| Notes |
- May 14 1970 - Changing Mail Delivery
from the Christian Neighbourhood
EDITORIAL - CHANGING TIMES Changes are taking place in every sphere of living conditions today and it is with regret and a sense of loss that we contemplate the changeover of the mail system in our area. The rural post office will become a thing of the past an in the Sillsville and hay Bay communities, the mail is being delivered from the Napanee office and this route has become R. R. 2 Napanee as of May 1 1970. Postmasters in earlier years at Sillsville were Messrs. Arthur Mellow, Mark Shewman, Morley Creighton and at the present time, Mrs. Stewart Loyst. Our friendly mail carriers, Maybelle and Ray Garrison have been obliging and courteous and have been in charge of this route for thirty-six years. To them and to Mrs. Stewart Loyst we express our appreciation of work well done. Ray Garrison's father, Jonas Garrison, was mail carrier over sixty years ago and continued in that capacity until age forced his retirement and his son Ray carried on with the service. In the early 1900's Mr. John Magee solicited the help of Uriah Wilson, Member of Parliament at that time, and through his influence a post office was established and called "The Pines" because of a pine grove nearby, and was situated in the western part of South Fredericksburgh on the Hay Bay Road. Mr. Magee became postmaster and later drawing the mail from Parma, taking over the route from Mr. George Emmons who had moved from the vicinity. Mr. Leslie Dafoe was one of the earlier mail drawers and being left-handed, he had the misfortune to break the key in the lock of the mail bag and it had to be forwarded to Ottawa to have it reopened. Another post office on the Hay Bay road was in care of Mr. Henry Rikley and later Mr. George Spencers and was called "Hayburn" a name still familiar to many people. Each householder provided a small cloth bag for the postman to deposit on a fence post with the mail. Very often it missed the post and landed in the dooryard.
In earlier times, the people were compelled to walk a mile or two to secure their mail or to send mail and the delivery at the office was on two days a week, later extending to three days. There are very few of the older generation remaining who remember the uncertainty of the early rural mail service. We have come a long way since those days and these new methods are expected to make life free and easy. But can we be sure? Friendly neighbourhoods are developing into what appears to be an urban society. the old comradeship is fast disappearing and all in the name of progress. We will miss our contact with our genial friends Mr. and Mrs. R. Garrison of "Her Majesty's Service" and the best wishes of the friends from Sillsville and Hay Bay are extended to them in all their future activities.
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1906 - 1983 (77 years)
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