Weather

This is the weather the cuckoo likes,
                   And so do I;
When showers betumble the chestnut spikes,
                   And nestlings fly;
And the little brown nightingale bills his best,
And they sit outside at "The Traveller's Rest",
And maids come forth sprig-muslin drest,
And citizens dream of the south and west,
                    And so do I.

This is the weather the shepherd shuns,
                    And so do I;
When beeches drip in browns and duns,
                    And thresh, and ply;
And hill-hid tides throb, throe on thoe,
And meadow rivulets overflow,
And drops on gate-bars hang in a row,
And rooks in families homeward go,
                    And so do I.

~ Thomas Hardy (June 1848 - Jan. 11, 1928)  English novelist, poet.


"It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs." ~ Thomas Hardy

https://www.womensmarch.com/event-details/  On Jan. 21, 2017 women marched on Washington.

Ice Jam Grand River Cayuga

View From Robert Baigent Park Village Side

 

Ouse Street Looking South Toward Tennis Courts

The Old Railway Bridge at Cayuga *

TRAVEL

The railroad track is miles away,
        And the day is loud with voices speaking.
Yet there isn't a train goes by all day
        But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn't a train goes by,
        Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming
But I see its cinders red on the sky,
        And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with the friends I make,
        And better friends I'll not be knowing,
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
         No matter where it's going.

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay  [Feb 22, 1892 - Oct. 19, 1950]  First woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

* The old Cayuga railway bridge is scheduled to become a walking trail. Photo lbw

Haldimand County Museum and Log Cabin

On December 12, 2016, Council ratified Councillor Morison's motion to demolish the museum and move the 1835 log cabin off the Court House Grounds.  The artifacts will be scattered among five libraries and the basement of the planned new admin building.  The archives will be housed in 600 sq. ft. of the planned new Cayuga library.

This story is not over.

Haldimand County Museum & Archives and 1835 Log Cabin

"County Council now has an opportunity to do the right thing.  Defeat this report!"  Will our elected representatives listen to their constituents or will they simply ratify the administrative staff's recommendations?

The 1835 Log Cabin

Settlers often held their land long before a deed could be secured.  The Wintemute deed dates the cabin back to 1818.  Log homes of this exact size and shape were compulsory for a land allotment by government order dated York 1798.  When the Six Nations lands were opened for settlement around 1834 or 35, one of the early pioneers Thomas Nicholas built his log cabin beside the plank road in Oneida, Highway 6.  The Nicholas family came from South Cornwall along the English Channel.  They emigrated to Canada in 1832, located in St. Andrews, Ontario, moved to Calendonia in 1835.  When the family outgrew the little log cabin, additions were made.  Windows were covered over leaving no remains of the former pioneer structure.

Later, the Wintemute family was the owner of the farm home.  The cabin was last used as a home in 1960 and was still owned by the Wintemutes.  In June, 1960 the home was threatened with its removal from the site or to be demolished as there were plans for development of Highway 6.  During the demolition carpenters found that the log cabin was almost in perfect condition.  Mr .Wintemute kindly donated it to the Haldimand Historical Society.

In the fall of 1960 the society became part of Haldimand County and under its jurisdiction as the Haldimand County Museum.  The County arranged for the logs from the cabin to be brought to Cayuga and stored in the jail yard for the winter to be treated for any insects.  Dick Metcalfe, John Metcalfe's father, was the jailor at the time.  The log cabin was rebuilt in 1961 and opened in October of that year.

This year, the current Haldimand County Council has approved an administrative recommendation that the Court House Grounds be cleared of public buildings.  The log cabin is destined to be moved to a location in Cheapside near Selkirk - the Wilson MacDonald Museum.



Future Location of Log Cabin

[Photo:  Court House Grounds lbw]

"The intention is to sell the property, but Morison noted they will ensure 'potential developers provide the kind of use that is best for Cayuga rather than just unloading the property for the developer to do whatever they want."  ~ The Haldimand Press,  Sept. 15, 2016  In response to public protests, presentations, emails, letters and phone calls, Mayor Hewitt has stated in the November 15 Council in Committee meeting that there has been no discussion of selling.

Ward 2 Councillor hosted an eleventh-hour open house on November 22 at which he insisted that this issue can be delayed until January.  However, there has been some insistence by administrative staff that there is a pressing necessity to ratify this report before the new budget.

Please read Report PED-GM-10-2016 on Haldimand County website and contact your councillor.  Council can and in all likelihood will ratify this report on December 12.  The first step toward selling the Court House Grounds is to clear it of all public buildings.