Fun Fact Friday #9 - Little Ireland 🍀

Colonel T. Talbot

      Did you know that the first four settlers in the Dunwich township were all related?

      On July 14, 1809, a raft-like boat sailed along the shore of Lake Erie. Packed with men, women, and children and all of their belongings, scared and excited to see what this new land had to offer. They finally landed and were met by a short, stocky man named Colonel Thomas Talbot. He was happy to greet them because they were the kind of settlers he wanted, Irish.

      There were four individual families aboard that craft, Storey, Backus, Patterson, and Pearce. Mary Storey was the eldest. A widow at 51 accompanied by her son, Walter, and daughters, Anne and Sarah. Anne ended up marrying Stephen Backus (another settler) and they bared eleven children. Leslie Patterson immigrated at the same time as his sister, Mary Storey, and met and married Lydia Backus. Mary and Leslie's other sister, Frances Patterson, married John Pearce in Pennsylvania, but then made their way to the Talbot Settlement along with the others.

      There is a barn quilt hung at the Backus-Page House Museum in honour of the four settling families. It is a green and yellow Irish star that symbolizes the families' ancestry. The star also emphasizes the progress that the settlers had made. Finally, the four pointed star represents the four families.

Visit Stephen Backus and Anne Storey's grandchildren's home at:
29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown, ON
(519) 762-3072

A map of Elgin County in 1877.
Second from the left is the area (Dunwich)
 the families settled on.

Fun Fact Fridays #8 - Eva Pearce

      Did you know that Backus-Page House has Eva Pearce's bed that she scratched her name into almost 130 years ago?

      Eva Pearce was a young lady that was born in 1881 (d. 1965) and was a granddaughter to William Pearce, who settled on Lot 11, Concession 8, Dunwich in 1826. William was one of the first four settlers in that township. The area he chose to settle on is now known as Pearce Williams Christian Centre and is a summer camp for children who come from all over Canada.

      At Backus-Page House we have the exact bed that Eva Pearce slept on. It is a rope style bed (see Fun Fact Friday #3 - Sleep Tight... to learn more) with a head board that Eva, herself, carved her name into. It does not take long to figure out where her name is, but you can always come visit us to see for yourself!

Backus-Page Hosue Museum
29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown, ON
(519) 762-3072

Trailblazer Tuesdays

Trailblazer Tuesdays 🍄

It’s that time of year again. The air is crisp, the leaves are beginning to turn, and gardeners and park visitors all over are gasping in horror at the shockingly erect—and putrid smelling—stalks poking out of the mulch. Mutinus elegans, a very distinctive species of mushroom, is showing up in shady, damp mulch and compost piles in parks, gardens, and backyards. This phallic fungus, known as the elegant stinkhorn, dog stinkhorn, or devil’s dipstick, is stinky for a reason. Its a small thin, phallus-shaped woodland fungus, with a dark tip. It is often found growing in small groups on wood debris, or in leaf litter, during summer and autumn in Europe, Asia, and eastern North America. It is not generally considered edible, although there are reports of the immature 'eggs' being consumed.

 Its smell is important for its unusual means of distributing spores. 

Unlike typical mushrooms, which depend on wind to distribute their spores, the stinkhorn uses insects. After sprouting from an egglike bulb, the orange or red stalks produce a slimy, carrion-scented spore coating near the tip. Flies are attracted to the scent, and after feeding on it, they fly off and dispense the spores wherever they land. Should your garden be afflicted with stinkhorns, take comfort in the fact that their reign is pretty short-lived. They’re not poisonous, so you can just let them be, and those spongy, hollow stalks will shrivel a day or two after their quick growth spurt.

Today, the appearance of Mutinus elegans elicits a chuckle, but in the Victorian era, their erect shoots could be seriously distressing to chaste and honourable ladies. The story goes that Charles Darwin’s eldest daughter, Etty, was openly combative toward the fungi. Armed with a spear, she would roam the woods sniffing out the offensive stalks. As recalled by her niece, she would find one and “poke his putrid carcass into her basket.” Then, after cleansing the territory, she would secretly burn the fungi in order to protect “the morals of the maids.”

Fun Fact Fridays #7 - Bye, Bye Beavers 🐾

      Did you know that in the 19th century the beaver population in Canada was nearly extinct?

      Beaver pelts were a very important part of the Canadian fur trade economy. Starting out, they were mostly used for coats, but moving towards the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century hats became a very fashionable item. People would wear hats on a daily basis and they were used as a status symbol instead of keeping the sun off their faces or keeping their ears warm.

      Hunters found it difficult to find beavers in certain regions, so they moved their hunt towards the north and west and established a large network of forts and supply routes that assisted in the development of Canadian economy. Though the money was good, the beaver population became scarce and were all almost completely wiped out until, finally,  in the late 19th century beaver pelts were not as sought after. Afterwards beavers reproduced quickly and can now be found near rivers, streams, small lakes, and marshes throughout North America.

      Come feel a real beaver pelt and try on a top hat made out of beaver pelt at:
29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown, ON
(519) 762-3072

Top Hat Made Out of Beaver Pelt

Beaver Pelt

Tourism Thursdays

Whats Happening This Weekend in Elgin County?

TALBOT TRAIL OF YARD SALES

Fun-filled, treasure packed individual & community yard sales. Bargins for everyone! Talbot Line to Heritage Line to Straffordville, Plank Road south through Vienna to Port Burwell.

Home owners all over the county will be hosting yard sales, and who knows what you may stumble upon! Be sure to start early, with almost 100km of the talbot trail to cover, there is lots to see!

Rain Date August 19th. 

AYLMER SWEET CORNFEST

The Aylmer Merchants would like to say thank you for shopping locally this year! Join us for a free celebration of fun, food and laughter in the park! There will be wagon rides, jump & bounce activities, BBQ food, games, snow cones & more! Downtown, merchants will have sidewalk sales & coupon promotions!

Website: aylmer.ca

Email: aylmerbia@eastlink.ca

Phone: 519-773-3164

Date: 

Saturday, August 18, 2018 - 10:00 to 14:00

Location: 

Balmoral Park & Downtown

Aylmer, ON N5H 1N5

OFF THE HINGES

Off the Hinges hits the road and delivers an evening of hilarity created on the spot, just for you! Using audience suggestions, the troup performs improvised scenes (similar to those seen on Whose Line is it Anyway?) that have never been seen before and will never been seen again!

Performances on July 28 at 8:00pm and August 18 at 8:00pm. Tickets can be purchased on Periscope Playhouse website.

Email: periscopeplayhouse@gmail.com

Phone: (519) 874-1185

Website: http://www.periscopeplayhouse.com/

Date: 

Saturday, August 18, 2018 - 20:00

Location: 

42 Wellington Street

Port Burwell, ON N0J 1T0

Heritage Farm Show 2018

The Annual Heritage Farm Show at the Backus-Page House Museum takes place on September 8 and 9, 2018.  Our goal is to have 165 pieces of agricultural equipment on display.  

Currently looking for individuals willing to volunteer their time at the farm show.  Contact our office 519-762-3072 or info@backuspagehouse.ca for details.

Come and see a variety of heritage skills being demonstrated, explore your rural roots and experience the museum, barn and grounds first hand!

The Back Pages Band is playing 12 – 4pm both days.    The gate takes cash for admission.

Fun Fact Fridays #6 - Don't Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water! 🛁

      Did you know that in the 19th century families would bathe from oldest to youngest and all use the same bath water? Usually in the summer, the Backus family usually bathed in the lake across the street, but it was way too cold to do that in the winter. Instead, they had either a bathtub or just a tub of water that they would all share. Starting with Andrew (the oldest), they would bathe one by one with the bath water getting dirtier and dirtier with every bath. Andrew and Mary Jane had 12 children altogether (only 6 lived to adulthood), so you can imagine how dirty that water would be when the baby goes. Hence, "don't throw the baby out with the bath water". Then again, it would really help the immune system. 

      Come see the type of bathtub the Backus' would have had in person at:
29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown, ON
(519) 762-3072

Tourism Thursdays

Whats Happening in Elgin County?

PORT STANLEY HARBOURFEST

A celebration of Port Stanley Harbour featuring live music and other entertainment. Twilight boat parade, fireworks over the harbour, vendors, water shows plus music all around town. Follow Harbourfest on Facebook for full details.

Website: portstanleyharbourfest.ca

Facebook: facebook.com/Harbourfest

Date: 

Friday, August 10, 2018 (All day) to Sunday, August 12, 2018 (All day)

ELGIN HISTORICAL SHOW

The Elgin Historical Show is always the second full weekend in August. An Antique show to demonstrate how farming was done in the pioneer days.

Website: kettlecreekconservation.on.ca

Phone: 519-631-1270

Date: 

Friday, August 10, 2018 - 09:00 to Sunday, August 12, 2018 - 17:00

Location: 

Dan Patteson Conservation Area

44014 Mapleton Line (Off Highbury Avenue)

St. Thomas, ON N5P 3T3

AYLMER FAIR

Join us August 10th-12th for the Aylmer Fair!

The fair runs the second weekend in August. Aylmer Fair is a non-profit society run by the OAAS (Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies). We are celebrating our 171st year as an agricultural fair, and are the oldest agricultural fair in District 13. We are run by a board of Directors, and volunteers in our area.

Fair admission is $7 for adults, $3 for ages 6-12 and free for kids under 5. Parking is $5. Advanced ride vouchers are available at The Fair Office, Elgin Feeds and Aylmer Downtown Convenience until August 9th. 

For times and more information refer to their fair events booklet or website.

Website: http://aylmerfair.ca/

Phone: 519-773-3445

Date: 

Friday, August 10, 2018 - 10:00 to Sunday, August 12, 2018 - 17:00

Location: 

Aylmer Fair Grounds

Aylmer, ON