Good news. Starting this Sunday, Dunvegan churchgoers get to sleep in a bit longer on their day of rest. To save money, St. Columba Church in Kirk Hill and Dunvegan’s Kenyon Presbyterian Church hold joint services in the first months of the New Year. So for the past month, Dunvegan congregants have been motoring to Kirk Hill for Sunday services. However, interim moderator Rev. Jim Ferrier tells me that, commencing this Sunday, January 30th, the combined congregations of St. Columba and Kenyon Churches will be worshipping in Dunvegan. The service starts at 11:00 am. “We welcome everyone to join us,” Rev. Jim told me, “as we continue our journey through the Epiphany season.”
Horse & buggy parking
Last week while searching for an item on the Dunvegan-Times.ca web site, I paused to reflect on one of the photos in the masthead rotation. They’re all iconic snapshots of our little hamlet back in the day, but the one that caught my eye was of an Orange Day parade in the late 1800s. It shows a long line of horse-drawn vehicles on Dunvegan Road stretching off into the distance. This set me to wondering where all these buggies would park if they were heading to our stone kirk instead of an Orange Day picnic in a maple grove. The parking lot across the road that visitors use today is a relatively recent addition. Up until it was lost to a fire in the early 1980s, it was the site of a large clapboard home built by Duncan K. MacLeod. So no parking there.
The way many public structures handled the parking problem back when horsepower actually involved horses, was to erect a sort of ‘parking garage’ called a drive shed. They were simple board on frame structures with a saltbox roof and iconic hip-cornered entrance bays on one side. And there was a time when these ‘parking garages’ for hay-burners were everywhere. Municipal buildings, town halls, banks and factories all had drive sheds where visitors could tie up their rig out of the elements while they conducted their business. When done, they’d back out their buggy or sleigh and be on their way. Even churches had drive sheds. In fact, one Baptist Church on South Gower Drive in North Grenville was once almost entirely surrounded by drive sheds for the congregants’ horses and rigs.
And any merchant worth his salt had one or more behind his establishment. Even Martin Ferguson’s general store in Dunvegan was so equipped. James Campbell, father of Karen Campbell and Lynn MacGillvray of Dunvegan, recalls using it once. James grew up on the family farm on the Athol Road, and Dunvegan wasn’t his stomping ground. Nevertheless, one day he gave a neighbour a ride to a reception being held in our Orange Hall. After dropping off his passenger, he tied up his horse and buggy in the drive shed behind Ferguson’s and ambled down to the festivities. Of course this drive shed is long gone, but as Mr. Campbell recalls, it was situated just north of the store, with its entrance bay on Alice Street (or Polly Avenue as it was known to locals).
Today, drive sheds are little more than a fast-fading memory. They lack the curb appeal of antique brick and pioneer log buildings. Utilitarian structures, the vast majority have been demolished in name of progress or dismembered for their barn boards. However, I do know of two in this area that have survived. The first — the drive shed from behind the Kenyon Town Hall in Greenfield — was rescued and moved to the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan in 1966. Glengarry’s chief archivist, Allan MacDonald, brought the second specimen to my attention. Amazingly, it’s still in situ… behind the Buvette du Marché in Alexandria (formerly the Meloche & Sabourin butcher shop). One good vantage point to view it is from the Glengarry County Archive’s parking lot.
But that still leaves my original question unanswered: Where did worshipers in Dunvegan park their buggies and sleighs? Were there drive sheds on the church grounds? If so, were they located near the laneway that leads to the site of the former cheese factory? And did the entrance bays face south? If you have any answers, I’d love to hear from you.
Museum eyes new blood
In early 2021, Debbie MacFarlane from L’Orignal took over from Marlie Tilker as treasurer of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. Debbie has volunteerism in her blood. When her children were young, she was a regular member of the parent’s council at their school, taking on a host of tasks including treasurer. Her kids grown and starting families of their own, Debbie was intrigued when she saw the museum’s ad for a volunteer who “liked numbers.” She decided to get in touch with Jennifer Black and the rest, as they say, is history. “It wasn’t easy to find someone to fill Marlie’s shoes,” Jennifer told me. “It was great to find someone who likes doing this key role. Debbie really seems to enjoy being part of the museum community.”
Debbie MacFarlane is a perfect example of the type of volunteer the Glengarry Pioneer Museum hopes to attract with its new recruitment campaign… people with an interest in the history of Glengarry County and fresh ideas to help shape the museum’s future. The goal is to find curious, enthusiastic volunteers open to discovering new ways to bring the unique heritage of this region alive for people of all ages.
Some of the volunteer opportunities include: positions on the Executive Committee; a seat at the Board of Directors’ table; and openings on the fundraising committee, the event planning committee and others. The museum wanted me to reassure you they’re not looking for a lifetime commitment. If you’re interested, you’re urged try it on for just one season… and see how it fits. The museum also promises that you won’t be bored.
So, if you want to get more involved in the community, practice or enhance your skills and even polish your resumé, visit GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca for more information. Or better yet, call Jennifer at 613-527-5230.
Condolences times two
Shortly after I started writing this column, I sang the praises of a small book I had come across entitled Grandma Says. Written by meteorologist Cindy Day, it was a delightful collection of weather folklore that Ms. Day learned at her grandmother’s knee. A decade later, I’m still astounded how often one of the book’s predictive tools seems to come true… “Rain before seven, clear by eleven.” At the time I wrote about Ms. Day’s book, I didn’t realize she had a Dunvegan connection. It turns out her sister is Monique Koggel. Monique and her husband Wayne farm the east half of Lot 1, Con. 9, at the very eastern end of Dunvegan Road. Monique’s former neighbour, Marlie Tilker, brought this to my attention… together with the sad news that Monique and Cindy lost their both of their parents this past December. Aurele Lefebvre of Bainsville and his wife of 63 years, Faith, passed away within three days of each other. My belated condolences to Monique, Cindy and the entire family.
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