Arthur Moves To A New Home

The little house at Winstanley Grove may have been a little crowded by the fall of 1945. With his son, Bud, home from the army with his new bride, Arthur had been spending more time at "The Poplars", brother Ernest's home by day. At some point the decision was made that Arthur would begin living in the "shack" at the Poplars full time. It was a small building of log construction, originally intended to be a new chicken house but with a few improvements it became a fine dwelling. Here are excerpts from Bill Nevard's journal chronicling the renovations.

Oct. 29. Dad plastered one of the inside walls of the hen house. Uncle A and I helping.

November 12 We heated water and gravel and put some of the cement floor down in the shack.

November 19. Today being mild Dad, Uncle Arthur and I got to work and put some more of the cement floor down. Uncle Horrie and Uncle A got some lumber from an old bin to make a ceiling for the shack.

Nov. 24. Uncle Arthur was down to breakfast. As it was nice and mild we did some more plastering and so forth.

November 29. Finished plastering the shack today.

Dec. 11. After dinner I went and got a tank of water. Only about 60 pails this time. Brought Uncle Arthur's heater down on the tank.

Dec. 12. Dad and Uncle Arthur have got the heater fixed up in the shack.

Dec. 14, 1945. Decidedly colder today and a nasty Northeast wind. I cut my eleventh load of wood. Dad and Uncle Arthur putting up the ceiling in the shack.

Jan. 14, 1946 I went with Uncle Arthur in the sleigh up to Winstanley Grove and brought his bed and some of his stuff down so that he can start sleeping in his shack now and won't have to take his nightly walk.

Arthur with his dog in front of his new home at "The Poplars" 1946.