535-03 Page 55Once a one-horse town - --------- -___
IN
Sweaburg has seen a lot of changes
By Lynda Korn
Around 1862, the community of
Sweaburg was described as
having "one church, two steam
saw mills, one grist mill, several
shingle makers, one shingle
factory, one store, one tavern and
a post office, population 150".
In those days small com-
munities were isolated. What a
farmer needed was usually
located at the nearest crossroad.
Sweaburg (orFloodtown as
originally named) was one of
these. But its history goes back
before white men came.
While digging a farm pond
south west of, Sweaburg a few
years ago, the skeleton of a
mastoden was found. This is a
mammel like an elephant which
has long been distinct. The area
where the skeleton was found was
once covered by a lake. On the
shores of this lake Indians used to
camp. Some of the arrow heads
found on what was, once the
shoreline, are in Walter Pullen's
museum.
Around this lake the area was
covered by an evergreen forest.
A forest fire completely des-
troyed the trees around the
1700's. A hardwood forest then
grew up and covered the land.
Because of the fine stand of
trees on the land the settlers were
convinced the land was fertile.
With many springs flowing into
the streams, it was easy to set up
saw mills to cut the lumber.
When the lumber was cleared,
farming began.
Settlers began arriving in
Oxford county around 1780. To
get their grants of land a road
had to be built from Burlington to
Ingersoll and on to London. This
became known as the Stage
Road. Another road was built
from the Stage Road to Norwich.
One of the stopping points on
the Norwich Road around 1785,
was Sweaburg. It was called
Floodtown originally, because
the first store operator was a H.
Flood.
As the settlers began to farm
the rich fertile land, a community
began to grow up around the
store which is still used as a
general store today. Because
many buildings have disap-
peared with time, it is hard to
realize that the quiet little
community was once triving with
the coaching barn on the diagonal
corner from the store.
Right across from the coaching
barn the first sawmill operated
by steam in Sweaburg. It was
owned by John Carr. His was a
sawmill, grist mill and cider mill
combined, and was one of three
sawmills operating in the area.
Nearly 100 years later a second
store and post office combined
was built in 1857 by James A.
Cody. He located his business
right next to the coaching barn.
Besides being postmaster, Cody
was also the justice of the peace
and money lender.
It was around this time that
Floodtown was changed to
`Sweaburg'. No particular reason
was ever given. It is known that
the small port of Sweaborg in the
Gulf of Finland protected the city
of Helsingford during the
Crimean War, around the time
when the community changed its
name. Down through the ye:
the spelling was changed from
"o" to a "u".
After 45 years as owner a
GARDENS TO GET
52-FOOT GIFT?t`ao
Free Press Woodstock Bureau
BEACHVILLE — Storybook Gardens will
benefit from the retirement of Mr. and Mrs,
Fred Lowes of Beachville.
It will receive the Loaves' herd of 13 deer, ,
which has been an attraction to motorists
passing the Lowe farm.
The Lowes said they have sold most of
their farm to housing contractors; and same
have much room for the. herd. They
Storybook Gardens is the ideal location fat,,;
the animals, who are like pets but frighten?
easily.
The Lowes said the herd was started it t,,
--.1950 when Herb Clar, a local game wardeDp`
asked them to care for an injured fawn.:"
They became attached to the ce ane animal an(
asked to keep it, acquiring
so.
Two Japanese Sika deer were added neati._;
and formed the nucleus for the present her( F.=
of 12 Sika and one fnrah e move has been
day the ball diamond has fresh
gravel, and a repaired screen, a
new board fence, and everything
has a fresh coat of paint.
Early recreation in Sweaburg
included a lawn bowling green
which James Pullen later opened
behind the store and still existed
until the 1930's. The old post
office and store were sold in 1932
to Gordon Wiseman, and the
buildings were torn down.
A lot of buildings have
disappeared with time, including
schools, halls, church manses
and the churches themselves.
The first school built in 1857, was
replaced 20 years later. Both
were called S.S. No. 7. The latter
remained standing until the 401
or MacDonald Cartier Freeway
was built north of Sweaburg; too
close to the school for concen-
tration.
A new two room brick building
was built in the hamlet, and the
flag pole from the north school
(which flies a cross and skull
bones occasionally on a
Halloween night) was moved to
the new public school grounds.
The school was opened on Dec. 2,
1955, and in 1959 a new addition
was opened. The new addition
contained a library, store -room,
and a large double room with a
sliding door.
A lodge hall once located at the
operator of the store Mr. Cody
retired. He had been Sweaburg
postmaster for 27 years. The
store was sold to James Pullen a
prominent resident of Sweaburg,
around the early 1900's. He
served West Oxford as councillor
and reeve for many years, and
was Warden of Oxford County at
one time. He also ran un-
successfully for Parliament as a
Conservative.
James Pullen was responsible
for many improvements in and
around Sweaburg. One of the
most noticeable are the cement
sidewalks which are rare for a
country community to have.
Charles Pullen lives in his
father's house, and it was
between this red brick house and
the creek, that James kept a
small field open for ball games
and picnics, across from the
present park.
The Sweaburg community park
was purchased in 1927, and had
many ball games and garden
parties. By the early 60's the park
had fallen into disuse.
All that could be seen of the
park through the weeds were the
lopsided pillar gates, the rusty
poles for the swings, a dil-
apidated ball screen, and a
shabby refreshment booth. To -
a
usawl
Free Press Woodstock Bureau t i l
BEACHVILLE — Beachville District His-
torical. Society members are cataloguing
more than 300 items for the opening of a
museum in the former -..Anglican church
i here.
The church closed last year and the soci-
ety is renovating it as a museum.
Interest in the museum was spurred by a
1967 centennial project in which the society
operated a temporary museum in a former
store.
Items obtained for the museum include
' farm implements, household items, clothing
j and more than 100 pictures.
Beachville was one of the first areas of
Oxford County to be settled when John Car -
front of the cemetery grounds
could be rented for $1 in winter
and 50 cents in the summer. It
was erected by the ancient order
of Forester.
The present church is one of
many, starting with log churches,
and later wooden frame churches
to the present yellow brick one
which was. opened Oct. 14, 1088.
Behind the church is a shed
once used as a hitching barn for
the buggies in by -gone days.
Today it is used as a rink. The
church bell installed when the
church was built still calls the
slow dressers to church.
Although there is a new church
and school, the first store is still
there. But there is no post -office
and certainly no tavern. The
stream that supported the mills is
now a tiny creek, and the
business located there now is a
sand and gravel company, which
took the place of the lumbering
companies once the trees were
gone.
Free Press Woodstock Bureau
Nancy Avery, Beachville, is surrounded by relics from Oxford County's
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