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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-06-29, Page 51Page 23 --- - Stops Strong cTftc TVay ’94 — Ghosts all that remain of dream town All that remains The pastoral quiet of this pioneer cemetery is all that remains of the once bustling village of Sunshine. Continued from page 22 water powered the mills. The early wooden bridge damaged by ice washed out in 1906 and was replaced first by a steel one and finally by the concrete bridge, the last vestige of Bodmin, which had ceased to exist by the late part of the 19th century. In 1955 the land was purchased by a family who organized it into Bodmin Ltd., a farm organization. *** Continue west until you reach Hwy 4 in Belgrave then travel west on County Road 20 several miles through East and West Wawanosh, where by turning left onto County Road 1 you will discover Dungannon. Unlike the villages you have just passed through, where little remains but memories, Dungannon is still a fairly well populated village, but many of its stores sit empty. One of the most interesting stories of Dungannon's past can be found in the West Wawanosh history book From Bush to Present Tales. In 1843 William and Jane Mallough bought property at Lot 12, Cone. 4 in Ashfield Twp. They built a one room log home on the west side of the Indian trail to Goderich. Nearby was an Indian summer camp, the chief of which had been in the war of 1812 and was a friend of General Brock. The Malloughs and the Indians became very close to the point that on at least one occasion they protected Mrs. Mallough from intruders when her husband was absent. Not many years after this, as more people moved into the townships- of Ashfield and Wawanosh, the food supply became scarce and the country too crowded for the Indians. The first citizens of what later became Dungannon packed up, said goodbye to their friends and left.*♦* Go south through Nile, Carlow and into Bcnmiller until you reach Hwy 21. Tum left. Here you are treated for several miles to the panoramic vista of Lake Huron. Between Goderich and Grand Bend you will pass through St. Joseph. In the late part of the 19th century, Narcisse Cantin moved to the lakeshore to start promoting his ideas of a seaway and plan the town of St. Joseph which was to be the hub of his activities. He planned a port with docks and warehouses and a summer resort. The focal point would be the half-mile long Park Avenue leading from the current site down to the park. At the lake would be a 12-acre park extending down to the beach with a large level area for playing cricket and baseball. He erected a a sawmill and a tile and brick yard was begun. Later came a novelty factory, an organ factory and winery of sorts. By 1903 there were 30-40 homes. The crowning touch was the long three storey hotel built at the comer of what is now Highways 84 and 21. Rumoured to have cost $250,000 by completion in 1907, it was to be a centrepiece of a resort, which promoted itself as serving the best domestic and imported wine and liquor. The problems, however, came with the railroad. While Mr. Canlin had believed a railway would be built near St. Joseph it never happened. With the closest train station in Hcnsall, few of the people coming from cities ever made it to St. Joseph. The hotel never opened and stood empty for 20 years. Today looking at the small collection of houses that is St. Joseph it is hard to imagine Mr. Canlin's drcam.♦♦♦ Take the road cast to Hcnsall then tum right onto Hwy 4. Travel for about a mile and you will find the area where once lay the village of Rodgervillc. Some vacant houses arc all that's left of the village, the future of which was eclipsed by the railroad. Settled in 1834 by William Elder, the coming of the general store and post office in 1852 made this the area's first major village. Rodgerville, named after the first postmaster, Matthew Rodger continued to grow so that by the early part of the next decade it had three general stores, a tannery, hotel and three blacksmiths. The railway was set to arrive after a survey in the 1870s, but the station was built instead near the Petty mills north of town. This was the beginning of Hensall and eventually the end of Rodgerville. The church was dismantled in 1910 and moved. A tour of Huron's ghost towns doesn't always hold much visual appeal, but, with a little research into their pasts and a little imagination their voices can still be heard. Museum founder s presence still alive in new building Home sweet home The home of Herbie Neill, the originator of the Huron County Museum stands on the front grounds. The story of the growth of the area, from the perils of the pioneers to the prosperity of this century, has an exciting showcase at the Huron County Museum in Goderich. Created in crisis, bom in controversy, the museum gives a theatrical setting to the 20,000-piecc Huron County Museum collection, sometimes called one of the best collections of pioneer agricultural artifacts in the country. Those who had visited the old Huron County Pioneer Museum noticed big changes after the fall of 1989. The new building, for one thing, is now open year round. Also, while the original museum building, a converted 1856 schoolhouse, is still there, it is surrounded by a glossy new building that combines the modern and traditional to create an exciting showplace. Inside, the clutter of the thousands of articles collected by museum founder J.H. Neill, has been replaced by a more sophisticated setting to display how the articles fit into the lives of their original owners, and how the owners fit into the historical pattern of this part of the country. It is an opportunity for people to really experience what life would have been like in pioneer limes. Claus Brecdc, the man hired as project director back in October 1985 on a four-year contract to bring off the whole rebuilding, says the designers tried to maintain the sense of discovery evident in the former structure. Curves and corners were built into the design so that people will come around a corner and encounter something that will make them say "wow!". "We hope people come back," he says, "that they'll realize they can't see it all in one visit." Just in case a visitor does think he can see it all in one visit, Mr. Breede and his planners have the trip through history mapped out and even have estimates of how long they think it will take the average person to make the journey. Visitors to the museum follow a path down the south side of the building, then enter a soaring, two-storey lobby, one of Mr. Brccdc's "wow" spaces that he says never ceases to impress people. The lobby has a 30-foot ceiling and is formed in part by two of the exterior walls of the old brick school house. It has size enough to be a display area of its own and includes a huge marine engine that soars into the second storey. It also includes the reception desk and the gift shop. First stop in the tour is a visit to the museum's 54-scat theatre equipped for slides, movies and lectures. Visitors will sec Continued on page 24 / f I "GOLFING FUN FOR EVERYONE" x OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Specializing In: • HOMEMADE FRIES • 1/4 LB. CHAR-BROILED HAMBURGERS •CHICKEN BURGERS • FISH ON A BUN • SAUSAGE & SAUERKRAUT ON A BUN • SALADS SERVED DAILY • DAILY SPECIALS • ICE CREAM • FROZEN YOGURT • FIREWOOD • PROPANE •GROCERIES • FRESH FRUIT & VEGETABLES • SOUVENIRS RELAX AND ENJOY... IN OUR SHADED PICNIC AREA POINT FARMS MINI-GOLF MARKET & TAKEOUT JOE & MARIA PAOLA HWY. 21 NORTH OF GODERICH 5 KM., 524-6362 OPPOSITE POINT FARMS PROVINCIAL PARK