By Rev. Bill Randall March 9, 1990 “Willis do you hear that noise yonder? Sounds like maybe Charlie’s in trouble.” Willis leaned the fork up against the barn door and looked down towards the Henry place. It was a bitter, cold, blustery evening about 6:30. Charlie Baker was the mailman and hadn’t come up from … Read more
Day: July 31, 2023
By Rev. Bill Randall March 2, 1990 Willis Moffitt got married in 1933 and was working for Clarence Swan, a next door neighbor, tending large flocks of hens. Willis was looking for more permanent employment and decided to investigate a new business that was about to start in Harvey – a creamery. William McLean of … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall March 9, 1990 On December 21, 1975, a large section of the community’s commercial district in the South-western New Brunswick Village of McAdam was destroyed by fire Sunday, when flames raced along both sides of Main Street. Four families were left homeless as a result of the fire, but none were … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall June 22, 1990 Another landmark will soon be gone! Taylor Memorial Hall first opened in 1932 by the Taylor families, due to age and redundancy will soon disappear. Before it does let’s try to recapture a little bit of its relationship to the early history of Harvey. John Taylor came from … Read more
Rev. Bill Randall’s “From The Scrapbook” recounts the dramatic story of Werner Horn, a German agent who attempted to blow up the St. Croix Railroad Bridge at Vanceboro, Maine, in 1915 during World War I. The failed sabotage, hindered by extreme cold and poor timing, narrowly avoided becoming an international incident. Explore the history of this bridge and the near-miss event that could have changed the course of history.
By Rev. Bill Randall June 1, 1990 One of the fun things about looking backward into the past is to marvel at what inflation is doing to our sense of values. I’ve been looking back into early records of rural schools in our area. One little school which is pictured here, met the needs of … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall July 27, 1990 It would be. fun to start my column “Miner strikes Rich Gold Vein!” I can’t do that but I can come close! The Harvey Historical Association (H.H.A.) recently fell heir to the Scrap Books of the late Dora Hunter. Through the kindness of Jean Dykeman (formerly Jean Hunter, … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall July 13, 1990 I was living in Edmondson in 1983 and on a visit to Harvey learned there was going to be another hall built! I have mentioned in an earlier article that I has felt Harvey had a pleura of halls, and so I sighed secretly, thinking, “Oh no, not … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall July 6, 1990 It’s finally happened! Back in the sixties I tried to organize a Harvey Historical Association. The meeting was to have been held in the St. Andrews United Church Hall (since re moved to the rear of James Coburn’s residence). Mary Coburn and Maurice Lister and I were the only … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall January 19, 1990 Though the history of Harvey is unique in that twenty-six families were settled by an Order-in-Council in 1837, their first struggle to provide shelter and food followed the normal pattern of early history. The early struggle depended upon the effort and persistence of the individual family. Except for … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall January 12, 1990 Like many long-standing buildings, the old ‘Lakeview Hotel building’ in Harvey has a rather interesting history. Located in the center of the Village, the large structure, now owned by Floyd Thompson and converted into apartments, served a variety of functions in bygone years. The Lakeview Hotel was constructed … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall February 1990 The fiddle should be the cultural symbol of Harvey. Popularized by the International Radio and Television performances of Don Messer and his Islanders, it was an outgrowth of a musical tradition that you can see when ever you get a glimpse back in time to the social life of … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall February 23, 1990 I have one athletic trophy. It’s a curling trophy. Doc Fletcher invited me to be on his team on Boxing Day 1969. Characteristically Doc’s Team was named ” The Greater”. It was a charitable act for Doc to have me as his lead rock, for I never was … Read more
Rev. Bill Randall recounts the harrowing story of the 1919 Onawaua train wreck, where a tragic miscommunication led to a devastating collision near Onawaua Lake, Maine. Nineteen lives were lost, 59 were injured, and the freight and passenger trains were reduced to twisted wreckage. Survivor Earl Austin’s miraculous escape and the aftermath of this disaster remain etched in local history.
By Rev. Bill Randall February 9, 1990 “There’s No Business Like Show Business” – and I found out a lot about it when I came to Harvey in the mid-50s. For the Jersey farmers of Harvey there was no business like Cattle Show Business. It had made them internationally unique. For years their Production Records … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall August 20, 1990 The community of Lake George got its name from John McGeorge, one of the pioneer settlers and the victim of a treacherous and widely heralded murder. I have before me four ac counts of the events related to the incident, and like the news stories of 1990, they … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall August 10, 1990 Syd Maclean was managing J. Clark and Sons, Harvey Branch; the business Clark’s had purchased from Herb Swan across the road from Austin Pol lock’s. We thought it might be a good idea to encourage some Industrial exhibits for the Harvey Hospital Benefit Fair Day Parade. We got … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall August 17, 1990 Lloyd Embleton and I take occasional tours around the Harvey area looking for picture material for the Scrapbook items. We both could remember the Universalist Church in Little Settlement, but we had to elicit the help of Donnie Watson to find the exact location. Of course, the church … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall August 10, 1990 Contrary to the situation elsewhere in New Brunswick, the number of tourists visiting McAdam this summer has in creased substantially. While most other areas at mid-season are recording a reduction of approximately 10% over last year, the total number of visitors stop ping in the Village has increased … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall August 3, 1990 The Annual Harvey Fair Days due soon coming up. Most of the events will be centralized in the Agrena Complex. Even if it rains the horse-hauling will be watched by the avid spectators under the shelter of a roof. Coming to Harvey in 1954, I soon became involved … Read more
By Rev. Bill Randall April 13, 1990 I write frequently about structures that once were, or may still be, significant to the History of Harvey. Today’s story is about a structure that was: Harvey Regional High School. My first stop ever in Harvey was at this building. One of my “moon-lighting” adventures was promoting magazine … Read more