Tombstone Tourism: North Nissouri United Church

One of the most scenic locations in Middlesex is at 24058 Fairview Road, north of Cherry Grove in the former West Nissouri Township, part of Thames Centre since 2001. The spot is North Nissouri United Church and its surrounding cemetery. 

First of all, let's establish what "Nissouri" means. Some residents believe it's a corruption of the phrase "nigh Zorra," meaning "next to Zorra." Why? Because East Nissouri Township in Oxford County was situated next to Zorra Township.* Forget it. Nissouri means something like "gurgling waters" in an Indigenous language. When the former township was first settled by Europeans, there were many running streams emptying into the nearby Thames. 

Land for this church and cemetery was donated by George Black in 1844, a decade before the church was built. The church was constructed from heavy oak timbers supplied by local farms and has rounded windows. It was veneered with brick in the 1880s by John Thompson. The first minister was Robert Hall who served for twenty-one years as a circuit preacher in the neighbourhood. By the 1860s, there was a forty-member congregation. 

Cement block Sunday School room at rear.

Originally Presbyterian, the church joined the United Church of Canada in 1925 after church members voted in favour of church union. The church was lit by coal and Coleman lamps before hydro was installed in 1938. A drive shed once to the north of the building is now gone. 

The congregation celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004 but disbanded in the summer of 2021. One assumes attendance had dropped to far fewer than forty. No word yet on what happens to the building now.

But the church is perched on a hill surrounded by a cemetery of one and three quarter acres overlooking Gregory Creek valley. Now inactive, the cemetery is said to have more than 800 burials, the first known interment being that of Hannah Horton, local midwife, in 1844. I didn't find a grave marker with her name but there can be no doubt there are many more graves than gravestones. This is true of most older cemeteries. Many families could not afford a marker and some markers have been lost. 

The gently-sloping graveyard reminds me of the macabre poem "The Coffins" by southwestern Ontario poet James Reaney (1926-2008): 

These coffins are submarines

That will sail beneath the slopes 

Of grey-green old graveyards.

One white lone sailor to each

Submarine that navigates 

The wormy seas of earth.

With shrouds for uniforms

Stitched by weeping tailors

These bony sailors

Shall sail deep field and morass

Without periscope or compass

They'll only dimly know

That someday they must flow

Into the final harbour

On some high gray shore

Where the Lord shall weigh

Men's wicked souls on Doomsday.**

A poignant reminder of the harshness of pioneer life:
"To The Memory of George McDonald Who died Sept. 4th 1852 Aged 35 Years. And His Wife Mary, Who died Sept. 21, 1853 Ae. 24 yrs." 

*East Nissouri, West Zorra, and North Oxford townships were amalgamated into  a new township called Zorra in 1975.

**James Reaney, The Red Heart. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1949. p. 60.

Milling Around: Arva Flour Mills

 

This summer a friend and I were fortunate enough to get a rare behind-the-scenes tour of Arva Flour Mills from its new owner. I say fortunate because it's not everyone who's had a chance to view the antique milling equipment inside this pioneer building on the banks of Medway Creek. I say rare, because most visitors only see the workings through a door while shopping in the attached store. But I have friends in high places: my travelling companion once worked with owner Mark Rinker's dad, Fred. They got chatting, and the rest is history. 

Mark, who purchased the business from Mike Matthews in 2021, has done his research and believes the mill, established in 1819, is Canada's sixth-oldest continuously operating business. And perhaps the oldest food-producing company in Canada too. Most historians agree that Arva Flour Mills is North America's oldest continuously-operating, water-powered commercial flour mill. 

Pioneer tool marks on an interior beam.

The business was founded when much of the surrounding area was forest and nearby Richmond Street, then known as the Proof Line, was the main route north through London Township. In the 1800s, the owner often allowed customers to barter for flour, accepting items like turnips or boots as payment. 

In early twentieth century, the original grist millstones were replaced with roller mills made by Goldie and McCulloch of Galt (now Cambridge), state-of-the-art technology for the era. At the same time, an outside water wheel was changed to an underwater turbine. For the most part, the mill operates the same way as it did in the early 1900s, half run by water power, the rest by electricity. 

The equipment allowed the mill to produce 30,000 pounds of flour a day, much of which was purchased by McCormick's in London. With little competition and a major company as a customer, there was probably little need to update equipment, which is why the mill is a rare operating antique in the twenty-first century. 

While there have been many owners over the years, the family of Mike Matthews operated the mill for over four generations since 1919. That must be some kind of flour mill record. 

As I mentioned in a previous post on mills, Arva Flour Mills was shut down by a federal safety inspector in 2017. The inspector was concerned that the old equipment, with its exposed rollers and belts, was a hazard for workers. This despite the fact that Mike and his workers were highly trained on the use of their machinery. Fortunately, common sense prevailed and a federal tribunal later overturned the ruling. The mill was allowed to operate again on the understanding that no workers, not even the owner, are allowed in the upper level of the mill when the equipment is running. Fair enough.

Mark Rinker shows off his equipment.

 Using wheat from local farms, the old roller mills  produce a     "heritage flour" with no preservatives or undesirable     commercial  additives. The store sells flours, mixes for beer   bread and cornbread, and red fife pancake mix as part of the   Arva Flour Mills brand. Mark also bought the Red River Cereal   brand from Smuckers Foods of Canada which had stopped   selling the brand last year. Created in Manitoba in 1924, the   cereal was named after the Red River near Winnipeg. The   recipe  included cracked wheat and rye but was altered about   ten  years ago to include steel-cut wheat instead. Mark's historic   business is now producing the original recipe on site. The cereal   is now available at the mill store and beyond. 

 For such an old business to be booming is fabulous for Mark     and  his family but also for the community of Arva, the wider   London region, and heritage preservationists. The mill's   continued success under sympathetic, enthusiastic management   proves that not everything old needs to be demolished. 

Arva Flour Mills remains a significant and valuable Southwestern Ontario landmark. 

History Murals of Southwestern Ontario

I'm always looking for something positive to report on Southwestern Ontario's historical scene. Often months go by. But this summer's day trips have provided me with lots of visual reminders of our local history in the form of colourful murals. Not only am I enjoying them, I'm starting to go out of my way to see them. 

I figure these murals are great in lots of ways: they provide work for artists; they celebrate our region's unique heritage and character; they help revitalize struggling small towns by providing energy and interest; heck, they may even bring in a few tourist dollars. 

Most of them are painted in the artist's studio on panels and then assembled on site. This means that a mural can be taken down, repaired, if necessary, and remounted later, even in a different location. Occasionally, though, there's one painted directly on a building wall. 

Of course not all murals feature local history. But this is a history blog so this is what you get:

On the side of a building in downtown Exeter, facing a parkette, this mural by Allen C. Hilgendorf features the town's Grand Trunk Railway station.

Ruth Hurdle's portrayal of early Parkhill brightens the side of an older village building.

This mural at 172 Main Street, Ailsa Craig, shows five buildings from the town's past as well as portraits of the village founders. 

What better way to brighten a boring bank? Mural in Lucan by A. R. Gillett, 2019.

This memory of the 1925 Clinton Old Boys' Reunion, complete with photo corners, greatly improves an ugly building next to a town parking lot.

Another Clinton mural highlights the town's spring fair. 

Once again, a bank sponsors mural art, this time featuring historic headlines in Seaforth. Note the historic post office building in the background where the clock tower even showed the right time.

A mural in Port Burwell highlights the harbour in busier times. Painted in 2000 by Rick Johnston, it now has a little wear. 

St. Thomas is leading the way in Southwestern Ontario with murals galore:

This cheerful sign brightens up an ugly wall.

Many of St. Thomas's murals feature the city's railroad history. 

Ditto.

One side of a long mural paying tribute to members of the Elgin Regiment 91st Battalion, shown here departing for the Great War. 

Continuation of the above. Painted by "Rik" in 1996.

A nice tribute to the area's agricultural heritage on the Locke Insurance building. Unfortunately, the descriptive wording in the bottom right corner is defaced. 

This colourful display pays tribute to many features of St. Thomas heritage, including Jumbo.

Some old rail cars are also painted. 

These are photos, not murals, but they add to the fun. Mounted on the side of the Elgin County Railway Museum. There's lots more on another side. 

OK, London's not a small town, but we do have:

A newish mural of the Old Courthouse on the side of DeMelo Law, 239 Colborne Street, London.
What a nice touch. 

Got a blank wall? Hire an artist! I'll be adding more as I prowl. 

Murals Continued 2023:

Summertime '59 (Port Dover) by Michael Swanson. This artist's clients include Wayne Gretzky, Tim Horton's, and Dave Thomas of Wendy's restaurants. The mural in Port Dover is now a bit faded.

A small mural on the side of an empty store in Bothwell, Chatham-Kent.

Mural on the side of Waterford Heritage Museum, Norfolk County, accompanied by display of agricultural equipment. Painted by Jason Kirby and Kevin Judd, the mural shows the town in 1890.  

A bit of everything - including Paul Henderson - on this Lucknow mural. (Courtesy of Ernie Wright.)

Added recently to London's Budweiser Centre is Kevin Ledo's huge mural of the historic moment on February 22, 1968 when Johnny Cash proposed to co-star June Carter on stage. Of course, that happened at London Gardens on the east side of Wellington Road, south of Hwy. And, it would be nice to have more Canadians commemorated in London. But I'll take whatever history we can get. 

Mural in downtown London, looking west from Clarence north of Dundas. A tribute to downtown London, including Victoria Park. 

Tombstone Tourism: St. Columba Roman Catholic Cemetery, Bornish

On Victoria Day weekend I visited Bornish, Ontario. That's the intersection of Centre Road (Hwy 81) and Bornish Road, in western Middlesex County. Historian Nick Corrie and I were making the grand tour of rural hamlets and graveyards. What better way to spend a spring holiday? 

Just last fall Nick visited St. Columba Roman Catholic Church at this intersection, so it was a bit disturbing to discover it's gone. Demolished. All that remains is its cemetery and a lonely walkway leading to nothing. 

Not that it's very surprising, of course. Unused churches are being demolished a lot these days. It's just a pity that St. Columba couldn't have been converted into a home or other use. A variety of church-to-home renovations can be seen here. Some purchasers, like this couple, are even willing to take on the role of graveyard caretakers when their new home is surrounded by a cemetery. Still, it's possible there were no takers for this out-of-the-way location. 

The church was built in 1902, replacing a frame church, which in turn replaced one of logs. The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary on the weekend of July 29-30, 1949 when a special mass included an historical overview given by Father J. C. Cody, coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of London.

St. Columba Church ca. 2000

For pictures and a short tour of the interior, see here. Wonder what happened to all that stained glass and furnishings? Reused? Sold? Destroyed? 

But the cemetery, still in use, is a nice place for a stroll. First we stopped at this monument to the first settlers in the area. It states the first burial at St. Columba was in about 1857. I've read elsewhere that the first burial was that of Malcolm McLeod, who drowned in Spring Creek. His body was carried for miles through a partially-cut forest trail on a crude stretcher borne on men's shoulders. In true Scottish tradition, a piper marched ahead of this sad procession.*

The farther one walks from the road, the older the gravestones get. The stones there are in memory of McDonalds, McLellans, McLeans, McLeods, McCormicks ... Well, you get the idea. This was a very Scottish part of the world. 

Apparently some restoration work is in order. Hope someone remembers where these piled stones came from. If not, could they all be installed into one group cairn?

On the south side of the cemetery, we located a veteran's grave, partially covered with leaves and encroaching grass. The stone is for SFC John  A. Morrison, 50 AERO SQ, World War I, 1892-1965. 

A little research by Nick determined that Morrison flew with the American Air Force. He was Sergeant First Class in their 50th Aero Squadron, formed August 1917. If he was a local boy, why did he join the Americans?

Bornish was founded by settlers from Bornish, Scotland, located on the west shore of the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. These settlers were fleeing religious persecution and the "clearances," when, to put it simply, large numbers of tenants were evicted from their homes and left with no choice but emigration.

In the 1800s a few businesses were located in the vicinity, such as L. C. McIntyre's store and Joseph Kincaide's tavern. A post office named Bornish opened in 1874, mail being delivered by a stagecoach operating between Strathroy and Parkhill. It closed in 1901. 

Along Bornish Road to the west this steep flight of stairs rises from the road. It leads to an earlier community cemetery used from 1850 to 1860, where at least 15 individuals are buried.

This monument was erected on the site of the first cemetery in 1977. Otherwise, there are no gravestones at this spot. The text:

In blessed memory of fifteen Scottish pioneers buried here 1850 to 1860 from among the 125 families exiled from the Hebrides because of religious persecution who settled here in 1849. Three are known, Alexander McMullen, his wife Margaret McIntyre, and Donald MacDonald, donor of the Bornish church acreage. 

May they rest in peace.

* Looking Over Western Ontario, London Free Press, February 18, 1922. Mind you, by the 1850s, the concession roads should have been a bit better than "trails." And couldn't they find a wagon to use as a hearse? Perhaps the story is apocryphal. But the bagpipe is a nice touch. 

On the Renaming of London's Schools

The Thames Valley District School Board will be changing the names of Sir John A. Macdonald and F. D. Roosevelt schools. There have been news articles like this lately which you may have already seen. There's no comment section or attempt to seek different points of view. So I'll express my thoughts here. 

First, let me say I'm not sure "cancellation" is the best word to use, as though humans, even dead ones, are like magazine subscriptions or hotel reservations. But it seems to be a popular word so I'll use it too. 

After the TVDSB cancels Macdonald, what will they choose for a new name? Landor Street School? That might do, unless someone finds out Landor is named after another person no longer deemed worthy. No, the school is likely to be renamed something Indigenous, like this one in Brampton or this one in Pickering. 

Want more information? Check out the TVDSB website, where you can also learn about Menstrual Equity, PRIDE Month, Student Voice Conference for Black Students, and National AccessAbility Week. To quote: "The purpose of the [School Name Review Committee] was to ensure school names across the District continue to reflect the Board's commitment to promoting human rights, equity and inclusive learning environments that honour the diversity of Thames Valley Schools." 

We've come a long way from the 3Rs.

In case you've been living in the back of a cave, you probably know Macdonald is one of the historical figures held responsible for Canada's Indigenous residential school system. And FDR, whose name is also scheduled to disappear, agreed to incarcerate Japanese Americans during WWII. As the TVDSB site states, both men have ties to "racism and discrimination." For the record, I'm not in favour of child abuse or Japanese incarceration. 

But as I mentioned when they renamed Ryerson School, we should take a look at everything these men did with their lives. Because all truth matters, not just part of it. 

I'll relist Macdonald's accomplishments here:

•          A leading figure in the discussions and conferences which resulted in the BNA Act of 1867 and the birth of Canada as a nation.
•          As Prime Minister, the builder of a successful national government for the new country.
•          The builder of a railway across the continent, a project many believed to be impossible. It was the largest engineering project of its kind in the world.
•          Creator of the NWMP in 1873 to patrol the North-West Territories.
•          Creator of Canada’s first national park, Banff Hot Springs Reserve, in 1885.
•          Proponent of Indigenous people gaining the franchise without losing any of their rights under either the Indian Act or any of their treaties. (They did not gain the vote until 1960 under Diefenbaker.)
•          Proponent of votes for women in 1885, the first world leader to do so.

As for Roosevelt, I'll bet some Canadians wonder why there's a school named after a US president at all. But, at mid-twentieth century, when the schools were built, the victorious world leaders of WWII were regarded as heroes, regardless of their faults. 

FDR, the longest-serving US president, was one of the major players in world events during the early twentieth century. He created the New Deal, a set of relief and reform policies designed to get Americans through the Depression. He reformed finance, communications, and labour laws. Many Americans fondly remembered his "fireside chats," morale-building radio addresses in which he explained his policies. And he did it all from a wheelchair. I'm not sure one - I'll call it a mistake - expunges everything else.

But increasingly, our world overlooks anything positive about deceased individuals and criticizes them on the basis of a few actions that don't meet today's standards.  Folks have made up their minds. Selected the most convenient facts while ignoring others.

So what exactly is the goal of the TVDSB? I think it's to look progressive, caring, and pro social justice. To advertise their virtue, in fact.

But are they or anyone else solving the real problems faced by children today? The Roosevelt School neighbourhood looks a bit dodgy, not one of London's best. How does changing the name of the school make life better for the kids who live there? And does removing Macdonald's name from schools make life better on the reservations? 

None of us can change the past. But we could all be a little less sanctimonious, less hard on past generations who weren't as enlightened as us - assuming we ourselves are enlightened. Past generations should be judged by the standards of their own time, not ours. 

As for Sir John, he built Canada, and so long as our country stands, he needs no other memorial. 

Update, April 26, 2023: Roosevelt School has been renamed Forest City Public School. Macdonald, though, has yet to be renamed. Area parents chose Carling Heights Public School as the new name for Macdonald, after the neighbourhood the school is in, itself named after the once-prominent Carling family. But no, the trustees won't allow that name, fearing the Carling family won't be any more politically correct than our first prime minister. 

Update, April 26, 2024: Next on the chopping block ... Lord Roberts School on Princess Avenue. Well, I doubt the TVDSB will rename it "Princess Avenue School" because, heck, that won't help us decolonize. 

London Buildings: Georgian

Symmetry is one of the oldest continuously-used principles in architecture. It's about harmony and balance, components mirroring each other across an axis. The word comes from the Greek sym (together) and metron (measure). Basically, it means that if you're looking at the front of a building, the left side should match the right. 

Judging by the Taj Mahal, Sydney Opera House, Tower Bridge, or Chateau de Cheverny, symmetry has been architecturally important in all periods and cultures. That includes London, Ontario too. 

Take Georgian, for example.  So named because it originated during the time of the Georges, Britain's kings from 1715 to 1830, the style is characterized by a simple, balanced facade, with three, five or seven bays and a central doorway. The openings are rectangular and the windows (if they haven't been replaced) multi-pane. These buildings are usually brick or stone, making them look sturdy and secure. Although built in Upper Canada from the beginning, later buildings have a gentler pitch to the roof.

The building below was built for Josiah Blackburn, owner of the London Free Press. An addition to the east was built for the building's current owners, London Squash & Fitness Club. 

76 Albert Street, London, ca. 1865

 

 Below is "Wincomblea," built by wholesale and retail grocer Finlay McFee. The land was purchased from H.C.R. Becher, after whom the street was named. It's been apartments since the 1930s, a time when many large houses were converted due to a housing shortage. Even the large chimneys are symmetrical.

40 Becher Street, ca. 1856

Georgian doesn't have to be two stories. This one and a half storey pioneer home has been repurposed as a business. Note the ramp for accessibility; this was a doctor's office until recently.

357 Southdale Road East, ca. 1840

After going out of style for decades, Georgian returned in the first half of the twentieth century as Neo Georgian or Georgian Revival. The return probably reflected a wish to return to earlier, simpler forms after the exaggerated opulence of the late 1800s. 

The example below has five bays and an impressive classical doorway with pilasters on the door surround and horizontal fluting on the lintel. These multi-pane windows are eight over eight. Built by Harry Sifton, founder of Sifton Properties, it's currently a lovely pastel yellow and one of the loveliest homes in Old North. 

401 Huron Street, 1937