Greenfield schools, hotels and wilderness park – Part 2

“On the Port Medway River, Queens County, N.S., there is probably the best salmon fishing in the province, from the mouth upward some 12 miles to Greenfield, where there is a pretty village at the foot of Ponhook Lake. “About eight miles of this distance, the river runs through an unbroken forest of unusual beauty. Along the banks there is a good carriage road and the two extremes of the fishing grounds.”

The villagers of Greenfield, Queens County, N.S., transported their lumber, shingles and fish products to Liverpool. From there, they were loaded on three and four-masted ships to markets in England and the West Indies. The kayaks (alewives) found their way to Barbados. Villagers bought the staples they could not hunt, fish, raise or grow. and their rum, of course.

Clyde Freeman opened the original general store near where the Jones house now stands.

By 1905, he constructed a larger, two-storey store. This was fitted with plate glass windows and even a service elevator... much bigger than the original store. It was located near the Freeman House corner. Mr. Freeman was an enterprising man, buying and selling everything from pulpwood to shingles and produce. He was forced to sell, unfortunately, due to ill health and he reportedly also had financial problems.

The business changed hands several times until Earl Freeman purchased the store after Parker Freeman had operated it for a time. It was destroyed by fire - the exact year is not recorded but is believed to have been around 1928.

Soon after the fire, Abraham Thomas bought a small building from Earl Freeman, on the corner of the village intersection, to begin what became a highly successful business.

Mr. Thomas was a shrewd, capable businessman who was liked and respected by all. Thomas and his sister had first settled in Lunenburg County in 1901 where Mr. Thomas worked for a time as a woodsman, saving his money to buy a horse and buggy. He became a familiar figure selling a variety of goods around the countryside.

During his travels he met Winnifred Wamboldt in East Port Medway and married her in July, 1932. He then added to and renovated his small building to provide living quarters above the store. Misfortune struck; Mrs. Thomas died in 1936, leaving him to bring up three small children. However, he managed to raise his young family, expand his business and became well-known in both Queens and Lunenburg counties.

Abraham Thomas retired, turning over the business to his sons, and it remained in the family until 1969. Mr. Thomas died in 1964. Villagers remember him for his many contributions to the community.

Industries changed with the steam age and iron ships. The fate of the construction of wooden ships was sealed, and prosperity in Queens County started to decline.

Lumbering and milling also ceased to be profitable due to depletion of timberlands and changes in foreign markets. After the turn of the century, even the gold mines of North Queens gradually ground to a halt, putting many Greenfield men out of work.

Even though the community was no longer a bustling one, villagers continued to work in the woods, fished and did limited farming. Sportsmen still came, and this employed many until it too dwindled due to lack of salmon and game and later the Depression.

The one industry that survived through the years was the Freeman lumber mill.

The population gradually decreased too, due to the deaths of older residents and young families moving to larger centres. Buildings, like the blacksmith shop (no longer needed) and the I.O.O.F. Hall were torn down.

The Hall had been built on land donated by Alma Freeman in 1928, in memory of her husband, Walter, who had drowned in a log drive.

In World War I, 29 men from that small community served, four were killed and four wounded; 23 served in World War II. After World War II, the village became very quiet; even the Freeman House closed its doors.

However, beginning the late 1940s and early 50s, Liverpool people began building summer cottages at the foot of Ponhook Lake. It was not long before both sides of the lake were dotted with cottages.

Laurie Wamboldt, guide and woodsman, saw the beauty of Ponhook Lake and, displaying the pioneer spirit of Samuel Hunt, floated a small cabin across Ponhook Lake from Molega Mines to a site where Little Ponhook connects with Big Ponhook Lake, in 1947. There, with his wife Laura and two small children, he cleared land for his own small house. The next year he built a larger house which became known as Ponhook Lodge.

In the early years, the area had become known in the United States as a prime hunting area for white-tailed deer and bear; and hunting grew into an industry employing many guides in the surrounding county. The Wamboldt property is unique since it is situated on two lakes, one is spring-fed and the shores and bottom of both are fine sand and gravel.

By 1960 when camping became popular, the family developed the property for that purpose with trailer and tent sites, and the business grew. When Laurie died in 1968, his wife and older son carried on. Today the whole general area is known as Ponhook Park and includes Lakeland Retreats, widely known as a vacationer's paradise.

Some original cottagers have become permanent residents, which could bode well for the future of the village.