Abandoned Manitoba – Page 9 – CRUMBLING MEMORIES

August 29, 2018August 31, 2018

OLD MODEL T

One morning Reg was given permission to enter this property and because neither one of us had anything planned, we went.

The family originally came from Gloucester County, England in 1901 and farmed on different land in the same RM.

In the winter of 1909 the one time land owner and his love traveled to Belfast, returning to Canada in the Spring, married. They had 4 children, the oldest which passed away at the age of nine.

In 1919 Mr. bought a Model T car. When I came home and read this, I was thrilled to find this connection.

We found many treasures out and about on the property.

It appears that this at one time was the homestead at one point and then was later converted to a barn of some sort. To the left of the house was a concrete foundation with no house which I am assuming was moved to another location.

I found this old cart which I absolutely loved and took many, many photos of. I can envision same in my flower bed in my back yard.

We also found two wells on this property. One between the two houses which didn’t appear to be very deep and was set up higher. In the “Dry Thirties” this family sought out land that had water and eventually rented land in another location because of the good water supply there as they had been hauling it from another location.

The two brothers farmed together until 1942 when the youngest joined the R.C.A.F returning to farm in 1946. At that time, through the Veteran’s Land Act, he purchased this property. His brother had land nearby and they worked together, again. The boys mother lived with them until 1955 when she passed at the age of 73.

The land owner was a trustee for the RM, was the council representative for the local library and attended meetings for library meeting at the request of the Provincial Librarian. He was also on the Executive for our local Royal Canadian Legion Branch.

August 29, 2018August 29, 2018

NICHOLSON HOMESTEAD

I don’t know much more about this land except that it was farmed by two bachelors and is now rented out to another local farmer.

I love this photograph for its simplicity, I think.

August 29, 2018August 31, 2018

ALL IN THE FAMILY PART 2

As per my previous visit, this homestead is also part of the same family, except they were brothers and ventured off in the same countryside farming different sections of land.

In 1899 the parents of this family came to Manitoba to farm this particular section of land. Their son followed in 1892 by railway cattle car, caring for the stock he was bringing with him.

The stunning home was built in 1901 with the help of his brothers using “native stone”. They used a kiln which was erected on the property.

He married in 1902 and him and his wife raised 5 children in this home.

The property still has much of the old farming equipment there, some of it in excellent condition and well cared for over the years.

The yard and home are immaculately kept as the family still farms the land and spends much time here. In fact, many of them were there the day we came, farming. It was nice to hear the stories and get the history.

I enjoyed my visit to this farm and thanked the current owner who granted us permission the night before for his time and his history lesson.

August 29, 2018August 29, 2018

ALL IN THE FAMILY PART 1

I found this house a while back while cruising the back roads with my family. I stopped for a side of the shot and the intentions to get home and find the land owner.

This farm has been in the family for many, many years. This family originated in 1824 after an 11 week voyage from Scotland. In 1890 they decided to head to Manitoba.

A family of five was raised in this home and they farmed this quarter section and a half section across the road. The only son of this family still owns and farms this land.

The home is starting to show its age and had significant damage in the kitchen area from the top floor. There was also a soft spot in the kitchen which we avoided on the way out.

Here is the view out of one of their living room windows. It was very smoky the day Reg and I went out shooting so a lot of our pictures that day weren’t optimal.

Each room had a different wallpaper. Leading up the stairs the wood was lined with newspaper which I am assuming was used as insulation. Reg made his way upstairs which was not the most stable second floor that we have entered. He ventured up alone but knowing Reg he got some amazing photos out of those upstairs windows.

Many of the homes we’ve entered in the last month have had shoes inside. Some have also still had the old rotary telephone. For some reason I love this.

I really enjoyed this home. It is a popular spot for other abandoned seekers in the area who do a lot of night shooting. I knew they were there by the little battery operated lights scattered throughout the main floor of the house.

On our way out of this house I had a squishy step. I stepped back to see that I had stepped on a 2×4, although thinking back I don’t think it was that wide, which was suspended over a hole. Reg ventured over to see what the hole was about but didn’t offer me much feedback. What I don’t know can’t hurt me right? Regardless, I was skitish for the rest of the day.

August 28, 2018

RICHVIEW SCHOOL

This school is on private property and permission was granted for us to enter.

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The school opened in 1887 and operated until January, 1968.

Richview School is the only original school built and still standing in the area. When school started it was agreed upon that classes would run in the Fall, Spring and Summer as the winters were to cold and the school would need to be heated. It was later agreed upon that the older children were needed at home during the summer and they decided to run school through winter. The first student to arrive at the school in the AM was paid to light a fire. The student was paid $0.05 per morning.

In 1939 this addition was made to the school to make more room for social activities.

In 1941 hydro was installed and in 1949 the basement was enlarged to hold a coal furnace. In 1951 the Insul-Brick was added to help insulate the school.

The school bell was donated to the local museum and other items were donated to the new school including the fire extinguisher, text books, radio and a chemistry set.

August 28, 2018August 28, 2018

BROWN LEA SCHOOL

The Brown Lea School District was established in August 1886 and the first classes were held in 1887. The original building was replaced by a wood frame structure built in 1902 by contractor A. King. The school closed in January 1967 but a vacant building remains on private property.

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Over the years there were 59 teachers and 220 pupils that attended the school.

Teachers at the school were paid an average of $35.00 per month.

The land for the school was purchased $5.00 and the school cost approximately $400 to build.

This second school house was built in 1902.

August 28, 2018September 26, 2020

BERBANK MEMORIAL CHURCH

In 1919 the Bertha and Riverbank school districts united to build a church as a memorial for 4 men, Jack Fisher, Harry Hardwick, Harry Martin and Cecil Minary who gave their lives in the First World War.

Berbank Church served as a place of worship and creation until it closed in 1966.

The people of Berbank dedicated the plaque in front of the church to local pioneers and those who served in the First World War, Second World War, Korean War and Peacekeeping.

This church was also used in the movie, In the Moment starring Russell Crowe. The crew agreed to pay for the re-siding and shingling of the one side of the building they were going to use for the movie and the other half was paid for by the community.

August 28, 2018August 28, 2018

REMEMBER US?

Remember a while back when Reg, Colton and I found the “dead” birds in the upstairs of the abandoned house?

Well the last couple weeks there has been a lot of activity on the roof of the old house so today we were lucky enough to get a couple shots.

I don’t know if these are two of the young or Mom and one young but regardless we moved very slowly and ventured closer and closer until they finally figured we were to close and flew away.

Well, only one flew away.

Really neat to see them all grown up. Hard to believe they were once tiny little fluff balls.

August 28, 2018

WRONG TURN?

Wandering around Prairie Lakes I turned down a road to what I thought was a roof. There was nothing but a little further down I came to a clearing and found this barn with the sun slowly setting. How peaceful.

August 28, 2018

NO CLUE BUT AMAZING JUST THE SAME

I know nothing about this house. I know that fellow abandoned seekers have been to this location and have done some night shooting.

My shooting partner advises me that years ago a tornado came through this area and there’s a very good chance that this one may have been moved off its foundation.

If I do happen to find out more about this home, I’ll be sure to update my post.

August 10, 2018August 10, 2018

THERE’S NEVER ANYTHING ON TV

This property has A LOT of history. I’ve done a lot of reading to wrap my head around this one and the different families. I hope I’ve got it right and if I don’t….

The original owners of this land, Mr. & Mrs. M (notice I don’t say home cause I have no clue who built the home, the first family, the second family, a family before both of those families), married in 1919 and moved into the home shortly thereafter. Mr. M’s family originated from Edinburg, Scotland.

The M family raised their children here and in 1947 sold it to the parents of current land owner Mr. & Mrs. P. The M’s moved to Winnipeg. Mr. & Mrs. M are buried in the cemetery in the closest town to the home.

I would say that this was a large home for its time with two entrances, both with covered porches, a large eat-in kitchen with a staircase leading upstairs. The kitchen, at the back entrance was also where you would go down into the basement.

There was a large living room wherein one curtain was still hanging on the rod and the other was hanging in the center of the window like a hanging, ghostly figure. A Hoover vacuum which would have been a good one in its time, stood near the center of the room.

This is also the room where a large staircase led to the second level of the home.

What I am imagining as the dining room, at the front of the home and to the left of this doorway was a floor model television. A good one.

I’m sure if there was still power to the home, if we plugged that TV in, it would have worked. And as per usual, there would be nothing on!

Both families were very active in the community they lived in.

I do know that the wife of the second family, Mr. & Mrs. P moved out of the home in 1976, a year after the death of her husband. It has been vacant ever since, sort of. I would say that there have been some inhabitants of the furry type in this house.

While I did not venture up, Reg did. He didn’t get very far as the home seems to be splitting in half. This is not visible from the outside or main level of the home.

I did also discover while trying to find the door into the home that the upstairs of the home was now the home of A LOT of wasps. While standing in the kitchen on the main level below the window that the wasps were going in and out of I could hear them. I am assuming that they are living in the walls and floors of that second floor room. There was no further investigation for me as I have no intentions of walking into a wasps nest ever again.

The home is nicely treed and secure from the elements. Also on the property was an old barn, some bins, an open cow shelter, a shed and the remnants of something else but only the concrete slab remains.

August 9, 2018August 10, 2018

WILD BEES

The original descendants of this family came to Canada in 1855 from Ireland and settled in Ontario. In they moved to Manitoba 1882 he bought the section of land on which this house was built.

This was not the original home. This house was built in approximately 1904 and replaced a log home along the Long River.

Even through hard times Mr. & Mrs. K managed to keep food on the table and keep the house warm, cutting wood from the area and keeping a large family warm, fed and healthy. The land was located on a trail used by travellers and in winter many stopped for directions, weather reports and possibly warmth.

What I found very interesting in this home was the honey comb we found everywhere, right when we came through the back door and further into the house.

I thought it was neat that wild bees had found themselves a place to build a “hive”.

I loved that I could read up and find so much history about this family and the land they lived on. The kids enjoyed the exploring, skating on the river and tobogganing down the hill in the winter. Over the many generations the family was active in their community.

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018

LONG TIME HOMESTEADERS

This farm has been in the family for many generations and continues to be owned and farmed by this family.

The father of the current land owner was born in this home. When he was married and started farming on his own. He owned the original homestead of this family for 18 of the 100 plus years its been in the family.

The original descendants of this family George and Maragret immigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1845.

Their son James came to Manitoba from Ontario as he wanted land for his four sons. In 1882 he purchased the land and the next year moved his wife and children to the property.

James & Margaret’s eldest son then married and purchased the section of land on which this house stands. He and his wife were active in their community and is one of the original founders of the Manitoba Co-Operative Wholesale Ltd in 1927 and served as their first President and General Manager.

Egbert and Emily’s had four children, two of which are said to be born in the home. They attended the Sander’s School, now owned by the same family.

The yard site still has a large, healthy raspberry patch and along the back tree line, numerous producing apple trees. The home which faces South is nestled in by a large tree line and a long drive past the home takes you to numerous sheds. Out in the front is a big barn/granary which has started to crumble down.

The home, which I did not enter still shows sign of the once inhabitants. My favorite part of this visit though, was the telephone that still hangs on the wall.

Across the road from this homestead is the marker of this family and a recording of the land being the original homestead of their original descendants back in 1882. In 2001 the family received a Century Farm Award.

August 9, 2018August 10, 2018

TIMELESS (STONE) TREASURE

We had a great day here exploring around this huge yard. The beautiful old stone home nestled into the trees, almost out of sight.

As far as old stone homes go, this one is in almost impecable condition. The wear and tear comes from where an addition was added on and in a section of the roof that likely started to leak over time and has now leaked onto one wall. From the main floor you’d never know there was anything going on upstairs.

The home was full of beautiful woodwork, ornate handles and stuff.

I wonder if they left in a hurry and left this behind?

I don’t know a whole lot about this property so I can’t tell you very much. I am told that the owners of this land moved this house to their property with the hopes of restoring it. They did do that and the home was used as a summer cottage. The husband fell ill and the renovations to the home ceased.

I can say that Reg and I spent the good part of a couple hours here and I’m sure we didn’t see everything it had to offer. Reg knows the lady who owns the property and was gracious enough to let us have a look around.

August 8, 2018

STONE BEAUTY

I have to thank a fellow abandoned seeker for this one. Had I ventured out a little further while scouting out a nearby school, I may have found this one myself but…after a quick phone call to the landowner we were in. Cade, Colton and Makenna joined us on this day.

What a beautiful old home. It is surely showing its age but considering where it is its done amazingly well. This side of the house, which faces North, is pretty secure, except you can see the wear in the far corner. The rocks are starting to fall and tumble down.

The other side tells a much different story.

Imagine the weight of that stone. And not just one layer of stone but two!

I would have loved to explored the inside of this home but it was very unstable and my dear husband was having NO part of that. We did go inside the one entrance and Reg did try to get up the stairs but it just wasn’t safe.

I did find a shoe.

I can’t give a lot of history on this home. I do know that the oldest recorded residents of the home were Lewis & Mabel Kilmury. They purchased the land and lived there until 1952. During their time there they raised one son and four daughters. Lewis was born in the Boissevain area in 1900 and died in 1966. His wife was born in 1907. In 1952 the land was bought from a family and a couple generations later, still farms the land.

I wish I knew more!

August 6, 2018August 6, 2018

NORTHFIELD SCHOOL

Settlers in the area east of Wawanesa established a school district in the spring of 1882 and, by June, a one-room school had been erected.

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An early student of the school was Nellie McClung.

Nellie Letitia McClung (born Helen Letitia Mooney was born October 20, 1873 and died September 1, 1951. Nellie was a Canadian suffragette, politician, author, and social activist. She was a part of the social and moral reform movements prevalent in Western Canada in the early 1900s. In 1927, McClung and four other women, who together came to be known as “The Famous Five” (also called “The Valiant Five”),^[2] launched the Persons Case contending that women could be “qualified persons” eligible to sit in the Senate. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the current law did not recognize women as such. However, the case was won upon appeal.

Nellie also taught at the school briefly, in 1896. The first Northfield School was destroyed by fire on February 16, 1933 was rebuilt according to the original design, this time with a basement.

In 1960, the school closed and the sold to the town and was designated as a municipal heritage site in May 1995.

My co-worker is a history major and LOVES this sort of stuff. When I got home and realized this little bit of history, I wished that I had paid more detail to all the finer details of the building.

The building is well cared for and holds some neat artifacts inside. I’m glad we ventured off the highway to see what the little roof in the distance was.

August 5, 2018

INTRIGUED

I found this one driving around the back roads. I know who I need to contact but haven’t yet. So for now I have to settle with a road shot.

The sky was perfect on this day!

August 5, 2018

HENDERSON SCHOOL

The Henderson School District was established formally in August 1904. During the 1940’s, the building was used for services of the Bannerman Church of Christ. The school closed in 1968.

Among the teachers of Henderson School were John Nay (1904), W. W. Metcalfe (1914-1915), Katie McLeod (1915), Lottie Porter (1919), D. Finnen (1919-1920), Bertha Barsky (1923-1924), F. M Bissett (1926-1927), P. McNevin (1928-1929), Louise McPhedran (1930-1931), Edith Elizabeth Nicol (1932-1933), Carl Bjarnason (1938-1939), Freda Miller (1939-1940), Richard Neilson (1940-1941), Franklin Stuart “Frank” Presunka (1941-1943), Miss Luella F. Glock (1943-1944), Harold Wilfred Walker (1944-1946), Miss Annie Neufeld (1946-1947), Angela May Shirtliff (1947-1948), Isabel Jeanette Allison (1948-1949), Esther Kettner (1950-1951), Ruth Elizabeth Rempel (1951-1953), Glen J. Hammond (1953-1954), Mrs. Jean Margaret Jaques (1954-1955), Viola Mae Neufeld (1955-1956), Mrs. Mabel I. Agar (1956-1957), Mrs. Devona Doreen Kenter (1957-1964), and Nellie Irene Friesen (1964-1967).

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For some reason I just love this old school. Nestled safely into the trees and protected but a shelter belt of tall, strong trees, this school is holding its own against the elements. After the school closed I am told it was owned by a women’s group. The ladies group later relinquished the property to the RM.

Friends of ours that told me about the school told me that his Dad attended this school until it closed when he was in grade 9 and then finished his schooling at the Killarney School.

While we were there some other explorers stopped by. A lady and two gentlemen. She was very friendly and she told me that they all went to school at this location as kids. I offered to take their picture in front of the school.

This board has the names of many people who have visited the property over the years, some even noting the years that they attended. I love that this place is still open and hasn’t been vandalized and that people of the area can still enjoy the history of the building.

August 4, 2018August 5, 2018

NOT FORGOTTEN

We didn’t plan this stop for the day but when we realized the landowner was home we figured we’d stop and see if they would allow us to visit the property. We were lucky enough to get a tour and the history of this old farm. The current owners of this property helped and cared for the gentleman that owned this land and when he passed they bought the property and since then have done much to maintain and preserve as many of the buildings as they can. The Mrs. is also a photography buff and attended the same Chris Atrell course as I did. We talked about going out together and sharing in this passion.

As many people have trespassed on this property before and at one point even left a gate open with horses in the yard, I will not post a lot of pictures so that I don’t give to much away. I can’t stress enough how important it is not to trespass onto these properties and when you ask, most of the time the owners will allow you to enter. If we aren’t respectful, we’ll ruin it for each other. That and heaven forbid that someone gets hurt in the process.

I will tell you that at one point lightning struck this beautiful old barn and horses that were tied up in stalls were killed as a result.

This is a gorgeous property and the sense of pride you get from the owners is amazing.

August 4, 2018August 5, 2018

FIELD STONE WONDER

Wow. I think those might have been the exact words out of my mouth. We were granted permission onto this property but were not allowed entry into the home.

The land was purchased by ancestors in the late 1880’s and is still farmed by the family. I will also mention that the property is surrounded by a hot fence. We were also told that many years ago a tornado came through this property and the roof sustained some damage.

This home is built a little differently then the other stone field homes that we have been to. This one has the stone made into a block and then the blocks are stacked one upon another. The corners had different color bricks around them as well as over the window. There was no significant damage or wear to the home except the usual crack of mortar between some of the stones which would be normal. The home had a beautiful old door on it with a wood door handle. What a sight.

It was a scorching hot day the day we were invited to this place but that didn’t stop Reg and I from exploring all around the land.