In May I wrote about The Floating Bridges of Lanark County and many people argued the location could not be at the end of Flora Street near the old McRostie farm. It had become a real head scratcher as they say. 
Yesterday, Jennifer Fenwick Irwin from our Museum gave me a small booklet with only 6 pages in it called: Bridge Street Business Places from the early 1900’s. It was 6 pages of every business that had been located on Bridge Street from one end to the other done by local resident Lloyd Hughes. When he wrote all this information for the town in 1982 he was almost 100 years-old.
Janice Tennant Campbell told me on Facebook Lloyd had been their neighbour. He and his wife Jean operated the “Hughes” corner store on Moffatt Street. Lloyd’s brother also had a store on Lake Avenue West. Ted Hurdis said Harold Hughes, Lloyd’s brother, had his general store where the bakery is now on Lake Ave West. It was a great spot– everyone had a “tab” and they would go in and say, “Harold, just put that on moms tab”. It worked great until Ted’s sister, Nedda, started charging cigarettes–that was the end of that. 
On the very last page there was an entry that made me get soooo excited. (Seem to be doing that a lot these days) “There was also a foot bridge from Flora Street to the Hawthorne Woolen Mill. Also a W.A. Nichols saw mill at the foot of Flora Street.” 
So now we know for sure that was the location of the bridge. Imagine if some scuba diver did some sort of a dig in that area. With people going across constantly there has got to be some finds in that location. I can’t even fathom what fell or was dropped from that crude bridge– Just saying– not trying to cause trouble.:)
Amanda Armstrong said on Facebook: Wood from that bridge can still be found in the water behind my Nan’s. A lot of it floated down that way. I often wondered what else may have fallen from there.
Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place
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