Visit & Tour 2008 - (Page 47) Tourism Services & St. Thomas Times-Journal, February 2008 • www.elgintourist.com Dutton/Dunwich 47 Origins of the Talbot Trail sign in Elgin County The cabin represents the homesteads the pioneers of the Talbot Settlement had to build along with 1/2 of the road in front of their property as part of their settlement duties. This was a condition Talbot imposed no road no land. The trees represent the thick woods that the settlers had to cut down to make their grain fields etc. The Emerald green represents Ireland - Talbot’s birthplace and the colour of the forests of Elgin, the amber colour represents the hundreds of acres of maize that the neutral Indians grew here before the advent of the Europeans and the amber field of wheat that followed. The white lettering and smoke call to mind the plumes of smoke arising from the felled trees being burnt to accommodate the wheat fields and the roads. The fires were used to create potash, black salts for cash. These reflective signs of amber, green and white are installed along the Talbot Trail. The Talbot Trail begins in Dutton/Dunwich at Port Talbot and extends east along Fingal Line (Cty. Rd. 16) into St. Thomas past the Military and Pioneer museums and the Jumbo statue and on to Talbot Street, through St. Thomas easterly through Aylmer to Heritage Line (Cty. Rd 38) through Richmond to Straffordville on (Cty. Rd. 19) Plank Road, south into Port Burwell where the Elgin County signage program ends but the historical trail continues east along Lakeshore Line to Longpoint. Back at Port Talbot the trail extends westward along the Fingal Line to Currie Road to Wallacetown, East on Hwy. #3 through Eagle and New Glasgow to the Kent Line where the Elgin County signage program ends but historically the trail continues to Amherstburg (Old Fort Malden). In 2004 the distinctive Talbot Trail sign was registered as a licensed trademark. The BackusPage House Museum The Backus-Page House Museum is one of the few remaining historical landmarks along the northern shore of Lake Erie open to the public. The Tyrconnell Heritage Society has restored and furnished the house to the 1850-60 time period. Here, in the heart of the Talbot Settlement, one may enjoy the beauty and peace that this rural setting provides. Visitors may follow a guided tour to learn more about the construction of this home in 1850, the period furnishings of the house and the life of the first settlers of the Talbot Settlement. Neighbourhood attractions include a number of architecturally significant houses built in the 1820s, John E. Pearce Provincial Park, St. Peter’s Anglican Church built in 1827, St. Peter’s Cemetery, the resting place of Col. Thomas Talbot, and a plaque to Ellis Wellwood Sifton, Wallacetown native and winner of the Victoria Cross for bravery during the attack on Vimy Ridge, 90 years ago (April 9, 1917). The museum provides picnic tables, three nature walks known as the Spicer Trails with plaque identified trees on the Trans-Canada Trail, Carolinian forest for bird watching, a meeting room and resource centre, toilets and wheelchair accessible buildings (ground floor). Museum Hours May 1 - Thanksgiving weekend, Tues - Fri, 10 - 4:30 and weekends 12 - 4:30. Open Holiday Mondays. Other times by appointment for group tours. Admission by donation Backus-Page House 29424 Lakeview Line 10 km. South of the 401 Interchange 149, Dutton Currie Road, Elgin County Road # 8. Follow the signs For further info, contact: Tyrconnell Heritage Society Box 26 Wallacetown, ON, N0L 2M0 (519) 762-3072 or email: tyrconnell@execulink.com or visit the website at www.backuspagehouse. com http://www.elgintourist.com http://www.backuspagehouse.com http://www.backuspagehouse.com
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