A Real Day Off, Some Paisley History – Part One

Paisley, On

After Bill left for work on Tuesday, Nov. 3^rd, I relaxed until 7:15 when I got up and got washed and dressed. I’d already decided that not only did I get a break today but so does Ptootie. I went for a great walk, bundled up quite nicely. With no wind again and the peace and quiet of a sleepy Paisley, it was very enjoyable. I never know which direction I’m going until I get there.

Eventually, I ended up along the Saugeen River
And it was very slow moving this morning

This grouping of pictures were from this morning's walk

There should be a bench under this tree in the summer
Maybe there is!

a big old dead tree holding onto its parking spot

A seasonal camper left a nice plant at their site post

It's been a while, so I had to do a selfie by the river

Because I don’t plan on leaving the house again to get more pictures, I thought it was a good time to take you on that history tour, if you’re at all interested. First tidbit: “Mud River” was the original name of this town, discovered in 1851. Villagers in 1856 did not approve although loosely many still refer to the newly named ‘Paisley’ as River Town or Bridge Town. For obvious reasons. 😊

For the last 2 weeks, they've been fixing this bridge
and this is my first time to walk across it

April 1851, Simon Orchard arrived on a raft, floating down the Saugeen River. He pulled up near the Hose Tower/Pump House and erected a tent for the night. Within weeks, his b-i-l, Samuel Rowe arrived on another raft with barrels of whiskey and they proceeded to clear space for themselves in the then heavily wooded lot. Btw, the barrels were buried in a gulch, where the Cenotaph now stands, to keep them cool for the summer.

I wonder if they left any barrels under here?

So, let’s talk about the Pump House/Hose Tower because a commenter mentioned it in a previous posting with a picture showing it out a window view. The Hose Tower, replicating a lighthouse design, was built in 1891 with a fire protection system being the main part of a steam-powered pump. This pump forced water from the Saugeen river into mains and hydrants along the main street, Queen St. This house/tower is in the now bricked Square where the Cenotaph is and where Orchard and Rowe stopped.

The Pump House/Hose Tower

I'm not sure if it is open to the public though it would be interesting

They wasted no time and erected a log tavern across the street and it has been in business as the Grand Central Hotel and more recently, the Paisley Inn. This building held the first church services, Methodists and Presbyterians in 1853 and 55 respectively. The congregation sat on whiskey barrels and beer kegs. We are an industrious group! The same tavern was a polling booth for the first township election. It took a few years but in 1863 the log tavern was replaced by a 2-storey brick building. Soon after, the town prospered and a 3^rd storey and tower were added.

Isn't it beautiful? 

The sad thing is that the ‘log tavern’, ‘Grand Central Hotel’ and ‘Paisley Inn’ which prospered for many years, has been slated for destruction. Because it is a heritage property, a rescind notice has been applied for to remove that status. The building is long past its prime, missing the opportunity of ever being restored. It is the one you’ve seen in my pictures, the perfect Hallowe’en building but from a distance only. It is totally unsafe.

This is a picture of the same building back in the day
as the Grand Central Hotel

Lastly today, the building that Bill and I are wintering in. Even though our ‘bedroom’ is in the red brick building attached to Wes and Susan’s house, we still use their address. They own the section that once housed Porteous Bank from 1879-97. The original elaborate vault door is still inside, unlocked, and although the space has been rented as Shoemaker’s Jewelers and more recently, an ice cream shop, it currently remains empty.

I don't have a picture of the Porteous Bank but will get one
since it is right out front
This picture was taken from standing on the repaired bridge looking back
to where the Teeswater and Saugeen Rivers meet under the main st. bridge

That’s a lot of information for one day so I’ll take a break from it. From the Paths of Paisley booklet, there is so much information that I’m getting a kick out of. I’ve had a bowl of soup for lunch and my coffee. It is 12:30 and time to wash up the dishes. It is lovely to see the sunshine making appearances outside my window upstairs. I do believe we reached our high for the day. 7C/45F. Better news tomorrow on that front.

This is from the east side of the Legion
You should recognize that steeple from previous pictures

I read and did some laptop playing up in our room for about an hour and then rolled over for a half hour snooze. When I went downstairs at 3, it was to make some of our keto custard. Once I got that finished, I started making a new dish with chicken thighs. I never know how these new dishes will turn out and whether Bill will like them. However, I don’t know if I don’t try!

I made some custard today for those nights when we want something
after supper

I asked Susan if Wes had picked up the mail and when she said no, I slipped down the street to the post office. Good thing I did, there was a package that they were expecting. Maybe not today but still. Back home, Susan and I chatted a bit while I put things together for this recipe. It only takes about half hour so I’ll wait until Bill gets home to turn it on. At 5, he texted so I started cooking.

It is a Rice and Chicken Thigh Casserole and it was finished around 5:30 but Bill wasn’t ready to eat yet. Not surprising, neither was I. By the time we sat down around 6, Wes and Susan were in the middle of their supper so we sat together. I’m happy with the way the meal turned out and we had salad on the side. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone downstairs so I can’t even show you how well it looked! Trust me, it was cooked perfectly but I made way too much of the rice and peas mixture. 😊 Leftovers!

The thighs have been sauteed and it just needs to cook
It really thickened up with the rice and peas underneath
Good night!

We cleaned up the dishes right away and came upstairs to our room. I was able to finish my post and decide about Jeopardy at 7:30. The Voice is on at 8 so Bill and I will go down for that program. I don’t think I’ll be staying up to watch This is Us, there was so much of the last episode based around Black Lives Matter that it turned me off. There is enough of that in real life, I just want to get lost in a program without all the ‘stuff’. My show, my opinion. I’m sad because I loved it over the last seasons.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your day; I know I enjoyed my leisurely Tuesday. Thank you for your visit!