| Number 7 | February 1, 2000 |
RENOVATIONS MAKING PROGRESS
After 130 years on its own, the former home of Vere Beck (1.) is joining with a neighbour and preparing to enter the new millenium with a new look and a new role. Lorin T. Brehaut (1.4.4,7,3,2.1.) bought the old house and moved it up the road where he is linking it to the former Henry Brehaut residence. Lorin is an architect now working in the Boston area.
The Beck house was built by Vere Beck in 1870, the last of four homes the old pioneer built on his property in Guernsey Cove. It was the place where he spent the last eight years of his life, and was home to some of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren over the next 120 years. The house sat empty for several years after the last resident, Windsor Beck (1.10B.7.7) moved to the Shady Rest home in Lower Montague in the late 1980s.
Lorin bought the house in early 1996 and moved it up the road to the Brehaut farm in 1998. Visitors to the Beck reunion in July, 1998, saw work getting underway to connect the two houses.
"It was our initial intention to move it from the property and relocate it to the 40 acres that I owned bordering the east of my parents farm, formerly part of the Leonard Brehaut farm," Lorin said. Later he asked his cousin Wilfred if he would sell some land on the water for the Beck house. "Instead he said that he would sell us the whole (Henry Brehaut) farm."
Lorin said every option was looked at before the restoration work began. He said it was a good exercise and showed, "the easiest and cheapest way for us to use and restore the Beck house was to incorporate the two houses."
A lot of progress had been made by the time I visited the site last September. Lorin's wife, Sandra, gave me a tour and explained what was being done. She told me the sills had been weakened by dry rot and were replaced to strengthen the house before it was moved. The Brehauts are working slowly and carefully to ensure that everything is done right, and they are preserving and recycling everything they can. Sandra said that every step of the renovation is being photographed and documented to preserve a record of just what has been done. A story about the Beck house is expected to be included in a book about the advantages of recycling and restoring old homes.
The Beck house sits with its back to the side of the Brehaut house. Lorin said this was done "as we wanted to maintain the integrity of the front elevation of the Beck House when the property is viewed from the east."
They are joined by a "link" that includes front and back entrances and a wall of windows for a good water view. The link includes flights of stairs leading to the upper levels of both houses. The interior of the Beck house was gutted when I was there and the exterior boards, visible from the interior, are about a foot wide.
The front doorway had been removed and placed on the inside within the connecting link. Sandra said, "the entrance will be duplicated and the new version put outside again." Windows have been removed from the back side of the house, which is now indoors, and used to duplicate the windows on the water side of the house, giving an enhanced view of the Northumberland Strait. The addition of skylights in the upper levels of the house provide for a brighter, cheerier interior.
Lorin, Senior, is doing much of the work and is carefully preserving everything he can of the original house. When he stripped the old shingles from the roof he found the boards were as good as new. He said "the original roof had been covered with birch bark the way we use tarpaper today, and the bark was still good although brittle and yellowed with age."
The roof and walls have been redone with cedar shingles, which will be allowed to weather, giving the house a natural look.
When the work is finished the houses will be rented to summer visitors on anything from a weekly to a seasonal basis. Sandra said the aim is to have the work finished in time for the 2001 rental season. This will be well before the next Beck reunion in 2003.
A RISING STAR
Beth Havill
Thatcher Bell, my grand nephew, ( 1.4.6.5,3.6,3) is rapidly making a name for himself in the hockey rinks of the world. Thatcher has been playing hockey since he was very young, and has done extremely well. He comes from Murray Harbour, P.E.I. and is the son of John and Cindy Bell.
Thatcher played Junior hockey at a college in Ontario for two years. His team, the "Blues" won the Ontario championship during that period. For the past two years he's played with Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Thatcher, at 6 feet and 183 lbs, plays centre for the team.
Last year Thatcher was a member of the Canadian "under 18" team that played in Europe, competing with 3 other teams, and Canada won! He was also one of the top scorers at the Canadian Winter games in Newfoundland. At the moment, even with being off for a time with an injury, he's rated in the top 10 Junior players in the world!
Thatcher comes by his ability naturally, inheriting it from the Harris side of the family. Several of his great uncles, led by Willie, were good hockey players and members of the Murray Harbour Bruins team that won championships in the late 1940s.
I think he's to be commended for his discipline, and feel it's only right that we wish him every success in his endeavours in the field of Sports! Thatcher celebrates his 18th birthday today, February 1st.
NANCY KEEPS ROWING
Nancy Beck ( 1.4.3B.7.2.5) is back in school these days performing her play, A Rowboat in the Attic, for students throughout the Island. The play takes a humourous look at her family and Island history.
Her one woman show was first performed in Charlottetown last September, and then at various locations during the fall. Now she's taking her play about Inkerman House, the former home of John Hamilton Gray, to schools across the province. "I'm booked until the end of February for close to 30 performances," Nancy told Sally Cole of the Guardian.
Col. Gray was chairman of the meeting of the Fathers of Confederation in Charlottetown in 1864. His house was bought by Nancy's maternal grandfather in 1895 and remained the family's summer home until it burned in 1980.
Students at Birchwood intermediate school got a big kick out of watching Nancy recreate the lively antics of her relatives and friends. "I loved the play," said April Arsenault. "The best part was when Nancy talked about the rowboat going out the window in the attic."
"I liked how Nancy used her facial expressions," said Leanne Buckley. "It was amazing how one person could perform what seemed to be a million characters. My favourite part was when she impersonated her mother and her two aunts singing Whispering Hope in three-part harmony. It was so funny to watch her try to do all three parts - cross-eyed, even."
Since then Nancy has recorded some of the play for a CBC Radio comedy show, Madly Off in All Directions, which is heard by a national audience. "I think it's fabulous," said Nancy. "I think that any time that your material gets national exposure is great. And you never know what the benefits are going to be... because you don't know who is going to hear it."
Future plans call for her to perform the play for lunchtime theatre audience in Charlottetown next summer.
The Rowboat in the Attic is based on reports that Colonel Gray expected the Island to be hit by a tidal wave, so he kept a fully equipped rowboat in the attic ready to launch at a moment's notice.
It seemed like a pretty weird idea, at least until 10 days ago, Jan. 21, 2000. That was the day that an intense storm with snow and very strong winds coincided with a full moon. The wind and high tides resulted in a storm surge that flooded many low-lying areas of the Island. Rowboats were used to rescue a number of people trapped in their homes. Property damage to homes, cottages, wharves, bridges and roads was severe.
Experts say this could be a taste of what we can expect in the future. David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, said the storm had all the earmarks of what may lie ahead, a rising sea level compounded by high tides and massive storm surges. He said there is clear evidence that the sea level is rising around Prince Edward Island because of warming water temperatures and the melting of ice caps and glaciers. Phillips said the province can expect a slow but relentless rise in sea levels, which will be compounded by an increase in the number and power of the storms which will strike the region.
Col. Gray obviously had the right idea ... he was just 125 years early with his concerns. A Rowboat in the Attic could become a common feature for homes in low-lying coastal areas.
VITAL STATISTICS
HERRING, Jeanetta May (Jean) (1.4.2.6,1.) - 87, of Truro and formerly of Murray River, P.E.I., passed away on January 21, 2000, at the Colchester Regional Hospital, Truro.
Born in Murray River, she was a daughter of the late Benjamin and Catherine (Clow) Reynolds. She was a devoted housewife and mother, and was a member of the Glenwood Christian Church, Truro.
She is survived by daughters Joan (Stan) Groves, Onslow; Jeanetta (Bill) MacDonald, Truro; Lillian (Ron) Corbett, Sackville, N.B.; son Benjamin, Hastings, Michigan; daughter-in-law Jane, Truro; 16 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sisters Helen Johnston, Murray River, P.E.I.; Ruby Brown, Truro. She was predeceased by her husband Harry; a son, Harry; an infant daughter Mona; brother George Reynolds; sisters Peg, Muriel and Edith.
The funeral service was held on Wednesday, January 26, at 2 p.m. in the Murray River Church of Christ, Murray River, P.E.I., with visitation from 1 p.m. until time of service, Rev. Alan Smith and Victor McCullough officiating. Burial was in the Murray River Cemetery.
BEACH POINT DEVELOPMENT
A new industry has been announced for Beach Point, P.E.I. The company, Beach Point Specialty Foods, plans a $1-million food processing facility to take advantage of the specialty food market. After two years of research and development, it is ready to open one of the first "batter" lines on the Island to produce a range of frozen seafood and vegetable entrees. The company has ten shareholders and will operate out of the Beach Point Co-Op Factory as a separate operation.
Hughie Jackson,(1.4.1,10,2,1.) a company director, said "We've already got the infrastructure here with the plant. All we needed was something to produce."
The company has a distribution arrangement to sell its prepared products throughout North America and hopes to create as many as 50 year-round jobs in the community. The products will be flash frozen and ready to pop into the microwave. The financing is a combination of private investment and government loans and grants.
PURCHASING PRACTICES CRITICIZED
Prince Edward Island computer companies are upset that government funded development agencies bought computer equipment from a New Brunswick company. Nine Island companies were invited to submit proposals to supply 18 computers and monitors.
Debby Beck, (1.6B.5.1.1A.2) owner of Montague Computer 1997 Inc, said she felt she was able to meet all the requirements. Debby said her company bids on many contracts, and doesn't always win, but that's business. "But when a government funded agency takes business off-Island, that's where I have a problem," she said.
A spokesman for the purchasers said the best deal was offered by the New Brunswick company so it made sense to buy there.
DEVELOPMENT IDEAS SOUGHT
A survey is underway in the Montague area to identify community development projects worth pursuing. Two thousand forms have been mailed out to residents in an attempt to determine what projects interest them.
The Southern Kings Development Officer, Melody Beck, (1.11.8.3.2.2) said, "we really can't proceed on any ideas until we get more input."
The Community Development Bureau has been set up by the government to help communities across the province develop ideas and projects that would improve community life as well as attract tourism. Melody is one of six Community Development officers hired for the province.
Organizers hope to receive responses to the survey by Monday, Feb. 7th.
Melody has already started another project in the Cardigan area. She has launched a community newsletter and the first edition was sent out in December. It also asked the Cardigan people what they would like to see in a community enhancement plan.
SUCCESSFUL BOOK LAUNCH
David Weale's (1.6A.4,6.2.1,) book, The True Meaning of Crumbfest, had a successful launch in Charlottetown in the days leading up to Christmas. The children's book tells the story of the young mouse, Eckhart, who sets off on a journey of discovery to find the truth about Crumbfest.
David can't say for certain, but he thinks the idea for Eckhart originated from a story that his father, Bill, told him about spending Christmas working in a coal mine. One year his father shared his dinner with a little white mouse, deep down in the coal mine at Christmas.
"Maybe Christmas and mice go together for me," says David, who kept the audience spell bound with his reading of The True Meaning of Crumbfest. It was all part of the opening reception of Crumbfestival at the Arts Guild in Charlottetown. It also featured the launch of the new children's picture book from Acorn Press, and the opening of Dale McNevin's exhibition of illustrations for the book.
THE BECK LISTINGS
Jim Beck reports that he is still getting requests for the listings book. The version prepared for the 1998 reunion is sold out and there are no more available. However, there are still copies of the 1983 book, The Descendants of Vere Beck. This is the professionally printed and bound volume and it includes generations 1 to 6 and some of generation 7.
It's more than adequate for people interested in tracing their line back to Vere and Elizabeth Beck, or for browsing through the early generations of the family. If you're interested you can get a copy from Dr. Mac Beck, 5 West Street, Charlottetown, PEI. C1A 3S3. Mac's phone number is 902-894-3544. The price is $10.00.
RARE FIND
Strange things turn up when you drag the sea bottom. Jeff Jorden (1.4.9,10.3.1.) of Murray Harbour found a walrus tusk while out scallop fishing off Pictou Island in December. The tusk appears to be from a young walrus and weighs about two pounds. Jeff was fishing with Eric MacKinnon on the boat, Islander III. While working at the culling table looking for scallops, Jeff picked up what he thought was a black stick. Closer inspection showed it was a walrus tusk, the first that either man had seen in more than ten years of fishing.
ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE LINK
The Charlottetown Guardian say transportation was the story of the century in Prince Edward Island. It made that pronouncement after editors combed through back issues to produce a summary of the past century in a supplement called, History Through the Headlines.
Transportation, in all its shapes and forms, is an issue that just never goes away over the past 100 years, said Guardian features editor Carolyn Drake, who headed up the review of the past century. "It's simply everywhere: everything from automobiles, tunnels, planes and trains to ferry boats, roads and bridges," said Drake. "We were fixated with it at the beginning of the century and we continue to be today."
With this in mind, it's no surprise that the headline of the century in The Guardian came on Monday, June 2, 1997: 'Open for business: Drivers line up to cross the link.'
"With the thousands of stories that happened from 1900 to 1999, the opening of Confederation Bridge just seemed to be the natural culmination of so many of them," said Drake. "It was what tens of thousands of Islanders had wanted for a century: continuous transportation with the mainland. It was what hundreds of politicians had fought for over the decades. And whether you were for it or against it, when the first vehicles drove across those 12.9 kilometres of concrete on a sunny May 31 afternoon, it was a defining moment in P.E.I.'s history."
The Vere Beck Family Home Page
We're always looking for news of Beck family members. If you know of any significant events drop me a line with the information. imunn@accesswave.ca
imunn@accesswave.ca