The 1863 Lake Map. Lot 3. Source: www.islandregister.com. Note Centerline Road is marked "Proposed Road"

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Frank Mountain's Barn, Alma Corner

     We all remember the old barn at Alma Corner belonging to the Mountains.   The farm was sold and abandoned in the 1990's - it was demolished on August 6th, 2007 when the Department of Highways re-worked the intersection.  
     The Mountain House was likely built by Alvie Mountain or his father.  Alvie was a blacksmith and operated a blacksmith shop here on the corner.  
     Alvie married Millie Mountain (1871-1971).  They had six children:  Frank, Leslie, Janey?, Margaret, Lillian *Lilly* ( m. Ken Matthews ) and Georgie ( m. Henry Oliver ).  Frank, Leslie and Margaret never married and lived here well into their elderly years. 
     The Mountain's old barn came from Jimmy Dunbars on the Centerline Line Road - it was originally attached to Jimmy's big barn.  Wilbert Jeffery thought the swap was made in 1945. Leslie Mountain swapped the 50-aces of land for the barn.  The land was located on the west side next to Louis Jeffery's farm in Lauretta.  
     When Wilbert was young Dick Kinch (Frank Kinch's brother/ Margaret Kelly's uncle) and his large family of a dozen children lived here - later the Kinches moved to St. Louis sometime in the late 1930s. 
Above:  Front, south facing side of the barn.
Above: Southeast side of the barn, facing towards Montrose.
 Above: Northeast corner of barn - there aren't many windows in the barn.
     The old barn with the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in the background.  Photo taken on June 13, 2007 - the barn was demolished two months later. 

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Plane crash in Johnny Eddie's field

     Wilbert Jeffery recalls he and his brother Stirling going out to see the plane crash at Johnny Eddie Mountains on the Centerline Road - it was during wartime ( WWII 1939-1945 ) in late spring or fall, some 70 years ago.  The plane crash landed in Johnny Eddie's big field.  It was a training plane that ran out of fuel - Blanche (Mountain) Bowness recalls the plane model being a "Wellington".  Wilbert said it had two engines.  He said there were alot of people out to see what happened.
     There were two RCAF training stations in Western Prince Edward Island during WWII- one at Mount Pleasant and the other near Tignish.
     Here's an image of a Wellington aircraft...
File:Vickers Wellington.jpg
Image cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vickers_Wellington.jpg
     Bob Gordon recalls the incident well - he was a young boy.  He said the plane hit a block of sheep huddled together in the field as the plane approached - all the sheep were killed.  Bob also remembers the pilot letting them sit in the plane.