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Adolph And Anita Von Graffen On Growing Up In Germany
Adolph von Graffen with his wife Anita discuss their childhood experiences growing up in pre-World War II Germany and their childhood during war. Mr. von Graffen mentions being drafted to the Hitler Youth, and the experiences of being bombed in their small town south of Berlin. He and his mother and sister were often rushed into their basement bomb shelter which had been stocked with provisions. Mr. von Graffen discusses his father's service during the war, and that he was a prisoner of war and was separated from his family for 10 years.
Alan Ely - Cedarhurst Golf Club
Alan Ely reminisces about his summers as a youth in Beaverton at the Cedarhurst Golf Club, which was co-founded in 1922 by his grandfather. He begins by describing how a monogrammed golf putter that belonged to his grandfather reminds him most of his childhood memories made at the Cedarhurst Golf Club. He also discusses how a group of mothers ensured that children who spent summers in Beaverton always had a place at the golf club by planning classes and parties, and how the friendships he made at that time have lasted into the present.
Alan Ely - Festivals, The Cne, And Taking The Train
Alan Ely recounts memories of the Beaverton Fair, which he describes as "a must." The Fair took place in September and was an important time of gathering. He also discusses the importance of travelling to the Canadian National Exhibition ("the Ex") in Toronto, and taking the Northland train in the morning to get there. Alan also discusses how there were several spots along a train route that the train would stop upon request by waving a handkerchief.
Alan Ely - First Nations On Georgina And Thorah Island
Alan Ely recalls his grandmother, Minnie Ethel Ely's, unique relationship with the First Nations community on Georgina and Thorah Island and her support of First Nations art and culture. F.H. Varley of the Group of Seven painted a portrait of her in native dress entitled "Portrait of Mrs. E," which is displayed at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Alan recalls how members of the First Nations who came from the islands to markets in Beaverton would often stop and visit at his grandparents' cottage.
Alan Ely - Fishing And Boating On Lake Simcoe
Alan Ely begins by describing a photo of his father and mother fishing on Lake Simcoe. His mother smiles at his father while his father holds up a large fish, and the photo was taken sometime in the fall on a 10 horsepower wooden boat. He also his first time boating alone on Lake Simcoe. His father's most important lesson for him was to learn to respect the lake, and that he was not to worry about the boat as long as he was safe should bad weather arise. He also talks of fishing with his father for perch and bass, taking any extra to his uncle Gordon, and enjoying eating the fresh fish.
Alan Ely - Music, Singing, And Sports
Alan Ely describes some fond memories from his youth in Beaverton sitting at the edge of Lake Simcoe, small groups of youths on Sunday afternoons and evenings playing music and singing before returning to Toronto for the week. Children and teens would also gather at the drive-in, or in Orillia or the Kee to Bala, and playing sports like pick-up hockey and curling as popular pastimes.
Alan Ely - Recreation
Alan Ely recalls how he spent his free time as a youth including bringing in docks during working bees, going "fishing" to instead spend time with friends listening to the radio, visiting the Strand Movie theatre, playing touch football with ten or fifteen other young people, and going for milk at the local store on a Sunday afternoon.
Alan Ely - Sir Henry Pellatt
Alan Ely elaborates on his familial connection to Sir Henry Pellatt, owner of Casa Loma, and his son Reginald. He explains that Reginald married Marjorie Carlyle Perry, Alan's maternal grandmother's sister, and has memories of touring the castle with his sister on their own during visits. He also tells of Sir Henry owning property on Lake Couchiching but is unsure if it was a country escape for him or if it was more so something that he was expected to have.
Alan Ely - Transportation To The Cottage
Alan Ely describes the different ways in which cottagers from Toronto have travelled north to Lake Simcoe over the years. He recalls stories his mother and father told of coming by car and having to change tires once or twice along the way, or stopping at a hotel in Mt. Albert to break the trip into two. Alternatively, you could also take the train to Jackson's Point and navigate your own way to Beaverton from there. Alan also describes his observation that people in Toronto tend to live either North-South, or East-West oriented lives and since the Ely family lived North-South to cottage on Lake Simcoe instead of east towards the Beaches.
Alan Ely - White Gate Cottage
Alan Ely recalls his grandfather's role in the Beaverton community, though he never knew him, from stories told by his grandmother and parents. Saturday night parties at his family cottage, known as White Gate and built by his grandfather and grandmother, were well known and filled with music courtesy of his grandmother on piano and his father and uncles singing along. Alan also mentions that visitors to the parties were a mixture of local Beaverton residents as well as seasonal residents from Toronto and elsewhere. The White Gate cottage still exists but was sold out of the family in the mid-1950s. Alan's father eventually purchased a vacant lot and built a new cottage named Swallowbank.
Brian Baker - Coming To Canada
Brian Baker recounts his emigration from England to Innisfil as a 12 year old, and being one of the first farming families to arrive by airplane (Pan-American Airlines) instead of boat. They first arrived in New York and then took a train to Toronto, and then to Barrie. He and his family arrived on the 18th of April to find everything covered in snow and most roads were closed. They purchased the north half of lot 4 Concession 4 as it was located close to his maternal uncle Stan Winter's property.
Brian Baker - Farm Life
Brian Baker recounts several stories of the daily life of a farmer in Innisfil in the 1940s and 1950s, including the use of work horses, threshing parties, children's chores, herding cows across Highway 400, the community combine, and baling hay. The horses, a black and a roan, were purchased from a Mr. Brown who lived east of the 400 highway and who guaranteed the horses could pull farm equipment. The family also purchased a Ferguson tractor from Graves Brothers on Cundles in Barrie. Threshing and barn building would often be done as a community so wives would prepare meals for their husbands. Brian also describes how children on the farm all had assigned chores, and how there was a 4-H club but he himself never participated. He remembers being able to herd cows across the road that is now the 400 highway, as well as borrowing a combine to combine clover seed and alfalfa seed, which was mixed in with feed for cattle. He also recalls how he helped stook oats, wheat, and barley out in the field by hand, and recalls Bill Kell helping him tossing bales of hay into the family barn. Bill's family now rents the Baker family's farm, where they grow corn and beans.
Brian Baker - Innisfil Wildlife
Brian Baker describes the changing wildlife of Innisfil, as well as cattle farmers dealing with predators. The Cookstown outlet mall is located on a former swamp where he recalls hearing timber wolves and explains that though the timber wolves are gone, there are still small brush wolves in the area that he spots on his property. Brian explains that the wolves are no longer much of a threat, but recalls a story of when a jersey calf went missing and he eventually found the carcass turned inside out. He later discovered this was the work of a black bear.
Brian Baker - School Days
Brian Baker describes his experiences as a youth at Killyleagh school, which had a mostly Irish student body. His teacher was Mrs. Lillian Prince, and he had to walk over 2 km to school through summer and winter. He remembers how many of the girls had to warm themselves from the cold over heat registers after walking to school in the winter because they were required to wear skirts. The students were also all children of farmers. He remembers his first year of school in 1947 there was no hydro or washrooms in the school, and one teacher taught all eight grades. Once every two weeks a music instructor from Hillsdale would visit, and once or twice a month a Reverend from Thornton visited to deliver customary religious instruction.
Brian Baker - Telephone Lines
Brian Baker discusses the arrival of the telephone in Innisfil in 1949 via the Beeton Telephone Company, which had an office in Cookstown. He describes the use of a party line with typically 8 to 10 families on one line, each with a distinctive ring. This of course meant others could listen in on conversations, and Brian recalls a humourous story of one man commenting aloud during a phone conversation that a certain neighbour was listening in, and the eavesdropping neighbour was so startled that she exclaimed "I am not!"
Charlotte Empringham - Golfing At Cedarhurst
Charlotte Empringham describes taking golf lessons as a child at Cedarhurst golf club on Saturday mornings while parents went golfing. There were between twenty and thirty children in attendance, and the instructor, Burt, was an old Scottish pro. Katherine Mitchell, a longtime resident of the area, came up with the idea of an inter-club ladies golf group between Cedarhurst, the Briars, Eastbourne, and Orchard Beach named the Mitchell Inter-Club Golf group. The Mitchell Inter-Club Golf Tournament began in 1962 and would end with a lunch at one of the member's homes, with a staple food of chicken salad with green grapes served at every lunch. Eventually the lunches changed from taking place in people's homes to at each club, but the tournament still occurs today after a unanimous decision to continue it as the original 9-hole tournament.
Charlotte Empringham - Stanley Thompson
Charlotte Empringham describes the impressive designs of Stanley Thompson, a golf course architect, on Cedarhurst Golf Club and other courses in the area. He was originally asked by Walter Beecham to visit the site as he had already worked locally (at the Briars and Orchard Beach) as well as numerous courses in western Canada. Charlotte explains that he would make use of the existing landscape contours and trees and jokes that there may be too many trees at Cedarhurst now that they've grown.
Charlotte Empringham - Swimming Lessons On Lake Simcoe
Charlotte Empringham recounts her days as a swimming instructor in Beaverton on Lake Simcoe with more than two hundred children a day come to the pier for lessons while mothers waited on the rocks. She remembers taking the small children in the shallowest water with carp nibbling at her feet. She also elaborates on first flat and second flat, where the most advanced swimmers would take their lessons at the second flat, students of middling skill would be on first, and beginners were closest to shore. Jamie Schrader and Carol Wilson would become her assistants once she became head instructor, and swimming lessons continued no matter how bad the weather was since it was believed that if you were going to swim in the lake, you should be able to swim no matter the conditions. Occasionally life guard duty took over instructional duty, and on the coldest days land drills and water safety were taught on shore. Charlotte also recalls how Harold Laudwick and Dougie Hilliard in particular would cause mischief during lessons. She also explains how she was disappointed to hear that boulders had been placed at the end of the pier to prevent people from diving in. One year she trained long enough to swim out to Thorah island from Cedar Beach to Maple Beach, with Jim Bailey riding alongside in a boat for safety.
Dance Halls In Innisfil
Rosemary Campbell and Jean Warrington discuss dances as a pastime in Innisfil, and visits to Peggy's Dance Hall in particular. Rosemary recounts having square dances once a month at Nantyr Public School, but that she and the other girls would end up dancing with the farmers since there were no younger boys to dance with. In her later teen years she was allowed to go to Peggy's Dance Hall and the ABC Hall. If she hadn't returned home by 11:00 her brother would come to collect her. Jean recalls that her paternal Aunt and her husband built a store at the foot of the 9th Line called Robert's Store. They lived there year-round and eventually built a dance hall at the back of the store where she would go dancing. She jokes that the location was ideal because the YMCA camp was down the road, so the boys from the camp would come up to dance with the girls in town.
Dealing With Fires
Jean Warrington and Brian Baker each explain the community aspect of how fires were dealt with in Innisfil prior to the 1960s. Jean begins by talking of how she was forbidden to use the coal oil lamps at her family's cottage as a child as her grandmother was terrified of fire after her farm burnt down in 1925 while she was visiting a cousin in Texas. The only person present at the time of the fire was a hired man as everyone had gone to do chores - the man noticed a fire in the woodshed where he and the others had eaten lunch. He went to the phone to ring everyone on the line to alert them of the fire. Jean's aunt received the message first and then alerted others. Jean's mother was in Barrie at the time making a wedding dress for a friend, but as soon as she heard about the fire she hired a taxi, which took her to Stroud. She felt the taxi wasn't fast enough so she left in hopes that a friend could drive her there faster but quickly discovered that everyone else was already at the fire. Unfortunately much was lost in the fire. Brian shares a similar story of how the community made use of a long ring to alert neighbours of a fire and everyone was expected to go and help out and form bucket brigades as there were no fire stations at the time.
Deirdre Fitzgerald - Living In Innisfil Today
Deirdre Fitzgerald of the Welcome Wagon explains her decision to move to Innisfil and how the small community feel drew her to Gilford in particular. She originally moved to Cookstown in 2007, and lived in Alcona north of the beach for some years, and then moved to Gilford near the lake. She and her husband were initially attracted to the area because it was between Barrie and Toronto, both of which were too big, and Innisfil seemed like a tight community with warm and friendly people. She also enjoys having Lake Simcoe so close to appreciate and meeting the people who fish and boat nearby. She also explains that the economic recession was noticeable in Innisfil but that in recent years new businesses have been emerging throughout the Town.
Deirdre Fitzgerald - The Welcome Wagon
Deirdre Fitzgerald describes her role in the Welcome Wagon organization in Innisfil and the impact it has on those in the community. She works mostly in Cookstown-Thornton delivering packages to welcome newcomers to the community as well as baby welcomes, baskets for new brides, people over 50, retirees, and new businesses. The organization has been operating since approximately 1930 and is used to greet people new to the municipality and provide information about the community as well as gifts or coupons from sponsoring businesses in the Innisfil area. Deirdre explains how helpful the sponsored products can be as they work as an incentive to attract customers to a business as well as familiarize the recipients with the services and businesses available in the community,
Dutch Farmers
Jean Warrington and Brian Baker discuss the arrival after the Second World War of Dutch immigrants to the farming community of Innisfil. Jean's uncle who lived on a farm invited a Dutch family, the Eisses, to stay with him to assist their move to Canada. The family was allowed to bring only $250 in cash and very few items, so the head of the family purchased a motorcycle in Holland and had it shipped to Canada. She remembers being with her brother and seeing the family wearing wooden clogs. The family were devout Christians but since there was no Dutch community in Stroud, the mother, father, and three children drove to Bradford by motorcycle every Sunday. Brian explains how a number of locals were displeased with the influx of "displaced persons" following the war out of fear that the newcomers would "take over." He remarks that many of these new arrivals did very well for themselves and the community. Like Jean, he also recalls being fascinated after seeing a Dutch farmer riding on a tractor in wooden clogs, but also remarks that the Dutch farms were and remain some of the best in the country.
Elwood Webb In World War Ii
Elwood Webb, 89 years old, discusses his time in World War II. He joined the army in 1942 and mentions visiting his family doctor who recommended he think on his decision to join the army, but Elwood felt it was his duty. He then traveled to the Exhibition grounds in Toronto and received his uniform there and stayed for two months. There was a terrible snow storm that year and the new recruits were taken to the corner of Bloor and Yonge to help clear the road. From there he went to Brantford for 8 weeks of basic training, and then to Base Borden for almost two years. From there he took the train from Barrie Station and traveled to Halifax, then took the third largest ship (which carried 18 000 soldiers) to Scotland. The ship was too big to come far into the harbour so it remained largely in the ocean while smaller watercraft unloaded the troops. From there he traveled to Aldershot, England for one week, and then transferred again across England until D-Day. He then went to Normandy approximately 1.5 months after D-Day but the weather was so bad that he ended up staying on the Isle of Wight for three days before landing in Normandy. It took all day for all 810 men of the regiment to arrive. They stayed on the beach for 24 hours and then walked further inland (32 miles) - they walked in three groups so that if a bomb hit, only one third of the regiment would be lost. They traveled into No Man's Land and recounts the German troops opening fire there before they retreated. At one point during their movement through France, he and three other soldiers took 1200 prisoners in one day. They traveled along the Seine River, which was full of dead horses and cattle, but they eventually crossed the Seine and went up hill 88 where he was wounded in the arm. He was taken by stretcher to the river where the boat operator was Don Beatty from Innisfil. It took 5 days from when he was wounded to be taken to a tent hospital on Normandy beach where he received shots of penicillin every 3 hours. The next soldier to come in was Ernie Aikens off the 12th Line, who was killed approximately 13 days before the end of the war. Mr. Webb is featured in a book, Innisfil Veterans: Their Lives and Memories published by the Innisfil Historical Society. Born in 1923, Mr. Elwood Webb passed away on May 22, 2014.
Herb Dietrich - Bill Lamb The Ice Man
Herb Dietrich reminisces about the "ice man" Bill Lamb, who lived in a pointed stone house and kept an ice house by the 8th Line dock. Herb recalls going to help shovel sawdust (used as an insulator) and his father going with a team of horses pulling a sleigh to haul blocks of ice from the lake to the ice house. Herb recalls that Bill loved to fish and told him stories of spear fishing. Bill also owned a spear made of a cross-cut saw blade with barbs on it and a leaded handle, which Bill had used with his brother Bob to catch trout. Bill's ice hut would be located about a mile out from the foot of the 7th Line, and he would feed his line down about 80 feet. He used boiled barley and minnows as bait, and Herb recalls he sometimes used a snagger (a homemade apparatus for catching fish) until it was outlawed.
Herb Dietrich - Fishing On Lake Simcoe With Bill Lamb
Herb Dietrich recalls the time he spent fishing and ice fishing on Lake Simcoe, often with the local 'ice man', Bill Lamb. Herb explains that Bill's ice hut would be about a mile out from the foot of the 7th Line, and would feed his line down about 80 feet. He used boiled barley and minnows as bait, and Herb recalls the use of a snagger until it was outlawed. The snagger was a home-made apparatus made of piano wire that was had straight hooks soldered on either end, and another near the weight in the middle. Minnows were placed on the hooks and whenever a whitefish neared the minnow, the fisherman would know and tug the snagger up so that the device would bend upwards and trap the fish inside. Herb explains that it was somewhat unpleasant but that people thought differently about the treatment of animals at the time. Herb also elaborates on Bill's hut, explaining that it had a handmade stove in it that ran off of used motor oil. Herb was always welcome to fish with Bill, and sometimes Herb rode his horse, Laddie, down to the take and then turned him loose but Laddie would find his own way home.
Herb Dietrich - School Days
Herb Dietrich talks about his school days in Innisfil. Nanytr Public school was set to close but when the Dietrich and Flagel families moved to Innisfil the school was kept open. The building itself was only one room and held eight grades with only nine students before the other families arrived. After Nantyr he went to Lefroy Continuation School for two years because it was understood that you would get two years of high school education, then help on the farm for a few years, and then strike out on your own. He mentions envying the children who lived in town when he saw them playing baseball after school because farm children first had chores to do before and after dinner once school finished for the day.
Jean Warrington - Dog Powered Cream Separator
Jean Warrington, a long-time Innisfil resident, discusses growing up in Innisfil and the farming community. This clip explains her mother's use of a dog-powered cream separator. The dog was a bull mastiff named Major, and her grandfather would harness the dog into a homemade device that would separate the cream from the milk as the dog walked along the track. There is a photo of Jean's mother as a young girl with a bow in her long hair standing beside Major as he powered the separator.
Jean Warrington - Fishing And The 9Th Line Creek
Jean Warrington discusses going fishing as a child in the creek near the 9th Line of Innisfil. She used a stick with a string and safety pin tied to it, and she remembers catching a small perch but can't recall if the family ate it or not. The creek had been diverted to the east side of the Line by her uncle once the family moved onto the land. The creek is now about 10 feet wide. To keep the land along the sides of the diversion, her uncle planted limbs from willow trees, which eventually took root and grew there from 1935 until 2011 when the last one was cut down after new sewers cut off their roots and prevented the trees from thriving.
Jean Warrington - Islands Of Lake Simcoe
Jean Warrington describes the islands of Lake Simcoe and her memories of the First Nations people who resided on Snake Island. She remembers going to Fox Island to swim, but the island itself was covered with poison ivy. She recalls it also had a lighthouse, which was a relatively small structure with a white tower pictured in the video from c. 1920 to light up the shallow shoal nearby. There were no cottages on the island when she was a youth. She does recall some of the native residents on Snake Island coming to shore by birch bark canoes to sell canoes and bead work boxes with porcupine quills to cottagers.

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