Tuesday, October 7, 2014

FOR ALE!

That's a strange post title on a quilting blog, I know!  But there is a story and it does end up to be quilting related so, hang in there!  Who doesn't love a quilt with a story!

I am very proud of where I grew up, where my ancestors, on both sides of my family, settled and have lived for many generations.   I am going to tell about just one of many aspects of this place, this Prospect, Nova Scotia, CANADA

We call it "THE STAGE" aka, Grandad's Stage, Jack's Stage etc....  It has been photographed so many times over the years, painted by artists.  A.Y. Jackson spent time painting in Prospect, Stanley Royle too.  W.R. MacAskill took photos in the Village as well.

Photo with permission by Ashley Coombs Photography  
The Stage was part of my childhood and dates back to the early 1800's.  It passed through many hands, most of them my relatives. The last owner in my family was my uncle, my Dad's brother.  It was during this time that the "S" went missing.  Only a select few know the story of how it disappeared.  I can't divulge the secret today, but maybe sometime in the future I will spill the beans!

The "For Ale" sign is completely gone now.  The new owners removed it. Too bad.  Looks like they are trying to fix it up though.

So, getting to the quilty connection, As I was visiting a quilt show in Pictou, NS this past spring, I walked past a vendor's table full of fabulous quilt patterns.  The vendor was well-known Nova Scotia quilt artist Karen Henry.  I was introduced to Karen by a friend.  We spoke for a bit and as I turned to walk away, out of the corner of my eye, I saw "For Ale".  Whoa, back up...there was a pattern of "The Stage"!

  So of course, I mentioned my connection to Karen right away and she was happy to hear that I knew all about it.  She told me her father had taken the photo that she made her pattern from but he wasn't sure where he had taken the photo.  Mystery solved.
Of course I bought the pattern complete with the fabrics to recreate Karen's design.  How cool is that!
Can't wait to get working on it. 

 I found The Stage in a lovely hooked rug here 

Taken while used by lobster fishermen
This photo is taken from the yard of the house I grew up in.  As kids, we would all swim across to "The Stage" and back again. 
If interested in the History of Prospect, which dates back to the 1750's, here is the link to the Prospect Genealogical Website 

Thanks for stopping by!

22 comments:

  1. What a great story, Linda. Can't wait to see what you make with that pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a lovely story and it looks like a great place to grow up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great story and beautiful history!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad you shared this story!! It was so much fun when you made that discovery. Hope you'll have time in your busy schedule this winter to make the pattern!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is very cool-are you hooking the pattern? See you tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loved your post. Brought back memories of when I lived in NS.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a fabulous story of your past, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. very cool story. Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such a fabulous story, Linda. Love those photos. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm looking forward to seeing your For Ale quilt project.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely story. It must be something to see that "barn" in all those patterns. Was the barn always painted in red ?

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a wonderful piece of both family and Canadian history. The last picture showing those other buildings as well tells us how spectacular of a place Prospect is.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a wonderful piece of both family and Canadian history. The last picture showing those other buildings as well tells us how spectacular of a place Prospect is.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice story Linda and I hope you get to the pattern soon . I haven't started mine either .

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's a great story! Love the older buildings. We have lots of them in Newfoundland too.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great story! Can't wait to see your interpretation of Karen's pattern!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a great story of the Ale House!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a great story! I can[t wait to see your quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a great story! Prospect looks like a really pretty seaside town.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow ! Love this post it touched my heart. We all have special childhood memories but to run into this pattern like that says "remember me !". I had a similar story in some ways, I had passed by a book author at a Christmas fair- I almost did not stop, who was writing a story on my Mom's hometown, the author had scoured archives and done countless interviews, I found a large section in the book with quotes from my Grandfather and reference to his barbershop. It was so cool. When My Grandmother was in a home and her memory was poor, I asked her about it. I was surprised to hear her recount the exact wording he used in his book. The barbershop building is still standing in the town, now closed, but the stories and memories live on. As a kid, I sat waiting for my Pop as he finished up his cuts and shaves and the men gossiped.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautiful pictures and beautiful memories Linda. The Stage has probably appeared in many a family's vacation slide show and album. The crafts and art it inspires are wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you and I really appreciate that you have taken the time to leave a comment.