At The Mill

The Official Newsletter of the O'Hara Volunteers Association

Fall 2007

From The Board

What a year!!!

Thanks to all of our great volunteers, O’Hara Mill Homestead experienced a banner year. We had record attendance at most events, set a new record for revenues from the Annual Dinner & Auction, and attracted visitors from many far away places. Many of our projects have been completed or are well on there way (read the newsletter to find out more). The year 2007 has set the pace for the future. By building on our successes, O’Hara Mill Homestead will have another great year in 2008. We have more great things planned for this year beginning with our Annual General Meeting, which will take place on January 15, in the Community Hall in Eldorado, Ontario. The doors will be open at 6:00 p.m. for the viewing of displays, and the formal meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. with presentations, followed by elections and refreshments. Everyone’s welcome and we encourage all to attend.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers. The term “Volunteers” refers to all who have given time, resources, donations or even just some friendly advice to the board in the last year. We could not do it with out you.
Thanks again!!!!

From the Board of Managers
The O’Hara Volunteers Association

From the House & School Committees
RECORD NUMBERS
Our 2007 season closed with the Homestead boasting record numbers of visitors. 1,253 guests passed not only through our front doors but also back through time. Folks came from far and wide, spanning 8 Provinces, 9 states, and 8 foreign countries. We the school and House Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our volunteers who gave of their time to conduct tours. Without you, we could not have realized these remarkable numbers. Thank you for your support. We look forward to our 2008 season.

THE LEAVES ARE FALLING, THE HARVEST IS COMPLETE,…
…the garden beds are nearly ready for winter, and our family of wrens has flown south. As we put away our tools and catch a deep breath, we can’t help but reflect on all that our volunteers have accomplished since Spring. Thanks to every one of you who has helped to create our gardens, fences, paths, and structures, and to dig, plant, water, weed, harvest, and deliver our beautiful vegetables to the Madoc Food Bank. Our harvest from late July through
mid-October weighed in at an incredible 494 pounds. For the Heritage Gardeners, this year has been extremely full, rewarding, and fun.
When we think back to June, we’re still amazed by the enthusiastic bidding war that our offer of a garden makeover sparked at the annual dinner/auction. We fulfilled our commitment to the winner in early August, when seven of our Heritage Gardeners spent more than half a day at Janet Yorston’s lovely wooded property. We moved earth, exposed rock outcroppings, ripped out unwanted plants, and began the transformation of woodland into a naturalized terrace garden. Thanks to Janet, we also went home feeling extremely well fed and appreciated for our efforts.
Soon snow will be falling and the garden gates will close for the season. Over the winter, like all good gardeners, we’ll dream and plan for next year. We want our second garden year to be as successful and surprising as the first. We also want to encourage more of you to join us – in any capacity, with no green thumb required. This includes other community groups and the local schools, with whom we believe we can find ways to achieve a few common goals. Toward this end, we plan to stage a “Garden Volunteers” open house in mid-winter at a convenient, central location. We’ll announce details at the Annual Meeting in January, as well as in the local papers.
Meanwhile, to get involved sooner, please contact Pam (613-473-2389) or Barb (613-473-4475).

O’Hara Pioneer School House
Te 2007 season at the O’Hara Log School House proved to be a busy and rewarding one. We were fortunate to be able to recruit able and eager volunteers for the school. On special event days, we attempted to have retired teachers on duty. Almost all of these had taught in or attended one-room schools. Several of our volunteers came in authentic costume and we hope to encourage more to do so in 2008.
On the desks, we had a display of written histories of the one-room schools that are now part of the Madoc Township Public School. These proved to be of particular interest to visitors of all ages, so much so that we had requests for copies of several of them. It was gratifying to see so much interest in local history.
We received donations of many interesting artefacts that would have been used in the one-room schools. These included old texts, yardsticks, inkwells, a Union Jack, a tin cup and dipper, and even an honest-to-goodness school strap donated by Irene Reid. (we are not sure if Mrs, Reid ever used this item in her years of teaching!) We are still looking for a portrait of Queen Victoria to add to the authenticity of the school.
Colouring contests were held on each of the special event days, like Canada day, Heritage Day and the Corn Boil. It was gratifying for the committee and the volunteer guides to see the enthusiasm shown by the children. Where else can modern day scholars sit down in a log schoolhouse and learn what it was like to write on slates and even share a desk with another pupil?
In summary, we were e thrilled to have so many visitors in the school. In 2008, we hope to have even more of the same and to encourage classes to visit during the school year. We intend to offer more students a chance to step back in time. Only by learning about our past can we truly appreciate the present.

PIONEER LOG HOUSE CONSTRUCTION
Construction of the pioneer log house, on the site of the original O’Hara log house, has been progressing well over the summer.
On Heritage Day, many people noticed that the required four-foot deep concrete foundation had been completed. It was an interesting process, moving water by generator from the millpond, mixing the concrete in a tractor-mounted mixer, and driving the concrete up through the trees to the site.
Above-ground construction has moved along smoothly since then, with the help of building materials from the Dan Robinson barn that was dismantled and moved to O’Hara site last spring. The bottom two logs of the log house (moved from Boulter last summer) had rotted into the ground. They have been replaced, in the reconstruction, with newly broadaxe-hewn mow floor sleepers from the Robinson barn. This 1800’s barn also provided us with vintage square timber ceiling joists, rafters, loft flooring, and siding for the gable ends.
To ensure long-term protection against accumulations of leaves and needles in its forest setting, and protection from sparks from the fireplace chimney, a steel roof has been installed on the log house.
It is our hope to have the building closed in before winter with the widows and doors in place, mortar between the logs. The fireplace opening will be closed off for the winter, with the field stone fireplace being erected in the spring.

Stan McEathron, John Hutt and Dave Little are indebted to the many volunteers who have been a part of this project:
*Dismantling and moving the Robinson Barn-
Milt Robinson, Gary Robinson, Charlie Robinson, Ross Moorcroft, Shayne Mumby
*Digging foundation, site levelling -
Bill and Ron McBeath
*Pouring the foundation-
Mary Andrews, John Manion, Amanda Manion, Anthony Pollard.
*Subflooring- Doris Wilson, James Denny
*Installing rafters and roof-
Elton Reid, Bob Clarke, Roger Flake, Robert Schamahorn, Bill Lott, Murray Thompson, Farley Tokley.
*Materials Donated-
Gerald Reid, George Williams

Action At The Mill
The “Water Wheel Project” for the O’Hara’s Mill has been completed. The Wheel is seven feet high and has 25 buckets. Each bucket holds about 15 gallons of water; so it would take about 375 gallons of water to turn the wheel once at maximum power. It was installed in August with the help of the McBeath Brothers putting a hole in the wall for the shaft. Vic Lemmon then set the water wheel in place in the mill using his excavator. The water wheel has since been operated with a garden hose for demonstration purposes. The wheel turns with a 3 inch drive shaft which is connected to the original shaft with an 8 inch flat belt. Next year we hope to work on the interior of the mill under the direction of Peter Sporring.

WASN’T THAT A PARTY
In 2008 there was a great deal of activity at O’Hara Mill Homestead. From the last sight of snow through the invasion by black flies and wild turkeys, the blaring heat of July and August, to the first signs of the leaves changing , right up to those frosty November mornings, O’Hara Mill Homestead has been one busy place.

This year has seen a water wheel magically appear on the mill, a heritage garden explode from what was a un-maintained field, an herb garden materialize from a pile of earth & stone, a log cabin emerge from a hole in the ground. How did this happen? Is it for real or am I just dreaming? No, this is what
happens when a group of dedicated volunteers put their minds together and decide to create what was considered impossible!!!

Since opening day in May when a certain member of our volunteer group took aim at our local MP (Mr. Kramp) with a tractor, O’Hara Mill Homestead has been a beehive of activity.

Canada Day brought a good crowd that had an opportunity to view some of the progress being made on the major projects for 2008. Heritage Day saw an even larger group come out and take part in the day long festivities. Demonstrations by our guests along with our volunteers providing guided tours of the house and school certainly contributed to the success of these two events.
The Corn Boil / Scarecrow competition was well attended. This was a chance for families to gather and enjoy that lazy summer afternoon by the millpond

Each event drew its own diverse crowd, all enjoying the beautiful setting, touring the buildings and taking time to reflect back to when life was much different. The music coming from the “Little Stage” enhanced the atmosphere. The aroma of the Bar B Q from Wayne’s Culinary Corner, rounded out the experience.

Now the frost is coating the ground, the buildings are locked, the gardens set for the winter. Yes the leaves are gone, but the memories of our 2007 summer at O’Hara Mill will linger on throughout the cold winter.

Yes, wasn’t that a party!!!!!
Annual General Meeting,
January 15,
Community Hall in Eldorado, Ontario.
The doors will be open at 6:00 p.m. for the viewing of displays, with the formal meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. with presentations, followed by elections and refreshments.
Everyone’s welcome and we encourage all to attend.
Hope to see you there!!!!