Turkey Tracks hosted by John and Michelle Cameron

The historical barn of John and Michelle Cameron, Wardsville, is the show case for the “Turkey Tracks” barn quilt block. Turkey Tracks is one block of the 30 block George Ward Commemorative Quilt and the Wardsville Barn Quilt Trail. Turkey Tracks symbolizes the basic food of wild turkey that early settlers where able to hunt. Wild Turkeys where reintroduced to Ontario in the 1970′s and have made a tremendous come back.

The Cameron barn is a show stopper! Seeing the tractor, grain hopper, barn and barn quilt in this wintery picture reminds us that Mother Nature can enhance beauty to farm life and make a simple scene look spectacular.

Denise Corneil

Tom and Trish May host the Compass

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Tom and Trish May of 677 Longwoods Road Newbury gladly offered their historical barn to showcase the Compass barn quilt block.  The silver colour of their barn siding and the modern paint colour choices highlight this barn quilt block on the Wardsville barn quilt trail.

Travelling through the dense Carolinian Forest in 1810, following dirt paths and deer trails, adventurers used the compass to navigate.

Compass as a Navigational Aid

The first person recorded to have used the compass was Zheng He (1371-1435) from the Yunnan province in China.

Navigation through this area was challenging.  The trees of Longwood’s were large and old. The forest was dense with thick-branched trees.  Trees rose one hundred feet to block out the sun during daylight hours so travellers had to have a good sense of direction.

George Ward and fellow settlers could ‘blaze a trail’, making hatchet marks on the trees along the path they travelled. To find their way back, they simply followed the marked trees.

 

World Premiere in Wardsville March 4, 2012

Egg Farmers of Ontario sponsor the Maple Leaf

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Centennial Maple Leaf was installed by newly weds Eric and Sarah Simpson on their Woodgreen barn soon after their wedding,  July 17, 2010.  Eric and Sarah are young egg farmers whose quilt block was sponsored by Egg Farmers of Ontario.

Centennial Maple Leaf

The Centennial Maple Leaf is an integral part of our Canadian history. It was designed for Canada’s one hundredth anniversary in 1967. The people of Wardsville chose this symbol for a quilt block to celebrate the Village’s bicentennial and to express our awareness of the greater connection our community has with Canada as a whole.

The maple tree is well regarded for its sap and wood. Its leaves are soaked to create a special wood stain to protect wood products. The maple leaf is a local and national symbol. Our maple trees are a source of pride for our country and our beginnings in the North American wilderness.

 

 

 

Egg Farmers of Ontario are the proud sponsors of the Centennial Maple Leaf

 

Stained Glass Window hosted by Wardsville United Church

In the early 1800s, there were no churches. Settlement was sparse. This was a time for personal direction in faith and ‘saddlebag’ preachers. These men of God traveled from place to place on horseback, ministering to the people.  Whatever building was available was transformed into a sacred space for baptizing, preaching, and performing marriage services and funeral services.
While there was no church during Ward’s time, it is evident that George and Margaret Ward were devout Anglicans. They strove to exemplify Christian values and taught their children well. Their faith was strongly connected to their experiences of new life, growth and establishing their new home.
In the 1840s and 1850s, George Ward’s immediate descendants allocated pieces of land from his British crown land grant to committees to establish churches in the town of Wardsville.

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Written by Rosemary Cranney, Becky Clarke and Ken Willis