In part 1 of this series, I described the altar window in St John’s Anglican Church, Glencoe. There is another fine stained glass window in St John’s, which is found at the rear of the church to the left of the main door:
The image is titled “Christ Knocking on the door”.
“…The Light of the World is an allegorical painting by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me”….. The door in the painting has no handle, and can therefore be opened only from the inside, representing “the obstinately shut mind”.
This particular version does not show Christ holding a lamp but instead a staff.
The artist and the manufacturer are unknown to me. The style and colors of the picture suggest one of the major stained glass makers – Hobbs or McCausley.
The inscription reads:
In Memory of Thomas Strong who died 1st January 1927 aged 79 years.
He that liveth and believeth in me will never die.
Thomas Strong
From the census of 1891, Thomas Strong was a local farmer. He was married to Sarah Jane Strong. They had a son Frederick born 1881 but there is no local record for him after the 1901 census.
Thomas Strong had emigrated with Sarah from England. From below we can suppose that they both originate in the or near to Southwick, a small town in Sussex next to Brighton.
For Sarah Strong we have several peices of information from the Glencoe Transcript (thanks to Ken Willis for these):
Info from Glencoe Transcript – Wardsville News items. September 20, 1904 – Mr. and Mrs. Middlekrauff of San Francisco visited her sister Mrs. T. Strong.
September 21, 1906 – Mrs. T. Strong, who has been visiting relatives in Wiltshire England and niece Eva Frances, returned on the steamer “Empress of Britain” Sunday evening.
March 1, 1907 – Death of Sarah Jane Strong, age 57. Born in Southwick, England. Died at her home on Main Street, after a two day illness. Service at St James church by Rev. H.A. Thomas with burial in Wardsville cemetery. Cause of death : diabetes.
Info from Wardsville death records: 1 March 1907, Sarah Jane Strong, age 57 years, 3 months and 23 days, housewife. Residence – Longwoods road, Wardsville. (Main Street and Longwoods Road were one and the same). Cause of death was listed as diabetes.
Thomas became a noted benefactor of the church, loaning it $1000 to purchase the rectory building, and requiring only for interest to be paid, and the loan to be discharged at this death. In his will, he specified the stained glass window to be installed.
It is interesting therefore to speculate how his wife Sarah came to be buried in Wardsville after a funeral service at St James Church in Wardsville. There is also the disappearance of their son Frederick from all public records after 1901.
On April 5, 2025, Carrie Jeffery conducted a workshop on capturing oral histories. We had members of our community, visiting members of other heritage groups, and members of our own historical society in attendance. The engaging and interactive talk was followed by an informative presentation that showcased the various aspects of modern record-keeping that are now accessible for ancestral storytelling. Left to right: Donna Lynam, David Campbell, Carrie Jeffery, Susan McWilliam. Mary Simpson, the president of our historical society, also presented.
L-R: Donna Lynam, David Campbell, Carrie Jeffery, Susan McWilliam.
Imagine for a moment the mystery of your history.
By Carrie Jeffery. Published in the March 2025 issue of Middlesex Banner’s ‘Archive Alley’
Personal storytelling can be both fun and provide new perspectives on how we came to be. These stories can challenge our understanding of the past and give a voice to people who are often left out of traditional historical records: the everyday people that played a role not just in our own lives but also in the communities we live in that they helped shape.
With the help of today’s technology, we can translate an afternoon visit with our elders into a published collection of stories that honour their lives and their place in history.
They get to relive their younger days while we either transcribe them ourselves or even utilize voice memo software to transcribe them for us automatically!
In doing this now while this aging generation is still here, we are able to ask questions like “What year would that have been?” and “Why did you do things that way?” before it’s too late. We can learn about the passions and values they may have held that were similar to our own and what shaped their career or other interests. We can witness and capture the changes that have occurred in just one or two generations.
Subscription services such as Storyworth, Remento, and Simirity offer the conveniences of modern technology utilizing just the smartphones we use daily to materialize our efforts. Pictures can also be added with captions of names and places.
My Dad’s Story
Our family purchased a subscription service from Storyworth as a group Christmas gift for my ailing father a couple of years back. Being retired, I was appointed the role of capturing my father’s stories. As an aging octogenarian who was a bit of a Luddite pertaining to computer and internet use, we recognized these limitations posed a potential barrier to the process, but that was easy enough to resolve.
After setting things up by customizing and curating from the website’s suggested list of questions and adding some of our own, we were ready to receive the ‘question a week’ which set us on our storytelling journey. Some weeks there would be delays, but that never presented an issue as the stories can be done at our own pace.
My father was well known as a bit of a storyteller and had much to draw from with many personal adventures, growing up on a farm in a big family post-Second World War and his career as an excavator which included work with the municipality as Drainage Superintendent.
During this process, I would call him a couple of days prior to my weekly visit and see if there was anything he would like me to pick up, then let him know what question we would be capturing that week. This advance notice would give him some time to reminisce and formulate his thoughts and prepare.
He would sit in his chair, and I would watch him light up to recall his mother, his friends, and all the memories. As he stated in one story, they were “all just old now.” Sadly, there were several friends in his stories who passed away as we were writing these together. Each week I would ask how he was doing personally, and he’d often say “I’m tired and I can’t breathe,” and I could see him fading. Time stands still for no one.
This approaching spring will be the first year anniversary of his passing. I cannot express the gratitude and peace that this project provided me since his departure. These stories had me make the time to honour him and his life while quietly demonstrating the love and respect he earned. I learned so much more about him, even after sharing over 50 years with him.
I also learned so much from him about myself and my ancestors. In his absence since, his collection of stories has been enjoyed by his grandchildren, friends, nieces & nephews, and the community who miss him.
Time is Running Out…
Every parent tells a chapter of the story that a minimum of 8,190 ancestors share in just 12 generations on all our family trees. All of them contributed to the journey to our existence. In that 400 years, it’s never been easier to know these people more intimately by capturing their oral histories.
A copy of my father’s collection of stories has been added to the Archives in Southwest Middlesex for all to enjoy.
April 5th Workshop
On April 5, 2025, Carrie Jeffery inspired us to write down our stories or the stories of our parents, grandparents, loved ones. She showed us how the software program, Storyworth, took the time consuming labour away from the beautiful task of recording her Dad’s life.
The result: hard cover book stories edited & printed in Storyworth app
Murry Lloyd Jeffery’s stories as told by Murry to his daughter, Carrie Jeffery.
All over the world, churches are repositories of local history as well as places of worship, and Glencoe is no different. St John’s Anglican has its share of memorials and markers of personal and public history. This is the first of a series of posts about these. As a recent newcomer to Glencoe, I am likely to be unaware of facts and details about this church, window and Anna Moss which are otherwise common knowledge. Please let me know these so I can add them to this record. – Bill Simpson
There has been a St John’s Anglican Church at the corner of Main Street and Concession Drive since 1869. This building was replaced in 1893 with the current structure, depicted in the postcard shown below, with a current view beside it.
Stories about the Kilmartin community who established Burns Presbyterian Church in the hills of North Mosa.
Marie Williams reported: A great crowd attended Sunday’s “Stroll Through Time” at Burns. The event had been postponed from February due to icy conditions. Morgan MacTavish served as narrator with cast members Sarah, Sophie, Anela and Audrey Faulds, Andrew Johnson, Courtney Bailey, John David MacTavish, Taylor Chalupka and Carol Leitch doing a great job in their roles. Scriptwriters and organizers were Flora Walker, Louise Campbell and Mary Simpson.
The Canadian Government created the Public Archives of Canada in 1872. In Europe, archives retained government records only with personal papers going to libraries as manuscripts. The Dominion Archivist of Canada determined that all personal records of historical and cultural value should be collected as well as government records, with both being stored in the Public Archives. This Total Archives approach was a departure from other countries and is known as a Canadian contribution to archival theory and practice. Over time, multi-media records were added to collections in addition to traditional paper records. Many other national, regional archival programmes, as well as those in municipalities or universities, have adapted the total archives concept. The area municipal and university archives adopt this strategy as does the Provincial Archives of Ontario.
The benefit of this approach is that archives hold records for researchers about family history such as searching houses, land or any other item of interest. The government records also provide some of the information required in these searches. Having municipal records available – if they are open to the public – are advantageous to researchers and also to Municipal Clerks or staff, who sometimes are contacted by genealogists with family history requests. Municipal staff benefit by being able to transfer those questions to properly-trained staff who have access to, not only government records, but also personal papers and other resources. This removes the need for municipal staff to answer questions in an already busy day and provides researchers with a one-stop location. Genealogists account for over 40% of archives’ users who travel to areas specifically to visit Archives. While there, their tourist dollars support restaurants, hotels, local merchants and other local amenities.
An Archives is a program, not a project. Continued funding and municipal support are required to ensure the success of the Middlesex County Archives.
Written by the Committee to Establish a Middlesex County Archives, July 2021
Marie Williams: A large crowd packed into the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives on Wednesday evening, March 12, 2025. Following announcements, a brief membership report and some unfortunate technical difficulties, Society president Mary Simpson introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Glencoe native and author Daniel Perry.
Perry spoke about his newest work, a non-fiction memoir focussed on his own research into the life of Thomas Gardiner and Gardiner’s connection to the hamlet of Cashmere in the former Township of Mosa.
Born in 1774 in Ireland, Singleton Gardiner sailed for New York State in 1804. He moved to the Talbot Settlement in 1816 and to Mosa Township in 1825. He built a mill in 1834 on the site of what became Cashmere.
His brother Thomas Gardiner, born in Ireland in 1767, sailed for New York in 1804 and arrived in Upper Canada in 1807. Perry outlined charges laid against Thomas Gardiner which were subsequently dismissed, the connections between Thomas Gardiner and John Parker Jr., tales from the War of 1812, his years serving as a teacher, disputes over land, family friction and his pleas for help as an aging man.
Singleton Gardiner was the first person buried at the Cashmere Cemetery in 1834 but there is no stone marking what could be the grave of Thomas Gardiner.
CBC Radio ‘Ideas’: Until the past few years, the story of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars was not widely known outside their hometown. But thanks to the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and the University of Windsor’s Centre for Digital Scholarship, with the help of the Harding family, the legacy of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars lives on. They reconstructed the 1934 season, and the team’s history through newspaper clippings, scrapbooks and interviews with the players and their descendants.
Everyone’s efforts led to the Chatham Coloured All-Stars being inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 — 88 years after their 1934 season opener.
Listen to this hourlong podcast by CBC Ideas. Link here.
Everybody knew, in the neighborhood, all the men playing on the team…. And they played a really competitive, athletic, exciting kind of baseball.
Five months after their opener in October 1934, the Chatham Coloured All-Stars became the first all-Black team to win the Ontario Baseball Association championships, then known as the Ontario Baseball Amateur Association.
The story I am about to write happened in 1954 at the humble beginning of Hollandia Bakery, Wm. Bruinink & Sons, the start of what is now known as Hollandia Bakeries Ltd. The village of Mt. Brydges had a population of approximately 1200 souls, at least that is my recollection. Fire hydrants were a square hole of 24” x 24” approx. 6 feet deep. The water supply to homes was a piston pump pounding happily when it was encouraged to supply water.
The first Hollandia was located in what is now Sunshine Bakery. If one were to take down the brick wall, on the exposed wooden wall one would find the words Hollandia Bakery painted by John Kolstein. It was John who we kept busy painting our delivery vans which were later observed in the surrounding communities. The original Hollandia was known as Robinson Bakery until it was purchased by brother Henry in 1953.
Henry did the baking and I did the selling house to house in Mt. Brydges and Strathroy. Some of my customers were Northcotts, Lucas, Daucetts, Orrs and many more whose names have slipped my memory. In Strathroy one of my customers was Pastor Buursma of the CRC. It was he who put me in touch with Bill Jervis who owned the IGA store on Front Street. This store became the stepping stone to wholesale selling.
Hollandia Bakery & Sons was to be established in what was known as Gold Seal Dairy on the main street in Mt. Brydges, between Young and Regent streets. My parents Bill and Dorothy Bruinink, my brother Bill and I took up residence in the front of the dairy bar which, by the way, had gone bankrupt and we bought at a good price. In 1955 we added 75 feet to the back of the building which was to be the “enlarged” bakery. This expansion became an annual event until we reached Emerson Street. In 1961 an addition of approximately 300 feet was added to the north side of the building. In 1970 the bakery was destroyed by fire and rebuilt south of Mt. Brydges. It is difficult to imagine that 60 years have passed since Hollandia had it’s humble beginning. In 2014, Hollandia celebrated its 60th anniversary!
Going back to 1955, I was in charge of the sales organization while brother Henry and my father ran the bakery and its ever growing staff. In 1956, my brother-in-law, Joop de Voest, joined our now Hollandia Bakeries Ltd. and took on the job of Secretary-Treasurer and administrator.
I recently had a “flash back” regarding the thriftiness of being Dutch.
The Grandmothers Sugar Cookie by Hollandia Bakery & Sons, Strathroy, ON
Cookie with the Hole:
One of our most popular cookies was the sugar cookie. We were selling this item at .39 cents retail for a 13 oz. package and they “walked off the shelf”. This caught the attention of father William. He called us together and read the riot act pertaining to this cookie.
“Boys” he said, “We have to make a fundamental change to the weight of the sugar cookies. The package is simply too heavy for what we get in return. I propose that we reduce the count to 20 cookies in the roll from 24.”
My reaction was prompt – “But Dad, this would make this package a lot smaller and our sales would go down. Why not increase the selling price?” This was not a bad idea, but it would take this item out of the occasional 3/$1.00 special category. Suddenly Henry said “how about if we put a hole in each cookie? This will bring down the weight.”
Voilá – The Grandmothers Sugar Cookie was born and became our biggest seller. ‘The cookie with the hole’ was now a favourite with children and adults. Children enjoyed putting their finger in the hole. A contest was born – Who could keep the cookie from falling apart while eating it with their finger in the hole?!
It is amazing how the thriftiness of the Dutch could produce such an incredibly popular cookie.
As the remaining survivor of the founders of Hollandia Bakeries Ltd. and now retired and no longer involved, I am pleased to submit this brief history.
Over 60 history buffs gathered, in person and online, to listen to Doug Ferguson as he described his “Ancestral Odyssey” at the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives on Wednesday evening, January 17, 2024. His Ferguson ancestors had left Craignish, Argyleshire for Aldborough Twp. in 1818 and then moved to northern Mosa Twp. in 1827. The McDonalds left Inverness for Quebec in 1830, before settling in Ekfrid Twp. in 1835.
James Reaney Memorial Lecture: Snapshots of Jamie with Jeff Culbert – 19 October 2024
Hosted by Words Artistic Director Josh Lambier.
In conversation with Jeff Culbert and Josh Lambier of Words Fest
This Lecture celebrates the legacy of London poet and playwright James Crerar (Jamie) Reaney (1926-2008) and his late wife, the poet Colleen Thibaudeau. Jamie Reaney was friends with Jeff Culbert, a connection that began in the 1980s.
With Josh as tour guide, Jeff recalls his roles in the Reaney creative process and will be performing selected readings and songs on this journey.
Part 1: Peter McArthur, the hardest question and the “horrible, horrible” war
By Stephanie McDonald, December 2024
It’s a question from a child no parent is equipped to answer: Should I go to war? It was what Daniel, eldest son of Mabel and Peter McArthur, asked of his father in the early years of the First World War.
Even as prolific a writer as Peter McArthur was, one can imagine how the man dubbed the “Sage of Ekfrid” struggled to find the right words to share with his son. His response reveals both his wish for his child to come to his own decision as well as the urge to protect and keep him safe.
Peter penned his answer to Dan’s question in a letter on January 25, 1916, a year and a half into the war:
Near the house there is a sturdy oak tree that I always think of as one of the oldest of my friends. I grew up with it. Of course that is not exactly true, for I stopped growing many years ago, while it kept on growing, and it may keep on growing for centuries to come. But when I was a growing boy it was just the right kind of a tree for me to chum with. It was not too big to climb, and yet it was big enough to take me on its back and carry me into all the dreamlands of childhood.
On December 5, 2024, the Mary Webb Centre in Highgate organized an Afternoon With Authors book sale as a fundraiser to restore the beautiful stained glass dome.
The Mary Webb Centre came to life in 2010 when a group of people in the Highgate area saw an opportunity where the wrecking ball threatened to demolish the 100 year old United Church. The vision was to create community centre, art gallery and concert hall and now in 2024, 14 years later, the 250 seat venue is a “must-play” address for renowned as well as up-and-coming musicians from across Canada and for local performers too.
For over two decades, Ken Willis has dedicated himself to preserving Wardsville’s history, curating a collection donated by residents that tells the story of Wardsville and its people. The Wardsville Museum is a cherished part of our community that houses a collection of artifacts and stories that showcase Wardsville and Mosa’s rich history. The museum depends on community support to preserve its treasures.
Ken Willis, the long-time curator of the Wardsville Museum, shares his personal story and an appeal for support.
Please denote your donation to benefit the Wardsville Museum and a tax receipt will be issued. Every dollar helps preserve Wardsville’s heritage for future generations.
Your support means the world to Ken and the entire Wardsville community. Thank you for helping us keep our history alive!
Reverend Enos Montour (1898-1985) was a United Church minister and writer from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
Over the course of his retirement, Rev. Montour wrote a collection of stories about Mount Elgin Industrial School at the time he attended (ca.1910-1915). Mount Elgin is one the earliest United Church-run Indian Residential Schools and was located on the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. With the help of Dr. Elizabeth Graham, Montour finished and titled his book Brown Tom’s Schooldays.
With no publisher in sight, photocopies were made and distributed to family members in the early 1980s. This important book is difficult to find today, so Professor McCallum, worked with the University of Manitoba Press, Dr. Graham, and Montour’s two granddaughters Mary I. Anderson and Margaret Mackenzie, to issue a new edition.
Ellwyne Ballantyne’s twenty-two years of brief, bright life are summed up on a simple plaque attached to a majestic buttonwood tree in Carruthers Corners. When local author CJ Frederick first saw the memorial tree in the rural area just outside of Glencoe, ON, she experienced a keen reverence. “It’s just a dot on a map. I was not prepared for how beautiful the tree was. It looked like it was wearing a cloak; as my mother says, ‘wrapped in a queen’s robe’. Knowing that this tree was dedicated to the life of someone who had given that life in a faraway, long-ago conflict really made me stop and think about remembrance and the enduring nature of love.” Ballantyne’s story had to be told; Frederick was eager to record it.
Great evening with James Carruthers, the story keeper; CJ Frederick, the story teller and author; and Patrick, the story champion. We packed the Archives and hosted a few people via zoom as well.
Stories ripple all around us, if only we’re willing to hear them. In 2012, CJ first learned of Ellwyne Ballantyne and the astonishing relationship he forged with two strangers after reading a short newspaper article about the dedication of an unusual tree to a long-dead soldier from World War One. With obligations to work and family filling her time, she wasn’t yet ready to hear his story. It took a global pandemic, with the prospect of lockdowns and unexpected forced time at home, to open her ears, mind, and heart and be ready to explore the roots of Ellwyne’s story that took place more than a century before.
Yoshio Shimuzu: “You have to remember that we had been driven from our homes by racial prejudice in British Columbia, reviled and despised by the bulk of the population, and here in the farmlands of southwestern Ontario, we were welcomed as equals and saviours by the farming population.” Read more →
August 21, 2024: Well over 100 visitors, including members of the Glencoe and District Historical Society, neighbours, community members and John Deere enthusiasts from far and wide, gathered at the home of Dave McEachren on Olde Dr. on Wednesday evening, August 21.
After self-guided tours of his outdoor displays, Dave spoke to the crowd explaining that, at age 10, he had first become involved in the Glencoe Fair farm toy competition. He recalled buying his “first toy that he didn’t play with” from Tips. Following the advice of his uncle, he chose to focus on one thing to collect and he chose John Deere. His focus grew from toys to signs, memorabilia, tractors and other equipment.
Having worked at the local John Deere dealership, Dave said he became fascinated with the history of the man named John Deere who was born in 1804. A blacksmith who found himself in debt, John Deere moved from Vermont to Illinois where he discovered and began making self-scouring steel plows in 1837. In 1847, Deere moved to Moline, Illinois where he built a factory, soon making over 100,000 plows a year. His son, Charles Deere, got his business degree and truly made the company what it is today. The business, now known world-wide, grew to produce other implements and gradually moved into making tractors in 1918.
McEachren shared the history of the company and some trivia before opening the door to his impressive indoor museum McEachren Collection at Forty-87, featuring everything from toys to John Deere literature. Historical Society past president Ken Beecroft thanked Dave for sharing the story of John Deere’s life and his fascinating collection.
The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87 ; As a 10-year old boy, Dave witnessed a few fellow neighborhood farm boys displaying their collections of farm toys at the Glencoe Fair. It was that day that he decided to stop “playing in the dirt” with his toys and start collecting them instead. More than a few decades later the dream of opening his own museum to share his ever-growing John Deere collection has come to light.
The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87 includes over 40 real tractors, thousands of farm toy models, and tens of thousands of pieces of memorabilia and sales-related literature. There will be something of interest for everyone, from local dealer history to samples of equipment you may never knew existed.
By Mary Simpson and Denise Corneil. Featured in the Middlesex Banner.
The Barn Quilt Trail Movement, which started in Ohio, USA, has blossomed into a colorful journey across North America, thanks to the vision and dedication of individuals like Donna Sue Groves, now deceased. Inspired by her love for quilts and barns, Groves initiated the movement in 2001 when she painted the first quilt square on her family’s barn in Adams County, Ohio.
In Canada, the movement found roots in Temiskaming, Ontario, in 2007. Bev Maille, Marg Villneff, and Eleanor Katana spearheaded a project to paint 200 quilt squares, adorning barns and historic landmarks across the region in time for the International Plowing Match 2009. This initiative not only added vibrant colors to the landscape but also attracted tourists and boosted economic development.
Wardsville, Middlesex County, Ontario, joined the trail in 2009 when Denise Corneil’s mother, Eileen, returned from the U.S. with a barn quilt brochure. Denise, along with a team of volunteers, stitched a story quilt commemorating Wardsville’s founders, Mr. and Mrs. George Ward, for the village’s 2010 Bicentennial celebration. This project revitalized the community and became a testament to the power of preserving local heritage.
The movement continued to flourish in Ontario. With support from the Sand Plains Community Development Fund, over 100 quilts were created, each telling stories of settlement, community building, and rural life. Barn quilt trails spread up and down the roads of Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford, Norfolk, and Brant Counties in 2011.
Here in Middlesex, women living along Longwoods Road and the community of Chippewa of the Thames, worked side by side to plan two trails explaining how the War of 1812-1814 affected the lives of women, children, and families. The winter of 1813 was particularly bad.
Trail of Tears- Family. Located in the community of Chippewa of the Thames
The result was the Trail of Tears Barn Quilt Trail, a collection showcased on Chippewa of the Thames locations, and a trail stretching along Longwoods Road from Delaware to Thameville – plus two beautiful quilts and many new and enduring friendships. These trails and many more trails across Canada are curated at barnquilttrails.ca.
In 2013, all major barn quilt trails in Ontario were curated on one website, barnquilttrails.ca, supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This initiative aimed to provide guidance and encouragement to communities starting their own barn quilt projects, ensuring the movement’s sustainability and growth. This website continues to be curated by volunteers and now showcases barn quilts across Canada.
As barn quilt trails spread across Canada, the United States, and around the world, they became more than just colorful displays; they became a way for communities to share their stories and preserve their heritage.
Today, as new projects like those in South Bruce and Osgoode Township emerge, the legacy of the Barn Quilt Trail Movement lives on. Denise Corneil, Wardsville, along with a dedicated team, remains committed to supporting and promoting these initiatives, ensuring that the colorful journey across North America continues to thrive for generations to come.
Some community barn quilt projects start the planning process with a theme and a story quilt. In 2009, Wardsville started up with the War of 1812 theme. Eleanor Blain and Sue Ellis, seasoned quilt makers, devised a plan to engage people of all skill levels in the quilt-making process.
With the assistance of local historian Ken Willis, who provided valuable insights into the Wards’ history, the quilt committee traced the Wards’ journey from establishing a settlement along Longwoods Road to enduring the trials of the Battle of the Longwoods and the ensuing accusations of treason. Thirty quilt blocks were meticulously selected to depict key moments in the Wards’ lives, ensuring that Mrs. Margaret Ward’s contributions were honored too.
The quilt-making process was a labor of love, with countless hours spent selecting fabrics, cutting shapes, and stitching together each block. Ellis and Blain invited community members, both experienced quilters and novices, to lend their hands to the project. The quilt frame at Beattie Haven Retirement Home became a hub of activity as individuals gathered to contribute stitches to the communal creation.
The quilt telling the story of George and Margaret Ward being stitched at Beattie Manor retirement home.
When the George Ward Commemorative Quilt was unveiled at Wardsville United Church in May 2010, it elicited gasps of awe from the crowd. The quilt’s was entered into the Group category at the 2010 International Plowing Match Quilting Competition in Shedden,where it claimed second prize.
Barn quilts are eight-foot square (and larger) painted replicas of actual fabric quilt blocks installed on barns. Barn quilts draw attention to Canada’s disappearing rural landscapes, timber frame barns, and the family farm. Each barn quilt tells a story and draws attention to unmarked historical places.
They can be scattered through the county mounted on beautiful barns (like Huron County), or they can create a themed route, leading visitors from one site to the next.
Tourists are Interested in our local history
With the aging baby boomer cohort, there is a lot of interest in nostalgia and history. There is a growing recognition that tourists are interested in our local history too.
The Canadian federal government is investing in rural and remote tourism. The tourism industry is realizing what barn quilt enthusiasts always knew. Statistics Canada shows that tourism provides billions of dollars in revenue and accounts for 10% of local jobs in rural (non-metro) areas. A federal spokesperson said that “Tourism can diversify and strengthen the economic base and viability as well as safeguard local culture, language and heritage. Businesses benefit from increased income from direct sales of homegrown and locally made products. Visitors want to participate in authentic Indigenous experiences, and 62% of Indigenous tourism businesses are in rural and remote areas.”
Louise Long applies masking tape prior to painting. Three coats. (Photo by Dave Chidley)
And so the barn quilt movement continues to spread. Go to barnquilttrails.ca to find the trails in Middlesex County and southwestern Ontario. Embark on a journey through time and space. This isn’t just tourism; it’s a love letter to the land, a celebration of heritage, and a testament to the power of community.
