Tales and Items of Interest

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE COUNTRY STORE

A most essential part of the fabric of rural community life on “the Island” was the country store. Centrally located within a district and usually not more than a half hour drive by horse and sleigh or wagon from the furthest home, they carried the necessities of daily life. It is worth noting that the country store was both residence and place of business for the owner/operator. In more densely populated areas, a large general store with food and clothing as well as furniture and hardware was common; but given Marshfield’s close proximity to Charlottetown, such did not exist here.

The first stores identified in the district were in the 1860’s and 70’s, one being just east of the last location of the school on Springfield Farm and operated by Allan Stewart of the “Appletree Stewarts.” Mr. Stewart lived alone and was claimed to have had a profitable business. The Hutchinson’s 1864 Directory lists James Robertson, who at the time occupied Linden Acres (Stetson’s), as operating a general store on the St. Peters Road.

During the last half of the nineteenth century, John Ferguson of Hillside Farm (now DeJong property) operated as a “general dealer” on the southeast corner of his property. His son David Ferguson acquired the Springfield Farm Store in 1920, which he operated for a few years before acquiring a small lot from his brother John T. Ferguson. This lot was located on the St. Peters Road between the residence of John T. Ferguson (now McNally’s) and the driveway to David’s old homestead (now DeJong’s). David operated this store until his death in 1933, at which time his daughter Gladys and her husband Harry Muttart became the owners/operators until 1957 — more on this store later.

The only other “country store” known to have operated in the district was established by Ledwell Boswell and his wife Caroline when they sold their farm to Cedric Ballem in the late forties, reserving a portion of land fronting on the York and St. Peters Roads. The store/home combination, which they operated for a few years, was later sold to Wendell and Ethel MacCallum who shortly after purchase moved the building further from the York Road and remodeled it as a residence. A garage-service station was built at the road junction. Wendell operated the service station until his premature

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death in 1962. Ethel and her five children continued to live at their home which was always open to friends and family and even those stranded by a snowstorm.

Myron Ling in conjunction with the Irving Oil Co. operated a successful garage until the early ‘90’s on the original store site.

As travel became easier, with virtually every household owning a vehicle, the demise of the “country store” was inevitable. The first to close were the stores adjacent to towns and villages where larger shopping centres were developing. Upon their return from World War 11, Bill and Harold Ellis of Donaldston opened a large store on the St. Peters Road close to Charlottetown, which drew its trade from this area and beyond and as they say “the rest is history.”

Muttart’s Store

Harry Muttart was born in New Jersey and later lived in Union Corner. He was a descendant of Balthazar or Belcher (both names were used) Muttart who fought in the Plains of Abraham and came to the Island with Samuel Holland as a surveyor and liked it so much, decided to stay.

The writer in collaboration with Harry and Gladys Muttart’s daughter, Lela, (great, great, great grand-daughter of Belcher Muttart) hereby relate mem- ories of the H. C. Muttart store of the forties and fifties.

The goods sold included almost anything that could not be produced on the farm with the exception of clothing, and Eaton’s catalogue filled that void.

My most vivid recollection is of heading out in the winter with my father and older brother in the horse-drawn sleigh, crossing the ice on the river at the mouth of the Mill Creek (Marshfield Creek), coming on shore at the Baptist Church

ca. 1940

Courtesy of Lela Sawler Harry C. Muttart