Ed and Edith (Bray) Bush - c.1945RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY NEW LISKEARD
By Edith M. Bush
I arrived in New Liskeard on May 10, 1901 with my parents and sister, Jean, and her husband, Sheff Spiers. We had travelled by rail from Huntsville to Mattawa and from there via the old stamer "Meteor", stopping overnight at Ville Marie, Quebec. This first port of call the next morning was Haileybury but, being only ten years old, my only impression of that town was C. C. Farr's team of mules which were at the dock presumably to transport the passengers into town.
We arrived at the mouth of the Wabi River about eleven a.m. but owing to logs in the river, the steamer was obliged to anchor some distance from the dock. We were transferred by painter to the nearest landing close to the sawmill of McCamus and McKelvie. The first person to greet us was A. N. St. John, bachelor pastor of the Methodist Chruch (whose son turned up as the best pal of my nephew on Canada's largest weekly paper in Montreal 40 years later). My brother, George, who had come in 14 miles from his farm in Kerns Twp to meet us, was two miles from town when he heard the boat whistle. He ran the rest of the way and arrived shortly after we had landed.
The Rev. F. E. Pitts, pastor of the Prebyterian Church, who also met the boat to welcome newcomers, took us home with him to dinner while our household goods were being transferred to our temporary abode, a shack at the corner of Whitewood Avenue and Paget Street where Robinson's store now stands. We learned later that we were fortunate indeed to get even this semblance of a house. Sometimes four or five families were obliged to live and sleep on the floor of what was called Government House, a large structure on the bank of the Wabi (now known as Sharpe Street), while they were waiting ways of getting to their farms.
As space in our shack was scarce, everything not absolutely necessary to daily living was piled in a heap outside and covered with tarpaulins and boards. A lot was purchased on Wellington Street and our three men hurriedly built a small house. Fortunately my father was a carpenter by trade. The first rain that came they had to quickly put new paper on the roof of the schack as there seemed to be more water inside than out. Some years later our house was moved down Wellington Street and still stands beside the fire hall; it was first occupied by Chas. McRoberts and later by Mrs. Deslage.
On the north side of Whitewood Avenue there was five buildings - the house of John Armstrong, the Crown Land agent, which still stands north of the present Post Office. Then our shack, then Abdullah Zahaln's (where Reward shoe store is). Then Robert Latimore's house where the Hydro now is. He was the Chief of Police. On the Imperial Bank corner (now) stood Edmund Monahan's hardware store, reported to be the first store in New Liskeard. The south side of Whitewood was composed of logs, stumps, tag alders and bull rushes inhabited by frogs and mosquitos. There was a narrow wooden sidewalk on Amrstrong Street and also a short one on Murray Street. Walter West was the Postmaster and the Post Office was a log building in the hill, north side of the river. Later Dan McCosh became Postmaster.
When we arrived there was quite a controversy in progress over naming the town. North side of the river was Thornloe and south side, Liskeard.
Note - this manuscript, probably written in 1961, ends abruptly at this point.
HIGHLAND IN THE EARLY DAYS
By Edith B. Bush - October 1958
My first view of Highland was on Christmas Day 1901 when my parents, Joseph Bray and Martha (Spiers) Bray, and I drove from New Liskeard in a one horse open sleigh to spend Christmas with my sister Martha Jane (Bray) Spiers, her husband Sheff, and their daughter, Mabel.
At that time, the village of Highland contained six houses besides that of John B. Philp, who had a small grocery store in the front part of his home. He also had a sawmill on the Hudson Creek which ran through the south east corner of his farm. Around the end of May, 1901 I well remember seeing Mr. Philp and his new bride, Allie, both on horseback, leaving New Liskeard for the new home at Highland. Travelling on horseback was a very necessary way of transportation at that time as the wagon trail only went as far as Fishers Rock; from there one either walked or rode on a stoneboat or sloop.
By the end of June 1902 there was a passable wagon road to Highland. I know because I travelled it one dark night in the care of Mr. & Mrs. William Pacey. Herb Palmer was the coachman and the other passengers were Allan Smith, and Jennie and Annie Watt. It was very rough crossing over Fishers Rock; one side of the wagon would careen over a large boulder and before you got rightly seated, the other side of the wagon would heave up in the air. We finally got over the worst part and we arrived in Highland around eleven p.m. Mr. & Mrs. Pacey never forgot that trip either because cigar smoke and me, combined with rough travelling, never did agree.
I spent two weeks visiting my sister and was present at the opening of the Methodist Church. The majority of the surrounding families were represented at this event, as well as some from Uno Park, New Liskeard and nearby Milberta. By that time there were several new home in Highland. On the south side, from the top of the hill, was Versal Palmer's house (later destroyed by fire). Then came Herb Palmers boarding house and across the bridge lived bachelor Asa Parsell. Next to him was Sheff Spiers and another house which was soon torn down and moved away. Norman Frazer lived part way up the hill towards the Church. Then came George and William Pacey. Opposite the Paceys was the log house of John Watt and family, later occupied by Joseph Henderson and family; it was a landmark for many years. Down the road was the Church and a small shed and next to that lived J. R. Philps. Across the bridge, going up the hill were the homes of Asa Tolton, George Wood and J. P. Garnet. The menfolk from most of these homes were employed at the local sawmill and later moved to farms in various parts of the north country,
We lived in New Liskeard for two years during which time my father and borther, George, travelled back and forth to the farm on the north 1/2 of lot 9, concession 2, Kerns Twp. It took them this length of time to clear some land and build our house, into which we moved at the end of March, 1903. We were able to travel by sleigh before the snow was all gone; the last mile was only a trail through green bush. The graded road ended between the Henderson's and Alvin Pacey's farms and we would leave our wagon there. During the summer months we walked from there to our house wearing long rubber boots, dodging mud holes and walking on top of logs as best we could. To go to Church we wore rubber boots to the wagon, then donned our best shoes and walked in comfort the rest of the way. It was a long time before the road was built the last half mile to our farm. Finally, in disgust, my mother called a logging bee in order to get the logs and stumps out so that a ditch could be put through to drain off the water. The neighbours were willing workers and it wasn't long before we could drive all the way to our home. I believe that this was the start of many logging bees; many hands make light work, you know.
Our nearest neigbours were all bachelors - Edson Jibb, Herb Jibb, Sham, Ezra and Lorenzo Pacey, William Frew, Fred Bush, the Royce brothers on the farm later owned by Dr. Farley, and Willard and Norman Henderson. Rev. C. C. Fry, wife and small son, Willie, occupied the parsonage which had been built opposite the Church. The Rev. Fry travelled from one appointment to another mostly on foot, sometimes on horseback, and though his sermons were delivered without benefit of surplice or gown, they have long been remembered.
I forget exactly when the new driving shed for the Church was built, but in later years my husband, Ed Bush, told me that his first job in this country was at a bee to shingle it in June of 1907. There was also a large house built by John Clarke at Mr. Philps gateway but shortly thereafter it was destroyed by fire and the Clarke family moved to Englehart where, at the time of writing this, a son still runs a dairy. Mrs. Hank Jelly of New Liskeard was the former Ethel Clarke.
In the fall of 1903, Mr. M. S. Beach, wife and son Howard moved into the Norman Frazer house. Later he built a house, destroyed by fire in the spring of 1923, on the site where Howard's home stand today. In 1904 George Devins, Sr. built near the bridge (north side) and Mrs. Devin's brother, Mr. Kenny, built a small carpenter shop opposite them. Their family consisted of Fred, Althea and Aubrey. In the fall of that year Thomas Aitchison and family, Ethel, Edna, Reta and baby Clark moved into the Garnet house for the winter, going on to their farm in the spring.
J. M. Barnard purchased the sawmill, built a large house half-way up the hill, and moved in his family - Alva, Bertha, John, Jabe and Justin. About this time the Devin family moved to their farm at Rutherford's corner and Mr. Barnard erected a stable and driving shed where their house had stood. The Barnard boys, and others, made a skating rink on the creek and formed an ametuer hockey club. In 1910, Mr. Barnard moved his sawmill a mile south and built a large house - presently occupied by Stewart Jack and family. The old Barnard house was moved to the farm of T. J. (Uncle Tom) Newton; it too was destroyed by fire.
Herb Palmer's boarding house burned down during the winter of 1911-12. Gradually the numerous homes of Highland Village were torn down, moved away or destroyed by fire. The last building to remain standing on the hill was the J. P. Garnet house; this was moved to the J. R. Philp farm by Mr. Beach who purchased the Philp property following the loss of his home by fire. The Garnet house became the sleeping quarters for the Beach boys and hired men; I believe it still (1958) stands in the same place, now owned by Mr. J. Whalen. During its lifetime on Highland Hill, the Garnet house served as the temporary home of many people waiting to get to their farms:- John Mowes and family, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Kosmack, Charles Edward and family, Thomas Aitchison and fmaily, my husband & I (we were married June 21, 1911), Jim Peever and others.
During the early years of the Methodist Church the women worked hard to raise money, just as they are doing today. The first Ladies Aid was instrumental in having the inside of the Church covered with the then popular sheets of metal; the men volunteered their labour to do the actual installation. The building was also covered with siding and painted. The Ladies Aid also held Lawn Socials, Bazaars and Field Days which became annual events and were largely attended. Ball games and races provided the sports and the accompanying dinners were put on by the women. Milk and eggs were donated by various members and I remember that my mother kept the menfolk busy hand-cranking our old ice cream freezer. Oh Boy ! I can tell you that those Field days were no picnic for the men and women of the organization.
In 1906, Laura Rose Stevens installed the first Women's Institute and Mr. Grose started the United Farmers of Ontario which carried of for several years. The Women's Institute is still keeping up the good work after 52 years of service to home and country.
