The Wingham Advance-Times, 1989-08-22, Page 11Early pioneers worked hard
to establish Westfield Church
Westfield, congregation had its
birth as far back as 1854 when it
was called Hoover's Church, owing
to the fact that Adam Hoover and
his family formed the nucleus of
the first church.
Mr. Hoover was born in 1824 in
Perth County. A tinner by trade, he
came to East Wawanosh and settled
on Lot 31, Concession five, the farm
now occupied by James Campbell.
In 1851 he was married to Ellen
Johnson of Goderich Township.
They were considered to be the first
settlers in this district.
As soon as they were settled in
their new log home, Mr. Hoover
sent a request to Clinton for a
preaching place to be established at
their home. This was done by Rev.
Alex Campbell, a Wesleyan
Methodist minister, in 1854. Later,
services were held in the log
schoolhouse which was built in
1856 on the same property.
About 1870, a frame church was
erected by Mr. Duncan, contractor,
of Bluevale and was located on the
corner of Mr. Hoover's farm near
the school. The Hoovers cut and
towed the logs and timbers for the
frame building. In this church, the
seats were rough planks set on
Westfield Church
celebrates 100 years
On Aug. 27, the congregation of
Westfield Church is celebrating a
birthday — a very special birthday
- a 100th birthday of the church.
The church has reached its century
mark and members are about to
turn the page of history and enter
its second century.
The Westfield Church was built
in 1889 on part of Lot 33, Conces-
sion five, East Wawanosh. The land
was donated by John McClinton, a
highly -esteemed gentleman who
was a farmer and also a school
teacher in this area. James Young of
Auburn took the contract to build
the church for $1,414 and sublet the
mason work to McDonald and
Coombs. Mr. Doherty of Clinton
and Mr. Neelands of Wingham laid
the cornerstone on June 25, 1889,
during a ceremony which was fol-
lowed by an ice cream social. In
October, 1889, the church was offi-
cially opened, at which time a tea
party was held.
This church building was erected
by the ancestors of current mem-
bers, the pioneers of this communi-
ty. They gave of what little they had
to make this building a reality. It is
a treasure which the pioneers have
handed down to them and entrust-
ed to their care and keeping.
In 1920, after World War 1, three
beautiful stained-glass memorial
windows were placed in the church
in memory of William Buchanan,
Ivan Wightman and Russel Woods,
who paid the supreme sacrifice. In
1988, these three windows were
restored by the Edwards Glass
Company of London.
Over the years many new things
have been added to the building
and improvements made, but basi-
cally it has been maintained in the
lifestyle of the period in which it
was built.
A church is a landmark — a foot -
Soil Cons,ervatio Dal.
Authorities.
This year, conservation day is
being held on the farm of Peter and
Brian Oldridge two miles north of
Blyth, and 4.5 miles east of Hwy. 4
on Concession Seven, Morris Town-
ship.
Farmers will have the opportuni-
ty to view conservation practices
that could be applied in their own
farming operations.
The Oldridges have been actively
Tomorrow's Soil and Water Con-
servation Day is the seventh such
event organized by the Huron Soil
and Water Conservation District.
First conceived in the early 1980s
by a group of local farmers, the
organization helps promote the use
of conservation tillage practices in
the county, through co-operation of
the Ministry of Agriculture and
Food and the Maitland Valley and
Ausable-Bayfield Conservation
print of those who have travelled
this way before. As one century
closes, another begins and mem-
bers of the congregation trust that
God will still use their little church
to be a witness for Christianity ha
their community, that the faith of
their fathers will not be lost to
future generations because of their
apathy or neglect. The cause for
which this congregation was estab-
lished continues to live, not in the
building but in the lives of its peo-
ple.
at Blyth area farm
ROCK'iN TIIE 'TOWN "Doug and the Slugs'r, a well known
band from Vancouver, performed for a large crowdat the Brussels
Arena last Saturday night. A group, "Sequence" from Milverton
played previous to "The Slugs" performance.
using conservation cropping sys-
tems for a number of years. Cur-
rently they 'are using chisel -plow-
ing, aer-way or no -till planting,
depending on the crop or the
residues. Guided wagon tours of
the Oldridge farm will be run in the
morning beginning at 10 a.m. and
in the afternoon until 3 p.m.
During lunch, guest speakers will
talk on rural water quality and
residue management.
mortising
makelpsjobso
blocks of wood. An aisle ran down
the centre, with the men and boys
sitting on one side of the church
end he women and girls on the
/ other side. Eventually, this practice
was discontinued. Adam Hoover
was the first leader and was fol-
lowed by John McCullough.
From 1854 to 1870, Westfield was
a mission but in 1870, it was linked
with Donnybrook and Auburn to
form the Auburn circuit 'of the
Methodist Church. In 1889, it was
decided to build a new church. It
was built one and a quarter miles
east of the old church on Lot 33,
Concession five. This land was
donated by John McClinton.
Following is a list of the pioneer
families who worked to establish
the church in the Westfield area: the
Armours, Armstrongs, Aulds,
Buchanans, Blacks; Birds, Camp-
bells, Carrs, Collinsons, Cooks,
Coventrys, Danbys, Dunbars,
Edwards, Ellises, Fairys, Fenwicks,
Fothergills, Foxes, Fowlers, Garrets,
Henrys, Helps, Heenys, Hoovers,
Houghtons, Howatts, Johnstons,
Jacksons. Kernicks, Lockharts
Mitchells, Murrays, Macdonalds,
McClintons, McCulloughs, Mc-
Dowells, McL,artys, McVitties, Nay -
tors, Parks, Rapsons, Robinsons,
Shorts, Stackhouses, Taylors, Tin -
dales, Tunneys, Vincents, Wight -
mans, Woods, Vints, Bells, Hunters,
McGills, Densmores, Wilsons and
Whitmores.
1
L
•
alp
r isLt umma
251
WM
plea: J,
w��r.�ro w., . ...
a *cra.
•°ia.1 VAaRS0
..firs ti;s•
L.
WESTFIELD CHURCH This recent drawing by Don Vair of Bel -
grave shows the front of Westfield Church in East Wawanosh. The
church celebrates its centennial this weekend.
Bruce farm report
Now is the time to plan
for no -till system
Planning for No -Till
Remember the old slogan, "Why
wait for spring ... do it now"? Well,
now is the time to get ready for
next spring, especially if you are
thinking about trying no -till.
You can't correct a nutrient defi-
ciency if you don't know what it is
and the only way to find out is with
a soil test. Fields to be no -tilled
should be medium to high fertility
and have a ph level greater than
65. If this is not the case, you are
likely better to apply lime and fer-
tilizer this year,to be ready for next
Year.
Secondly, perennial weeds can be
a real headache in no -till, so it's best
to control them before they get fully
established. A good time to do this
is following cereals, as there is usu-
ally enough re -growth for treat-
ment to be effective. It is important
to target your chemicals to the
weeds which need to be controlled.
Correct any drainage problems.
No -till or any form of conservation
tillage, helps to conserve soil mois-
ture�If the field is poorly drained, it
may never dry out enough to plant.
Do not try no -till on poorly drained
fields.
Make sure the fields are fairly
smooth and level. Starting into no-
HENSALL
CO-OP
•
till is like seeding a field down; any
ruts, bumps or dead furrows left in
the field will be there for a long
time.
Talk to farmers with experience
in no -till and make use of the
expertise in industry and govern-
ment. Taking the time now to plan
a no -till system will make life much
easier next spring.
Junior Agriculturalist Program
winds up
The 1989 Junior Agriculturalist
program wound up as of August
18th. Thirteen of the original seven-
teen Junior Ags. were able to com-
plete the program in Bruce, Huron
and Perth Counties. The young
people involved in the program this
summer have learned many valu-
able lessons as has their supervisor.
Hopefully the success of this year's
program will bode well for next
year. If you are going to be needing
summer help next year, call your
local Ministry of Agriculture and
Food office next spring.
This year Junior Ags worked for
eight weeks on a farm and were
paid $35 per day. This is a good
experience for the young people as
well as the farm family.
It's Fair Time
Many activities and interesting
exhibits are found at fairs in Bruce
County: Kincardine, Sept. 1-2;
Mildmay, Sept. 8-10; Chesley, Sept.
8-9; Arran -Tara, Sept. 12-13; Wiar-
ton, Sept. 15-16; Paisley, Sept. 18-19;
Hanover, Sept. 22-24; Ripley, Sept.
29-30; Teeswater, Oct. 6-7; Tiverton,
Oct. 6-7; Walkerton, Oct.12-15.
Leadership Training Opportunity
"Leadership in Action" is a
chance for you to improve your
leadership skills, share ideas and
meet people from across Ontario.
There is still time to register for this
four day leadership training pro-
gram held Sept. 2-6 at the Ontario
Leadership Training Centre near
Irondale.
The conference will teach skills
for self awareness, relationships
and leadership.
A variety of community and agri-
cultural organizations are repre-
sented. People already registered
are involved in commodity organi-
zations, Agricultural Societies, 4-H
Leaders Association's, Junior Farm-
ers and others.
Registration is $80.
Hensall Coop is pleased to provide
farmer -owned grain and bean elevator facilties
in Londesboro. By working together, farmers
can build their own successful agri-business!
NOW RECEIVING; WHITE BEANS
r Fastethcient service • Wagon dumpers
Truckin lable • Fair grades and prices
4