Country Roads Winter 2016

LOCAL WOODWORKER WITH TIME ON HIS HANDS OPENING OF COMMUNITY ­ARCHIVES LANDMARK OCCASION NORTH HASTINGS DESIGNER GIVES ‘LUCKY’ FABRIC NEW LIFE COVERING THE ARTS, OUTDOORS, HISTORY, PEOPLE AND PLACES

WINTER 2016/2017

Home Owners

helping homeowners

Proud to be named One of Canada’s Most Reputable Companies

By Canadian Business Magazine

MADOC HOME HARDWARE 57 Elgin Street, Madoc

(613) 473-2332

RASHOTTE HOME BUILDING CENTRE 36 Metcalfe Street , Tweed

(613) 478-2539

BROADBENT’S HOME HARDWARE BUILDING CENTRE Highway #7 West, Marmora

(613) 472-2539

Thinking of Building?

We can design your new home and build it anywhere.

Linwood ofďƒžces, dealers and builders across Ontario.

Contact Us for Your Free Consultation Discover the fastest, easiest, safest and most cost-effective way to build your custom home, cottage or cabin.

Proud Designer & Supplier of the Princess Margaret Lottery Prize Cottages since 2008.

linwoodhomes.com

1-888-546-9663

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4, WINTER 2016/2017

CONTENTS 8

12

14

18

FEATURES 18 A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE

8 TIME ON HIS HANDS

By Angela Hawn

14 HISTORY GOES MODERN

By Sarah Vance

By Orland French

DEPARTMENTS 6 EDITORIAL 6 CONTRIBUTORS 7 JUST SAYING

12 REMEMBERING

The Invisible Woman

11 THE VILLAGE IDIOT “Caring for your family’s dental health”

Stirling Dental Centre Dr. Doug Smith A N D A S S O C I AT E S

Dr. Lauren Allen & Dr. Amarpreet Kaur Family & Cosmetic Dentistry New Patients & Emergencies Welcome Friendly people and gentle dentistry for your whole family.

9B Tuftsville Road, Stirling, ON 613-395-2800

4

I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

In the woodpile

Recalling the Rathbuns

17 20 21 22

ADVERTISER INDEX MARKETPLACE COUNTRY CALENDAR BACK ROADS

Flood 1914

ON THE COVER

Elk In Winter Cover Photo: Gail Burstyn, Lylis Designs Photographer Gail Burstyn submitted this photo of “Bruce”, one of the original herd of elk that were introduced to the North Hastings area 15 years ago. He would regularly feed alongside a large herd of deer in her friend’s field.

Country Roads

celebrating life in hastings county

Country Roads

celebrating life in hastings county

CR Country

CO-PUBLISHER & EDITOR Nancy Hopkins 613 968-0499 CO-PUBLISHER & EDITOR John Hopkins 613 968-0499

Roads

SALES DEPARTMENT

CENTRAL HASTINGS & AREA

celebrating lifeGibson-Alcock in hastings county Lorraine

lorraine@countryroadshastings.ca 613.902.0462 NORTH HASTINGS & AREA Hope McFall hope@countryroadshastings.ca 613.202.1541 ART DIRECTOR Jozef VanVeenen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Robert Ferguson Orland French Angela Hawn Barry Penhale Lindi Pierce Michelle Annette Tremblay Sarah Vance Shelley Wildgen

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Sean Buk Robert Ferguson Anna Sherlock Michelle Annette Tremblay Jozef VanVeenen COUNTRY ROADS, Celebrating Life in Hastings County is published four times a year by PenWord Communications Inc. Copies are distributed to select locations throughout Hastings County including the c­ ommunities of Bancroft, Belleville, Madoc, Marmora, Stirling and Tweed. Copies are also delivered to select homes within southern Ontario.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year: $25.00 2 years: $45.00 3 years: $67.50 All prices include H.S.T. The contents of this publication are ­protected by copyright.

Reproduction of this p­ ublication in whole or in part without prior written permission of PenWord C ­ ommunications Inc. is prohibited.

The advertising deadline for the Spring 2017 issue is March 3, 2017 COVER PHOTO: GAIL BURSTYN, LYLIS DESIGNS Made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation

HOW TO CONTACT US Telephone: 613-968-0499 E-mail: info@countryroadshastings.ca Website: www.countryroadshastings.ca For written enquiries you can reach us at: PenWord Communications Inc. P.O. Box 423, Stirling, ON K0K 3E0

SCHOOL OF MEDIA, ARTS + DESIGN

JOURNALISM - ONLINE, PRINT & BROADCAST Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 5

CONTRIBUTORS

Angela Hawn thanks her lucky stars for landing in Hastings County after years of an ‘on the road’ lifestyle teaching ESL in Asia, Europe and the Canadian Arctic.

Although she loves to travel, some chance meetings here with a few people in the publishing business finally allowed her to put to use a few things learned long ago at Carleton University’s journalism school.

When not writing or travelling, Angela enjoys the inspiration and humour consistently delivered by the nine- and 10-year-olds seen in her day job as an elementary school teacher.

Her dream job? Why, travel writer, of course.

Interested parties take note: for the right assignment, she’d work cheap. Closer to home, Angela seeks editorial advice and often, just plain old validation, from fellow travelling companions, husband, Mike, and their two incredible daughters, Maddie and Isobel.

Shelley Wildgen has a background in broadcasting that extends from Belleville to Winnipeg to Bermuda and back again. She is an advertising copywriter and commercial voice over talent by trade but has also written features for many magazines across Canada, as well as taken a turn at teaching in the School of Media Arts and Design at Loyalist College.

Shelley divides her time between Belleville and Prince Edward Island.

6

I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

Celebrate with Country Roads #Canada150HastingsCounty It seems only fitting with Canada’s 150th Anniversary on the horizon that after a long and collaborative initiative the Belleville and Hastings County Community Archives opened its new location this past April. The county’s history is now housed in a bright state- of- the- art facility contained within the Belleville Public Library.

History matters very much and the region can be extremely proud of its preservation of the important materials that shaped it. The archives are an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning the history of their family or community. But history stretches much further.

In the words of best selling Author Steve Berry, “History is not something obscure or unimportant. History plays a vital role in our everyday lives. We learn from our past in order to achieve greater influence over our future. History serves as a model not only of who and what we are to be, we learn what to champion and what to avoid. Everyday decision-making around the world is constantly based on what came before us.”

Photo: Haley Ashford

Orland French is a writer and publisher living in Belleville where he and his wife Sylvia create colourful books exploring history and geology. He has long been involved with the Hastings County Historical Society as president and past-president. Mr. French’s career has included staff experience with The Kingston Whig-Standard, The Ottawa Citizen and The Globe and Mail. Currently he is completing a personal history book on Vimy Ridge. More information is available at www. wallbridgehouse.com.

EDITORIAL

The year 2017 marks the 150th Anniversary of Canada and Country Roads magazine is very excited to celebrate with editorial that will shine a spotlight on Hastings County and its importance to this great country. Watch for special articles and celebrations throughout our 2017 issues.

•

Want to participate?

Use the hashtag #Canada150HastingsCounty to spread the word.

Follow Country Roads on Facebook and join our E-Newsletter The Compass www.countryroadshastings.ca 1867 - 2017

It’s going to be a very exciting year!

DO A QUICK SURVEY! WIN A PRIZE! Please take just 2 minutes out of your day to do an easy 10-question Country Roads Readership Survey (and maybe even forward it to a friend...)

All survey participants will be entered to win one of our limited Country Roads coffee mugs.

Your confidential and anonymous answers are invaluable in keeping Country Roads successful.

To fill in the survey visit www.countryroadshastings.ca

THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY! Does your family have a long tradition of ­playing games or holding t­ ournaments at the cottage?

Indoor and outdoor activities: old board games, card games, ­ horseshoes,…You tell us!

We’re looking to profile the most interesting in our summer issue.

Please email nancy@countryroadshasting.ca or call us at 613.968.0499

JUST SAYING

BY SHELLEY WILDGEN

M

arion said it first. “Look at the young woman, almost wearing that gorgeous dress.

I remember doing that before I became invisible.”

I was appalled. What did she mean? Invisible?

My decade older friend explained very matter of factly exactly what she meant. After a certain age (on a sliding scale depending on the woman) we all become background. For her it happened when she let her hair go white. I daresay it probably happens to men of a certain age, as well, but I am a woman so that is where my observations land.

I think my mom told me of the same occurrence in her late forties. She wasn’t lamenting so much as noticing the difference in her day to day life. An intangible sumpin’ sumpin’ had quietly packed up its bag of look-at-me tricks and left the building. ‘It’ was gone and had become noticeable – or not noticeable really. Now it’s my turn and, surprisingly, it’s not bad at all – possibly because I never had a whole lot of ‘it’. Truth is some days, being invisible makes life easier. Fun even.

No more passing upper torso glances or ensuring that it’s supported properly. The sands of time have shifted everything and comfort over cleavage feels great. Haircuts and colour, though still applied, just don’t make it to the top of the priority list. Body temperature and sensible shoes do. Oh, and checking my lipstick before heading across the lawn to pick up the mail has been ditched. Cutting the lawn in my nightie is my new normal. Freedom 55 at its most liberating! You can get a lot done when nobody’s looking.

Like all newfound pleasures there is the occasional snag – like when the man standing next to me for a full 15 minutes at Swiss Chalet eagerly gave his

The Invisible Woman seating requirements to the hostess, until I cleared my throat. I’d been standing there waiting when he arrived and took his place next to me. He smiled, a little startled like, and apologized. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” I was shoulder to shoulder with him and wearing a jaunty plaid cape! How ruuuuuude.

But then, I really can’t luxuriate in invisibility and expect people to notice.

The infrequent offences are far outweighed by relief, relaxation and even exhilarating times. My women (of a certain age) friends and I can get away with many things due to our diminished appearances.

My friend, Carissa, and I regularly roll through the Dairy Queen in our pyjamas prior to cruising Belleville looking at houses, gardens and places we remember. No make up, no street clothes, no problem. No one sees us and we like that. I keep a brooch in my purse just in case we get stopped for suspicious trolling.

As I write this, it is the day after the American election. I am shaken, stirred, and very sober. So many takeaways, not the least of which are the optics attached to this very in your face campaign. What did we see? We saw America hire what they see as the biggest, brashest leader to take them through their haunted house of horrors. He knows the way because he said so. There’s a lot you can say about Mr. Trump but unconfident is not one of them. He commands immediate attention. Hillary Clinton? Not as much.

Commanding attention was different for her and not because of her policies. Much was what we saw…or didn’t see. Compared to her larger than life opponent, Hillary’s message got a little lost due to her height, her voice, and maybe an unspoken contributing factor - her inevitable invisibilty. The double-edged sword of the mature female.

The sharp truth is Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel – and Margaret Thatcher would have had trouble running for serious political roles when they were young cupcakes. Rightly or wrongly, aging helped to afford them the acceptance of the masses. How long did Hillary stand beside Bill, looking the picture of blonde beauty, just waiting for her maturity to set in so she could take a grab at the reins? Then, when no one was looking, she seized them….for a while. Or how about all those young actresses who complain about the lack of good female roles after a certain age?

Maybe they really mean pretty roles, because clearly many a long-toothed leading lady has done her best stuff after harnessing the benefits of invisibility. Meryl Streep? Lily Tomlin?

Patricia Clarkson? Annette Bening? And a whole slew of Dames…Maggie Smith and Judi Dench leading the wildly talented pack.

In summary, the age of invisibility isn’t only about being invisible, as Marion forecasted. It is about appreciating the process of growing older.

The invisible woman wields a great deal of personal power. Being as we are largely unseen, expectations are lower. We become quietly confident, ordering the food we like, wearing our favourite clothes over and over, expressing previously unspoken thoughts, and hanging with all manner of people when we want to.

Whether the pressures surrounding younger women are societal or put on by themselves matters very little. Worrying about how one is viewed is there and it can be a struggle. To eventually let go of that struggle while leaving room for more enjoyment is a well-earned right of passage. So relax, Liebchens, your days will come and you won’t have to do a thing to get ready for them.

•

Bridge Street Art health & pharmacy beauty food & home optimum post office

GALLERY & ART CLASSES 23 Bridge Street, Bancroft, ON 613. 332-8807 anitamrph@gmail.com

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Owner/Pharmacist: Helen Phan 118 Hastings St North Bancroft K0L 1C0 613.332.4846 (corner of Hastings & Station)

www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 7

Finch inherited his passion for wood-working from his father, a mason who also dabbled in carpentry work, and the skills and dedication appear to have been passed on to his daughter.

TIME

on his hands

Stirling wood-worker brings miniatures to life Story and photos by Angela Hawn

T

ick tock, tick tock. In an era where much time is spent lamenting how little time we have, woodworker Glen Finch seems to have all the time in the world on his hands. Quite literally.

While the rest of us buzz through our days at the speed of light, helplessly watching the minutes fly by, this 69-year-old artisan spends every spare second putting together elegant housings for the very instrument we use to measure this elusive and much-valued phenomenon.

“I probably put in three to four hours a day,” he declares, proudly showing off a workshop located just beyond Rawdon Township’s western border and smiling with satisfaction at the numerous clocks ticking away in glass-fronted cupboards Glen built himself. “But I can’t really give you a true answer as to why I got started.”

Yet, surely at least some of Glen’s affinity for wood can be traced directly back to his dad, a mason by trade who also dabbled in carpentry work. Glen started working with him when he was still just a kid, helping out with odd jobs like chimney construction. Thirty-five years tack-

8

I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

ling maintenance projects with Ontario Hydro followed.

“We worked on turbines and dams,” says Glen, “and there was certainly some carpentry involved in that.”

But Glen’s real passion for the art of woodworking didn’t really take off until he retired about 20 years ago. And he’s been going hard at it ever since.

“I started with lots of smaller projects like jewellery boxes and baskets,” he notes, pointing to a couple of fine examples on a nearby workbench.

“But after a while I started on clocks.”

Made from plans Glen orders by mail from an Iowa-based company, the clocks appear both massive and delicate at the same time, some standing over three feet in height. To the best of his knowledge, Glen figures none of his clock buildings match up with an actual life-sized monument found in the world at large, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating. Their ornate and gingerbread-like exteriors evoke memories of an era long past. It’s not difficult to imagine an entire miniaturized community coming to

life in Glen’s workshop once the woodworker shuts off his tools and retires for the night.

So what does it take to create this charming, tiny world? Glen lists a variety of wood, from mahogany to cherry, and gestures to some woodworking instruments of choice: the wood planer, tablesaw, bandsaw, scrollsaw, joiner and drillpress. A great deal of time and effort goes into each beautiful structure before Glen deems a piece ready to host its own German-made clock.

Using thin sheets of wood purchased in 5x5 size from a nearby lumber supplier in Peterborough, Glen first saws his materials down to manageable pieces. Chuckling, the craftsman acknowledges the staff at the lumber store makes the first cut.

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to fit it inside my vehicle,” he laughs.

Once the woodworker carefully glues the blueprints to his wood, the real nitty gritty begins.

Using the scroll saw to cut out and design the finest details, Glen makes everything from tiny cedar shingles to elaborate dormer windows and curlicued balconies.

Finch’s earliest projects consisted of smaller items, such as jewellery boxes and baskets.

But working with wood can be tricky. Glen speaks respectfully about his preferred medium as though it has a mind of its own.

“Wood is always moving,” he says softly, noting a piece he originally cut for one complex project buckled and warped when he left it for the night. “But when I started cutting, something in the process released the pressure and the wood got back its shape.”

Sometimes the plans Glen brings to life come straight from his imagination, often inspired by just a touch of his own personal history. With pleasure Glen opens the tiny door on a scaleddown replica of the very school house he once attended in the 1950’s. The real thing still stands about a kilometre or so up the road. No longer a school, this fine old building has since evolved into a contemporary home (see sidebar.) But in Glen’s eyes, its former existence as a place of education and maybe, even just a little bit of fun, lives on. Peer through the model’s small windows and you’ll see orderly rows of tiny chairs and desks at the ready, awaiting yet another day of learning the 3 Rs. This is the kind of time-consuming and finely detailed work Glen lives for. Once briefly a member of a local Lathe Club, Glen quickly decided wood turning was not for him. Too messy.

“You come out from working on a lathe looking like you’re covered in a snowstorm,” laughs Glen, though he admits the craft produces some beautiful bowls. “I like woodworking - it’s a nice clean hobby.”

Not a surprising admission from someone who seems to take as much pride in keeping a tidy workspace as he does in the work itself. Neat and dust-free, Glen’s immaculate workshop easily doubles as a display room for his finished wares, as well as a few antiques he’s acquired over the years.

There’s a place for everything and everything is in its place. An old gas pump dating back to

the 1950’s stands sentry in one corner and rows of antique bottles line a series of shelves. Glen has even managed to get his hands on various vintage wood-working tools, though their fragile state gives them “display purposes only” status.

Out of sheer practicality, Glen sticks with modern instruments of the trade.

“I don’t know how they used those old planes anyway,” he laughs, pointing out a couple on a high shelf. “You need brute strength.”

A lover of history, Glen proudly calls himself a collector and his collections are neatly stockpiled and displayed everywhere. Aside from pop and milk bottles, Glen also once turned an eye to beer trays and antique porcelain ashtrays, the kind with the name of the business it advertises embossed around the rim. Next to a set of vintage wood planes, a six-pack of untouched classic coca-cola holds centre court.

“I don’t know what I’ll ever do with it all, but I feel like if I don’t buy it, it will all just disappear one day,” says Glen, pointing out an old CN bucket, as well as an antique railway adze he once purchased at a yard sale for five dollars.

He’s even gotten to know a couple of guys who work at the local landfill down the road. Familiar with Glen’s tastes, they keep an eye out for items they think he might like.

Somewhat sheepishly, Finch confesses to being a bit of a packrat. Yet he’s managed to keep all of his collectibles in order. Despite the quantity of items he’s acquired and/or made, both Glen’s house and workshop give off the minimalist air of someone who has an eye for the best and discards the rest.

“My dad always said it doesn’t take any longer to clean up a mess than it does to make one,” chuckles Finch. “I can’t stand working in a mess; never could.”

No wonder Glen turned to the type of fine work performed with a scroll saw. Proudly, he shows off one of the most challenging items he’s created

Glen’s work is painstaking and precise to the smallest detail, and he crafts everything from tiny cedar shingles to elaborate dormer windows and curlicued balconies.

Wood-worker Glen Finch shows off the intricate cut-out of a Tiger Butterfly, one of the most challenging pieces he has produced. “I had to take a break and go back to it,” he admits.

so far: a large but intricate cut-out of a Tiger Butterfly. Glen shakes his head as he puts it back on the bench, declaring that particular piece made him a little stir-crazy.

“I had to take a break and go back to it,” he smiles. “It can be pretty tedious work sometimes.”

And yet, the hobby has certainly taken hold.

For years he and a group of wood-working pals made toys for the Salvation Army at Christmas, stopping only when regulations governing the types of donations the organization could accept became too onerous.

“They had to be careful about so much like whether or not certain paints could be toxic,” says Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 9

Finch’s exacting standards can be seen in the miniaturized version of his former school house, which has been reproduced down to the tiny desks and chairs visible through the windows.

The former one-room school house in the Stirling area has been turned into a cozy home built for two.

Glen Finch’s miniaturized version of the school house that he attended in the 1950’s.

Living history

Story and photos by Angela Hawn

W

hat’s it like to live in the full-size version of the tiny model schoolhouse woodworker Glen Finch made? Bill Althouse and Sandra Johnson ought to know. After five years of travelling everywhere from Florida to Tucson (and points in between), living full-time out of a motorhome, this adventurous couple decided to put down roots just over the western edge of Rawdon Township.

“We still like to travel,” assures Sandra with a broad smile. “But now I have a place where I can plant my flowers and enjoy my glass of wine in the backyard.”

And despite the fact the schoolhouse was little more than an empty shell when they first considered buying, Bill and Sandra quickly spotted this vintage building’s potential. With DIY expert zeal, they soon decided to fill out the paperwork required to change the property’s zoning designation to residential.

“No one else has actually lived here,” says Bill. “Before us it was a school and then the Women’s Institute and when we bought it, it was really just a big hall.”

But once this energetic duo got to work, that didn’t last long. Putting their drywall and mudding skills to the test, Bill and Sandra created a neat division between the charming living/kitchen/dining space and a cozy bedroom. They also installed a brand new bathroom with contemporary plumbing, more or less on the site of the old school’s interior “outhouse-like” facilities.

“This was probably one of the few schools from that time with indoor toilets,” laughs Bill, adding the couple kept one of the “toilets” as a souvenir. “No plumbing - just lye dumped down the holes.”

Before long this former one room school house took on new life as a cozy home built for two.

Where Bill’s aunt once sat at a desk in the 1950’s, Bill and Sandra now sleep. Mounted at the far end sits a modern flat screen TV and the completely renovated kitchen area boasts plenty of counter space. A small loft above the bathroom provides storage and a large painting of horses over the comfortable couch belies one of Sandra’s most important motivations for settling out here in this bit of rural paradise: she owns horses.

Once you’re on the inside of this delightful old place, it becomes difficult to imagine it was ever anything but a beautifully decorated house. Only some screw marks in the polished hardware floor left over from long ago desks plus a chunk of chalkboard Bill and Sandra have creatively incorporated into their homey-chic decor speak to the building’s original purpose.

Back outside the couple proudly show off the doorframe leading to a basement entrance, as well as some old ceiling beams. Many are scarred with the initials and names of students from a bygone era, a little graffiti from another age. Look closely and you’ll see the surname Finch inscribed a number of times.

“Glen says it’s probably some cousins of his,” grins Bill and runs his fingers softly over a name.

“Bet the teachers didn’t know about this.”

•

Finch, wondering out loud if the wooden cars and trucks he once made would pass the kid-litmus test these days.

He points out a couple of solid-looking little vehicles on nearby shelves. They look like the sort of thing baby-boomers might scout out at craft fairs.

“It’s a new generation and kids today are more interested in electronics,” he muses, miming a gamer thumbing the controls of a hand-held device.

Glen admits he much preferred long ago simpler times when life moved at a slower pace and everything seemed less complicated. He reminisces about childhood Christmases when he and his brothers felt lucky to receive one tin toy truck between the five of them.

“I feel we’re too advanced now,” claims Glen, the appeal of a bygone era evident in his wistful tone of voice. “I’d like things to go back to the way they used to run long ago.”

Nowadays, the woodworker still likes to donate items he’s made to charity. Every year he gives a hand-made piece or two to the Cambellford Community Care golf tournament for its silent auction.

“I never sell anything,” says Finch, declaring the era for making money at this kind of craft long over. “But I exhibit at the Campbellford Fair every year and I generally get some compliments.”

He also takes first prize every single time, a situation modest and low-key Glen attributes strictly to the fact no one else in the area does what he does. In a class of his own, this particular artisan has hopes the fair organizers might open up the category to include similar types of woodworking crafts.

“I’d like to have some competition,” muses Glen. “It would make it more fun.”

In the meantime, Glen offers some advice to would-be woodworkers out there. He figures anyone who wants to learn the craft can do it.

“You just have to be patient and like what you do,” he says, recalling how much his daughter impressed him with her own set of wood-working skills when she produced a beautiful kayak paddle in Glen’s workshop on a recent visit home. “Not much point in doing it otherwise.”

•

10 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

THE VILLAGE IDIOT

BY JOHN HOPKINS

In the woodpile 1867 - 2017

•

2017 marks the 150th Anniversary of Canada Country Roads magazine will celebrate with editorial that shines a spotlight on Hastings County and its importance to this great country. Watch for special articles and ­celebrations throughout our 2017 issues.

Celebrate with Country Roads #Canada150HastingsCounty

Want to participate?

Use the hashtag #Canada150HastingsCounty to spread the word. Follow Country Roads on Facebook and join our E-Newsletter The Compass

Thank you Quinte, Thank youBelleville, Belleville, Quinte “TheCountry” County” & & Eastern Ontario “The Eastern Ontario

Thank Belleville, Quinte We now you offer one of the LARGEST FACTORY We now offer one of the LARGEST FACTORY DIRECT COLLECTIONS OF& HANDCRAFTED CANADIAN “The Country” Eastern Ontario DIRECT COLLECTIONS OF HANDCRAFTED CANADIAN s MENNONITE FURNITURE in EASTERN ONTARIO. Heirloom pieces ni LarMENNONITE are now crafted from wormy maple, flat &ONTARIO 1/4 cut oak, Heirloom offer one of&inclear the LARGEST FACTORY ry We FURNITURE EASTERN Den rustic & rough sawn pine & Cherry DIRECTare COLLECTIONS OF HANDCRAFTED CANADIAN pieces crafted from wormy & clear maple, flat & Thank you Belleville, Quinte MENNONITE FURNITURE EASTERN ONTARIO “The Country” & Eastern Ontario 1/4 cut oak, rustic &Belleville, rough sawn pine &Heirloom cherry.

Thank youin Quinte

MENNONITE pieces are crafted fromBelleville, wormy & clear maple, flat & Quinte “The Eastern Ontario We Thank nowCountry” offeryou one of&the LARGEST FACTORY 1/4DIRECT cut oak, rustic & OF rough sawn pine & cherry.

“The Country” &HANDCRAFTED Eastern Ontario COLLECTIONS CANADIAN We Thank now offeryou one of the LARGEST FACTORY Belleville, Quinte MENNONITE FURNITURE in&EASTERN ONTARIO Heirloom DIRECT COLLECTIONS HANDCRAFTED CANADIAN We now offer one OF of the LARGEST FACTORY “The Country” Eastern Ontario pieces are crafted fromOF & clear maple, flat & MENNONITE FURNITURE inwormy EASTERN ONTARIO Heirloom DIRECT COLLECTIONS HANDCRAFTED CANADIAN We now offer one of the LARGEST FACTORY 1/4 cut rustic &inrough sawn pinemaple, & cherry. pieces are oak, crafted from wormy & clear flat & MENNONITE FURNITURE EASTERN ONTARIO Heirloom DIRECT COLLECTIONS OF HANDCRAFTED CANADIAN 1/4 cut rustic & rough pinemaple, & cherry. pieces are oak, crafted from wormysawn & clear flat & MENNONITE FURNITURE in EASTERN ONTARIO Heirloom 1/4 cut oak, rustic & rough sawn pine & cherry. pieces are crafted from wormy & clear maple, flat & 1/4 cut oak, rustic & rough sawn pine & cherry.

Than “The C

FURNITURE

We now o DIRECT COLL MENNONITE FU 100% pieces are cr Ac 1/4 cut oa

• Dining • Bedroom • Mattresses • Bookcases

Bedrooms sofas coffee & ends & ENDS • Entertainment • SOFAS Home Accent Pieces BEDROOMS COFFEE

BEDROOMS SOFAS COFFEE & ENDS • Home & Business Office Desks • Islands & Bars BEDROOMS

SOFAS

BEDROOMS BEDROOMS

SOFAS SOFAS

COFFEE & ENDS COFFEE & ENDS COFFEE & ENDS BEDROOMS COFFEE & ENDS

www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com 613-969-9263

R0011294653

•BEDROOMS Jelly Cupboards •SOFAS Coffee & End Tables

R0011294653

more artillery, and chooses a tennis racquet, leading to the classic line, “Honey, there’s a spider in your bathroom the size of a Buick.”

Yes, the spider by our woodpile was a little larger than I had anticipated and Haley’s misgivings were truly justified.

In winter, the creatures in the woodpile are not as unpleasant as dock spiders, and the inconveniences are somewhat different. To be fair, I probably should have been aware of the presence of visitors before my encounter with the mink or otter that January afternoon I mentioned above. For one thing, there was the spike in my internet data usage around the middle of November. At first it was fairly easy to explain – with the shorter days and cooler weather we were inside more and watching TV – but I noticed the wifi usage was high even on days we were away.

Then there was the satellite dish mounted to the side of the house and the late night pizza deliveries. And the garbage! I came outside one Sunday morning to find chip bags, pop cans and peanut shells scattered all over the porch, and a squirrel passed out sitting upright against a fence post, with three empty root beer cans crumpled beside him. On another occasion we were awakened to a chorus of chipmunks, leaning groggily on each other’s shoulders belting out “Louie, Louie” over and over.

I don’t think I would have minded so much if we would at least have been invited to one of these parties. I mean, that’s rule one of having a neighbourhood shindig, right? You invite the neighbours. But not us. On Super Bowl Sunday all manner of beaver, chipmunk, squirrel and rabbit came hopping and running over to the woodpile condo armed with chicken wings, potato skins, battered shrimp and cream soda, but Nancy and I were left to sit in our lonely house and listen to the hooting and hollering going on outside our front door. I think even our two cats were invited out to the woodpile, but discretely chose not to attend and further embarrass us. At least there is some loyalty left in the world.

Looking back on it now, I’m not so sure that skinny black creature I sent scurrying off to the river last winter wasn’t so much running for shelter so much as grabbing some more refreshments before the second half kick-off.

R0011294653 R0011294653 R0011294653 R0011294653

O

n a chilly afternoon last winter I was bringing wood into the house when I was startled to see a long, thin, black animal darting out of the woodpile outside the house and making a feverish beeline for the river.

It was too big to be a squirrel, and based on its size, and the direction it was heading, I surmised it must have been a mink or an otter. Whatever it was, I had obviously disturbed its winter nesting spot, and I felt a little sorry to have disrupted a quiet, Sunday afternoon for this little creature.

Little did I realize that as soon as I stacked firewood outside our house I was essentially constructing a condominium complex for our neighbourhood wildlife. But really, I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, what could be more appealing in the chill of winter than establishing a seasonal home in a warm, dark, quiet stack of wood. That is, until the builder starts tearing down your condo piece by piece.

As we had some wood left over from the past winter, I found that certain creatures also enjoy the comforts and convenience of a woodpile in summer as well, in particular large black spiders. When I was a kid we called them dock spiders, and they had an amazing ability to spoil a perfectly good summer’s day by the water.

Our 22-year-old niece Haley first alerted us to the presence of dock spiders in the wood pile when she was visiting us in July. After retrieving some fishing equipment from our porch she informed us that there was a “very large spider” perched on the side of the house, beside the left over firewood. I was not terribly alarmed, as Haley has quite an aversion to spiders of any size, which is ironic as she has travelled through Africa and Asia over the past few years and probably come in close proximity of jungle creatures that would make my skin crawl. Yet, she refuses to open a screen door that has a Daddy Long Legs clinging to it – we all have our anxieties…

So, with Haley’s aversion to spiders in mind I calmly walked up to the house to see what “horrendous” creature had caused her alarm.

What followed was a scene reminiscent of the movie Annie Hall, when Woody Allen visits his ex-girlfriend’s apartment to kill a seemingly harmless spider in the bathroom with a magazine – “Darling, I’ve been killing spiders since I was 30” – only to find out the job requires a little

~

RUTTLEBRotheRs BROTHERSFuRnituRe FURNITURE Ruttle RUTTLEBROTHERS BROTHERS FURNITURE RUTTLE FURNITURE RUTTLE BROTHERS BOOKCASES SINCE 1974 FURNITURE DESKS & ACCENTS RUTTLE BROTHERS FURNITURE RUTTLE RUTTLE BOOKCASES BROTHERS SINCE 1974 1974 FURNITURE DESKS & ACCENTS www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com BOOKCASES SINCE DESKS & ACCENTS BOOKCASES

SINCE 1974

DESKS & ACCENTS

BR

BOOKCASES SINCE 1974 DESKS & ACCENTS www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com BOOKCASES SINCE 1974 BOOKCASES & ACCENTS 1 mile N. of WALMART on HWY 62,DESKS Belleville www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com 1 mile N. of WALMART on HWY 62, Bellevillewww.ruttle www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com www.ruttlebrothersfurniture.com 1 mile N. of613-969-9263 WALMART on HWY 62, Belleville 1 mile N. of HWY62,62,Belleville Belleville1 mile N. of W 1 mile N. WALMART of613-969-9263 WALMART on on HWY 613-969-9263 1 mile N. of WALMART on HWY 62, Belleville 613-969-9263 613-969-9263 6

613-969-9263

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 11

R E M E M B E R I N G

RECALLING THE RATHBUNS

An industrial empire on the Bay of Quinte

BY BARRY PENHALE PHOTOS COURTESY COMMUNITY ARCHIVES OF BELLEVILLE AND HASTINGS COUNTY

B

y the end of More than half a cen2017 many Catury ago my own Onnadians may be tario explorations led weary of the to my first introduction word “Sesquicentento Deseronto. My lonial” but, as an uncal base allowed me to abashed history buff, I pop into Deseronto at eagerly anticipate our will, constantly fascination’s 150th birthday nated by the numerous celebrations. Much of largely forsaken buildthis country was built ings that represented by the citizens of industrial-built heritage smaller communities at its best. What, I ponand I am counting on dered, did these relics many reminders of our of the past represent? villages and towns, the I was totally unaware primary industries they that a famous family once housed and, of known as the Rathbuns course, those enterprishad, in addition to an ing giants of industry amazing assortment who “writ large” Canof industrial buildada’s rich and colourings, also owned more ful story. than 100 Deseronto Deseronto, shown in 1878, grew into a model company town, with the Rathbun family owning many houses, stores and Any review of Canhomes. Described as even establishing the Opera House for entertainment. ada’s history reminds having actually cared us that during our early for their growing famyears our principal exports were fur and lumber. tory was recorded. The Ottawa Valley and the inily of workers, the Rathbuns had created a model While the trapping of furs may be seen as Ontario’s imitable Booth, however, frequently crop up in company town. A Rathbun-established bank made oldest industry, this article is primarily focusing on published books, periodicals and Canadian folk building loans available and it was well-known our logging history in recognition of the historical music. Even the late Donald MacKay, in his bestthat many who worked in Deseronto owned their importance of Deseronto and its early prosperity. selling book The Lumberjacks neglected to menown home. For those renting, it was likely that All was due to the Rathbun Company, whose phetion Deseronto and the Rathbuns. But to his credit, your employer was also your landlord. But it didn’t nomenal growth led to its expansion from a small Alan R. Capon, a writer concerned with the hisend there. Clothing and food purchases were likely sawmill to a multi-million dollar corporation with tory of the Quinte area, provided some glimpses made at Rathbun-owned stores and for those cravoffices in New York City and the United Kingdom. of the Rathbuns and their time. His writings and ing entertainment the obvious destination was the It is time to remember the exceptional Rathbun the research of unidentified others make up the Opera House, also owned by the Rathbuns! How family, notably Hugo, Edward and Frederick. ViDeseronto Files transferred recently to the splenand when did this all come about? sionary giants in the business world of their day, did Hastings County Archives now located in the Without Hugo Rathbun (1812–1886) and the each deserves to be more than merely a footnote Belleville Library.

Rathbuns that followed, notably his sons Edward in history.

David Scott’s books dealing with Ontario (1842–1903) and Frederick (1856–1898), the past Historians generally agree the square-timber place names reminds us that Deseronto is situhistory of eastern Ontario and especially that of Detrade of eastern Canada was at its height between ated on the Bay of Quinte, in Tyendinaga Townseronto would be diminished. Hugo, having already 1840 and 1870. Few industries have captured the ship, within Hastings County. He also notes that worked in his American family’s lumber business, interest of journalists and historians quite like the the town site was once part of the considerable saw the potential in Canada when his brother Amos day of the old-time lumberjacks, river drivers and acreage awarded to a Mohawk band in acknowldecided to divest himself of property at Culbertthe powerful lumber barons. This elite group conedgement of their loyalty to the British during son’s Landing on the Bay of Quinte, acquired from sisted of, among others, J.R. Booth of Ottawa, the American Revolution. Known earlier as Culhis father in 1848. With partners Hugo added a Mossom Boyd of Bobcaygeon, Belleville’s Billa bertson’s Wharf and Mill Point, the community gristmill and a general store and changed the name Flint, the Gilmours of Trenton and the Rathbuns was officially named Deseronto in 1881. The of the site to Mill Point. By 1855, he had sole ownof Mill Point (later Deseronto). name honours Captain John Deserontyou who, ership and moved his family there from Auburn, For some unexplainable reason, Eastern Ontario in 1784, led his people from the Mohawk Valley New York, and took up Canadian residency. and the likes of Flint, the Gilmours and Rathbuns to the Bay of Quinte site that would become the Though H.B. Rathbun and Company was fairseem to have been ignored when lumbering hisTyendinaga Indian Reserve. ly successful, it wasn’t until Hugo’s eldest son,

12 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

R E M E M B E R I N G

Edward Rathbun, eldest son of Hugo, was the real catalyst for the success of his family’s enterprises, and could always be counted on for brilliant and unconventional business strategies.

Hugo Rathbun established his family’s business interests in Deseronto, initially buying land from his brother Amos and setting up a gristmill and general store.

21-year-old Edward, took over that the growth and the financial rewards ultimately reached truly mind-boggling heights. Edward and his brother Frederick worked well together and achieved so much that only a selective listing of their accomplishments is possible. But consider the following: according to accounts in the local Tribune, by 1890 the H.B. Rathbun and Son company employed 5,000 people at their numerous industries. They worked in sawmills, flour mills, railway-car shops, blacksmith shops, shipbuilding yards, charcoal and chemical works, boiler repair shops, a sash, door, and blind factory and at a plant that produced Portland Cement. Some employees worked in offices and retail establishments. The company also owned four railways, a fleet of steamboats, tugs and barges, and controlled a telegraph and phone company — service was delivered as far away as Peterborough. Surviving accounts indicate that telephone service was provided to Madoc as early as 1891.

In their heyday, the Rathbuns were on top of their game. With Edward Rathbun at the helm one could always count on brilliant and unconventional business strategies that left competitors by the wayside.

One of his astute decisions resulted in the building of dams along waterways, thus holding back spring runoff and assuring the movement of logs well into summer. He even turned waste from his sawmills and forests into a profitable sideline at a time when the competition were paying to dispose of what they saw as trash.

The great growth of the Rathbun Company spanned many decades. Would it ever end? The firm’s huge timber resources along the Trent, Moira, Salmon and Napanee Rivers (the source of much of their earliest prosperity) seemed inexhaustible. But change, as it will, lay ahead. A number of major fires at Deseronto proved disastrous and dwindling timber resources led to the last company log drive on the Moira in 1907. Edward Rathbun, Deseronto’s leading citizen, was spared

One of Edward Rathbun’s novel business strategies was to set up dams along waterways and restrict the spring runoff, so that log driving could continue well into the summer.

the sight of this historic drive, having passed on late in 1903. As Capon noted in his 2003 “Reflections” column in the March 21, 2003 edition of The County Weekly News, things would never be the same for either the Rathbun Company or Deseronto. By 1923 the company charter had been surrendered and with it came a closing chapter in

Ontario history. It was an era the like of which we will not likely see duplicated anytime soon — if ever.

•

A special thank you to Amanda Hill, Archivist, Community Archives of Belleville and ­Hastings County

TRAVEL CLINIC TRAVEL CLINIC

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Customized individual group consultations Customized individual andand group consultations Nurses trained in travel health Nurses trained in travel health Required and recommended vaccines available Required and recommended vaccines available Receive immunization Receive youryour immunization ONON SITESITE Yellow certified Yellow feverfever certified Callanfor an appointment at 613-966-5500 ext.

624 Call for appointment at 613-966-5500 ext.

624

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 13

History goes modern The new home for the Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County was officially opened on April 7. Present at the ribbon-cutting were (l to r) Rick Phillips (Hastings County Warden), Neil Ellis (Bay of Quinte MPP), Taso Christopher (Belleville Mayor), Orland French (Hasting County Historical Society Past President), Gerry Boyce (HCHS Historian), Amanda Hill (HCHS Archivist), Mark Fluhrer (Director, RC&CS Belleville), Joel Carr-Braint (Belleville Property Manager), Trevor Pross (Belleville Library CEO), Garnet Thompson (Belleville Councillor), Richard Hughes (HCHS President) and John Roberts (Ontario Archivist).

BY ORLAND FRENCH

PHOTOS BY BOB HOUSE/COURTESY COMMUNITY ARCHIVES OF BELLEVILLE AND HASTINGS COUNTY

A

fter 31 years of working at the Marchmont Home in Belleville, The Rev. Robert Wallace recorded several relevant events cryptically in his diary. August 3, 1913: “R.W. gave Farewell address at Baptist Church – Review of Thirty-one years works in Belleville.”

August 4. “Farewell Reception and Presentation”.

Then he took a well-earned holiday: “12th sailed for England”.

His diary rests in the Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County. But it wasn’t necessary to go near the archives to read it. The diary is on-line.

Click, click, click. Through the internet R.W.’s life is revealed to the world.

The on-line presence of the diary is just an example of the services available from the new Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County.

Opened in April, the Archives has been placing its treasures on-line since June.

Archives are where we store pertinent documents and photos, like the shoebox of memories in your closet, but on a much grander scale. We’re talking public archives, a big building where anyone is entitled to look up official records or documents or

14 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

deeds. Maybe you want to find out where your greatgreat-uncle Harry lived back on the sixth concession, or when the one-room school down the road was built, or what women wore to church in the 1890s.

The concept of an archives is not new to this area.

What’s new for the residents of Hastings is a proper state-of-the-art archival facility for storing important documents from the families and corporations and institutions of this neighbourhood.

Archives have been around since the invention of writing, which was probably by the Sumerians 5,000 years ago. The Sumerians were an advanced society living in Mesopotamia. Other archives came along: Syria 2,500 years ago, Greece 2,300 years ago, Egypt 2,200 years, Canada 114 years ago.

And now, you can add Belleville and Hastings County to the list.

Let’s say we’re no different than the Sumerians, except that we use paper and electronic records.

They saved stuff on clay tablets, using a sharp triangular stylus to carve symbols in wet clay. It was mostly for record-keeping, primarily financial, like who owes who how much. Once the tablets were created, they had to be stored somewhere for refer-

ence, hence the need for an archives. Fortunately, we have progressed beyond clay tablets or all our archives storage buildings would collapse from the weight of clay records. (Archives primarily collect paper documents and photographs, not artifacts.

That’s the work of museums.)

The word archives itself is drawn from antiquity.

It is not often used in the singular, but it can be. The term in French and English has its roots in the Latin archium or archivum, itself a romanized version of the Greek arkheion meaning town hall or public records. The Romans also called them tabularia. Other developed societies, such as the Chinese, had their versions of archives. Everybody saves stuff.

A civilized society could not exist without them.

And they weren’t just for keeping official records.

Ancient stashes of tablets, several millennia old, found at sites like Ebla, Mari, Amarna and Pylos, have unlocked secrets about ancient alphabets, languages, literature and politics.

Let’s skip from the ancient Sumerians to modern-day Bellevillians and Hastingonians of the 21st century. If an archives is so danged important, why didn’t we have one much earlier? Well, yes, we did,

The new archives, on the second floor of the library building at 254 Pinnacle Street, provides 5,000 square feet of storage and work space meeting modern archival standards. Mark Fluhrer, Neil Ellis and Orland French sample the state-of-the-art rolling doors that provide access to materials.

The former Hastings County archives building was not conducive to safe storage, and materials were under threat from a variety of intruders, including mice and bats!

Photo by Amanda Hill

A longtime champion of the region’s history, Gerry Boyce was recognized by having the new archives’ reading room named for him. He was presented with the room’s sign by Archivist Amanda Hill with son Egerton and wife Bev in attendance.

Archivist Amanda Hill and her team are in the process of encouraging communities across Hastings County to store their materials in the new facility, providing a safe and secure common location for these valuable documents.

in a way. But the contents were scattered hither and yon in a number of places, not all of them easily accessible to the public.

The City of Belleville held many of its own records. So did the County of Hastings. For the past 50 years, the Hastings County Historical Society gathered and maintained its own collection of documents, photos, tapes and other records. Then there were private collections, and corporate collections, and handfuls of letters tied up with string.

The Society’s photo collection was kept for years on the third floor of Glanmore National Historic Site, accessible up a narrow, winding staircase; other records were kept as part of the Canadiana collection in the old library building on Pinnacle Street.

The key to retaining paper records properly is creating a secure, climate-controlled, dust-free, pest-free space. Moisture and fluctuating temperatures will destroy sensitive documents. So will bugs. The new archives, on the second floor of the library building at 254 Pinnacle Street, provides 5,000 square feet of storage and work space meeting modern archival standards.

The former archives building, the old Thurlow Township Hall in Cannifton, was, putting it politely, not so conducive to safe storage. The oldest part of

documents and photos had come to number in the tens of thousands. The operation needed professional help. About 15 years ago the Society came to the conclusion that it was time to move to the next level, using a purpose-built and professionally managed archives.

The Society came up with an audacious plan. It challenged the City of Belleville and the County of Hastings: if the municipalities would agree to take over and maintain a proper archives, including staffing it, the Society would raise funds to construct and equip the building. This was dreaming in technicolour, for it was most unlikely that the Society could raise more than a million dollars to pull it off.

But, in a way, it did! The archives opened April 7, 2016, 10 years after the proposal was made. The cost:

the building was constructed in 1873, the newest part in the 1950s. Historian Gerry Boyce, a stalwart Society member and volunteer custodian of the building, ran a trap line to dispose of mice, voles and other vermin. It was not unusual to be called out late at night to turn off the intruder alarm and dispatch a bat or two. Sometimes the police came to help. Dehumidifiers were kept running at all times to combat the dampness created by water running through the ancient basement.

(For his assiduous efforts over the years Gerry was the Archives – the reading room of the new location has been named after him.)

Other storage areas were no better. A consultant examining the efficacy of record-storage in Belleville concluded, at one location where he brushed mould and mildew and mushrooms off some documents, that conditions had to be improved.

At the Heritage Centre, the Historical Society’s collection was becoming unmanageable for a team of volunteers, however well intentioned. The collection of priceless

Part of the new Archives’ mandate includes scanning historic documents for online access, such as the diary of Rev. Robert Wallace.

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 15

about $1.3 million, of which the Society raised close to $300,000 in total. The rest of it was provided by the city and the county through a long campaign of public persistence, coercion, education, wheedling and cajoling.

Let that be a lesson in dreaming big. It CAN be done. You’ve just got to light the fire.

Let’s be frank: matching the need to preserve history with the realities of politics can be as difficult as matching up fragments of clay tablets. It is difficult for politicians in a cultured, civilized community to say, “No we don’t need an archives.” However, having agreed that an archives is a necessity, it is equally difficult for politicians in a democratic society to put an archives at the top of a list of priorities like parks, swimming pools, skating rinks and other sexy, vote-getting pleasures of modern life.

So they do it incrementally, putting aside $50,000 or $100,000 a year until they get up enough capital to steam ahead with the project.

It was a collaborative effort, says Richard Hughes, president of the Hastings County Historical Society.

“A large team of determined volunteers and expert professionals came together to create the Archives.

Our archivist, architect, City and County councils and administrators, Historical Society volunteers all brought their special skills and determination to the task. Our community archives is a one-ofa-kind in Ontario, a three-way partnership among City, County and Historical Society.”

The project was guided by the Archives Advisory Committee, made up of two members from each Council and one from the Historical Society, under

the chairmanship of Hughes. The end result, says Hughes, benefits “the citizens of Hastings County, from the shores of the Bay of Quinte to the top of Hastings Highlands. They now have a safe, secure and open home for their history and heritage; stateof-the-art, professional and open for them to use.”

From here the Archives will grow. New and appropriate archives tend to draw private collections from homes, companies and institutions.

It is important to emphasize that this is a County archives as well. All the municipal members of the County are invited to add their records to these collections. That’s why Hastings County matched funding with the City of Belleville. While some communities are understandably reluctant to give up their records to be stored “somewhere near the front” in Belleville, the safety, security and accessibility of these records in the Community Archives will prove themselves more beneficial in the long run. This has been the experience elsewhere where County archives have been established. What’s attractive is not just storage space, but proper cataloguing so that documents can be easily accessed.

This means more work for archivist Amanda Hill and her team of 15 volunteers, but they’re up for it.

It will be a gradual process. Recently Hill met with clerk-treasurers and chief administrative officers of Hastings municipalities to explain how their communities can use the archives. “Some of them were very excited,” Hill said. “Particularly Stirling–Rawdon, where they are running out of space for storage.” The archives of Deseronto, actually the first municipal archives in Hastings County, has been transferred to

Belleville. The Archives of Ontario is also preparing to return some documents to this area: some Belleville city materials, documents from the Town of Trenton, Hastings County Assessment Rolls.

Tyendinaga Township may be one of her first stops, where Reeve and County Warden Rick Phillips has been staunchly behind the project for years.

“We’re all very excited to have a new home for all of our 14 member municipalities,” he said. “Now we have an appropriate place to store our materials. But we can’t be in too big a hurry. It has to be a gradual process.” In the north, Hastings Highlands Mayor Vivian Bloom is fully behind the archives.

She served on the Archives Advisory Committee with Phillips as a county representative.

Popular use of archives in a downtown location is also proving out. At the former location in the old Thurlow municipal building, there were 66 accessions (documents or material acquired by the archives) in 2015. So far this year in Belleville, even though the archives was closed from January to April, there have been 79. Last year’s visitors to the old archives were 403; this year, again excluding January-April, 425.

With modern electronics, copies of original documents can be provided quickly and easily. Volunteers are working full-time scanning documents into a computer base to be available by electronic access.

Robert Wallace could never have guessed that someday his diary would be open for the world to see. If you want to check it out, go to www.cabhc.ca and click on “Search Our Collections”. See where he went after England.

•

Bancroft Theatre District ~ Alive with entertainment, first class shopping, and dining.

“COME SEE THE LARGEST SELECTION OF IRON FOR MILES!”

16 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

Country Roads

Advertiser Index

celebrating life in hastings county

Hastings County 1

2 3 4 5 6

7 8

9

10 11

12

Bancroft A place for the arts Bridge St. Art Dawn Ebelt, Registered Massage Therapist Kathy Tripp, Broker, Royal LePage North Hastings Family Pharmacy Old Tin Shed Shoppers Drug Mart Zihua Clothing Boutique Belleville Loyalist College Ruttle Bros. Furniture Welcome Wagon Boulter Sleigh Rides for ­Sweethearts (Rockfield Farms) Coe Hill/Ormsby Old Hastings Mercantile & Gallery Foxboro Village Green Hastings County Shops & Services Hastings Prince Edward Public Health- Travel Clinic Linwood Custom Homes Gallo Teck Electrical Contractor Madoc Madoc Home Hardware Renshaw Power Products Marmora Boutique Inspiration Broadbent’s Home Hardware Building Centre Flowers by Sue Itsy Bitsy Boutique, Mommy & Baby Gear Marmora & Lake Municpality Possibilities Firewood Plus Maynooth Bee No. 5 Black Spruce Art Works Maynooth Winter Markets Sun Run Café Trails Edge Bed & Breakfast Peterborough Discovery Dream Homes Stirling Pro Gas Stop Stirling Dental Stirling Manor Wells Ford Tweed Glen Beatty Logging LB Personal Services Rashotte Home Building Centre Tweed, Municipality of

CR Country Roads

9 3

celebrating life in hastings county

1

4

6

Joe VanVeenen Map

HASTINGS COUNTY SHOPS & SERVICES

7

8

12

10 PETERBOROUGH

11 5 2

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 17

Left: Warmth is a prominent theme in Hookings’ designs and her selections include scarves, neck warmers and hats.

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Lucky Maloo’s upcycled clothing makes fashion statement Story and photos by Sarah Vance

I

f it is artisanal, innovative, and a bit edgy, Miriam Hookings is ‘all over it’. Like her artistic endeavours, Hookings stands out in the rural crowd, with a creativity that mirrors the pulse of Hastings Highlands, where she resides with her husband Mike and three children Ruby, Ezra and Jasper.

In the summer you can find her engaging live theatre patrons in Bancroft. She also enlivens the stage at the Arlington Hotel, where she moonlights as the lead vocalist with indie-band Natural Radio. Miriam can get a crowd dancing, or “flash mobbing” if need be, which she has accomplished, at Bancroft’s Millennium Park, with finesse.

It is her seam surging however, that is getting everyone talking. Under the brand name Lucky Maloo, Miriam single-handedly repurposes fabric textiles as part of her independent, upcycled fashion line. She describes her clothing as “one of a kind upcycled,” which she abbreviates to “OOAK” - an acronym that looks simple, until you try to pronounce it.

Upcycling is a sustainable fashion trend that is becoming increasingly popular amongst eco-friendly

18 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

fashionistas, who want to tread lightly upon the planet, while remaining stylish. It is also an economical choice for Miriam’s small business that keeps her overhead production costs low.

“Every piece of fabric, zipper, button, pompom is recycled, I scour thrift stores, clothing exchanges and the odd donation comes my way,” Hookings explains. “I machine wash everything in natural unscented soap and a dash of tea-tree oil, several times, then I dry the fabric before I begin to sew.”

Her decision to use repurposed clothing however, is a largely philosophical and conscious one.

While much of the clothing industry discards end up in secondhand stores, in Ontario a significant portion finds a home in landfills. Textiles, predominantly clothing, account for approximately 2 million tonnes of landfill waste, every year.

“The clothing industry can involve practices that are inhumane and inequitable -- it is also always going fast forward, with clothing being discarded each season,” says Hookings, who operated a secondhand clothing store in Toronto prior to relocating

Above: Miriam Hookings’ emphasis on using repurposed materials has helped her create a unique fashion line while at the same time promoting care for our environment.

with her family to Hastings Highlands. “My use of repurposed fabric is an ethical decision.”

And it is also about the hunt.

Miriam is an intrepid shopper with an eye for making every product better than it was before she obtained it.

“I love the hunt,” she says, referring to her thrift shop excursions. “I purchase a lot of clothing around Bancroft and Lake St. Peter and also in Peterborough.”

She is also proud that these purchases contribute to the direct support of organizations such as the North Hastings Hospital Auxiliary and the Hospital Wish Foundation.

As a sustainably-minded designer Miriam hopes that consumers will get into the habit of thinking twice before they discard used clothing and make conscientious efforts towards donating it.

“Sustainable fashion is a mind-set, it’s a growing industry, and it’s just good practice,” says Hookings, who cites designer Kat O’Sullivan as having been a guiding influence in her decision to use this model.

“Her work has helped me gain the confidence I required to follow this path.”

From the textures, to the search for fabrics, to the serging and stitching, Lucky Maloo’s clothing is all uniquely one of a kind.

“Because the fabrics are repurposed, I rarely use the same materials twice,” says Miriam. “So I would not be able to reproduce any one piece in terms of its texture or fabric.”

Clockwise from top left. 1. Lucky Maloo’s wool mini-skirts are a popular and colourful accessory and have become the company’s biggest seller. 2. The thrill of the hunt appeals to Hookings, who scours thrift stores and clothing exchanges for material. 3. Lucky Maloo designs quilts, often commission pieces, that often involve repurposing a clients clothing to create a family heirloom. 4. In Ontario a significant portion of clothing industry discards wind up in landfills and textiles account for approximately 2 million tonnes of landfill waste every year. 5. While many clothing designers will try to hide seams, Lucky Maloo’s designs draw attention to contrasting fabrics and flaunt exposed seams. 6. Long sleeve dresses with thumbholes and hoodies (such as the one on the right) appeal to the hip and youthful in spirit while also proving practical for a Hastings Highlands winter.

But all of Lucky Maloo’s clothing shares a common technique and that is the unique “seam serge” that shows where each stitch has penetrated the fabric. Lucky Maloo’s dresses flaunt this exposed seam, and where many clothing designers go to great lengths to bind and tuck seams behind layers of fabric, Miriam does not do this. In fact, she does the exact opposite, by highlighting it. Whether it is a sundress, a vest, or multi-colored tights each Lucky Maloo piece draws attention to contrasting fabrics and shows how they have been bound together through differences in colour and texture. The seam itself serves as a reminder of the fabric’s history - its other life - as a different piece of clothing, for a different owner.

Customers sometimes bring their own textiles to Miriam with a new design in mind - fabrics are often family heirlooms, like a wedding dress, or baby clothing.

“Sometimes customers want a new way to experience a piece of clothing they have had for many years,” adds Hookings. “It is often a piece that has sentimental value to them, or a family member, and they want to improve it, or incorporate it in a new way in their wardrobe.”

In addition to clothing, Lucky Maloo also designs quilts, often commission pieces, which involve repurposing a client’s clothing - which might include anything from sports jerseys or a child’s school career in uniforms. These types of quilts have become popular, individualized wedding presents, and have also been commissioned to commemorate important milestones in her clients’ lives, such as the birth of a child. And it is a meaningful way to repurpose those bulky maternity clothes, especially when they are transformed into a blanket, to wrap around that precious baby. Stitch in some of Grandma’s clothing and you have a family heirloom.

Warmth is a prominent theme in Lucky Maloo designs. It is expressed in the use of cashmeres, wools and cotton fabrics, as well as in the company’s design choices. These include scarves, neck warmers, arm warmers, and leg warmers and longsleeved baby-doll dresses with thumb-holes and hoodies. These outfits appeal to the hip and youthful in spirit. And they are also practical, speaking of the needs of women in rural communities, where most homes are heated with wood, a fuel that doesn’t always allow for a consistent temperature to be maintained.

Lucky Maloo’s “bum warmers” are the company’s biggest seller. These wool mini-skirts are a popular and colourful accessory to wear over little blacktights, a wardrobe go-to-piece in North America.

“My body seems to run on cold and I am always looking for something to warm up my ankles or wrists,” says Miriam, citing temperatures that are at best cool during a summer evening and downright freezing during the Hastings Highlands’ winter. “It is not always easy to strike the balance of heat with the weather, so my clothing provides some extra reinforcements in all the right places.”

Lucky Maloo’s playful and carefree clothing can be found at the Maynooth Farmers’ Market and as part of the Bancroft and Hastings Highlands Studio Tour. There is also a virtual gallery on Facebook.

Lucky Maloo is helping fashionistas make unique personal statements. It is also providing an eco-friendly option that appeals to consumers who do not want the ‘cookie cut-out” cloaks that are marketed as fresh each season, but which rarely change in their style or presumptions about how people want to look. Most importantly, these designs are artisanal, allowing wearers a chance to present themselves, as the unique works-of-art that they truly are.

•

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 19

marketplace

Celebrating Life in Hastings County

LAWN & GARDEN

AUTOMOTIVE • Gas Bar • Convenience Store • Laundromat • Movie Rentals • Propane

Min & Julie Yoo Tel: 613-395-5360 Fax: 613-395-1491 208 North Street, Stirling ON K0K 3E0

TO BOOK YOUR MARKETPLACE ADVERTISEMENT PLEASE CALL 613-968-0499

SPECIALTY SHOPPING

SALES & SERVICE

GRAVELY-ARIENS TROY-BILT-BOLENS

• Lawn & Garden Tractors • Roto-Tillers With 35+ years experience, Small but knowledgeable.

(613) 473-5160 • R.R. #5, Madoc, ON K0K 2K0 (1 mile N. of Ivanhoe on Hwy. 62 - #11700)

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Dawn Ebelt, R.M.T. Registered Massage Therapist

Wells Ford Sales Ltd

Providing effective treatments since 2003

48 Belleville Rd., P.O. Box 160 Stirling, Ontario K0K 3E0

Wells

@PhysioNorth

Body Shop: 613-395-3378 Wells Ford: 613-395-3375 Toll Free: 1-800-637-5944 Service: 613-395-3377

237 Hastings St. N Bancroft

call 613-332-1010 cell 613-848-4096 debelt@sympatico.ca

North American Customer Excellence Award Winner

Soups, Sandwiches, Sweets – in the best smelling café.

Leave with a fragrant reminder: • Fresh Cut Flowers • Giftware • Cafe 20 Forsyth St., Marmora • 613.472.0330

www.flowersbysueontario.com flowersbysue2010@hotmail.com

Mon to Fri 9-5 Sat 9-4

Find us on Facebook

HEALTH

LB PERSONAL SERVICES Lawrence A. Bennett CLU CHS Estate & Financial Planner TAX CONSULTANT

Celebrating Family, Friendship & Love

613-395-2596

www.stirlingmanor.com

c. 613-743-3116 o. 613-478-1116 LBPersonalServices@gmail.com 340A Victoria Street, Tweed, ON K0K3J0 LBPersonalServices.com

218 Edward Street, Stirling

SEASONAL

ARE YOU NEW TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD? Visits are free.

No obligation.

Compliments of local businesses.

Sharon: (613) 475-5994 sharon.welcome2014@gmail.com

1-844-299-2466 www.welcomewagon.ca

20 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

BOOK & COVER DESIGN, WEBSITES & BRANDING FOR SELF PUBLISHERS

Firewoodplus High Shore Road & Hwy 7, Marmora (3 kms west of town)

“The Firewood Experts” For more information visit www.facebook.com/tikit-visuals or email to tikitvisuals@gmail.com

the

COMPASS VISIT WWW.COUNTRYROADSHASTINGS.CA AND SIGN UP FOR THE COUNTRY ROADS’ NEWSLETTER TODAY!

Sales, Delivery & Custom Orders • Commercial Accounts • Call or text Doug 613.743.4166 info@firewoodplus.ca • www.firewoodplus.ca

Glen Beatty Logging Economical & environmentally sound forestry services: • Buy Standing Timber • Custom Cutting & Skidding • Lumber

613-813-LOGS (5647) or 613-478-1929

C O U N T R Y

C A L E N D A R

Things to see and do in and around Hastings County.

To submit your event listing email info@countryroadshastings.ca or call us at 613 968-0499.

ART GALLERIES/EXHIBITIONS A Place for the Arts, 23 Bridge St, Bancroft, Ont. www.aplaceforthearts.com NOV 21 - JAN 5 - 50 Works of Art Under $50 - Artists’ Collective Art Gallery of Bancroft, 10 Flint Avenue, Bancroft, 613-332-1542 www.artgallerybancroft.ca www.artgallerybancroft.ca DEC 7 – 31 – TRANSITONS - works by Bob Perkins – Opening reception Dec 9 7:30pm.

THEATRE/LIVE ENTERTAINMENT BELLEVILLE THEATRE GUILD Pinnacle Theatre, 256 Pinnacle Street, Belleville 613-967-1442 or www.bellevilletheatreguild.ca.

DEC 1 - 17 - ARSENIC AND OLD LACE - This classic madcap comedy finds confirmed bachelor Mortimer falling for the girl next door. Meanwhile, he finds a hidden corpse, his aunts behaving very strangely, and the rest of the family bordering on insanity. Bodies pile up and the plot thickens.

FEB 2 - 18 - THE MELVILLE BOYS - Two brothers, polar opposites in character and circumstances, go away on a fishing trip and find the waters get rougher when two women enter their getaway.

PERFORMING ARTS BANCROFT, ANAF, MAYNOOTH

STIRLING FESTIVAL THEATRE, West Front St., Stirling 613-395-2100 1-877-312-1162 www.stirlingfestivaltheatre.com.

NOV 25 – DEC 31 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK PANTO - Jack’s back! Jack Jr. has been brought up with a beanstalk in his backyard. The large corporation, Giant Corp is threatening his farm and he must climb to the clouds to save the day.

Let us raise your spirits in this highflying re-telling of an old classic. There’s a giant, a skyscraper, and a battle in the clouds!

Grab your kids and come to see the best in family entertainment! Or call the babysitter and come see where the “original naughty panto” was born!

April 6-9, 13-16 - JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE & WELL (AND LIVING IN MAYNOOTH). Director Joey Shulman’s 5th musical. 8 shows at the ANAF presented

by Performing Arts Bancroft in aid of Alzheimer support.

EVENTS DEC 3 – THE GREATER NAPANEE PARADE OF LIGHTS - Santa is coming to Greater Napanee. 5:30–7:30pm www.greaternapanee.com 613-354-3351.

DEC 4 - PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR - Tour old and new County homes decked out in their holiday finery. 11am -5pm. Funds raised from this self-guided tour support the preservation of historic County buildings sheltonpeta@gmail.com.

DEC 4 – WELCOME CHRISTMAS ­Belleville Choral Society, annual C­ hristmas concert 3pm, St. Michaels Church, Belleville. www.bellevillechoralsociety.org.

613-771-1758.

DEC 10 – MAYNOOTH CHRISTMAS MARKET - Emond Hall and The Arlington Hotel, 42 vendors selling handmade products. 11am – 6pm.

DEC 10 – MAYNOOTH BRIGHTEN THE NIGHT CHRISTMAS PARADE AND KIDS PARTY (at the ANAF after). Start time is 5 pm with set up on Young Street at 4 pm judging for prizes for best floats.

DEC 18 – QUEENSBOROUGH CHRISTMAS CAROLLING CELEBRATIONS – Join in with the community from 2pm - 4pm for an old-fashioned sing song, a tree, treats and some fun gifts for every family. Ann Brooks 613-473-4550.

DEC 22 - A DOWNTON CHRISTMAS Command Performance Choir presents seasonal music set at “ Downton” of the Roaring Twenties, 7:30pm Picton Town Hall.

Tickets $20 613-645-2160. www.commandperformancechoir.com

MARMORA AND LAKE - SHOP, DINE, REST, SEEK ADVENTURE...

MOMMY & BA BY GEAR

Enjoy shopping in our Enjoy shopping in our relaxed atmosphere... where personalized services still exist. relaxed atmosphere... where personalized services still exist.

• Home & Garden Decor • Home & Decor • Baby & weddingGarden gifts • Gifts for all occasions • Women’s fashion • Jewelery & footwear •• Handbags Scarves • Baby & • Gifts for all occasions wedding gifts • Women’s fashion & footwear • Jewelery • Artwork • Gift certificates • Handbags • Scarves • Artwork • Gift Certificates 18 Forsyth Street, Marmora 613.472.0999 www.bmr.co

CATALOGUE MERCHANT

2nd Location

Drop by our Christmas Room at Drummond BMR Hwy #7 location for all your Christmas decorating

itsy bitsy Winter is in the air in Marmora and Lake...

• Saturday, December 3 at 2 p.m. is our Santa Claus parade • Thursday, December 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 is the Festival of Trees at Earl Prentice Public School.

Check out lots more at www.marmoraandlake.ca

• Kyte Baby • Flap Jack Kids • C is for Clean • Snappy Snacks • Hedgecraft Herbals • Lassig • Munch Mitt

• Moby • Sticky Bellie • Amber Goose • Little Bamboo • Planet Baby and much more!

29 Forsyth Street, Marmora 613-472-2555 Follow us on FB for updates on workshops.

Fall 2016/2017 • Country Roads

I 21

C O U N T R Y

C A L E N D A R

Things to see and do in and around Hastings County.

To submit your event listing email info@countryroadshastings.ca or call us at 613 968-0499.

JAN - DATE TBA - SKATING PARTY ON THE MILLPOND – Ice conditions ­permitting. Entry to the millpond is at 14 Barry Road.1pm Call Katherine Sedgwick 613 473-2110 or queensborough.ca.

FEB 19 – POTLUCK SUPPER – Queensborough Community Centre. Eat at 5pm, Joanie Sims 613-473-1087.

MAR 3 - 5 - BELLEVILLE DOWNTOWN DOCFEST – 3 days of outstanding ­documentary films celebrating life and human dignity around the world and right here at home. www.downtowndocfest.ca.

MAR - APR – TREATS ON THE BLACK RIVER - High water on the Black River signals the beginning of Whitewater Kayaking and great treats for sale at the river’s edge in Queensborough each weekend. Lud & Elaine Kapusta 613-4731458.

JAN 17 - THE MANY LIVES OF CHARLES MCDONALD: NORTHUMBERLAND MAN, NAPOLEONIC SOLDIER & ­SETTLER IN UPPER CANADA - presented by Historian and Author, Jane Simpson, on her recent book

MAR 21 –100th ANNIVERSARY OF CANADA’S COMING OF AGE AT VIMY RIDGE presented by Orland French QUINTE FIELD NATURALISTS ASSOCIATION - Meetings 7pm, Sills Auditorium, Bridge Street United Church, Belleville. All welcome, by donation.

CLUBS, LECTURES, MEETINGS HASTINGS COUNTY HISTORICAL ­SOCIETY, 100 College St W, Belleville, ­Lectures 7:30pm www.hastingshistory.ca.

FEB 21 – THE HISTORY OF CANADA’S RED MAPLE LEAF FLAG. Presented by Bill Kennedy .

JAN 23 – SPIDERS OF ONTARIO Tom Mason, retired Curator of Invertebrates for the Toronto Zoo, will introduce some of our common spiders, as well as explain their significant role in the ecosystem.

Back Roads

Flood 1914 View at Foot Bridge looking toward Front Street showing Ritchie’s Clothing Store, Belleville.

Photograph courtesy of Community Archives of Belleville & Hastings County

22 I

Country Roads • Winter 2016/2017

FEB 27 – ALGONQUIN’S NATURAL Amateur naturalists and outdoor photographers Tony and Kathy deGroot, will present an audio and visual tour of Ontario Park’s crown jewel.

MAR 27 – MOTUS WILDLIFE TRACKING This most ambitious bird tracking initiative in the world is leading to spectacular discoveries! Motus Program Manager Stuart Mackenzie, will explain the project, share some of the discoveries and discuss how this technology will aid in conservation efforts.

OV

CE I N

DISC

THE DIFFER EN

ER

MAYNOOTH & Hastings Highlands O u r S h o p s & S e r v i c e s We l c o m e Yo u W O N N PE O

At the top of Hastings County. Just below Algonquin Park.

There is this uncommonly beautiful place.

Of loons, lakes and wild water. Art and food, music and laughing.

Stay for awhile. And we’ll stay with you forever.

Visit a little longer. And you may find you are already home.

Steps from Heritage Trail.

Hot gourmet breakfast. Second floor exclusively for guests with full kitchen and dining area.

Jacuzzi, pillow-top mattresses, satellite TV, WIFI, central air and plenty of parking. Open year round.

32 Maynooth Station Rd, Maynooth, ON K0L 2S0 CONTACT US 613.338.3331 or 416.949.4550 lija1@sympatico.ca www.trailsedgebb.com

Contemporary Art Gallery

MAYNOOTH Maynooth ∙ 32945 Hwy 62 laura @ lauraculic.com

LauraCulic.com

Winter Market EMOND HALL IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING

2nd Saturday of the month January to April • 10am - 4pm

No. 5 Bee BOTANICAL & FOOD EMPORIUM HOME BODY GARDEN & GIFT

DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE THIS WINTER

www.maynooth.on.ca

ON The Wild Side OF ALGONQUIN PARK

32965 Hwy. 62 North Maynooth, On 613-338-0008 www.numberfivebee.ca No. 5 bee

DREAM HOMES

. o d e w t a h w s ’ t ...I

L O G

T I M B E R F R A M E

1-866-395-LOGS

w w w. dis c ove r y dre a mh o me s . c o m

H Y B R I D