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HomeMy WebLinkAbout731"Article taken from the News Advertiser, Wednesday, July 31, 1985, pages c1 to c4, written by Richard Beals and photos by B.G. Niddrie. Hands of time stopped in Greenwood This is the first of a series on the northern hamlets of Pickering. Writer Richard Beales tours the historic sites of Greenwood this week with Pickering Councillor Norah Stoner. I wandered to the summit, They named It Greenwood Hill; Many times went I as a boy, And love to go there still. Such a panoramic picture, To North and East arid West Of farm lands, woods and rivulets, An ideal place to rest. Against this pleasant hillside A village lies serene. In days that have gone by Was quite a busy scene. Where grist mill, store and shop Were going in full sway. Now turned to a summer place. Here children come to play. I've wandered many places Both near and far and wide. But at the top of this hill, , Is where I would abide. By W. J. Brown Greenwood Hill. By Richard Beales GREENWOOD • I don't know who W. J. Brown was, or when he penned those words. All I know is, they capture the feeling Greenwood residents have for their community. Time seems to stand still In Greenwood. Some buildings have been here since the early part of the 19th century, when the village was in its infancy as a milling community. Others have since been added, a few at a time. History is the watchword. If a Greenwood building isn't legitimately old and steeped in character (most of them are), it at least looks like it is. Former Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker lived in this Greenwood house as a child, while his father taught school in the village. My tour of Greenwood starts at the corner of Greenwood Road and Concession 6, at the foot of W. J. Brown's favorite hill. I'm in the British Arms Inn, once a stop for 19th-Century wayfarers and now the home of Pickering regional councillor Norah Stoner. We go out to the driveway and hop into Norah's station wagon. Here, in deference to the home's roots, the Union Jack and the Canadian maple leaf fly proudly, side by side. We head south down Greenwood Road. Norah explains that the once-corduroy lane was a forced road; it follows the course of the east branch of Duffin's Creek, because this was a milling community. Along the west side of the road – or, as the original citizens of Greenwood would have it, the east bank of the east Duffin's – is the See The…Page C3 Photos by B.G. Niddrie " "[Sections new from page 1 as follows:] Pickering regional councillor North Stoner (inset) now lives in Greenwood's historic British Arms Inn with her husband Bill and family. The Green family's second house, nestled atop a hill just off Greenwood Road, is one of the most magnificent sights in the north Pickering village. " "The hands of time stopped in Greenwood FROM PAGE C1 site of the original mill, built by Squire Green. Now, a fine stone house sits on the original foundation, a quaint antique bell gracing the top. Squire Green was the first Green of Greenwood. The foundation of his cottage still remains, across the road from the foundation of his mill. Now, a charming grey house is built on top. Further down Greenwood Road, Norah pulls into a driveway to show me the Green family's second house, a magnificent red brick manor in classic Georgian style. ""To tell you the truth, it's my favorite house in Greenwood,"" she says. We turn around and head back north, up the gentle curve of Greenwood Road. To our left, before we reach Concession 6, is the Pickering Museum Village, a reconstruction of a pioneer-day village - complete with log cabins, an old church, a steam-up barn, a blacksmith's shop and antique implements galore. Curator Gord Brackett tells me the people of Greenwood didn't want the museum when it was moved here from Brougham in the 70s, after the federal airport land expropriation. Today, it's a major attraction, regarded as fully in keeping with Greenwood's love of history. The initial hesitance to accept new ventures is understandable, given the perspective of Greenwood folks. ""They're very protective,""-Norah says. ""Very concerned about maintaining the very precious lifestyle they have in this village. It's self-contained not on a main highway (Highway 7 bypasses to the north). There's a country atmosphere, a historic atmosphere that's just minutes away from Toronto."" Oddly enough, the blacksmith's shop transplanted from Brougham onto the museum site originally belonged in Greenwood. As we drive up Greenwood Road to Concession 6, Norah shows me the spot where it stood, just to the west of the general store. The ""new"" blacksmith's shop sits on the other side. Behind it, up a laneway, stand Frederick Green's circa-1920 Greenwood House and an original building from the village's second mill. Green was apparently a man of many talents. Not only did he run the mill and a creamery, but his excellent peony gardens were internationally famous. The Greenwood General Store sits on Concession 6, looking much as it did in the mid-19th Century. Today, owner-operator Lavinia Clarke keeps the old-time feeling alive. She's introduced home-made knitting and crafts since taking over at the start of this year. We head east along Concession 6. The street is a veritable history book of architectural treasures -- the original farmhouse of the old Norwood farm, the pharmacists' house, the midwife's house, and the ""old [Continued on next page of this electronic document.] The Greenwood General Store looks much as it did in the mid-19th Century, when Greenwood was a burgeoning mining village." "[Continued from previous page.] salt box house,"" the oldest in Greenwood. Also along this stretch is the boyhood home of former Canadian prime minister, the late John Diefenbaker. Diefenbaker's father taught school in the village when the Chief was a young lad. The schoolhouse he taught in still stands, as well. The building, 125 years old, is no longer used in its original capacity. Now, says Norah, ""it's the prettiest library in the town of Pickering."" We turn south down Westney Road, where it sits on the right-hand side. Stepping out of the car, Norah leads me to the back of the building, where the valley is clearly visible, just as W. J. Brown imagined it. It's a lovely sight, revealing the expanse of the community park. Local residents worked hard to create the park, Norah says, through years of community fund-raisers, dances and the like. Now, it boasts a large community centre building, a lighted ball diamond, lighted tennis courts, a tobogganing hill and playground equipment. ""It's the complete park,"" says Norah. She's pleased with her community. Unlike many of the 250 other residents, Norah, her husband Bill and children weren't raised here; they moved here by choice. ""I searched for over a year for this village,"" Norah recalls. ""It took me a year of coming out into the country within a 25-mile radius of Toronto -- [five] days a week -- to find this village."""