Oxford Journal, Nov. 29, 2000 continued

["kjeffers@ns.sympatico.ca" <kjeffers@ns.sympatic_ o.ca>]

In Memoriam
COOKE, Isabelle, passed away December 3, 1983.
NIX, Churchill, passed away November 27, 1996.
CRAWFORD, In loving memory of Curtis, Pansy and Darren, who passed away
November 16, 1985.
CARTER, Earleen (McGill), passed away November 22, 1996.

A Look Back ...

Brief items from the "Good Old Days" column of The Amherst Daily News,
which were printed in the Oxford Journal of March 9, 1972.
March 9, 1912 - The Town Council of Oxford have employed W.W. THOMPSON
as a policeman to look after law and order in that town. Mr. Thompson
is paid the remunerative salary of sixteen dollars per month. Oxford as
a community has almost reached the Utopian stage. The same council has
also appointed Roland KING to look after the electric lights of the town
at a salary of fifteen dollars per year.

April 8, 1912 - E.N. RHODES, M.P., is to be congratulated for having
secured a vote of one hundred and ten thousand dollars to extend the
Intercolonial Railway from Wallace Station to Wallace town and to dredge
Wallace Harbor, a sufficient depth to allow the steamships of the
Dominion Coal Company to enter that port freely.

April 8, 1912 - Louis RIPLEY of River Philip is interested in the
establishmen of a new brick plant at Oxford. An excellent bed of clay
has been located in that town and Mr. Ripley does not anticipate any
trouble in raising the necessary capital to form the company to organize
the plant.

May 20, 1922 - The Cumberland Plaster and Shipping Company is beginning
operations on the Oliver KING property at Hansford. Men are at work
grading up for a tramway from the quarry to a siding on the I.C.R.
tramway to be about one mile in length. As there is very little earth
to remove to get at the gypsum and the haul to the point of shipment is
short, it no doubt can be handled at a good margin of profit. A new
pier is expected to be built at Pugwash to accommodate shipments which
will be made during eight months of the year. It is expected that
100,000 tons will be shipped yearly and that eventually a refinery will
be erected on the property or at Oxford. John CARROL of Springhill is
president of the company.



RIVER PHILIP Founded in 1772
"The following are highlights taken from Jean (Layton) McKay's
presentation to the Springhill Heritage Group and submitted to the paper
by Ida McCormick."

River Philip was first settled about 1772, when about 1000 Yorkshire
settlers immigrated to Nova Scotia. Wm. BLACK and Wm. DONKIN encouraged
their friends to apply for crown grants being given by George III of
England. Grantees also came from Chignecto, NS and Westmorland County,
NB.
The school house was built about 1816, also the Court House, as the
sittings of the Supreme Court of the County were held there from 1816 to
1830, when, because of more frequent cases coming from Amherst, court
was moved to Amherst.
River Philip was a central location in the county. Court was held every
Saturday and was presided over by four magistrates.
The first church was a Methodist meeting house, built in 1827. A
Baptist Church was built in 1901, and was torn down in the 1970's.
At the turn of the century there were many changes. There were two post
offices, two schools, a telephone line introduced into the community
about 1894. There were also several places where the public could find
lodging: HEWSON's Hotel, BLACK's Inn, PUGNOSE Inn. At one time James
HEWSON operated a salt mine, at a place called Saltsprings using oxen,
later horses, to haul it to River Philip, where it was refined in his
salt house.