HOTELS-STAGE COACHES

James Lyle’s Inn or Hotel was opened in the 1830’s, and provided shelter and food for persons travelling to and from Charlottetown and the ship building centres of Port Hill, Bideford and points west to Alberton. Lawrence O’Farrell also operated an Inn at his home on the Central Road. At first most of the travellers arrived on foot or on horseback, but gradually carts and gigs made their appearances.

The licensed Inns were required to keep three good feather beds and bedding for the accommodation of the travellers, with good stall stabling and necessary provender for six horses. The common charge of that period was six pence (10c) for a bed, and one shilling (20c) for supper.

The Post Office was in the Lyle Hotel from 1838 to 1859, and in the Lyle home from 1909 to May 1913 when the mail was delivered by rural route.

In 1849 the stage coach for mail and passengers was an American closed-in wagon, which held six besides one or two who might ride with the driver outside. With the opening of the railroad, the stage coach ceased to operate, but travellers continued to use this route for a number

of years.

BLACKSMITHS

In 1885 Reddy Thompson operated a carriage shop, located on the manse field. Later on Jack Thomas blacksmithed in a shop on land near the present Jack Yeo home. He was followed by Colin Costain, at the same

location. James Manderson had a blacksmith shop on his own land, near their home. This shop stood until about 1973. His son, Jack Manderson, operated the shop in the late 1930’s and on in through the 1940’s, from which time there were very few farm horses to be shod, tractors having

come into popular use. A.K. NlacGregor also did blacksmithing and a good deal of iron work in a shop on the land he farmed through the 1950’s, now

the home farm of Darrel Lyle.

THE LOT 16 CHEESE FACTORY

The Lot 16 Cheese factory was started in the spring of 1898, with the manufacture first of butter only. Two years later it embarked upon the manufacture of cheese and a thriving business in this commodity was soon built up. It became, in fact in the course of a few years the second largest cheese-making plant in the Province, next in size to Kensington.

The low lands of the area proved very favorable for pasture, and as much as one and a half million pounds of milk a year was purchased from cattle owners of the community. The manufacture of cheese alone was carried on for something like fifteen years and then both cheese and whey butter were made and continued to be processed up to the time the factory

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