Thursday, 9 June 2016

History of Carleton Rare Find



Found this rare book called, “A History of Carleton. “  I paid $30.00 for it, which is expensive however, I knew if I didn’t purchase the book, I would end up regretting it in a few days so I dug deep and bought it.  It was a project compiled and published in 1960 by the Carleton Women’s Institute.  I haven’t read the book from cover to cover yet, but it will be one of my summer projects.
Growing up in the Borden-Carleton area, I always get excited to read about anything regarding the history of the area. I spent a lot of time in Carleton when I was younger. My grandparents, the late Reginald and Stella O’Connor, lived on the Dickie Road in Carleton. I spent a lot of time there. Some of my fondest memories involve spending time in Carleton at my grandparents. I used to play hockey in the field behind their house with many of the locals. I always remember growing up trick or treating every Halloween in Carleton- we did not dare go to Borden as small children for fear of all the talk of rowdy teenagers.  It was better for the kids to stick to Carleton.  We played a lot of ball hockey at the old souvenir store parking lot which is the current location of a seafood store, Captain Cooke’s.  
While I attended elementary school at Borden Elementary, I went to junior high in the old Carleton School. My class was the last class to attend the school before grades 7 and 8 were moved to the Borden Elementary School- we moved part way through grade 8 I believe.  The school was officially opened in 1954. According to the History of Carleton, the school was equipped with air conditioning, three well light classrooms (the third room was used as storage, canteen, and hang out area when I went there), and a basement which was used as a community auditorium.  Work on the project began in November 1953. The building was mostly constructed by 12-14 local workers supervised by Mr. Harry Muttart.  The building measured 25 x 90 feet. The property was purchased from Mr. John Haslam. We used to play dodgeball in the basement of this school which was a challenge. 
I have only given this book a quick scan but look forward to reading more about the families in the History of Carleton.

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