Tom and Trish May host the Compass

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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.

 

LeMoyne Star in Rodney Ontario

Le Moyne Star painted by Allan Watson Rodney Ontario

After months of waiting the LeMoyne Star has finally appeared on the garage door of Allan Watson, Rodney Ontario. Allan contacted me several months ago about his plan for “gettin on the barn quilt trail” He has sent along a little bit of information about his project.

Block name: LeMoyne Star (also The Divided Star, Star of the East, North Star, Louisiana Star).
This block was created prior to 1860. It is named after the LeMoyne brothers who settled in Louisiana in 1690 and founded the city of New Orleans. It is often called “Lemon Star” in the North.
The Watson’s found this block on a website and immediately fell in love with the colors and design. If you’re travelling South on the  Furnival road into Rodney check out this fabulous art piece. Here’s the address, 289 Furnival Rd Rodney ON.

Great job! Thanks for getting involved.

Denise

Woodland Path

In the early 1780s, the stretch of land between Amherstburg and Delaware was little more than dense forest. Southwestern Ontario was not the thriving and inhabited area that we know so well. Very few people lived here and travel through the dense forest was limited.
The first people to traverse the dense forest were the native communities along the Thames River. They named the woods ‘Longwood’s’ and carved out a rough path through the forest. The Indian trail was hard to follow and traders often lost their way in the dense woods.  Imagine Skunk’s Misery 200 years ago!
Upon rumours of war in 1810, George Ward was asked by the British army to settle and construct an inn along the Longwood’s path. Construction of the inn required the clearing of timber and more traffic increasingly defined the path. By the time the war was in motion in 1812, the Longwood’s path was a key military route and steadily expanded in size and importance.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Woodland Path proudly sponsored by City Centre Archives - Steven Bradley and Alicia Nelms

Media invited for sneak peak June 18 at 9:30 am

Media invitation for a pre-screening and photo opportunity:
June 18, 2010
9:30 a.m.
Little Kin Ball Park, Wardsville

Barb Urbach of Crocodile Productions with son, Benjamin

On June 18, 2010, the media is invited for a sneak peak at the 30 freshly painted “barn quilts”, the latest craze in rural folk art. One of the 8 foot square murals was painted by young artists from Mosa Central School in the Municipality of Southwest Middlsex Sex.

The young Mosa students are coming to Wardsville Little Kin Park at 9:30 am by bus to view the “Old Country Church” barn quilt that they painstakingly painted. They will learn about the local history of Wardsville, Mr George Ward and the War of 1812. There’s a rumour that there will be ice cream cones.

Thirty eight foot square murals painted by a small community in a few short weeks has been no small task. After the barn quilts have been displayed to the public during the June 18-20, 2010 weekend, they will be installed on carefully selected barns and public meetings for the public to enjoy when they drive through the community.

Wardsville Bicentennial – a tribute to local pioneers and artists – is one of the first events to mark the Bicentennial of the War of 1812-14.

Mary Simpson learning to cross hatch from Gwen Card, fine artist from Snappin Appin