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Tr vr 4 or i a EE "A Family Tradition for 128 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, January 10, 1995 - 7 HISTORICAL Sketches of Scugog by Paul Arculus Sketches of Scugog is a historical column written by local resident and historian Paul Arculus and published in the Port Perry Star the first issue of each month. [J ° ° PORT HOOVER - PART 2 A strange event took place on the waterfront at Port Hoover in the fall of to Caesarea. 1842. It was an event which attracted the strange and profound beliefs that people of that era embraced. The Millerites were an obscure religi- ous sect started by William Miller who was born in Pitfield Mass, but grew up but served as a public official and was held in very high regard. After many years of studying the Bible intensely, in 1831, he began to preach about the com- . ing of Christ. ey atu of his preach- ing which gained the most notoriety was his strong belief that the world would En haconid end on February 15, 1843. BS ga He acquired many followers all through- the cloud disappeared. He promised to carry out the miracle when the cloud had gone. Either the cloud remained or the public had lost interest because there is no recard of him trying to repeat the attempt. As 1843 approached, many believers gave away their possessions to nonbe- lievers. The Millerites believed that on out North America, keeping them informed and inspired through his numerous pamphlets and books of his sermons. He even had a large following in the Lake Scugog area. One of the first con- gregations to assemble in this region was at Borelia (the western portion of present Port Perry) in the late 1830s. They had a church in a log cabin not far that final day the dead would rise as from the present watertower. Christ arrived to declare the end of the finally Whitby Junction. By 1880 there were sjx trains each day. A member of the Hoover family had become so overwhelmed by the Millerite faith that, in a fit of religious frenzy, he believed himself to be super- human. He believed that he could repeat some of Christ's miracles. He announced to all that he would walk across Lake Scugog from Port Hoover : I On the appointed day, hundreds of considerable attention and demonstrated cyriosity i A thered at the Port Hoover waterfront)to see this miracle disappointed that their performed. With the crowd watching, leader's predictions had he ventured out into the water. As each failed to materialize, footstep fell in human fashion into the \ mud, he proceeded until he was waist in Hampton, New York. He was a farmer high in the water and then hid behind one of the piles on the warf. Finally the taunting of the crowd brought him back gelical fervour, he estab- to shore where he quickly arrived upon an excuse. He yelled to the crowd that a for the Advent of Christ and cloud had settled in front of his eyes not be able to perform the miracle until Issac Finley built the 48 ton steamer "Dominion" at his ship yard located on the waterfront at Port Hoover in 1884. It is seen in this photo at Fenlon Falls in 1888 along side of of the Palace-Scow "Paragon." cemeteries where their loved ones were buried, expecting to see them rise from their graves as the final moments of the world neared. The day, February 15, 1843, passed by unevent- fully. Many Millerites, turned to other denomi- nations for their religious clung to Miller's evan- the world. not see his way and would age of 67. the arrival of the railway. | cial future slip away. Hoover. Its fate was sealed. world. Many of the devout Millerites dressed in white and sat by th lished a new date of October 22, 1844, That date too passed by uneventfully other than to symbolize the end of Millerism. The world did end for William Miller in 1849 when he passed away quietly and peacefully in Low Hampton, New York at the The end of Port Hoover as a thriv- ing community did not happen as abruptly although it was heralded by The residents of Port Hoover were strongly opposed to the route of the railway proposed from Port Perry to Lindsay. The Township of Mariposa was expected to contribute $60,000 towards the construction of the line. The residents were strongly opposed to the plan. With stations at | Seagrave and Manilla, the residents of Port Hoover could see their finan- There were celebrations at Midland Station in Lindsay, a flag station at Ops, Mariposa Station, Manilla, Sonya, hard working souls. The graves of the Seagrave and Port Perry. From there the train stopped at the station just east of Prince Albert, Manchester, Summit, Myrtle, Brooklin, Whitby and As tke arrival of the railroad loomed, Daniel Hoover sold the mill to Isaac In 1849, Isaac Finley, a boat builder arrived in Port Hoover. He needs. For those who still established a ship yard and built a number of vessels including the 42 foot steam boat "Maple Leaf" which was launched in 1874. Finley, the boat builder, in 1877. Finley moved the machinery to Little Britain. He in turn built his mill on the northeast side of the bridge at Little Britain, about a mile away from the first mill in Mariposa, a sawmill which had been built there in 1837 by its first set- the end of Harrison co-incidentally had been a preacher of the Millerite beliefs. In 1889 Finley again moved the mill machinery, this time to Lindsay. Port Hoover continued to be a port of call for the steam boats, but the impor- tance of the community gradually dimin- ished as businesses relocated to commu- nities on the railway line. One of the symbolic acts was the closing of the Post Office in 1881. It was moved to Fingerboard a tiny community to the northwest and not even on the railroad. In 1886 the few remaining residents witnessed the most definitive events of the community's demise. That year care- "fully and sadly, all the graves in the When the inaugural train whistled cemetery were exhumed and then re- its way from Port Perry to Lindsay on July 31, 1877, the celebrations at the communities along the way were counterbalanced by the gloom over Port land of the original cemetery at Port interred in the cemetery at Pleasant Point where they remain today. As if to close the history of the community, the Hoover was sold. Today, the Pleasant Point cemetery gives dignity to those courageous and first of the Hoovers, David, Daniel and Thomas and their respective wives are a lasting tribute to the once thriving set- tlement now long gone and almost forgotten. ' tler, John Haight. John Haight's brother, Editor's Notepad by Jeff Mitchell LEFT OVER AND OVERLOOKED SAVED FROM LEFTOVERS: Here's a big, sar- castic word of thanks to my dog, Otto, for helping me out with the turkey leftovers a few days ago. I don't like to cook turkey often but this New Year's Day figured What the Hell, and spent the afternoon stuffing and basting and keeping a watchful eye on the whole process. Dinner was superb. The turkey was wonderful and juicy, and all the vegetables were finished just as it was time to carve, and we all sat down and feasted without incident, except for when my five- year-old boy, who had been looking pale through- out the day, threw up and had to leave the table. For the first time in years I was looking forward to all that leftover turkey, and carefully peeled all the perfectly-done meat from the bones and placed it on a platter, with foil over the top to keep it from drying out. Then I went to relax and enjoy the glow that comes from having prepared and eaten a fine feast. "Some time later I went to the kitchen and found the platter on the floor, foil spread about, looking like a plane crash. Sitting there, looking guilty, was Otto, the St. Bernard. I glared at him while he glanced up stupidly. "Oh, damn you!" I seethed. "Uurrrrp!" said Otto. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM HERE? ... Well, it's happened again. Another January, another listing of the Companions, Officers and Members of the Order of Canada... and I've been once more passed over. This year's cold shoulder from the country was particularly stinging because I was, in effect, assured by the governor-General that when the list appeared, my name would be on it. The conversation went like this: ME: Hi, Ray? G.G.: Yes? ME: It's Jeff calling again. G.G.: Who? ME: Jeff. From the newspaper in Port Perry. You know. G.G.: Who? ME: Yeah, well, anyway: It's about the Order of Canada... G.G.: Yes? ME: Ray, I'm wondering: I've been passed over the last several years, and I'm getting kind of uptight, and I was hoping that maybe this would be my year, you know? G.G.: Who did you say you are? ME: Listen: Am I on the list, or not? G.G: Who is this? ME: It's --- it's John Turner, for God' sake! G.G.: Oh-- hi, John... ME: So am I on the list for an Order of Canada, or what? G.G.: Let's see... uh -- yup. Yes. Here you are. ME: Oh, that's great. Just great. Thanks a million. G.G.: No trouble, John. Have a nice day. And there you have it: Despite a verbal guaran- tee from the Governor-General, I've been omitted again. And I've held my job longer than John Turner and Joe Clark combined. Just goes to show you, doesn't it? a5 A RR TE aT am