephew, appearing throughout the day at the Maple Festival. There was a tremendous amount of talent featured up and down the streets of Perth for music-lovers of all ages.
Third Line friends and neighbours Trina McMillan Conboy and the bright and handsome Sawyer Conboy stopped by. It’s always nice to see the folks from ‘the home soil’, and was delightful to hear young Sawyer discuss his newly acquired talent of driving the garden tractor. A budding future farmer on the Christie Lake Road perhaps?
Former classmates Brenda Wark and her sister Norma came by for a quick visit. We three were among the first group of students when Glen Tay Public School was a shiny new building. We shared many laughs and good times in those early days at Glen Tay.
Another former classmate Dianne Tysick Pinder-Moss stopped by with her husband Bob, and was nice to have a few minutes to catch up on the news. Dianne and I go all the way back to our days in a little one-room school-house at Christie Lake.
Our lovely niece Tracey, visiting from Oshawa with her Mom and Dad, stopped by and we had a great visit. Tracey and her folks were enjoying their first ever Festival of the Maples in Perth, and had many positive comments about the local treats they had sampled as well as the variety of local products and vendors available.
Former co-worker Cheryl Sheffer stopped by to say ‘Hello’ and chat for a bit. It was so nice to meet Doug as well. They were having a great day visiting all of the local vendors and taking in the sights and sounds of the busy festival.
Another visiting author, seated to my left was James Bartleman, former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, signing copies of his book. Born in Orillia, Ontario, James moved to Perth after he retired, and now calls the ‘prettiest town in Ontario’ his home.
One of our busy local reporters stopped by working on stories for the next edition of ‘The Perth Courier’. We had a great chat about one of the tales from my book “Lanark County Chronicles” that features mobster Al Capone and his fascinating adventures along the Rideau Lakes.
Speaking of the Rideau Lakes, we had a nice visit with Rideau Ferry resident Carol-Ann McDougall and her lovely daughter Shannon who were enjoying some of the sights and sounds of the festival along Gore Street.
After a busy day at The Book Nook, another Festival of the Maples has come to an end. The attendance set records, the weather was unusually sunny and warm for April, and event was a great success. Thanks to all who stopped by to visit and say ‘Hello’, and special thanks to Leslie Wallack for hosting the event. This Lanark County ‘kid’ had a wonderful time as always in the Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario!
April 23, 2016
Lunch with the Retired Women Teachers of Ontario
The scenic town of Perth glowed in the warmth of the bright spring sun as we made our way along historic Gore Street last Thursday. The Retired Women Teachers of Ontario had kindly invited me to speak at their monthly meeting, and they chose the popular Maximilian Restaurant as their venue.
Maximilian, open since 1975 has enjoyed tremendous popularity in Perth, as well as the surrounding area, and many come from neighbouring towns and cities to sample their delicious cuisine; particularly their famous melt-in-your-mouth schnitzel dishes!
I received a warm welcome from the RWTO, and once everyone had arrived and settled into their seats, I read two short stories to the group –each with a theme about education. The first story from my book “Lanark County Kid”, is about the transition from the one room school houses to a centralized school, built in 1968 – Glen Tay Public School. The story describes the debates that went on and on for months, regarding the financial strain on the townships and should they proceed with building a new school. The discussions that followed highlighted the pros and cons by both parents and teachers concerning which of the two styles of education provided the best overall experience for the students. The story describes the new school, larger student population, and the advantages and benefits of the new facilities and modern methods of teaching.
The second story that I presented focused on a popular local teacher in the 1960s and 1970s – Mrs. Dencie (Tryon) Conboy. One of the unique features of Mrs. Conboy’s classes was her fondness for blending studies with physical activities, usually in the form of softball games, designed to help burn off pent-up energy when students became restless in her classroom. Her teaching style was ahead of its time, and many of her students went on to become successful, contributing members of their communities. The story was a tribute to her methods of ‘thinking outside the box’ in her popular and perhaps slightly unorthodox and much-loved teaching style.
After lunch there was an opportunity to meet with many of the teachers, and to discuss the changes in education through the years, and some interesting new developments on the horizon.
The lunch at Maximilian was delicious as always, and it was a delight to meet with so many of the members of the RWTO. There were lots of fascinating discussions as well as questions about the five books on Lanark County that I brought to the presentation. I would imagine that teachers and books go together like honey and bees, so it was my pleasure to introduce the members to my collection of published books.
The sun was still bright and warm as we departed from our delicious lunch with the RWTO members. There are few things as peaceful and lovely as a drive through the town of Perth on a mild spring day.
Many thanks to the RWTO members for their warm hospitality, and for making our visit with them such a delight!
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For more information about ‘Lanark County Kid: My Travels Up and Down the Third Line”
For more information about Maximilian Restaurant in Perth Ontario:
Maximilian Restaurant Perth Ontario
For information about the Retired Women Teachers of Ontario:
