Regional Storyteller

By Laurent d¹Entremont

This past summer I had the great pleasure to visit the Ardnamurchan Club of
Argyle, Yarmouth County, a place I had not visited in the last 45
years.

I worked there, in the early 1960s, as a carpenter with a tradesman
who was fixing leaky roofs, changing sills on boat sheds, replacing shingles and
any other kind of handyman’s work. It was a great place to work as it was in the
off-season for tourists and away from the main traffic. A person could concentrate
on his or her work without distractions.


For a bit of history, the Ardnamurchan Club was established about 100 ago. According to the book, “Historical Sketches of Glenwood and the
Argyles”, published in 1941 by Jackson Ricker, it all began when Dr. and Mrs.
William S. Clark of New York came to Nova Scotia with the idea of setting up a
summer residence for family and friends.

The Clarks had many relatives in the
States, all the way from Boston to Chicago, whom they felt did
not see each other often enough. Forming the Ardnamurchan Club, which was
chartered under the laws of Nova Scotia, made it possible for the large families
to spend and enjoy their summers together.


Construction began, and when completed, the club’s huge summer home resembled
a western hotel of many years ago.

It has a ground floor with three bedrooms, four
baths, a billiard room, library, dining area, pantry, kitchen and laundry room among other things.


There are three stairways leading to the first floor which has 14
bedrooms, six bathrooms, closets, storage and more.

The top floor has a large
dormitory for men, and a smaller one for children with bathrooms and showers.
The complex also has many outer buildings like a boathouse, carpenter shop,
blacksmith shop, and a car garage.

The Ardnamurchan Club is, in other words, exactly as it was when first built, nothing has changed, except for the addition of fire escapes and electricity instead of oil lamps. It still serves the same purpose as in the past. The people who occupy it every summer are the grandchildren or relatives, for example, of the original builders.

The grounds, buildings, the purpose of the club, the by-laws and so forth are the same as they always were from day one.



It continues to be a very large estate privately owned by many families from the U.S. who are related to each other and is not open to the public.

The property consists of about 215 acres on the main land and 500 acres of islands. At
one time, they did lots of farming, growing crops and animals were kept to provide
for the summer families. There are also have tennis courts, games are organized for
the amusements of the children and there are water sports like row boating,
canoeing and sail boating.

There is one more reason why this American club is of particular interest to
me. The club¹s main vehicle is a 1948 Dodge Woody station wagon which has been
in Argyle since it was new.

As a child I would often see this well-varnished vehicle
with blue fenders in our village. The friendly people would be looking for
fresh milk or home-raised eggs, or just enjoying an evening ride.

The ladies,
dressed in their Sunday best, were looking for bargains, especially in
Acadian-made quilts. One of my neighbors, Mary Amirault, sold many quilts to
them and considered these ladies her best customers.


Something I have in common with these summer visitors is that I also own a woody
wagon. Mine is a 1931 Model A Ford station wagon. During summer, we sometimes
happen to meet and we exchanged pleasantries and talk about our antique vehicles.


Recently, when I was at the Acadian Historical Village with my Ford Woody I met
Mr. Duncan Cox driving the club’s Dodge woody with a group of children and
parents enjoying a Sunday drive. They invited me to visit the club, an offer I
could not refuse.


Later in the week, with three of my relatives as passengers aboard the 1931
Ford Woody, we drove the 15 miles to the Ardnamurchan Club for a very
pleasant visit. We received the grand tour of the main building, given to us by
Mr. Harold Starr, president of the club, with Duncan Cox as his assistant.


Everything brought back memories. Nothing noticeable has
changed with the exception of new cedar shingles and rebuilt window frames, plus
fire escapes and other safety features, but basically it was the same as I had
 seen it last in the early ‘60s. It was a very gracious and memorable visit.


Oh, yes, there was one more change; the 1948 Dodge Woody has been
fully restored to its former glory, but this time the metal fenders are a deep
maroon instead of the original blue. It does justice to the new wood which was
totally replaced.

The Ardnamurchan people are always very welcome here in Nova
Scotia and it was a wonderful pleasure to re-visit the club¹s property and my
youth.


laudent@hotmail.com