Gwen Vasseur.

“We reach the patch and Elsie arranged the food, in the shady summer house. With Kelly’s help she opened the shutters, so that the wind would blow through.

The rest of us take our pails into the raspberry patch. The black ones are much plumper and tastier than the red. We always pick them first. Then if we do not have enough, we’ll top up our pails with red.

Long ago when the berries were planted, they were probably in neat rows.

But now, they are in a wild tangle.”

Mrs. Gwen Vasseur shared stories of her mother’s memories of Auchmar in 2018.

The above is excerpted from the Voices of Auchmar Speakers Series.

The Auchmar Estate served Isaac Buchanan and his youngest daughter H.E.J. “Elsie” Buchanan well during their respective tenures as owners. It was a country estate above the city for Isaac which became a permanent residence.

It was still a rural property during the years that Elsie owned it. The city below was growing and a few properties were established on Mount Hamilton, Barton Township, District of Gore.

As you walk the grounds, stop and step back in time to 1922 and imagine the estate.

Yes, the raspberry patch is still there.

The photographs are courtesy of the Vasseur Family Collection, Bishop Farrell Library and Archives and the Digital Archives, Toronto Public Library.