Lambton County celebrates 175 with historic open door events

Southwestern Ontario rural heritage is being remembered as part of Lambton County’s 175th anniversary celebrations. On September 28 there was an Open Doors event that included stops in Brooke-Alvinston and Enniskillen Township.

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There were mixed feelings at the Shiloh United Church, which is to be closed and demolished in the near future. The church was once part of a three-point charge which also included locations at Alvinston and just a couple miles away at Inwood.

Don McCabe, who farms in the area, said the Shiloh pews will be saved and re-used to replace pews at Inwood United. The old Inwood pews will then be sold in an auction along with other items on October 22.

Supporters and family members with connections remembered with fondness the history of the church which was built in 1899 as a Methodist place of worship at the corner of the Wanstead Road and Shiloh Line.

“This church is known for its fine acoustics; a lot of music went on here,” Kay Allison, a long-time member said.

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Allison said her father Irwin Syer was the pianist and choir master at the church for many years. He passed away two years ago, aged 97.

Christmas concerts were held in the church for 36 consecutive years, she said, ending just a few short years ago.

The church is built on property once owned by William Issac and Jean (Martin) Miner, according to two of their great grandchildren, Charles Miner and Ethel Miner-Clare, who attended many years ago when visiting their grandparents. Charles took the opportunity to talk about his family’s history in North America which he believed began in 1629 when members of the Miner (or Minor) family arrived to New England as part of a Puritan community of immigrants.

In Canada, his great grandfather first farmed at what is now Strathroy, before acquiring additional property in Lambton and moving there. He either passed away or was too ill to sign the documents donating the land for the church grounds which explains why these were signed by his wife.

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The church was originally intended to include space for a cemetery. However, due to an error made by the lawyer overseeing the transaction, not enough land was transferred.

Unfortunately, that mistake is having repercussions today. The church building which is located close to the road, has been interfering with drainage. An agreement was reached with the township for its purchase.

A couple miles from Shiloh United Church, Ray and Marjorie Lloyd opened their property to visitors who had an opportunity to view their extensive collection, much of which is connected to the region’s rural and agricultural heritage. Ray with support from Marjorie started with walking plows and today visitors can spend an entire day looking over the collection and not see everything.

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“I must have supported him or we wouldn’t have so much,” Marjorie said, in response to a question about her role. She added that her husband collects, “anything that catches his eye.”

A fine eye Ray has, having saved many museum-quality artifacts.

Butter churns, washing machines, telephones, toys, and agricultural equipment of all kinds is part of the collection, much it acquired from the Inwood-Alvinston area. Deb Narr who resides in Alvinston, emphasized the importance of the Lloyd’s efforts.

“History is important and the things that we once used and how we used them are history,” she said.

Narr is from Bronte, a former village that is now part of Oakville. Along with Ray, she is a member of the Lambton County Historical Society.

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“In Alvinston, I can clearly see the stars at night and I love the quiet… It reminds me of Bronte back in the 1960s,” she said.

Ray and Marjorie couple have been married for 63 years and Ray, 86, continues to work 500 acres of farmland with help from family members.

More than 30 stops were included as part of the Open Doors event, including several library branch locations, area museums, and a couple homes in Petrolia including Nemo Hall which was built in 1878 by oilman and lumber baron John J. Kerr.

Lambton County is named for John George Lambton, the first elder of Durham. Lambton County initially part of the United Counties of Kent and Essex and became independent jurisdiction in 1852.

Much of what is now Lambton was once swampland. With the introduction of extensive drainage, the area was opened up to agriculture over the last half of the 19th century.

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