“Oh no, Grandpa Has Another Story“
from the collection
For decades, this barn proudly proclaimed the year that it had been built.
This would have been 11 years after Charles J. Boyle filed his homestead in 1905. It was four years after he married Mossie Kitson in 1912. Two years after Graham was born in 1914 and the same year Robert Bruce was born, and died, in 1916. World War 1 was raging.
This picture was taken in 1923/24. My Uncles Graham and Stuart are in the picture. I notice that “1916” was not painted on the barn at that time. But it occurs to me, why would it? It was only seven or eight years old! Not significant … at that time.
The barn was constructed as a classic hip-roofed barn with lean-to. The main livestock access was four massive rolling doors, two on the west and two on the east. The doors were hung so well that even a little kid like me could move them. The main access for people was a standard sized door on the west, between the big doors, with a funky handle in the centre that moved a wooden 2×4 dead bolt.
The barn featured a massive hayloft on the 2nd story, ventilated by two cupolas. The cupolas were topped with lightning rods which were grounded by long woven cables. The west cupola had a copper weathervane with a horse on the tail of the vane.
The main support beams were solid timbers (probably 10×12).
When both of the big doors on the main part of the barn were open, you could see the Russell Ledingham farm, one mile away. They had a big red barn too! The area between the doors was a large livestock area, with no floor.
Looking in from the west, the pig pen was on the right and it extended about ¾ of the length of the barn. The pig pen had a raised wooden floor. Next was the concrete water trough that was filled from the windmill that stood at the south-east corner of the barn. Finally, there was an enclosed calf pen.
Continuing to look in from the west, there was a calf stall on the left and then a two-horse stall. Then there was an access alley. This alley ran crosswise and lined up with the stairs to the hayloft in the centre of the pig pen. Next was another two-horse stall and finally another enclosed calf pen. These stalls and pens all had wooden floors.
The horse stalls had the names of their last occupants chalked onto the timbers above their hay mangers. (Hey Sally and cousins, do any of you remember the names?)
In the lean-to, there were two milking stalls, with wooden floors, on the right. These would accommodate two cows each. The east section of the lean-to was a large cattle pen, with mangers, but no floor.
A work alley ran the full length of the barn, going west to east, between the hip-roof and lean-to sections.
The barn stood proudly for 91 years until it was demolished to make way for an oil well …
Comment from Edrie (Boyle) Smandych, March 12, 2024:
“I really enjoyed the Barn story today. Very descriptive and I could visualize it in my memories again. Lots of time spent there watching Grandpa milking the cows, being sprayed with milk, pigs being fed and watching the pigs eat. Swinging into the hay loft was not my favourite, but I would do it. After being diagnosed with allergies, many years later, I know why now.”
Click to read the entire “Oh No Grandpa Has Another Story” Gallery!
Verse for today:
“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.”
Perpetual Annual Read-Through-The-Bible – Boyle Park Media, Copyright 2024
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