Kings County Vignettes
Automobile and Fishing Trip to the Land of Evangeline - 1908
This article was submitted by Neil Brennan who is a relative of Samuel E. Farnsworth. The "Four Fs" as they refer to themselves are Mr. E. H. Fitch. Harry Fitch, A. H. Foster and Samuel E. Farnsworth. The driver was Frank Labrash.
MARLBORO MASS, JUNE 2, 1908. On the above date the four Fs with chauffeur left this business for a two weeks auto and fishing trip through the Annapolis Valley leaving Marlboro, Mass. About eight o'clock in their auto, via South Farmingham to Boston.
We were booked for Yarmouth, N. S. on the Steamer Boston leaving Boston at the foot of State Street at one o'clock. We enjoyed a delightful sail, and as the sun went down, we found a beautiful evening before us, not a cloud to be seen. At five o'clock we were called to supper, but only a few of us could do justice to this meal as we were out of sight of land, and the old ocean was tossing the big steamer around as lightly as one could an egg shell. At eleven o'clock all that could find a space two feet by six even on the hard floor without pillows, were glad to do so. With a heavy swell on we felt much better lying down than in any other position. After a time we all forgot our troubles, and when we saw the sun the next morning, we found that we were nearing a foreign shore. Long before we reached the landing, we saw many at this early hour to welcome us to this shore. We were soon informed that the wheels of our auto could not turn for several hours as we were obliged to call on the custom house officials first and make a deposit of $140.00 before they would give us a permit to take our machine from the landing, the above amount to be paid us on our return providing we did not dispose of the automobile. After receiving our permit from the Government officials, we found we must buy gasoline for our machine and supplies for our table. This business concluded, we were ready for a start. Leaving Yarmouth about two o'clock we made a run of twenty miles to Salmon River and put up our tent for the first night. Each man in charge of a certain part of the work made things very easy. A. H. Foster, tent man; S. E. Farnsworth, steward and cook; Harry Fitch, fireman; E. H. Fitch, wood and water man; and Frank Labrash in charge of the Auto.
TUESDAY JUNE 4th: We left Salmon River after breakfast with a run of twenty-five miles to Belleveau Cove. Here we boiled lobsters for dinner, after which we made a run of five miles to Weymouth. At this place we took a birdseye view of this pretty village.
We had a great deal of trouble with the teams. The horses were much frightened at our automobile and even the men, women and children were excited. After a short stay we make another run of twenty-five miles to Digby. Here we put up our tent for the night. On our run from Weymouth we had many laughable experiences with the people. When meeting teams we were obliged to come to a full stop with each team we met. Many were so nervous and excited that they would call for help, and begin to use the whip as soon as we came in sight of them. This of course, made our traveling somewhat slower than it would otherwise have been but the pleasure was all ours. Here we passed many horses hitched by the road-side to feed. Many of them would run and jump, break their rope and we would lose sight of them in the distance.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5th: We broke camp early and started on another sight-seeing day. Running into Digby village, a distance of two miles, we made a short stop to write a word to our friends and families. Our next stop of any note was Victoria Cove, four miles from Bear River. Here we stopped to dig clams and to fish in order to procure something for dinner. We continue our run until we came within four miles of Annapolis, where we stopped two hours for dinner and rest; also for milk, butter and eggs. We usually stopped at some prosperous farm house for our supply, and were always welcome. In many instances we were ushered into the best room and were entertained by some of the fair daughters, while the mother would proceed to the dairy for fresh eggs, butter and milk for us. In order to keep in the good graces of the mother, we usually asked permission to take a snap-shot of her fair daughters as a gentle reminder of the places where we called. We next made a run to Round Hill, a distance of seven miles. It is very hilly and rough here and this with the timid horses and drivers made very slow running for us. We enjoyed the scenery very much. It was a beautiful sight to see the hills and valleys in velvet green and each orchard while and pink in their spring dresses.
A.H. Foster's uncle and grandmother live here. His grandmother is eighty-six years old and is quite smart, she enjoyed the arrival of the "American Party" quite as well as the younger members of the family. Through the kindness of Mr. Albert Foster we pitched our tent on his land opposite this house and began at once making preparations for supper. Our menu consisted of brook trout and salmon, cream of wheat, boiled potatoes, white bread, hot coffee, new milk and butter. After supper when our dishes were washed, we prepared our beds, after which we took a stroll through the village. Of course we were interested in the "Country Grocery" where all the village topics are discussed pro and con, until nine o'clock when all go home and dream of another day.
SATURDAY, JUNE 6th: We broke camp early this morning as we intended to reach AYLESFORD and find a good camping ground before dark. After breakfast we had a delightful ride of ten miles to Bridgetown, passing many prosperous farms with extensive orchards in full bloom. The road is very fine from Round Hill to Bridgetown we made a stop here of nearly two hours for sight seeing, and some of the boys purchased more collars-this is a pretty place and everyone seems to be contented and none in a hurry. Our next stop was at the farm of John Moore & Sons, cousins of Mr. Earnest Fitch. Mr. Morse is the owner of a very large farm of 500 acres, and a large orchard of 2000 trees which are nearly all in bloom. He is always sure of 2000 barrels of nice fruit each season. We made a short stop here and then continued our journey to Middleton, visiting all the business places and purchasing more supplies for our table.
We next made a run of several miles over a poor, sandy road until we reached the county line between Annapolis and Kings County. Here we stopped in a shady place for dinner and fishing, promising ourselves not to go farther until we caught trout enough for the "hungry five".
After satisfying our hunger with the speckled beauties, we continued our journey for several miles to the beautiful town of Auburn, Kings County Nova Scotia. Arriving at this beautiful little town of rest, we found everything as we left it one year ago.
We had planned to make our headquarters here if we could find a suitable place for tenting. Mr. Fitch directed us to the beautiful farm of Mr. Milton Potter. Here we found friends in Mr. and Mrs. Potter at once and with their kind consent we placed our tent on their grounds, it being one of the most lovely spots in Nova Scotia. Mr. and Mrs. Potter with their large open hearts, did everything in their power to make our stay with them a happy one. We soon decided upon these beautiful grounds for our permanent headquarters while at Auburn, with a row of fine trees for a background, and hundreds of beautiful apple trees in full bloom in front of our tent, could one ask for a more lovely spot?
We soon had our tent up and then the unpacking of our auto began, with the addition of a few hundred pounds of nice clean straw for the bottom of our tent, we were soon ready for the night, after supplying the inner man with all the dainties of our larder, we began to realize it was Saturday night and something must be done for food for the morrow, the nearest store was two miles away, but we soon harnessed up our Auto and were on our way to market for supplies.
Sunday morning came and we were up bright and early, after a nice breakfast of ham and eggs, baked beans, bread, butter, trout, hot coffee and toast we washed up and shook the wrinkles from our clothes, and were ready to make a few calls on our friends and relatives before church time. In the evening many of our friends called on us, several came in teams and they soon made us feel at home, it was twelve o'clock before the last one bade us good night with a two mile drive before him. Then came the hustle of getting our beds ready for the night.
MONDAY JUNE 8th: This morning all hands went trouting, we caught a fine string and returned in time for dinner. Our menu consisted of fine trout, eggs, potatoes, rye bread, doughnuts and hot coffee. In the afternoon we enjoyed a ride around the town and returned in time for supper.
TUESDAY, JUNE 9th: We had breakfast at five o'clock and left for Grand Pre, a distance of thirty-five miles. We made quick run of twenty miles to Kentville without a mishap, this is a beautiful town with fine large orchards. Mr. R. S. Eaton is the owner of the largest and best equipped farm in town, and he owns the largest orchard in the county which contains 125,000 trees, in a good year he realizes 1,000,000 barrels of nice apples. After visiting nearly every business place in town, we stopped here for dinner and then made a thirty mile run to Grand Pre and back to Kentville for supper, this was a magnificent trip through a very prosperous farming section, each farm with its extensive orchards in full bloom, and as white as snow. Thus we journeyed on passing farm houses and orchards in rapid succession, the soil is a very rich red loam and very productive, each farmer was very busy with his spring work. As we passed we saw them with their fine teams plowing, harrowing and rolling the ground as fast as possible, as the season was from one to three weeks late. The grass looked very fine with every appearance of a heavy crop. When we came in view of the spacious dykes, one unaccustomed to such sights cannot find words to express his thoughts. We looked for miles on either side and all we could seed was the heavy green carpet of grass before us-not a stump, rock, or hill in sight. We were told that after haying thousands of cattle we turned out on dykes for feeding purposes by nearby farmers.
Is it any wonder that this country supports so many fine cattle and horses and makes so much fine butter and cheese with so little effort? This golden butter, fresh from the churn, we bought each morning for our table at 20 cents per pound; fresh eggs direct from the nest at 12 cents per dozen; beautiful rich cheese made on the spot at 15 cents; best of steaks at 15 cents; finest sugar cured hams at 15 cents a pound. We had the best, as the proprietor was short of help and the writer cut and weighed the ham himself.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10th: This morning we had our breakfast at five o'clock and with a two horse hitch, we left at an early hour for Margaretsville and Morden for our deep sea fishing trip. We went by the way of Kingston, taking the vault road, for miles we traveled up through this deep narrow passage, on either side we were obliged to raise our eyes nearly perpendicular to see the blue sky, this narrow passage was heavily wooded on both sides and was a charming sight for me not accustomed to such a treat. We journeyed on mile after mile wending our way higher and higher until we reached the top, then we traveled some way on level ground until we gradually began to descend toward the ocean, we soon reached Margaretsville, a little fishing town on the Bay of Fundy, where the tide rises and falls forty feet every twelve hours. On arriving here we found the fisherman nearly ready for a start for the fishing grounds, some our party went deep sea fishing and the rest found lobsters for dinner, we soon prepared our dinner, and were ready to go down to the weir and try our luck with the scoop net, we had good luck catching salmon, mackerel, pollock, codfish and silver hake.
To those unaccustomed to this way of fishing, I will try to explain a little. In the first place several men club together and build a wall of rocks and timber two feet high in the form of a circle about fifty feet across. This wall of course is made open so that the water will run through as the tide ebbs away. On the top of this wall is a heavy net four feet high, made of coarse twine, supported by long pilings driven into sand at the base, and held in position by the stone wall with an opening on the upper side toward the beach, also with long arms running back toward the shore for several hundred feet. This is made so that the fish running against this fence as one might call it, forty feet high and lined with this heavy net will be unable to go any farther in this direction, and will naturally swim along this netting toward the sea until they come to the opening in the enclosure, and will swim into the cage, little thinking they are swimming into a place where they can never return to the ocean and then the tide ebbs away leaving them in a pool of water about eighteen inches deep. Then one man stands in the centre of the pool with a scoop net, and another man with a pole will walk around in the pool and drive the fish into the net. Every twelve hours this pool fills up with all kinds of fish. This was the greatest fishing experience of the writer's life.
At this place we met a friend of ours, a Mr. Merry, formerly of Marlborough, Massachusetts. Two years ago he did what many of us should do, tired of shop and city life he went to Margaretville, Nova Scotia and purchased a nice little farm and can live with ease the remainder of his days, and is not tied to the clock and whistle any more, but can work and play when he feels like it.
At five o'clock we bade our friends good-by and left for Morden, a distance of seven miles over the roughest road we ever saw, over hills and through the valleys we rushed at breakneck speed, expecting at any moment to be hurled into the bushes on either side of the road. The writer sat on the seat with the driver and many times pleaded with him to be more careful and drive more slowly, for if one of the horses should make a misstep we would never see our friends and families again.
At last we arrived at Morden Bay, we found that we could not reach Aylesford as we had planned in time for supper, this being quite a disappointment, as we had been invited out for super at Edward Brennan's on the North Mountain, we therefore stopped opposite the French Cross and prepared a supper in a short time fit to place before the king. After supper we journeyed on reaching the foot of the North Mountain about eight o'clock, three hours behind time, but enjoyed every moment of this outing.
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 1908: Today we all went visiting, as Mr. E. H. Fitch, Harry Fitch, and A. H. Foster had many calls to make among friends and relatives, and the writer visited his cousin Edward Brennan, and made several calls on the neighbours.
FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1908: After breakfast the writer made a pleasant call at the home of Mr. Charles VanBuskirk, returning home Master Frank Brennan harnessed the horse and we enjoyed a nice ride to Camp Auburn, the writer had been away nearly twenty-four hours and on his return found the stock of provisions running low after looking over our list, we went to Aylesford for more supplies, on returning we found Mrs. Norris Margerson sister of Mr. E. H. Fitch's from Kentville, who had brought with her a large basket of cooked provisions containing veal, bread, cake, and lettuce. This is a sample of the way we were received by our Nova Scotia friends. After dinner Mrs. Margerson left for home on the 3:30 train.
Someone suggested that we hold a lawn party at Camp Auburn Saturday evening, on the spur of the moment we harnessed up our auto and went through the village, inviting all our friends and neighbours to attend a lawn party at Camp Auburn, Saturday evening everyone was much pleased and accepted our invitation with pleasure.
We received an invitation to visit the Misses Musgraves Boarding School this evening which we accepted. We were highly entertained with music, singing, and reading, and were also served with delicious ice cream and cake, this was a very enjoyable evening coming to a close much too soon, and we were very sorry when the time came to say good-night, and to return to Camp Auburn, thinking that one more day of enjoyment had slipped away from us.
SATURDAY, JUNE 13th: When we awoke this morning it was raining hard and no signs of clearing weather, with our invitations out and everything in readiness for our party, we watched all day for the sun to come out, but were disappointed, in the afternoon we cut the grass on the lawn and made some seats and a fine swing, we also placed a large sign over the tent door with these words "CAMP AUBURN, ALL ARE WELCOME". Seven o'clock came and it stopped raining, seventy-five of our friends came to see us, and had it been pleasant there would have been over two hundred with an immense bonfire that dried the dampness off the lawn and cast a glow to the surroundings, we had a general good time, being favored with music and singing.
SUNDAY, JUNE 14th: This our last day at Camp Auburn, we were all invited out to dinner and also for supper, in the evening we received another invitation to the Misses Musgraves and were highly entertained with music and singing by the scholars and teachers. After thanking our hostesses for their kind hospitality, we bade them good night and good-by, and returned to Camp Auburn to dream of the many happy days with our friends at Auburn, Nova Scotia.
MONDAY, JUNE 15th: We arose early this morning, and breakfast over, we began making preparations for breaking camp. Many of our neighbours arose early to give us the final good-by and best wishes for a pleasant journey homeward. It was a beautiful morning after the heavy rain, and the country looked its best as the sun came up over the mountain side. At six o'clock we turned our faces homeward for first time after fourteen of the most enjoyable days of our lives.
Passing through Middleton, Lawrencetown, and Paradise on our way home by the post road. We took several snap-shots at these places. We found the road very poor and our progress was quite slow for miles. The orchards and farms were somewhat smaller than those we saw farther east, between Lawrencetown and Paradise we stopped for lunch and a short rest.
Arriving at Bridgetown, we visited many business places and took several snap-shots, on leaving this town we made good time, as the roads were in good condition and the weather cool and pleasant, between Bridgetown and Digby, the land was not as rich as that farther east, and the farms and buildings did not show the prosperity that was so noticeable in many other places through which we passed.
On arriving at Digby about six o'clock, we were soon surrounded by people making inquiries about our auto and our trip. Here we purchased fish and other supplies needed for our supper, then we made a run of two miles out of the village and put up our tent for the night, with our fish we made a ten quart kettle full of chowder and all agreed it was the best we had tasted for years.
TUESDAY, JUNE 16th: We packed up at six o'clock after a hearty breakfast, and made a run of fifteen miles to Port Gilbert. The road was good from Digby to this town, but we noticed a decided change in the houses and the little plots of land. The occupation is fishing instead of farming, and the houses are cheaply built, paint being unknown to many of them, our machine was a wonder to most of the horses. As we came in sight, the people alighted from their wagons and would lead their poor frightened horses into the woods or fields, that we might pass, we caused only one accident as far as we know trying to very careful and to lend a helping hand when necessary. One laughable incident occurred when we met a gentleman with two young ladies in a wagon going to market with butter and eggs, the young ladies alighted from the wagon leaving the father to drive the team into the brook to let us pass, they beckoned us to come along, the horses being perfectly calm until we came opposite, at once they became unmanageable and the old gentleman, being very nervous, pointed his horses between two trees for the open field. Unfortunately the trees were not far enough apart to allow the wagon to pass, the horses went through leaving the old man and the wagon in the brook, the first thought of the writer was to obtain a picture of the accident and then all hands went to look for the horse which we soon found, after repairing the harness they thanked us for our kindness, and went on their way.
We soon arrived at St. Mary's Bay and called on Harry Fitch's uncle, they invited us to remain to dinner and we accepted the invitation enjoying a pleasant call of several hours, at this place the bay is very narrow, less than four miles wide, the occupation being fishing and farming.
Before leaving here it commenced to rain and continued all the afternoon, on arriving at Weymouth we stopped for gasoline and visited several business places, one very pretty young lady gave us permission to take her picture, for which the writer promised to send a copy by mail. After leaving Weymouth we made a run of forty miles to Salmon River in a heavy downpour of rain, we went for miles through mud and water six inches deep.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17th: The weather is bright and cool after the heavy rain of yesterday, we made an early start and found the roads much better than we expected, making a quick run to Port Maitland which is a pretty little town, the houses are new and modern and show prosperity on every side. The farms are larger and better than we have seen since leaving Bridgetown, here we stopped for breakfast and prepared our last meal before arriving at Yarmouth. After which we washed and packed our dishes away for the last time. Entering the city everything looked beautiful after the refreshing rain of yesterday, the lawns were green and closely clipped and reminded us that the owners were not far behind their brothers in the states. We soon found a nice stable where our machine was washed and the brass trimmings were polished before going aboard the steamer. It was very cool this morning and one needed his entire wardrobe to feel comfortable, arriving at the landing we noticed large teams loading watermelons, bananas and lemons that came on the morning boat, many of the goods were shipped by well-known Boston firms and it almost made one forget that he was in a foreign land. At six o'clock all on board waited for the signal to haul in the gang plank and "All a shore must stay ashore" as far as our steamer was concerned. As we stood upon the steamer's deck watching the last glimpses of Yarmouth landing we began to realize that our happy days of the four Fs Camping, fishing and Auto Trip were fast coming to an end. Soon we were out to sea with a heavy swell on, after twelve o'clock in Boston the next morning at 9:30 without a mishap to mar the pleasure of our trip.
Leaving Boston in our automobile we enjoyed a delightful ride through Sudbury, Wayland to Marlborough, Massachusetts. At four o'clock we bade each one good-by and left for our several homes.