Thursday, February 27, 2014

House Hauling 1916 - Clinton to Spring Valley

     "Herbert Paynter bought a house in Clinton, the first year there wasn't enough ice. The next winter they started with 30 teams of horses, the chain to one runner broke leaving only 8 teams they couldn't stop as the ice was bending under the weight of the house.  A man with sharp axe was posted at each runner to cut the horses clear if the ice broke, it was a heavy up hill haul on account of the ice bending.  All went well, the house was landed up in Coulson's field, from here it was taken back over Coulson's farm by stumper across the Doughart farms and over Bells Hill to Robert Johnstone's farm. The teams were then hitched on and it was hauled to the north side of J. M. Constable's farm, a stumper took it to its present sight on the top of the hill. 
     John Brennan of Spring Valley had the contract, he charged Mr. Paynter $60.00 for 21 days work with his horses and all equipment."
     This story comes from Island Lives online...
http://www.islandlives.ca/fedora/repository/ilives%3A195274-p_052/TEI/TEI%20Page%20Fragment

2 comments:

  1. The house was actually hauled to end up in Long River - the site atop the hill is where it still stands today. It has not been in the Paynter family for a good many years. The off-Island owners appear to use it at least occasionally as a summer residence. This would have been my great-grandfather's house. My grandfather was born in this house.

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