In the 70s there were rumours of a rocking chair with a whisky keg attached beneath the seat somewhere in Lanark County. Of course most thought it was one of Lanark County’s famous yarns started in a living room somewhere with a beer or two and then travelled down the country roads to become a fact– or sort of a fact.

Fallbrook’s own Walter Cameron was consulted about the story and one would think with his then 50 years experience in blacksmithing and wood working he might know a thing or two about the elusive whisky keg rocking chair. Instead he had some tales about different chairs that existed in Lanark County. Take the Cameron chair that is in the picture below. It came into the Cameron family in 1874 and it was said it had been use 15 years prior to that.

1971 Photo Cameron chair

In the old days before lead pencils were used to help in the construction of the chair they were marked with a wooden scribe and people used to be asked to sit on a seat and then the chair was made around them. A fine chair it was, but that wasn’t the chair everyone was looking for.

Finally, someone suggested this particular chair might be found in Middleville and the story went that it might just be some sort of wooden box under a chair that Grandpa kept his bottle in for a nip or two or Grandma kept her knitting.

So the story ended in a conclusion that there really was no whiskey keg chair just a simple stovepipe under the chair to keep a magazine or two. In the end we owe it to each other to tell stories and no stories lives on unless someone wants to listen.

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun andScreamin’ Mamas (USA)

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