The blueberry crop was said to be almost a complete failure in August 1894. Fire, thought to have been started by berry pickers burned across some 400 acres and menaced several farm homes in the Wolfe Grove section before it was brought under control by a heavy rain storm.
Although it was said the blaze started on a Thursday no general alarm was
given until the Saturday when the fire had gained considerable headway. Farmers did a lot of hard work fighting the flames and were meeting with little success until rain came to their assistance. Even after the fire was over remaining coals were still smouldering in the burned area and the situation was being watched closely. The blueberry bushes were destroyed.
In August of 1934, serious damage was done to the blueberry crop in the Almonte area as there was a lot of damage done by a hail storm. It did considerable harm through a paper of Ramsay and Huntley.
Several fields of grain belonging to Mr. Arthurs and Mr. P. Syme were badly threshed out by the hail, many of the stones measuring from 4 to 6 inches in circumference. In Beckwith too, many farmers suffered loss, while in North Elmsley the damage done to the the grain and vegetables was serious.
It was reported here that the dwelling of Mr. H. Cavers, Ramsay, was struck by lightning on Saturday.The report was untrue but Mr. Alex. Caver’s dwelling near Appleton was hit. The lightning struck the chimney, demolishing it entirely, and passed through the house, scattering the
plaster from the walls in all directions. The veranda was also shattered and
the posts ripped to pieces. No one was injured. The damage will amount to
about $200.
Other stories about Chimneys in Appleton
Appleton’s Twisted Chimney
Digital Photo, Fall 2012
Donated by Sarah Bennett
This digital photograph from 2012 shows the once famous log cabin cottage in Appleton owned by the Gilmour family (left side of photo). Here is the full story, written by Kenneth Godfrey:
My grandfather, Harry D. Gilmour built this cottage, and put a ‘beehive’ shaped stone fireplace into one corner. He asked Beatty Hamilton, a well-known bricklayer from Carleton Place, to build its chimney, but literally with a “twist”. Beatty was at first not pleased with the idea, as he feared that folks might think it a poor job on his part, but H.D. (who enjoyed verbal and visual jokes) prevailed, and persuaded him to build it as a spiral, and I think it stood for many years until a fairly recent renovation, and alas, the chimney (like many other unique quirks from the past) is no more.
Blueberries also have an interesting history! We’ve read that in Ireland, baskets of blueberries are still offered to a sweetheart in commemoration of the original fertility festival that happens each August 1. Although we don’t how true that is, it does sound lovely! They call it Lammas day, which is also their harvest celebration.
Did you know that blueberries are native to North America? Long before they were cultivated in the early 1900s, they grew wild, and were enjoyed by the Indigenous people. Of interest, they harvested the “star berries”, which are the blossom ends that form at the end of the berry, and is shaped like a five-point star. Thereafter, they ate them fresh or dried them for later use.
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