East Greenfield Landmarks
(from the memoirs of V.M. Manning)
Campbell Park
Several acres of land in East Greenfield were given to the Parish of St. Hubert for a park by the landowner, Mr. John Campbell. The M&SC built a spur line right into the park, and it was quite common to see a train of six or more carriages waiting to take picnic parties home to Montreal. It was so popular [that] an outdoor dance platform was built... All disappeared during the depression, and the park became derelict.
Station House School
School in 1916-20 was held in the station. About twenty children in six grades were taught by Miss Pepler and then Miss Astels. The boys and girls sat side by side on long forms that held six. In front of them [was] a long sloping desk with a shelf underneath to hold books.
We were told to stand every morning for prayers and then did some exercises. Each class was brought to stand before the teacher to take their lessons then told to sit down while the next class took their place.
Our parents bought all scribblers, pencils, erasers, and text books though school taxes were high. My father paid fifty dollars a year [in] school taxes even though his wages were $0.25 per hour.
St. Stephen's Church (author unknown)
St. Stephen's Mission Church began in the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. Herring in 1917. The services were conducted by clergy and theological students from the Diocese of Montreal. Later the same year the congregation accepted an offer made by realtor J.F. Campbell and moved to the railway station, where Mrs. S.R. Smith was the first organist and the Sunday school was organized by Mrs. A.J. Foster.
In 1918 Mr. Campbell donated the land, and local carpenter G. Mason, with the help of the male members of the congregation, erected the first church (the officers of which were: Rector's Warden W. Herring; People's Warden C.F. Bames; Vestry Clerk A.J. Foster; Altar Guild Mrs. Herring and Mrs. J. MacIntosh).
Shortly afterwards the first Ladies' Guild was formed and met alternately in the homes of Mrs. Herring and Mrs. MacIntosh.
On May 22, 1945, a cyclone damaged the church beyond repair. There being only about thirty Anglican families in the congregation the Synod was approached with the hope of obtaining a loan to build a new church. This request was refused. The congregation decided to build a new church without outside help. The men demolished the old building, salvaging as much material as possible, the ladies re-organized the Guild to raise funds, church members were canvassed and pledged themselves to contribute what they could afford weekly. In less than a year, through the pledge money, contributions, and the hard work of the Ladies' Guild, there had been raised close to $1,500.00.
On June 2, 1946, under the leadership of Rev. J. Irving, the first corner-stone for the present church was laid.
Through the kindness of K. Spriggs, services were held in his dance hall during the demolition and construction periods.
The new church, being completed in time for Christmas, was dedicated by Bishop Dixon on Dec. 22, 1946. It has since been further beautified by the craftsmanship of V. Manning who created and installed the pulpit and reredos. Later, through the efforts of the Ladies' Guild and men of the congregation, the Church Hall was built.
In 1963, the Senior Citizen's Group, who call themselves "The Happy Gang", was formed by Rev. S. Vaines. Since that time the social activities of this organization have been, and still are, a source of interest and much enjoyment for the older residents of the community.
Skating Pond in the Bush
On Pinehurst, near the railway track (about where Kensington St. is at the present time), a large water hole had been dug by the farmer years earlier for his cattle. By about 1920, when the cattle had gone, this made an excellent skating rink. The thing was to keep it cleared of snow. About three of us kept it clear. Thirty-three had no shovels at home, or perhaps they wanted to keep them there!
Sunday afternoons throughout the winter, this pond was the scene of hockey games, just skating, or just fun. We made our own hockey sticks by finding a suitably bent tree branch and thinning it down. For a hockey puck we used a frozen round fungus, which grows on the side of the white birch tree. We had newspapers and magazines tied round our legs for pads.
Not only boys and girls came to skate but often some grown-ups. None of the older people could skate, as many of them were from England, where the climate did not encourage ice outside. I remember one or two women bringing kitchen chairs over, which they pushed before them to prevent falling down.
One Sunday afternoon a middle-aged man with iron grey [hair] came over, presumably to watch us boys and girls skating around. Suddenly he appeared among us on skates. We were soon to find out that he was a good skater, far better than any of us. We cleared the ice, and he gave us a real demonstration. He stayed half an hour or so. We were sorry to see him go and found out afterwards that he was visiting one of the local families. His name was Dr. Wheeler, and he had been a hockey player when he was at McGill University.
Dance Halls
About 1920, when the First World War was over, ballroom dancing became popular. Dance halls were built in each of the subdivisions: Alexander Hall in the Annex (Croydon); People's Hall in Springfield Park; and Prince of Wales Hall in East Greenfield. Dances were held every Saturday night or perhaps some Saturdays a movie show.
The movie projector was hand-driven, for there was electric light but no small electric motors at that time. Half the time was spent repairing the film, but we enjoyed such actors as Blanch Sweet, Ben Conklin, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin.
The dance floor was all-important, and we bought special thin-soled dancing shoes if we could afford them. This hardwood floor was highly waxed and polished.
The music was provided by a player piano, the property of Mr. and Mrs. Savage, who also had the concession for sandwiches, soft drinks, and tea.