Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Barn Raising, Sunnyside Farm 1929

My grandfather and his newly widowed mother were two of the early settlers in the Parry Sound District.  Below is a picture of the original structure they built on the newly cleared land.

Although the picture is small, I think this is him and my grandmother in the back, possibly my great grandmother and a great uncle in front.  Note the boards leading up to the chimney.  I believe would have been to get up to clean the pipes. It was not uncommon for the cedar shingles to catch fire from a stray spark.  This may have been the equivalent to the local fire department of that day.


The next two photos came to me from two different people, but apparently document the same event, the barn raising on Sunnyside Farm in 1929.  At this point my father would have been ten.


I think this may be the earliest photo I have of my father, although I cannot be sure of identities.  I think Dad is the little figure perched between the two builders up on the rafters.  I think his little brother Ray is perched on a beam slightly to the right.  The girls in their Sunday finery, are probably Aunt Edna and Aunt Mary.  I'm fairly certain that the couple seated are Grandma and Grandpa (that is definitely a grandpa pose, with the straw hat and granny had very large forearms as you can see). Unfortunately, I do not know if the barn is still standing or not.  If it is, I'm certain it has not seen livestock for many a decade.

The Daily Quest

This is a new daily feature on The Musical Gardener blog. Below is a question, or puzzle that will change day by day. Do not use the comment section of the blog for your answer.

Answer to Yesterday's Puzzle:  license & licence (both are legitimate spellings)

Today's Puzzle:
Match Ups

Match of the animal with the corresponding group name, eg: a murder of crows
 
         a) a group of peacocks                        1) knot

        b) a group of apes                              2) ostentation
        c) a group of doves                            3) pitying
        d) a group of toads                             4) shrewdness


Please respond with your answer to the email below. I apologize but you will have to type my email address in manually (I'm attempting to avoid spammers).

Don't forget my Musical Gardener Contest
 
And that is about all I have to say for today.

Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener.

3 comments:

  1. What a trove of old photos you have. You must have the archive for your family.

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  2. I wonder what the Health and Safety Officer would make of children perched among the rafters. How times change.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In the west we didn't build barns with a timber frame. There was only one near us that was built this way. It was an interesting structural form.

    ReplyDelete

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