Day Trips: Port Burwell

Not everyone thinks of Port Burwell when choosing an interesting day trip. But not only does this Lake Erie village have a nice, sandy stretch of beach, it also has history. Which is why a friend and I made the trip from London this summer. 

First, why is it called Port Burwell? Because Col. Mahlon Burwell (1783-1846) surveyed the land here, completing the job in 1810-11. While dividing Bayham and Malahide townships into lots for settlers, he selected a block of land in Bayham for himself at the site that is now the village. Eventually, about 1830, he surveyed his plot into streets and building lots as well. He likely recognized that the nearby Big Otter Creek and harbour would provide a useful water route for landlocked communities to the north. In time, Port Burwell became a shipbuilding and fishing harbour and an export point for lumber and farm produce from surrounding townships. It wasn't really until the 1920s, in a more leisurely age, that the port became a summertime tourist destination, known for its beach. 

Burwell family graves at Trinity Anglican.

Members of the Burwell family continued to live here after Mahlon's death, his son Leonidas (1818-79) taking over the family interests in 1842 and making the village his home. Many family graves can be found at historic Trinity Anglican Church, built in the village in 1836 and still standing today. However, Mahlon and his wife Sarah are buried at Burwell's Corners, Dunwich Township (Fingal Line and Iona Road). 

The church itself, at Strachan and Pitt streets, is a simple early Gothic Revival building, paid for with financial assistance from Mahlon himself. Strachan Street would be named after The Venerable John Strachan, Archdeacon of York, who preached the first sermon at Trinity. 

The village is also the location of the Port Burwell Marine Museum and Historic Lighthouse. The museum pays tribute to the village's history as a shipbuilding centre. A better than average community museum, it's filled with artifacts from Lake Erie shipwrecks, as well as anchors, foghorns, and other nautical stuff. There's even the wheelhouse from a Great Lakes freighter. 

The Port Burwell Historic Lighthouse is across the street from the museum. Completed in 1840 and restored by Mennonite craftsmen in 1986, it is now one of Canada's oldest lighthouses of completely wooden construction. I'm unclear on how much of the original wood had to be replaced in the restoration, but it still looks authentic. The 45 foot high octagonal structure was deactivated in 1963 but if you're energetic you can still climb 56 steep steps to experience the view from the top. (I didn't, being out of shape.)

Recently I heard a rumour that the Municipality of Bayham was planning alterations to the lighthouse in another upcoming restoration. Word on the street was that the clapboard would be replaced with Hardie cement board and the wooden door with fiberglass. However, reaching out to Bayham Municipal Council for more information, I was told that staff will be consulting architects qualified in historical structures to identify appropriate options. 

[Update: April 2023: Bayham Township is undertaking a stabilization and restoration project on the lighthouse. Much needed since the road to the beach had to be closed in recent months, just in case the structure toppled over in high winds. Work is being conducted by Heritage Restoration Inc. of Stouffville.]

Port Burwell's other nautical exhibit is the HMCS Ojibwa, a retired Canadian Navy Cold War submarine moved here in November 2012. The sub has nothing to do with the lake port, of course, but organizers hoped it would complement the marine museum and lighthouse. Villagers may have hoped that droves of tourists would arrive to tour the sub and, while there, would eat at a village restaurant, buy ice cream, shop, attend the local theatre ... you get the picture. I'm not sure if the dreamed-of crowds actually came but the Ojibwa is still there, open during summer for tours, so tour it we did.  I'm sorry it took me so many years to get around to it. 

HMCS Ojibwa

Ian, our tour guide, and the man responsible for relocating the sub to Port Burwell, is well qualified to explain the technical aspects of this vessel that served from 1965 to 1998. He also explained its human side, what it was like living on board with 60 other crew members. I expected to feel claustrophobic and was pleased to discover I wasn't. But then, it was just the two of us plus our guide. Hats off to those who could live in such close quarters with dozens of shipmates for weeks at a time without losing their minds! And if you think you're not interested in the military, you might be surprised how much you'll learn that's of interest. My respect for the Navy increased and it wasn't too shabby to begin with. 

Elgin County Tourism calls Port Burwell the "Jewel of Erie's North Shore" that "really knows how to live it up!" This is propaganda, of course; even Port Stanley is more exciting. Still, our small towns and villages need all the support they can get. Port Burwell deserves more than just an A for Effort. Its attractions are worth seeing. Visit Mahlon's place when you get a chance. 

Port Burwell postcard, dated 1909 by a former owner (The blogger's collection).

The Most Haunting of Former Villages

Southwold Earthworks, site of an Attawandaron village ca. AD 1450-1550.

One of the eeriest places in Elgin County is the so-called Southwold Earthworks, the remains of a fortified Attawandaron* village of about 800 or 900 people inhabited ca. 1450 to 1550. Located at 7930 Iona Road near Fingal, the spot has been a National Historic Site since 1923. 

The Attawandaron, an Iroquoian-speaking people French explorers called the Neutrals, built a cluster of 18 or more longhouses here of various sizes. The longhouses were multi-unit dwellings housing extended families related by a common maternal ancestor. Archaeologists have determined this in two excavations, the first in 1935 and the second, more scientific investigation, in 1976. The latter dig was performed by London's Museum of Indian Archaeology as the Museum of Ontario Archaeology was then called.

The village was surrounded by a double row of low earth mounds, foundations for a double ring of upright pickets or palisades. The first palisade might have been built earlier, the site being strengthened by a second wall for improved defenses later. 

It's unusual for an Attawandaron village to be located on a flat plain with no defensive advantages. There's also no archaeological evidence that the site was ever attacked. Tradition within the local Oneida community suggests that this was really a ceremonial site, only enclosed by a palisade so that activities taking place in the village would not be visible to people outside. The site might have been a seasonal place of pilgrimage, not a year-round village.

My thoughts: 1) Just because there was no attack does not mean the inhabitants did not live in fear of one. 2) A double palisade seems like overkill for a ceremonial site. 3) Some members of the Indigenous community may prefer to interpret their ancestors' behaviour as uniformly peaceful and spiritual, instead of warlike and aggressive. Despite opinions to the contrary, I still suspect the inhabitants of this village lived in fear of their neighbours. 

Regardless of the site's controversy, it's still a nice place to take a picnic and walk your dog. There are also several interpretive plaques describing the lifeways of the long-ago inhabitants. There's no admission charge since it's basically a park. But bear in  mind the Earthworks are a long walk from the road, so this isn't a site for the physically challenged. And it might be a bit creepy if you're alone. 

It's also not a site for people who can't picture in their minds the sizable village that once stood here. It's an archaeological site, folks. If you wish to see an actual recreation of a village, visit Ska-Nah-Doht or the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. 

But if you have a powerful imagination and you close your eyes in this quiet spot, you can easily visualize the men, women, and children who worked and played in the longhouses.  

* I've chosen to spell the word like Attawandron Road, location of London, Ontario's Museum of Ontario Archaeology. You may also see it spelled Attiwandaron, Attiwandaronk, and Attarawandon. 

Military Site Returns to Nature

In September a friend and I visited the site of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan's No. 4 Bombing & Gunnery School, near Fingal, Elgin County. No. 4 BGS was operated by the RCAF from November 25, 1940 to February 17, 1945. Over 4,000 aircrew from Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia graduated from No. 4 BGS as well as another 2,000 aircrew from other countries, such as the US, Norway and France. Except for Air Gunners, all other aircrew trades received initial advanced training elsewhere and finished their training at bombing and gunnery schools. Air Gunners received all their advanced training at these schools. The RCAF continued operations at this particular site under a number of names until closure in 1961 when the Province of Ontario took over the property. 

Site of former hangars. 

The area is now the Fingal Wildlife Management Area, managed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Elgin  County Stewardship Council. Nature is busily reclaiming the property, helped by plantings of trees and shrubs. Trails now cover the site of the six steel-framed hangars, large drill hall, and 50 other buildings, including canteens, repair shops, recreational facilities, and three hard-surfaced runways. A series of ponds have been developed and photographic signage added to show visitors what buildings stood where. A trail guide with colour map is available, listing walking trails and common trees. 

My friend brought along an older leaflet identifying the locations of various buildings, far more useful if one's interest in the site is historical, not arboreal. Not sure if that booklet is still available to the public. 

 

Walking trails show traces of former pavement.

 The majority of visitors may be walking dogs, bird     watching, or even hunting on designated days in the   southern section of the property. Still, for those   interested in military history - or any history - the site is an interesting tribute to the men and women who lived and worked there in the '40s. 

 I have to say the site deserves a little more   maintenance. Some interpretive signs are becoming   hard to read and foliage needs cutting back so they can  be read more easily. For example, a memorial plaque  was erected in 1993 in memory of the RCAF personnel   who served here (see top left). The reverse side lists  casualties, those who died on duty at No. 4, mainly in  training accidents. It's a little hard to read at the  moment, since a nearby bush is taking over. The text of  the plaque is listed here.

 When the generation who served in the war - or even   remember it as children - are gone, will this site be   preserved? With a possible recession looming on our   horizon, will funding be available for replacement signs? Or will this site literally go to the dogs?

An interesting sign on one of the walking trails in need of cleaning or possible replacement. 

Ian Carmichael Pond photographed from nearby viewing stand.

Remains of incinerators where military documents were burned. 

The Thomas Talbot Estate Today

The news that the old Thomas Talbot estate is up for sale for $6.3 million should come as no surprise. The property has had numerous owners since Talbot himself lived there. But no one since him has ever known quite what to do with the 300 hectare lakefront property and it'll be interesting to see if anyone ever does. 

Colonel Talbot himself arrived in 1803 and established Port Talbot, heart of the Talbot Settlement. Among the earliest structures in the area were forts to defend against American attack, mills, a distillery, numerous warehouses, and Talbot's own long, rambling home.

After Talbot's death in London in 1853, the family of his assistant, George Macbeth, inherited his estate. In 1925, the land was acquired by a group of Detroit businessmen who planned to build a luxury resort complete with hotel and golf course. But the Depression ended their plans and the property has passed from hand to hand ever since. Talbot's derelict house was demolished in 1997, a sad ending for the home that was the heart of Elgin County's earliest settlement.

The roadside cairn shown above acts as a monument to the Talbot Settlement, the founder himself, and his little troop of hardy pioneers. It was erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1926, at a time when Talbot's house was still standing nearby. One can't help but feel that if Talbot's home were in the U.S., it'd still be there, preserved as a pioneer museum. In a country with respect for its heritage, there'd be more than this cairn to look at.

Photo courtesy of Maria Davis.

Update, Summer 2020: This is how the cairn looks now, stripped of its plaque by thieves. Another sign next to the cairn was also stolen. I've mentioned in another post what a problem theft of metal signage has become. Of course, the plaques will be replaced ... but how long will the new ones remain?