The recent photo above, taken by Richard Turenne and posted on the Abandoned Manitoba site on Facebook, brought back many fond memories for the Sinclair nieces and nephews including me! What a mansion I thought it was and by any standards, it was a magnificent home for the James and Elizabeth Sinclair family. It was built in 1912 and the picture below may have been from the 20's.
The east side of the verndah was made into an enclosed porch by Harry Clyne after the above photo was taken and I remember John Paul (Scotty) and Harry sitting in here smoking their pipes when I would come for a visit. Inside the kitchen to the right was a washstand with a hand pump for cistern water and straight ahead was the "back stairs" to the second floor. A huge kitchen table, cupboards, counter, an electric and a wood stove, fridge and the cellar door filled the kitchen. There was no running water in the house but drinking water was brought from a well near the barn and the outhouse to the north served them for all those years.
A doorway led into the dining room and that followed into the parlor, with the fireplace. Beyond that was one bedroom on the main floor and the wide main stairs led up to six more bedrooms. A small balcony was outside the door at the south end of the second floor but it's now gone.
Another narrower staircase with an oak banister went up to the half story attic on the top floor with two dormer windows for light. The attic level was likely used for sleeping quarters at one time, perhaps for hired men at harvest time. My dad recalls a hatch from the attic to get to the widow's walk on the top the house and Uncle Bill would go up there to put up Christmas lights. The view of the Oak River to the south must have been spectacular!
The picture of little great great niece Kim standing in front of the huge vegetable garden was taken about 1977 and the one of Aunt Nellie and Aunt Jessie in front of their flowers and the woodpile was in 1981. Notice the 106 foot long barn (built in 1900) propped up on the north side as Dad recalls it was for many years. It seems the wall may have weakened from the chaff pile being blown against it from the threshing over the years.
Left above: Elizabeth Sinclair on the verandah with twin grandchildren Dorothy & Donald (my dad) Simms 1933,
Photo on the right: Jean Fortune, Bill Sinclair, Mary Simms, Nellie Sinclair and Lizzie and Jack Morcom - about 1955 in the doorway between the dining room and the parlour. Note the wide woodwork.
Right: Aunt Nannie on the verandah - 1940's
Jean Fortune (with black tie) and her children - Kenneth, Arnold and Irene. Nellie holding Irene and Lizzie (with glasses) and Jessie in matching dresses on the south verandah steps - about 1927
Right: Bill and Jessie Sinclair on the south steps - 1940's
The Sinclair house and grounds were lovingly maintained by the ladies well into their 80's. New Year's Day was a special event in the Sinclair house for many years with the family all gathering to visit and eat! I remember playing on all the coats (especially the furs!) on Aunt Nannie's bed. Another fun memory shared by a cousin was of running up one staircase and down the other in a never ending circle! The last the house was lived in was 1988 but the memories remain. Richard Turenne's picture on the post on Facebook received 250 "likes" and 54 "shares" and has made me proud to be connected to this piece of history.
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