Port Stanley Part Four

Harbour, Port Stanley. There is no postmark on this card so we can only guess a the date. Note the grain elevator on the west side of the harbor. Agnes Hepburn tells us that the wooden grain elevator was built by the Lake Erie and Detroit River railroad during the period when they leased the train tracks from the L&PS (1893-1913). The elevator was used by the Erie Flour Mills of St. Thomas as well as London millers. It later burned down and was replaced by concrete elevators. The sign on the roof of the brown building in t he foreground says, “Boat House.”

Fishing Fleet. Many of the fishing tugs shown in this photograph are the same boats as shown in this postcard. The position of the boats along the harbor wall is also very similar, suggesting that the boats would each dock in front of their own “fish shanty.” Note the net drying reels in the right foreground. Similar reels could be seen at this location until very recently.

The view is looking west on George Street. A retaining wall has now been built in front of the house at 321 George Street (building on far right). The building on the other side, now known as 320 George Street still sports a porch whose trim is almost identical to the porch shown here. This house was built in 1903 by Walter Mitchell, who owned a hardware store on Colborne Street, a lumber yard on the west side of the harbor, and Port Stanley’s first electrical system. The third building, on the north side of George Street is just west of the present day corner of George and William Streets. The date on this postcard (dated through the George V stamp used) is approximately 1912-1926.

 In 1928, when it was built, the L&PS Dance pavilion, on the right of the photograph , bordered the lake. By the time this photograph was taken forty or fifty feet of beach had built up, but it was still much narrower strip of sand than would exist twenty years later. This card was by the Photogelatine Engraving Co. Ltd. Ottawa.

      Fraser Heights Cottages. The date on the postcard is 1910, and already several substantial summer cottages have been built on Fraser Heights- or Invererie Heights as it was now being called, since the Fraser House Hotel had been named the Invererie Hotel. Today, all the north side of Front Street is lined with homes. Lover’s Lane was a small road that was at the extreme west end of the road which would later be named Front Street. Lover’s Lane served as a popular photographic spot from 1905-1915. There was a small bridge that spanned the ravine between Invererie Heights from the summer resort area to the west known as Erie Rest. The bridge is still there today but it is on private property and is not accessible to the public.

Park Day

Today April arranged for family day at Anitoch Park. Now that the summer is here, the group is huge! For awhile there were only 3 of us meeting and today there were 8 of us.

The park is only 5 miles from our house so we didn't have to leave too much before 10am- so Allison got in a nap before we left.

We played on the playground, fed the ducks, crawled through the dirty walkways, and then had a picnic lunch. The day started out cool but by the time we headed home at 1pm it had warmed up quite a bit. Allison was exhausted from all the excitement and fell asleep within minutes of our journey home beginning.

 When it was time for lunch, we each put out of blankets and started to feed the kids but the kids kept traveling to different blankets to sample. Allison managed to get a full meal of grapes, a muffin, a sandwich, and cheese.

I didn't pack a lunch but when one little girl decided two bites in that she was done with her PB & J sandwich, I took on the job.

There are 3 new families at our church and I've been enjoying getting to know the women through the family group. I remember what it was like when I first arrived and how wonderful and welcoming everyone was and I hope we're giving off that same vibe to our new people.

Tree

There was a dead tree on the lawn and our landlord made arrangements to have it taken down yesterday. The showed up just as Allison was about to take a nap so instead of sleeping, we headed outside to watch the event. 4 men showed up (only one spoke English) and they quickly cut the tree down, chopped it up, and trimmed a different tree. They were only at our house for an hour and they worked very quickly.

When it was time to trim the tree beside the front porch, a 50 year old man approached the tree, jumped up and grabbed a limb and pulled himself up. He climbed the tree faster than I could have climbed a ladder into the tree. I tried to tell him to be careful but he didn't understand anything I said- but I'm sure he could read my scared expression.

Allison didn't know whether to be scared (she would bury her head in my shoulder when the chainsaw would start up) or grumpy (when I tried to put her in the house she would bang on the door wanting out).

I was surprised when I went out in the yard and saw that they had forgotten their water cooler. But today they arrived to dig out the stump so they were able to retrieve it. Allison wasn't interested in the stump removal and opted to spend the cooler day inside reading books/pulling all the books out of her library box and then waiting for me to put them back so we could start all over again.

Port Stanley Part Three

     The Surf at Orchard Beach. The bathing costumes in this photograph suggest a pre-1910 date. Note the beautifully crafted lapstrake boat pulled up in the foreground. The three breakwaters, or weirs, shown extending out from the shore in this photograph were an early attempt to control the erosion which subsequently claimed so much Orchard Beach property. It was been suggested the erosion was a direct result of a gap which was opened in the main east breakwater to control the storm surge which would build up in the harbor when the lake was rough.

      Presbyterian Church. This church was built in 1854 by the Congregationalists. Shortly after being built it was rented and then purchased by the Presbyterians. The first minister was the Rev. William Doak. The present church has changed little since this postcard.

       Methodist Church and Parsonage. This postcard is postmarked 1911. The church shown here was built in 1888 as a Methodist church. In 1925 at the time of church union in Canada it became a United church. The church has had considerable renovations done since this photograph was taken, and the parsonage has been demolished.

      Christ Church was erected in 1845 on land donated by Colonel John Bostwick. On September 19, 1804 Bostwick had received 150 acres of Crown land on the east side of Kettle Creek. He did not take up residence in Port Stanley until 1820, but is often referred to as Port Stanley’s first settler. Some think that he charged exorbitant prices for his land, which may have slowed development of the little village. Bostwick is buried in the churchyard, and the perfectly preserved church looks the same today as it did in this early postcard.

      Christ Church, Port Stanley. This postcard is postmarked May 26, 1911. Looking at the empty land around the church, it is clear that Christ Church was on the far northern outskirts of Port Stanley. When the church was built, in 1845, it may have been designed to serve the tiny community of Selborne as well as Port Stanley. Selbourne has disappeared from the map, but it was situated on Kettle Creek, a couple of blocks to the north of the church, roughly where Moore Water Gardens is situated today. Note the electricity poles in front of the church. The first electricity in the village came from a private generator west of the harbor, owned by Mr. Mitchell. It is interesting that the system extended this far north on Colbourne Street. Erosion on the banks of Kettle Creek never posed the problem that it did on the lakeshore of Orchard Beach, but evidently a retaining wall was felt to be necessary.

Family Portrait VI

 

I had the idea for a circus themed family photo a few months ago, but with my travelling and the planning it took to get it ready, it didn't work until now. I used dollar store table clothes for the background. I sewed Nathan's pants out of a $1 sheet I found at Goodwill, I bought my dress for $2 and I made Allison's strongman outfit out of a t-shirt I picked up .99 cents. 

My "beard" isn't Photoshopped- I divided my hair and split the bottom layer in two. They I did a waterfall braid on each side (a braid that leaves hair hanging out) and then attached the end of each braid to the opposite side. It was really hot to wear and I was glad we got this picture on the second try because it was really itchy. Allison wasn't interested in having her photo taken so it felt a little rushed but I really like how it turned out. Nathan keeps shaking his head at the crazy ideas I come up with but he's always willing to put on whatever crazy outfit I give him and get into the action. I'm very thankful to have a husband like him.

Gone Baptizin'

At least some people got some relief from the 35 degree days we had this weekend. Today there was a baptism service on the front lawn of the church.

We've had a weekend full of activities- yesterday Nathan had a church meeting in the morning, then he was called into work on a consult, then we went to a co-worker's son's birthday party. The party was actually really fun- I saw actually because I always feel uncomfortable when I don't know anyone. But everyone was really welcoming and I enjoyed chatting with some fellow Canadians. Half the party was from Ontario! They were from Brampton, London, Burlington, and Kingston.

This morning we managed to get Allison down for a nap before we went to church. This was crucial because Nathan had offered to help take down the baptismal after the ceremony.

Right after the service we went out the front doors and had the service at the main intersection beside our church. 3 girls got baptized - Adam and April Mitchell's kids, and a student from Southwest High School who has started attending Wornall. Nathan helped with the baptism today! I'm always so proud of him how he can get up in front of so many people (he even read and prayed in from of the congregation today), I would be way too shy.

 

 

 After the baptism, there was supposed to be a picnic but we had a big rain last night so the picnic was cancelled. However, a few families stayed behind to wait for the baptismal to empty so we had an impromptu picnic on the lawn. I didn't bring anything so Nathan and I mooched off our friends and had a delicious meal of pizza, chicken salad, blueberry muffins, grapes, and cheetos. Allison loved being around all the kids and didn't mind that she was missing her nap. By the time we put her in the car at 2pm she could barely keep her eyes open.

Maternity Shoot

A couple of months ago, my friend Lisa asked if I could copy a maternity dress she saw on etsy. It was selling for $90 but she loved it and wanted to wear it for maternity photo shoot. I'm not a dress maker but it was really simple and agreed. We made the dress for about $20.

I posted about the belt I made out of the left over material, but wanted to wait until she had her shoot to show off the dress. Lisa had the shoot last weekend and agreed to let me post them to the blog. She makes a beautiful mama-to-be and I was excited to be a part of the day.

Port Stanley Part Two

      The wooden walkway on the right parallels the Joseph Street Hill, which, to old time port Stanley residents is still known as “School House Hill.”

      St. Joseph’s church was built in 1912 on the north side of George Street. At first it was only open in the summer months. The building depicted stands on this site today but it is for sale and no longer used as a church. It is relevant to note that the Catholic missionaries and explorers. Dollier and Galinee visited the mouth of Kettle Creek, then called the Riviere Tonti, as early as 1670.

      The bank corner was originally known as the Loney Block. It would be reasonable to believe that the Bank Building was built by Matthew Loney, a well-to-do Port Stanley businessman who owned the late Hotel Loney, a few hundred feet South of the intersection. The sign beside the bank reads “Loney’s Dining Hall.” The other sign reads “Sterling Bank” which later became the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. 

      This photograph was taken from Port Stanley’s main intersection, looking north. Note the horse drawn carriage on the right. In 1916 a horse trough was added in front of the bank building. The large building on the right was Port Stanley’s third school, built in 1908,. Since the horse trough wis not in place, we can establish the photograph as between 1908-1916. This would fit the presence of of the streetcar in the center of Colborne Street. The Southwest Traction Company had tracks between London and Port Stanley and in busy years carried in excess of 700 000 passengers.  Jack Brumpton, a lifelong resident of Port Stanley recorded comments with reference to several postcards in the collection. His comments on this card read, “Drug store on corner, Fewing’s shoe store and hardware store.” We know from other sources that the hardware store a few doors north of the intersection was owned by Walter Mitchell and later by Joe Burke. It was also operated as a heating supply store. 

      Port Stanley has had four elementary schools in the last 170 years. This school was built in 1908 on the west side of Frances street, where the post office is today. It was designed by Niel Darrach. Hepburn tells us that it had two classrooms and a library down stairs and two classrooms and the principal’s office upstairs. When the school opened Mr. Catherwood was the principal. The white building in the background was Port Stanley’s second school. 

       With no postmark and stamp we are unable to attach an exact date to this postcard, by the London and Port Stanley Railway was not electrified until 1915, so we can be sure that this photograph was taken prior to that date. Note the wooden grain elevator behind the on rushing train, and the pre World War 1 garb of the waiting passengers. One gets the impression from looking at this and other postcards that the majority of women at this time wore long pale pink or pale blue dresses. This of course merely represents a whim of the colorist.