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Gulf Shore Settlers Came from Scotland 

The Gulf Shore is a small community extending ten miles east of Pugwash and is bordered on the north by the Northumberland Strait.  Since 1810, Gulf Shore has been known as a Scottish settlement.  

'Prepared in part by Mrs. Murray Smith for the Oxford Journal's 50th Anniversary Edition in 1948.  The original article has been edited and information about the Fencibles has been added later.  Information collected by Mrs. D. MacIvor has been melded in from her 1963 work.

The Gulf Shore east of Pugwash is one of the beauty spots of Nova Scotia; a rich farming and stock-raising country, fine large clear cultivated farms, splendid modern buildings with all the modern comforts - telephones, electricity, rural mail deliver, a graveled road, etc., is situated along the Northumberland Strait, an arm of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, from which this settlement probably derived its name, although some think the present name may be a corruption of Guelph.  The only other name known was the "Fencible Grant", a name used in earlier days for the lower Gulf Shore.

The Gulf Shore is about 10 miles long and being situated along the coast, there have always been extensive fishing operations going on. Herring were caught by the earlier settlers and today lobsters are being caught in large quantities and are shipped alive to the United States and canned and shipped to Europe.

The first lobster factory here was built and operated by Zabud MacKy of Malagash in 1882.  This factory was near a point of land named in later years "Cape Cliff", but it was called "Hoany Po" by the early pilots.

 

The next factory was established in 1885 by Archibald MacInnis of Wallace Ridge north of the present church on land owned by Allan Munro.  Modern means of rapid transportation has cut down the number of packing factories.  In 1922, there were about 10 different factories.  By 1948, there was only one on the Gulf Shore, owned and operated by Gordon MacInnis.  Messrs. J. R. Allen, Hudson Trenholm and the Bollong Brothers of Pugwash fish these waters, but did not pack their lobsters here.

 

I might sketch here the evolution of the fishing industry.  The earliest settlers used flats and skiffs, then the sail boat.  Later these were abandoned for boats run by one and two cylinder marine engines.  Today (i.e. 1948) the fishermen have large boats averaging 35 to 40 feet in length, with high powered car engines.  A contrivance, run by a small engine, is used to haul lobster traps into the boat.  A boy from 16 to 21 years of age runs the hauler, leaving nothing for the fisherman to do except remove the lobsters and rebait the traps - a far cry from the tedious tasks of one man who had to handle his sailboat and do all the other work by hand.

Today, no majestic sailing boats beat their way up the Strait to Pugwash.  Steamers have taken their place.

Farming and lumbering are the other main industries of this community.  The first farms contained from 100 to 500 acres.  There, too, we see the evolution of equipment from all tasks being done by hand, then the oxen, next the horse and today the horse is fast becoming extinct due to motor power in our cars, tractors, farming implements for every task, and electricity supplementing man power.

 

Another industry which has vast possibilities along this beautiful clean coastline is the tourist trade.  Many motorists come out from Pugwash in the early evening of fine summer days to enjoy the enchanting sunsets on their return, which truly turns the ocean's blue to gold.

 

Tourist cabins are being built.  There are already a few cottages.  The Springhill Rotary Club has a camp here, also the Maritime (Seventh Day Adventists) Youth Camps.

 

The Gulf Shore is making great progress in regards to the things that maketh a nation strong and giveth it endurance, as written to me by Thomas Grant of Dinsmore, Sask., a direct descendant of the earliest Scotch settlers, and I quote him as saying, "I refer to its people.  I have no hesitation in saying that the present generations are the best the district has known and the rising generation is the best of the best."

 

The original settlers of the Gulf Shore were no doubt the Mic-Mac Indians.  It is also known there was French Rule in the Maritimes for 109 years (1604-1713).  Therefore some of the ground on which the present homes are now situated was known as the French Grant, which the British government gave to disbanded soldiers.  Although history does not give any details of an earlier settlement, the Scotch found on their arrival remnants of apple orchards, old wells and the marshes partly dyked, providing them with a source of rich hay land.

 

The land in said French Grant was purchased by hardy Scotchmen who came from the Islands of Lewis, Harris and Skye in Scotland on board the brigs Hector, Ann and Hope, landing in Pictou between 1811 and 1860.

Many of them left Pictou and scattered to different parts of Canada.  Some landed in Pugwash by boat, and some walked up, coming down the Gulf Shore, taking up grants of land and clearing it. 

 

Each farm consisted of 100 to 500 acres, much of it forest.

 

The First Settlers

 

The first settler was John Matheson.  He built a log house, married Sarah MacDonald and died in 1821.

Kenneth MacDonald, son of Malcolm and Margaret Murray, was the first child born on Gulf Shore and the first one born there to be married there.

 

The Waughs came to NS about 1775 from PEI but did not come to Gulf Shore until after John Matheson.  The Waughs came from the lowlands of Scotland and could not speak Gaelic.  Other hardy Scotchmen who came from the Highlands were Angus MacLeod, John MacLean, Donald MacLeod, John Reid, Donald Nicholson, Malcolm MacDonald, Angus MacIvor, , Donald Nicholson and Alec Mackay a boat builder.  Malcolm MacDonald was also a boat builder.  Angus MacLeod built a saw mill.  It would hardly be recognized today.  The saw was a straight blade like a giant handsaw and it was driven by a crank horizontally.  It would cut only on the down strokes.

At this time there were no threshing machines.  All the grain was threshed by hand with a flail and the grain was separated from straw by shaking the stray with forks.  The grain was then cleaned by putting it through a hand made sieve on a windy day.

 

Later Angus MacLeod built a stationary threshing machine on John MacLeod's farm.  It was a huge affair and was operated by either oxen or horses requiring a large building to house it.  It did nothing but thresh the grain from the straw, but it saved a great deal of labour.  The separating and cleaning was still done as when the flail was used.

 

The farmers of the district hauled their grain there to be threshed.  The first sieves used in this machine were made by removing the wool from a sheepskin and stretching the raw hide over one end of a deep wooden hoop, then, when the hide was dry, holes were burned into the hide with a hot iron.  There were many sieves for each type of grain.  After William Waugh began to build his Fanning Mills, the sieves were seldom used.

The Fencible Grant or Smith's Grant

In 1784, called Smith’s Grant, the lower Gulf Shore was planned as a community for personnel of the Royal Fencibles.   These men had remained at Fort Cumberland after the Regiment disbanded, as they had been left out of the grant at Passamaquoddy. 6150 acres on the Lower Gulf Shore  were granted to Josiah Smith of the late Royal Fencible Americans Regiment, "on behalf of himself and a number of the said Regiment."   There were 10 non-commissioned officers, 24 privates, 14 women and 21 children.

 

The 34 recipients of the grant were Josiah Smith, Martin Crarey, Daniel Gooden, Peter Collins, Michael Burk, John Jona, Enoch Gooden, Thomas Gooden, Jonathan Gooden, Lawrence Larkin, William Colman, Nathaniel Reynolds, Daniel Gooden Jr., Lawrence Hickey, Thomas Brown, Richard Coulbourn, Samuel Williams, John Kenady, John Corbett, John Gordon, Richard Barritt, Joseph Watron, William Knishaw, John Apps, Thomas Biggin, William Lloyd, Thomas Harper, George Hammon, John Wightman, Peter Yaxell, Luke O'Brien, Miles O'Brien, Joshua Weathered, Benjamin Lovely.

 

These lots were held in severalty. 

According to John MacIvor, the soldiers or their heirs soon sold the land held by the Royal Fencibles.  The soldiers found it difficult to settle down to farm life.  It was a hard proposition to build a home from this forested land.  It was mainly bought by Scots who had found their way here from Pictou.

 

Ship Building at Gulf Shore

 

The next industry in this community was ship building.  The shipyard was on an island below the present church.  It was operated by Neil MacKay, but later failed in business.   Alec MacKay was a shipbuilder too and built two ships, the "Iris" and "Margaret".  This island later disappeared.

 

The consumption of alcoholic liquor and the use of tobacco was quite common amongst both sexes in the early settler of the 1880s.  Therefore it was considered quite the proper thing to carry pails of rum into the shipyards where Neil MacKay built his ships, so that the employees could help themselves whenever they felt inclined.  This may explain why Mr. MacKay failed in business and why many of his employees went unpaid.

 

The first Sheriff of this country was Angus MacLean. 

 

Angus MacLeod also built boats and flats enabling the settlers to fish herring, etc.  Each settler salted several barrels for winter use to eat with potatoes, grown among the stumps on burnt land, which was their main food, having potatoes and fish for breakfast, fish and potatoes for dinner and potatoes and fish for supper.  It was a hard proposition to make a home and rear a family in the forest, but they were made of sturdy stuff.  They chopped down trees to make a little clearing and to get the logs with which to build a log house.  

 

On the land cleared by these settlers, they grubbed in a few potatoes, got a cow from the earlier settlers and built a little skiff, got a net, and caught fish, lobsters and other shellfish, also fowl which at least in the spring and fall were numerous such as wild geese, ducks, brant and other kinds.

 

Houses

 

John Matheson erected the first building of logs.  The first house built of sawn lumber was erected by Angus MacLeod, and later by his son Malcolm.  It was known as the Macky Angus farm as there were so many Malcolm MacLeods at the time.  The house is a thing of the past. 

Some think the Rory MacKenzie house now used as a storage shed belongs to James and John Ross who own the oldest house on the Gulf Shore.  It is believed to be older than the Stonehouse.

The Stone House was built in 1833 by Murdoch Nicholson.  He was a seafaring man and owned his own vessel.  He and a son, Angus, were lost when their vessel was wrecked during a storm off the coast of Cape Breton.  His widow was Katie MacIvor, a daughter of Angus MacIvor who came to Nova Scotia in 1811.  The mason who built Stone House was a man named Lorraine.  He was a Huguenot from the North of France and built several houses in Northern Nova Scotia.  This house was built with four fireplaces - three downstairs and one upstairs.

Many of the old houses were built after the same plan.  A front door opened in the centre of one side.  From a small entry one went into a kitchen on one side and a parlor on the other while along the back were three bedrooms, two opening off the kitchen and one opening off the parlour.  There were three fireplaces, one in the parlor, one in the kitchen and one in the centre bedroom.

Churches and Lodges

 

The present church was the first organized church with the Rev. John Munro, a Presbyterian minister as the first minister.   To obtain financial help to build it, Mr. Munro toured parts of the USA lecturing.  He had come to NS in 1848 and died in 1877, having served the congregation for 28 years.  He and his wife are buried beside the church.  The first church service consisted of James Stuart, Robert Mitchell, Norman MacLeod, Donald MacLeod, William MacDonald, Donald MacIvor, John MacFarlane, Peter MacFarlane, Andrew Redpath, John MacKenzie, Thomas Simpson and Peter MacLean.  The church was repainted in 1947.

 

There was an old church, called the "Auld Kirk Church" in Fox Harbour before this one, and it was used by all the ministers of the Kirk, and bonnie were the battles fought by and between these churches.  A new one stands in its place.

The first settlers found that they could not adhere to the Clan System as their land holdings were mixed.  But they did their best to perpetuate it.  As far as possible each Clan had its own burial grounds.  Hence, there were at least seven cemeteries on the Gulf: MacLeods, Nicholsons, MacDonalds, Waughs, MacKenzies and Robertsons as well as the church for others.

 

An Orange Lodge on David Ross' farm flourished for some time.  The hall was on the south side of the road.  A Temperance Society called the British Templars organized a lodge and built a hall.

 

Many years later, a society known as the Independent Order of Good Templars organized a lodge on the Upper Gulf Shore.  They held their meetings in the hall, upstairs in the present Upper Gulf schoolhouse.

 

Schools

 

The first school was built on the Upper Gulf south of the road on John MacLean's land.  Presumably fear of fire was too great for the occupants and a new school was born in the 1880's on the north side of the road with a small hall upstairs.  The Lower Gulf school was built in 1898 to replace and old school which stood on the same lot but nearer the road.  The old school was then taken by Kenneth MacLean dow to his shore and used as a cookhouse when he ran a lobster factory.  The first teacher in the Lower Gulf school was Hector MacKenzie.   Hugh MacKenzie also taught on the Gulf Shore.  He was from Pictou and later studied law and practised in Truro.

 

MacDonald Stone Quarry

 

Sometime in the 1880's the Dominion Government decided to build a ship railway that would transport ships overland from the Northumberland Strait to the Bay of Fundy and vice versa, in order to shorten the voyage between St. John, NB and English ports.  An English firm of Engineers got the contract to construct the Ship Railway.  As concrete and cement were unknown at that date, the company required a vast amount of stone for the job.  They heard in some way about an outcrop of stone on the William MacDonald farm and decided to open a quarry on it.  In 1886 or 1887, the company wanted to buy a piece of land from Mr. MacDonald at a big price, or pay him a certain amount for a specified amount of stone.  Mr. MacDonald decided to sell the stone rather than the land and all went well for a couple of years, until the Banking House that was funding the company went bankrupt.  You may still see the remnants of the big cut stones lying there yet on the beach.  Gordon MacDonald had this quarry blasted once to let in the sea and for a number of lobster seasons used it as a haven for his fishing boats.

 

Blacksmith Shops and Coopers

There were only a few blacksmith shops on the Gulf Shore in the early days.  Colin MacLean, John Nicholson and William Waugh had forges, but James Grant was the only skilled tradesman to engage in blacksmithing.  This shop was on the south side of the road.  The others had forges.

The steady diet of fish led to a need for barrels to put them in.  There were three coopers at this time: Malcolm MacDonald, Donald Nicholson and Alexander MacKay.

 

Tragedies

 

A tragic accident occurred between the MacLellan house and the Stone House.  The year is unknown, but here is the poem that was written to commemorate it:

'Twas April on the eighteenth day,

Do but attend to what I say,

A gun was heard, a solemn sound

Like thunder it rolled and shook the ground

The neighbours crowded to the spot,

From whence they heard the mournful shot,

And found in death's cold fetters bound,

The victim bleeding on the ground.

Close by his stood the man and gun

Who had this cruel mischief done,

With death-like eyes fixed on the ground

He tells the truth to all around.

I just took up this cruel gun,

To snap her off, in careless fun.

When this poor boy, with spirits large,

Came up the hill and met the charge.

I thought there was no load within,

Until I saw him drop his chin,

Ah! dreadful horror, strange to tell,

He turned to me and down he fell.

I'm sorry that I did the deed,

And from my pang I would be freed;

Now this is what I'd have you do,

Take that same gun and shoot me too.

Take warning, all you careless youths

Who with a gun yourselves amuse,

Take warning by MacLellan's son,

Mind how you trifle with a gun.

Drownings were unfortunately all too common.  Some of them were the following:  Murdoch Nicholson who owned the Stone House and his son Angus Nicholson were lost when their vessel was wrecked during a storm off the coast of Cape Breton.  Norman MacIvor, a pilot, drowned when a vessel he was taking around Nova Scotia was lost in a storm.  John Angus MacIvor was drowned in the West Indies.

Donald Nicholson was lost in a severe storm when coming from Pugwash.  He came down the back road, but when coming in through the fields, became lost and perished in the storm.

Marriages in Gulf Shore or by Citizens of Gulf Shore 1866 - 1913

15-11-1866    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
MCDONALD    Angus C    27    B    schoolteacher    Wallace Cum Co    Earltown Col Co    Robert & Jane Murray
MCLEOD    Flora Ann    22    S    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Mary

05-03-1868    Wallace Cum Co    Kirk    Rev James Anderson
NICOLSON    John    40    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Murdock & Catherine McIver
MILLER    Sarah    27    S        Pugwash Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    Robert & Mary

05-03-1868    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
ROSS    Roderick    36    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Catherine McLeod
NICOLSON    Ellen    29    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Murdock & Mary Scott

04-03-1869    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
MCLEOD    John    28    B    farmer    California USA    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Norman & Mary
BETTS    Catherine M    26    S        Head of Wallace Bay Cum Co        David & Jennet

30-12-1869    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
MCLEAN    Peter    31    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Janet
MATHESON    Margaret Bella    26    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Malcolm & Bella

26-01-1871    Pugwash Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
EMBREE    Leander    23    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Oxford Cum Co    Jacob R & Melinda
DEMINGS    Rachel    24    S        Pugwash Cum Co        Joseph & Margaret


02-03-1871    Wallace Cum Co    Kirk    Rev James Anderson
CARTER    Chipman    21    B    harness maker    Folly Lake Col Co    Wallace Cum Co    Lawson & 
MCKENZIE    Mary    21    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Kenneth & Eliza

06-07-1871    Wallace Cum Co    Kirk    Rev James Anderson
NICOLSON    Murdoch    28    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Murdoch & Mary
COLTER    Melinda    20    S        Wallace Cum Co        Donald & Elmira

12-09-1871    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
MCLEOD    Alexander    31    B    carriage maker    San Rafael Calif USA    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Christy
NICHOLSON    Annie    21    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Donald & Jessie

20-02-1872    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
NICOLSON    Murdoch    36    B    miner    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Murdoch & Catherine McIver
MATHESON    Christy    29    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Malcolm & Isabella Reid


25-07-1872    Wallace Cum Co    Kirk    Rev James Anderson
CAMPBELL    William    21    B    farmer    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Dougald & 
MCLEOD    Christy Ann    24    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Malcolm & 


13-11-1873    Pugwash Cum Co    Pb    Rev John McRae Sutherland
JAMIESON    Sniffin    24    B    farmer    North Wallace Cum Co    North Wallace Cum Co    Daniel & Catherine
MOODY    Mary    25    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    __    William & Bella


16-07-1874    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
BLACKIE    Robert    26    B    blacksmith    Wallace Cum Co    New Annan Col Co    Charles & Susan
MCLEOD    Charlotte    27    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Norman & Eunice

28-09-1874    River Philip Cum Co    Methodist    Rev William Alcorn
SCOTT    Andrew    30    W    farmer    Clifton Col Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    James & Margaret
DUNPHY    Eleanor    29    S        Clifton Col Co        Roderick & Nancy

26-07-1875    Pugwash Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
GOLLAN    William S    27    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Alexander & Elizabeth Wilson
MCLEOD    Mary E    23    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Norman & Eunice Gratto

03-02-1876    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev John Munro
WAUGH    William    46    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    William W & Helen
MCLEOD    Catherine    41    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co        Donald & Sarah

31-07-1878    Pugwash Cum Co    Pb    Rev John McRae Sutherland
MATHESON    John    38    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Alexander & Ann
MCIVER    Charlotte Isabel    37    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Neil & Margaret

23-10-1878    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pb    Rev William S Darragh
STEWART    Robert A    28    B    farmer    Roslin Cum Co    Roslin Cum Co    Charles & Helena
GRANT    Maggie Jane    22    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    James & Celia

21-11-1878    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
TREEN    Harry Lockhart    24    B    carpenter    Oxford Cum Co    Moncton NB    Henry & Sarah
MCLEAN    Jennie Ann    23    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Colin & Ann


08-05-1879    Pugwash Cum Co    CE    Rev Robert F Brine
SONDAHL    Henry    49    B    cordwainer    Wallace Cum Co    Oslo Norway     & 
CAMPBELL    Jessie    44    W        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Margaret (illegitimate)

30-10-1879    Wallace Cum Co    Pb    Rev James Murray
NICHOLSON    James    37    B    farmer    California USA    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Murdoch & Mary
TAIT    Mary J    26    S        Wallace Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    James & Catherine

12-02-1880    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
DOTTON    Charles W    22    B    farmer    Wallace Bay Cum Co    North Wallace Cum Co    John & M J
MCLEAN    Maggie    30    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Janet

22-09-1880    Wallace Harbour Cum Co    Methodist    Rev Samuel Boyd
MATHESON    Malcolm N    22    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Isabella
MCLEOD    Mary E    20    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Ann

24-06-1880    Pugwash Cum Co    CE    Rev Robert F Brine
MARSHALL    Francis L    28    B    yeoman    Manchester Guy Co    Manchester Guy Co    John J & Esther M
MCLEOD    Mabel    22    S        Pugwash Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Ann

15-04-1880    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
ROSS    Alexander    60    B    farming    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Catherine
THOMSON    Alice    30    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Head Wallace Bay Cum Co    Edward & Ann

11-05-1880    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCLENNAN    Malcolm    24    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    Hector & Annie
BLAIR    Adelia    20    S        Wallace Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    George & Lavinia

26-08-1880    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCLEOD    Malcolm    25    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Sarah
PORTEOUS    Amelia    19    S        Wallace Bay Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    Alexander & Charlotte

25-10-1881    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCLEOD    John K    40    W    tailor    Oxford Cum Co    Pictou Pic Co    John & Margaret
MCLEOD    Henrietta    37    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Sarah

15-11-1881    Wallace Harbour Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCLEOD    Charles    42    B    farmer    North Shore Cum Co    North Shore Cum Co    Alexander & Catherine
MCKENZIE    Catherine    38    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Kenneth & Eliza

25-02-1882    Wallace Harbour Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
OLSON    Martin L    24    B    farmer    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Norway    Olson & Maria
ROBERTSON    Maggie    31    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Christie

25-07-1882    Wallace Harbour Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCINTOSH    John T    33    B    farmer    Stake Road Cum Co    Stake Road Cum Co    Donald & Effie
ROBERTSON    Ellen    29    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Christie

10-01-1884    Avonville Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCIVER    Murdoch N    30    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Neil & Margaret
GRAHAM    Mary J    24    S        Avonville Cum Co    Avonville Cum Co    Daniel & Eleanor

04-04-1884    Amherst Cum Co    Pb    Rev Daniel McGregor
MCKAY    George    25    B    laborer    Pugwash Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Neil & Marion
WAUGH    Fanny    24    S        Pugwash Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Eliza

14-08-1884    Wallace River Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
STRUMBERT    Daniel R    31    B    farmer    Fox Harbour Cum Co    River John Pic Co    James & Amelia
MCLEOD    Maria L    19    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Annie

22-10-1884    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCLEAN    Angus    48    B    farming    Avondale Hnt Co    Avondale Hnt Co    Donald & Mary
MCIVER    Isabella    39    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Christie

20-01-1885    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
MCLEOD    John A    22    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Mary
SIMPSON    Minnie J    30    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Samuel & Margaret


12-08-1885    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Methodist    Rev Arthur D Morton
ELLIOTT    Herbert F    27    B    merchant    Pugwash Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    James N & Sophia
ROBERTSON    Lavinia J    19    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Christy

15-08-1887    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pb    Rev James A McKenzie
ATKINS    John W    29    B    fisherman    Harrigan Cove Hfx Co    Harrigan Cove Hfx Co    George & Elizabeth
JAMIESON    Harriet A    30    S        North Wallace Cum Co    Malagash Cum Co    Daniel & Catherine

15-08-1887    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pb    Rev James A McKenzie
ATKINS    Reuben    29    B    fisherman    Harrigan Cove Hfx Co    Harrigan Cove Hfx Co    Henry & Frances
SWALLOW    Minerva    21    S        Wentworth Cum Co    Wentworth Cum Co    Stephen & Jane

20-03-1889    Wallace Cum Co    Pb    Rev Hector B McKay
ROBINSON    Stanley    25    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Christy
NICHOLSON    Maggie    28    S        Wallace Cum Co    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Roderick & Catherine

06-08-1889    North Shore Cum Co    Pb    Rev Hector B McKay
LANGILLE    Frank    40    W    mason    Port Howe Cum Co    Brule Col Co    Michael & Susan
ACKLES    Jane    50    W        Wallace Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    David & Margaret

24-10-1889    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pb    Rev James A McKenzie
JAMES    William T    35    B    farmer    West Pugwash Cum Co    West Pugwash Cum Co    Thomas & Jane
MCIVER    Sarah    37    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Norman & Henrietta

26-08-1891    Pugwash Cum Co    Pb    Rev James A McKenzie
SIMPSON    William W    23    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Samuel & Margaret
VINCENT    Cassie L    18    S        Middleboro Cum Co    Middleboro Cum Co    Edward & Nancy

09-11-1891    Pugwash Cum Co    Pb    Rev James A McKenzie
BUCHAN    Robert W    26    B    laborer    Pugwash Cum Co    Durham England    Joseph & Elizabeth
MCLEOD    Marian    36    S        Pugwash Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    William & Christy A

30-08-1892    Pugwash Cum Co    Pb    Rev James A McKenzie
LANGILLE    Leonard    23    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    River John Pic Co    David & Elizabeth
MCLEOD    Mary E    21    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    Murdoch & Mary

01-11-1893    Wallace Cum Co    Free Presbyterian    Rev Samuel Boyd
DAVID    William    29    B    farmer    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Martin & Rosanna
MCLEAN    Mary D    25    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Colin & Ann

26-12-1893    Pugwash Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev James A McKenzie
MATHESON    Daniel    40    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Alexander & Ann
MCMILLAN    Sarah    29    S        Wentworth Stn Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    Hector & Mary

29-01-1895    Oxford Cum Co    Baptist    Rev P D Nowlan
MCKENZIE    William W    31    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Robert & Elizabeth
NICHOLSON    Isabella    26    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Sarah

19-09-1895    Salem Cum Co    Baptist    Rev David A Steele
LANGILLE    William    24    B    farmer    Wallace Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    James & Deborah
JAMIESON    May Bell    21    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Sniffin & Mary


15-09-1897    Apple River Cum Co    Methodist    Rev Frederick J Pentelow
ROBERTSON    William Murray    35    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Christina
ELDERKIN    Amy Lauretta    24    S        Apple River Cum Co    Apple River Cum Co    James & Paulina

29-09-1897    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Baptist    Rev C H Haverstock
JAMIESON    Arch    36    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malagash Cum Co    Daniel & Christina
LANGILLE    Elmira    22    S        Wallace Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    Alfred & Barbie

04-10-1897    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev David Annand Frame
REID    John William    35    B    farmer    New York USA    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Donald & Margaret
ROSS    Georgina    30    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    David & Joanna

20-06-1898    Pugwash Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
MCINNIS    Allen    62    W    farmer    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Glengarry Pic Co    Hector & Julia A
MATHESON    Margaret    43    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Alexander & Ann


23-09-1898    Pugwash Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
WHITMAN    Isaiah    26    B    fishing    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Beaver Harbour Hfx Co    Samuel & Emma
MUNROE    Annie    21    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Allan & 

28-09-1898    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
FORSHNER    Charles    28    B    farmer    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Thomas & Annie
ROSS    Margaret B    29    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    David & Johanna
        

17-01-1899    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Baptist    Rev C H Haverstock
FISHER    Charles    44    W    farmer    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    John & Elizabeth
RHINDRESS    Mary E    40    W        Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Anna

09-05-1899    Wallace Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev David Annand Frame
JAMIESON    Weldon    25    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    North Wallace Cum Co    Daniel & 
CAMPELL    Rosie Ella    20    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Fox Harbour Cum Co    James & Charlotte

12-07-1899    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
CUMMING    James Alexander    28    W    farmer    Pugwash Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    James & Helena
MCIVER    Margaret Victoria    29    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Norman & Henrietta

18-10-1899    Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
ALLAN    Gilbert Nelson    34    B    lobster packer    Pugwash Cum Co    Port Elgin NB    Gilbert & Anna
HILL    Lizzie Marion    19    S        Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co    Boston Mass USA    David & Anna

18-10-1899    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
WOOD    Jeremiah C    29    B    farmer    Linden Cum Co    Linden Cum Co    Thomas & Jane
REID    Jessie Margaret    28    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Peter & Margaret


01-01-1900    Pugwash Cum Co    Methodist    Rev Richard Williams
NICHOLSON    John W    35    B    farmer    Pugwash River Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    John & Margaret
MCLELLAN    Zillah May    20    S        Pugwash River Cum Co    Five Islands Col Co    Ephraim & Ella

05-09-1900    Wallace Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev David Annand Frame
LANGILLE    Leonard    29    W    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    River John Pic Co    David & Elizabeth
WAUGH    Minnie E    28    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    William & Helen

13-09-1900    Pugwash Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
CAMPELL    Malcolm    23    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    William & Christie
LANGILLE    Cassie J    20    S        Wallace Bay Cum Co    Wallace Bay Cum Co    William & Margaret

05-11-1903    Pugwash Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
LANGILLE    Israel    37    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    River John Pic Co    Robert & Caroline
MUNRO    Kate B    28    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Allen & Sarah

29-06-1904    Oxford Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev Christopher Munro
MCLEOD    Ira M    23    B    blacksmith    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Amelia
MYATT    Esther Ann    19    S        Oxford Cum Co    Staffordshire England    Samuel & Leah

24-07-1904    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A D McIntosh
MCLEAN    Angus M    29    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Peter & Margaret
BROWN    Ethel A    23    S        Wallace Bay Cum Co    Wallace Bay Cum Co    Peter & Annie


16-05-1905    Apple River Cum Co    FB    Rev Douglas T Porter
MCKENZIE    William A    24    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    North Wallace Cum Co    Daniel & Maggie
TIDD    Effie L    18    S        Apple River Cum Co    Apple River Cum Co    Brightman & Mary

26-07-1905    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev Andrew Gray
HARTLING    Freeman    30    B    carpenter    Port Dufferin Hfx Co    Port Dufferin Hfx Co    James & Priscilla
MCKENZIE    Jean    26    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    North Wallace Cum Co    Daniel & Margaret

05-09-1906    Fox Harbour Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A L McKay
REID    William    29    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Peter & Margaret
DAVID    Clara Louise    20    S        Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co    Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co    James & Sarah

31-07-1907    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev J H Stewart
GERRARD    Theodore Isaac    34    B    seaman    Dartmouth Hfx Co    Spry Harbour Hfx Co    Isaac & 
MCLEOD    Effie E    23    S        Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Amelia

31-07-1907    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev J H Stewart
PEERS    Alexander    25    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Oxford Cum Co    Horton & Maud
MCLEOD    Margaret    22    S        Fox Harbour Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Charles & Minnie


12-09-1907    Springhill Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev Colin McRae
MCLEOD    Angus John    24    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Malcolm & Amelia
MCKENZIE    Isabel May    20    S        Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co    Lower Gulf Shore Cum Co    Daniel & Margaret

01-01-1908    Pugwash Cum Co    Methodist    Rev Charles M Mack
MCLEAN    Peter Frederick    26    B    postmaster    Pugwash Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Peter & Margaret
MCKENZIE    Ethel Susan    29    S        Pugwash Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    Charles & Annie

02-01-1908    Wallace Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A L McKay
CONNOLLY    William C    22    B    laborer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Pugwash Cum Co    Hugh E & Jennie
ST CROIX    Minnie    22    S        Richmond    Richmond    Charles & Jane

15-02-1908    Wallace Cum Co    Methodist    Rev Donald Farquhar
RHUDE    Samuel    37    B    farmer    North Wallace Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Robert & Isabella
WILSON    Isabella    22    S        North Wallace Cum Co    Wallace Cum Co    Amos & Christie

09-09-1908    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Baptist    Rev J B Woodland
MCLEAN    John M    23    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Peter & Margaret
BAKER    Leila V    23    S        Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    John & Amelia

04-06-1912    Pugwash Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev J H Stewart
MCIVER    Neil M    48    B    pilot    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Norman & Henrietta
HOLLAND    Clara B    40    S        Brockenhurst? England    Oxfordshire England    Joseph & Amelia

15-12-1913    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Presbyterian    Rev A L McKay
WADMAN    Frederick Howard    21    B    farmer    Gulf Shore Cum Co    Liverpool England    William & Mary
MCMILLAN    Ethel M    20    S        Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Wallace Bridge Cum Co    Robert & Mary

PUGWASH

 

70 Water Street: The Clarke House

 

The Clarke House is on lot 103 of the original Black plan of Pugwash. A deed, signed by John and Sarah Black, shows that the land was purchased on Jan. 19, 1847 for 30 pounds by Dr. Joseph Clarke, a physician. The lot was on Water Street starting at Victoria Street and running east 85 feet and south 85 feet.

 

Joseph built a house which he named Napoleon’s Cottage. It also served as his office and his dispensary. In 1854, he also bought lot 106 for 80 pounds. That was on the corner of Water and Durham Street. He sold that land in 1873 to William Henry Brown for $364.00, and it eventually became the war memorial.

 

Dr. Joseph Clarke was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. He emigrated as a young physician and dentist to Nova Scotia. This was unusual as many Irish immigrants were coming to the area, but few were educated. He married Olivia King (Mar. 30, 1827 – Feb. 28, 1910), daughter of Lavina Pineo and Oliver King in about 1850. In 1853, their first child, Cyrilla Clarke (1853 – 1938) was born. She was followed three years later by brother William (1856 – 1882). Child 3, Joseph Holmes Clarke (1860 – 1938) followed soon after being born in 1860. Their newly built house was on Water Street, and Joseph was a successful physician with three children. He practiced out of his house, and it served also as his dispensary.

 

In the 1861 census, he was in a household of 8 in Pugwash, 5 males and 3 females. That same year, Dr. Joseph had a schooner built in Wallace, The Janet. Unfortunately, it sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1862. In the 1864 Hutchinson’s Directory, Joseph is listed as a physician and dentist. In the 1871 census, the family of 5 are in Pugwash and living with them are Hiram and Clara Huston. Hiram was an engineer at a steam mill. Servant Maggie Satoris is with them as was a sailor, Joseph Akerly.

 

Daughter Cyrilla married Edgar Augustus Elliott in 1874 in Amherst. Dr. Joseph Clarke was obviously a man of some influence and service to the village. On August 27, 1857, he was appointed coroner for Cumberland County. He held other offices for the village. In 1858, he was an assessor. In 1858 - 60, he served as commissioner of streets. In 1870 and 1875, he was one of three school trustees. In 1871, he was an overseer of the poor. In 1872, he and Dr. Creed participated in the examination of Mr. Macaulay’s 103 students. In 1877, he had a meeting with the premier to change the route of the Northern Light which went to PEI through Pictou. He successfully pressed for it to be changed to going from Pugwash to Victoria instead.

 

The Christian Messenger reported that on Jan. 25, 1880, Dr. Clarke, just before retiring, went into his surgery to get some medicine and made a mistake, taking carbolic acid instead of the preparation he intended to take. Before he had drank the whole dose he discovered his mistake and told his wife that he was poisoned and had only a few minutes to live. Dr. Dakin, who lived just across the street, was at once called and used all possible remedies, but Clarke died in half an hour. The Miramichi Advance added that he had not been well for some time. Dr. Creed and Dr. Mackintosh also arrived but Dr. Clarke was speechless and could only wave his hand to indicate that there was nothing to be done. Reports of his death showed that the deceased had been in practice for a great number of years and had been particularly successful in the treatment of diphtheria. He practiced out of his house, but he also was said to travel into the countryside regardless of weather. He was buried in Palmerston Cemetery.

 

The appraisal of Joseph’s estate showed 3 pieces of real estate – 17 acres of land on Irishtown Road, 1 lot in Pugwash of 80 feet x 80 feet with a house and a barn, and a farm of 150 acres where Thomas Sarson was residing. The lot in Pugwash and the furniture was deeded to Augusta and Cyrilla including the portion owned by son Joseph Holmes. JH relinquished all right to his portion of that land and deeded it to his mother and sister. By the 1881 census, Olivia was a widow. She was living with her daughter Cyrilla Elliott, also a widow, sons William and Joseph Clarke and Cyrilla’s children Daisy and Pearl. In 1891, she was still in her house in Pugwash with Cyrilla, Daisy and Edmund as well as lodgers John Seaman and William Morgan.

 

Olivia was burned out twice. On July 25, 1898, a raging fire struck the Durham Street area. Winds fanned the flames and without a fire department, eighteen families were rendered homeless. Olivia’s house was completely lost along with 17 other properties, including the house and barn of her son, Joseph Holmes Clarke. In 1899, Olivia was rebuilding on the site of her former residence at 70 Water Street. In 1899, Joseph’s daughter Cyrilla married again to Clarence Edward Reed a sea captain in Pictou. Cyrilla’s son Edmund Pearl married Hattie M. Hay that same year in Truro. Her daughter Daisy Elliott married Stephen Percival Wilson also in 1899. Joseph’s brother William had died without having children. In the 1901 census, Olivia is living alone. On Sept. 10, 1901, the Clark house was again damaged by fire resulting from thieves blowing up the safe in Brown’s store which was adjacent. The house caught on fire several times, but was saved by the people. The town had no fire department. Finally, on Nov. 11, 1901, was a large fire that almost wiped out the town of Pugwash. Olivia’s damage was recorded as $1500 for loss of house and furniture. As the winter coal and vegetables had been laid in, the damage was even greater.

 

Olivia had to build again. By January of 1902, they had decided to also build a meat market on the property. This structure was right next door to the house she was also building, the house that is there now. Olivia died on Feb. 28, 1910, of softening of the brain and exhaustion. She is buried in Willow Grove Cemetery. She was C of E. This is interesting because son, Joseph Holmes Clarke and family were RC.

 

In 1911, according to the census, Cyrilla and Edward Reed were living alone in the house.

 

Cyrilla’s brother, Joseph Holmes Clarke (April 8, 1860 – Jan. 13, 1938) was initially employed as a bookkeeper and auctioneer. In 1879, Joseph was a surveyor of lumber. He married Agustia (Gussie) Adilea Walsh (Mar. 17, 1866 -   ) on July 16, 1886 in Pugwash. In 1898, when he was a general merchant, they lived in Pugwash. Their house was burned in 1898, with the loss being assessed at $800 and insurance at $300. In 1901 they were in Pugwash with children Adilea, Joseph and Alexander. They were Roman Catholic. He was a general merchant and also a surveyor of lumber. In 1915, a poem of his was published in Moncton called “Home is home where ere it be”. In 1920 he was a fence viewer. This was a municipal post. He became very active in municipal government, receiving appointment as stripendiary magistrate at Pugwash, acting periodically as returning officer for municipal elections and even running as an unsuccessful Liberal candidate for a seat on County Council in 1922. In 1927, he was a Customs Collector. He also worked for a time as a conductor for the railway out west and as the station agent and telegrapher in Pugwash Junction.

 

In 1911, Joseph, Gussie and the children are all in Pugwash. In 1916, Joseph Holmes is living in a hotel in Cochrane, Ontario working for the railway according to his son’s attestation papers. In 1921 Joseph and Gussie are in Pugwash with son Joseph V. In 1931, they are in Pugwash with Daisy Wilson who is listed as their boarder. She was Joseph’s niece. Joseph was a judge by then. Joseph Holmes and Gussie’s eldest daughter, Adilea Mary Clarke (May 6, 1888 - ) became a teacher. When she retired, she moved into the Clarke house. After Adelia died, the house was empty for some time.

 

JH’s second child, Joseph Valentine Clarke (Feb. 14, 1890 [1901 Census] - ) joined up for WWI in March 1916 from Winnipeg where he was a switchman. He was hit by a bullet on Vimy Ridge, and his right arm was amputated. After his return to Canada, he married Jean Elizabeth Thompson on Sept. 14, 1921. She died, and he married Christina Williams in May of 1928. Chrissy renovated the family house and she and Joseph moved in.

 

He was an insurance agent for 40 years and sold his business in 1969. Jophie and Chrissie’s second child was Joseph. Another child was Marion Clarke who won a beauty contest and from that was offered a contract by the CBC in 1953 to work in television. She gave up her career as host of The Saturday Show in 1957 to marry Darroch MacGillivray. Their third child, Alexander Bernard Clarke (Jan. 31, 1892 – June 13, 1953) also enlisted in 1914. At Ypres, he was wounded and taken prisoner. His leg was amputated. He was returned to Canada in 1917. He married Marie Clarisse Cantin in Calgary and moved to BC. Joseph and Chrissy’s fourth child was James David Clarke. They had grandson Darren Clarke who wrote an article about spending his summers in Pugwash in the Clarke house. According to him, Joseph V. smoked and loved pipes and had a room in his house dedicated to pipes. When Joseph and Chrissie became older, they moved to a smaller house down Water Street. 

Darren Clarke was a grandson of Joseph and Gussy and son of James David Clarke..  He wrote excerpts from reminiscences for “The Left Field Lark” June 18, 2018 Travel section.

 

Sitting on my grandparents’ sun porch in a rain storm – Pugwash is a tiny little town of 784 that sits on the Northumberland Strait at the mouth of the Pugwash River. My grandparents’ house sat on the corner of the town’s main streets, Water Street and Victoria Street. The sunporch overlooked Water Street and wrapped around half of the length of the house that ran parallel to Victoria. The windows were weathered, vaguely distorting the outside world. If you were sitting in the front of the house, you could look across Water Street and see Pugwash bay, its clay-coloured beach just steps away.

 

Memories of visiting my Grandfather - . . . lounging in lawn chairs beneath the tree in my grandparents’ back yard listening to my grandfather regale me, indeed educate me, with war stories and tales of his time as a magistrate – good decisions, bad decisions, funny decisions, in his endeavour to provide justice, the people he met, the ones that surprised him, the ones he respected, the ones that let him down and beyond that his stories of long lost World War I battlefields, former boxing champions (Tommy Burns) and so much more.

 

My grandfather’s pipes – My dad’s dad had tons of smoking pipes varying from simple corn cob pipes to straightforward wood pipes with plastic ends to crazy cool wood ones, some with improbably intricate metal ends. We loved them. He had an entire room dedicated to his pipes.

 

On the porch -The guns I remember really, rifles which appeared to be circa World War One. There was tons of random stuff there: almanacs, nicnacks, magazines, pins, old metal lighters that didn’t work.

 

The village – memories of collecting bottle caps out front of the same corner store in Pugwash where you bought the little packages of seaweed to eat.

 

70 Water Street was bought by John Caraberis and Bonnie Wood in 1996. They rented it to Dale O’Hara and Erin Horton who turned it into a restaurant known as Walden Pond, named after the book which Dale had been reading. It was a successful business. The current kitchen was the kitchen of the restaurant; there were two rooms which are now the dining room and living room and an outdoor deck on the Victoria Street side. Reception was from Water Street and Dale and Erin lived upstairs. It was next sold to Peter Sietel who used it as a storehouse for antiques.

 

In 2025, it was again bought by John Caraberis and Bonnie Wood. They renovated: municipal water was connected, the foundation was fixed, there was some new wiring and plastering, new heat pumps and a new roof were installed, the sun porch was repaired and a new entrance from Victoria Street was built. , and it is currently being occupied by a family who are new to the area.

 

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