Tornado through Alma in 1937

"June 1, 1937: Fine in morn, heavy thunder squall and heavy rain, cyclone."

The above entry appeared in the 1937-1941 diary of Mary & Eva Jeffery of Alma/Elmsdale.

     "June 1, 1937:  a tornado struck the St. Louis and Alma area in West Prince wrecking fifteen buildings and uprooting trees.  Hail stones up to 2.5cm (one inch) in diameter fell, driven by a very heavy wind, bruising farmers' faces on their way home through their fields.  This storm cut a path cross country from St. Louis to Montrose and to the edge of the Alma district (3)"
     The above comes from Some weather we're having!  150 Years of Prince Edward Island Weather. 2015 PEI Weather Trivia Calendar by Don Jardin and Adam French with weather quotes by David Weale.  Copyright 2014. Climate Research Lab, University of Prince Edward Island. www.upei.ca/climate 

Image cf.

http://www.cbc.ca/islandmorning/episodes/2011/07/26/clouds-101/

House Fire at Stanford McNeill's - 1967

     Thanks to Donna (Barbour) MacPhee for the following newspaper clipping.  I was asking my father Wilbert about this - he recalls going to help fight the fire - one of the firemen passed his hose to him to direct water on the house.  He was saying neighbours from all around came to help - even Roy Barbour from out the Western Road.

Alma School - a final look in 2003

     On May 10th, 2003 my father and brother took a trip out to the corner to have a look inside Alma School - the roof was starting to cave in and I wanted to take a few photos.  

      In the late 1970's the Alma Women's Institute took possession of the school and fixed it up.  They put up a white fence and painted the schoolhouse.  In the summer of 1981 the Women's Institute hired students through a Government Summer works program to paint the school.  I recall Edna Dunbar telling Mom she'd been away from Alma all day and when she came home later that day and turned onto the Centerline Road her heart skipped a beat when she saw a pink schoolhouse - that was the primer - in the end it was red with white trim.  I took the photo below in the winter of 1982-1983.

      In the late 1980's the Alma Women's Institute sold the school to Bobby Gordon for a storage building.  In 2007 the ruins of the fallen down school were removed when the intersection of Centerline Road and the Western road was re-worked. 

     Below are photos from inside the school.  You can see three layers of wall covering. Originally lathe and plaster, then diagonal boards and wainscoting with tar paper below and likely in the late 1960's cheap wall paneling. 

Below: the wood ceiling and wall are crumbling.

Below: Step up to platform where the teacher had her desk.

Below: frame where the chalkboard use to be.

 Above: Kerras and Wilbert Jeffery

   Above: indoor toilets with open tank below!!

      Above: the northwest side of the school - when I was a kid the coal shed was just to the right.

Above: view of the back of Rennie's Store from the schoolhouse.

Ralph H. Rennie Obituary - 1984

     Thanks to Donna (Barbour) MacPhee for this clipping from her 1984 Scrapbook.

Centerline Road, Alma - Winter 1964

     Here are two great photos posted on Rhonda MacPhee's (daughter of Donna Barbour MacPhee) Facebook Page!!  Thanks!

Happy 60th Anniversary Weldon & Jean (Wallace) Rennie

     Congratulations to Weldon and Jean on their 60th Wedding Anniversary.