Page 124 [124]
CHURCHES.
CANADA METHODIST CHURCH, FARMERSVILLE.
This church is a substantial stone structure, erected
in 1863, by Mr. George Nash, who was an active pro¬
56x38 feet, with a tower 14 feet square and 52 feet in
height, surmounted bya fine spire. The auditorium
is well fitted up with comfortable sittings, the base¬
ment being used as a lecture room. The con¬
gregation is large and the membership about one
hundred.
M. E. CHURCH, FARMERSVILLE.
This church was erected in 1842 ; it is constructed
of blue limestone, is 4ox50 feet in area, and is
situated on part of Lot 13, the 8th Concession of
Yonge. The contract was given to the late Joshua
Bates, who completed the building to the satisfaction
of the original Trustees, viz :—Jabez Bullis, Sterling
Deming, Reuben Mott, Palmer Lee, Simeon
Alguire, John Brown and Comfort M..Wiltse.
the following Committee :—Harmonius Alguire, John
Wiltse, M. R. Bates, Sala Blancher and William T.
Howe. The church has recently been thoroughly
repaired,
CHARLESTON LAKE.
DUFFIELD’s HOTEL.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever,’ and well
may this trite saying be applied to Charleston Lake,
a beautiful sheet of water situated nineteen miles
from Brockville, and five miles from the Village of
Farmersville. Leeds County boasts many inland
lakes, but Charleston is pre-eminently queen of all.
At a very early date its beauty was recognized, and
in 1816, we find the Rev. William Smart writing a
glowing description of the scenery, now so well
known and thoroughly appreciated. At that time,
bears and wolves, while the borders of the lake
numbers. The wolves have been exterminated,
Bruin is but seldom met with, the deer have been
driven into the interior, but the lake remains in all
its pristine beauty, fresh as from the hand of the
Creator. Studded with islands, clothed with the
primeval forest, it sits laughing in the sunshine,
with varying mood, but always beautiful. Blue
Mountain crowns the scene, looking down with
solemn grandeur, upon the sparkling waves that
lave its feet, In all Canada, it challenges an equal.
Its picturesque shores, its broken islets, its cool,
refreshing bays, its high rocks and natural caverns
—all must be seen, to be appreciated. The crystal
waters are the home of the finny tribe, affording the
best sport for the angler in Central Canada. Salmon,
white fish, bass (black, rock, and Oswego), moonfish,
and the other varieties of fish found in Canadian
lakes, are taken in great quantities.
At Charleston, on the margin of the lake, Mr.
Edward Duffield keeps a comfortable hotel, where
visitors are provided for in a kind and hospitable
manner, Boats, fishermen, and all the requisites
for a day’s sport, can always be secured from Mr.
Duffield.
Through the enterprise of Joshua Bates, Esq.,
Farmersville was rapidly changed from a country
four corners to a thriving village, the building of
Bates’ Mills accelerating the progress. Wellington
Landon, Esq., while a citizen of the Municipality,
also contributed in a material manner to the ad¬
vancement of the village.
It is claimed that Ezra Bates, born on Lot No. ro,
in the 7th Concession of Yonge, was the first’ white
child born in that portion of the Township.
For many years past, Mrs. Barnes, better known
as " Mother Barnes,” has attracted many visitors to
her residence, near Lake Loyada. Her fame asa
“fortune teller” has spread beyond the confines of
the Province to the Lower Provinces and the United
States. From the examination of a few grounds of
tea, she professes to be able to read the past, reveal
the present and forecast the future. Unlike many
modern soothsayers, she possesses a local reputation
which time has not diminished. It isno exaggeration
when we state that thousands upon thousands have
visited the Sybil, some departing with the word
“humbug” upon their lips, others half-doubting and
many firm in the faith that only a knowledge super¬
human could have unfolded the secret history of
their lives.
As the central figure for another “ Strange Story,’
Mrs. Barnes would be pre-eminently qualified to
play the part of clairvoyant, mind reader, or sorce¬
ress. Those best acquainted with the answers given
to the many anxious questions propounded by
visitors, have long since concluded that High
Priestess of the Modern Delphic Oracle would be
the most appropriate designation. That she has
chosen the borders of a beautiful lake, instead of
the foot of Parnassus, as her place of residence,
will not shake the faith of those who, in every age
and clime, have been consumed with a curiosity that
would at least attempt to lift the veil which shrouds
the future. A vein of superstition lingers in the
minds even of modern philosophers, and with the
populace it can have no more harmless outlet than
in consulting the well known “Fortune Teller of
Plum Hollow.”