Snapshots of Owensville in 1912

Our Lady of Sorrows rectory & church

15 Homes and 3 Churches:

Entering Owensville from the west on Owensville Road, you crossed a wooden bridge at Gott's Branch. 

On your right was Our Lady of Sorrows Church and Father Anthony’s rectory. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Behind the church was Tamarack Hill, Summerfield Chew's house.

Tamarack Hill 1974 (Amy Hiatt photo)

 Next on the right was Morgan Wayson’s house which held the telephone switchboard.  
Then, Wayson's cow pasture.

Owensville School (ClemenceBurwell photo)

A wire fence separated the cows from the school yard. On a rise stood the small gray school house, a baseball diamond in front, and a privy out back.

Js Cheston Hse 1909 (Burwell)

Next was the yellow 
Victorian house of 
James Cheston.

Morris Cheston Hse 1914 (Burwell)

Opposite James was the house of his brother Dr Morris Cheston.  Morris' widow Sally lived here with 3 daughters.

Methodist Church & Parsonage

On the right, on a bluff, stood the Methodist parsonage and the Methodist church.  Mr Perkins was minister. 

Then you arrived at the Owensville crossroads. Here was the public well,  used by the whole neighborhood.

Clifton Park (Jacqueline Billard photo)

Left from the crossroads was the lumber mill of Stallings Wayson whose arm had been severed in a mill accident.

Beyond Wayson's mill was Bettie Byrd’s house Clifton Park.

Cawood Hse (IreneWayson photo)

If you turned right at the crossroads, you bumped down 'the cardboard hill' constructed of logs and sand to prevent washout.  Dr Cawood’s house was on the left,

and then Sam Chew’s house, Roselawn, built by his great grandfather Wm Peake, Sr.

Roselawn (MarionCarroll photo)

Back to the crossroads and continuing east toward Galesville, schoolteacher Mamie Chew's house was on the right. Mamie taught every village child from 1860 to 1910.

                                                                          

Mamie Chew's House (Evelyn Lyon-Vaiden photo)

                                                                   

Opposite Mamie's was her brother Summerfield Chew's general store & post office.

Chew's Store 1911 (Burwell)

Parish Hall, early 1900's (fr SallyWhall)

 

Behind the store was the old 1850’s Classical Institute. The building was now used as Christ Church's Parish Hall.  

Christ Church early 1900's (Burwell)

Next on the left was Christ  Church itself,

Christ Church Rectory

and Rev Mayo’s rectory. 

John Hopkins Hse (EvelynHopkins photo)

On the right, John Hopkins’ house stood above a large yard.

Then came Henry Owens’ house surrounded by boxwood bushes.

Woodstock c1900 (Alice Randall photo)

Finally, past two fields and a barn, at the east end of the village, was the yellow house of Alec Murray, Woodstock. 

(village description excerpted from Kate Chew’s memoir)