News 10 Years Ago
Wednesday, November 28, 1990

Died - Viola (Adshade) Williams O'PRAY, 68, Greenville Road, Wentworth, Nov. 23 in North Cumberland Memorial Hospital.

Died - Raymond C. MILLS, 71, Pugwash, in Camp Hill Hospital, Halifax.

Died - Sarah Lavenia MACDONALD, 90, Nov. 22 in East Cumberland Lodge, Pugwash. She was born in Linden.

News 20 Years Ago
Wednesday, November 26, 1980

Died - Frank George LECK, 75 of Wallace at the Victoria General Hospital, Halifax, November 22.

Died - Roland L. MACKENZIE, 78, of Thomson Station, in East Cumberland Lodge, Pugwash, November 24.

News 30 Years Ago
Thursday, November 26, 1970

Miss Betty MOORE of the Project Club, East Leicester, was a delegate to the National Convention of 4-H Clubs in Truro on November 11.

Died at Springhill on November 6, Anna M. DICKIE, 94, of Mt. Pleasant and Pleasant Hills, Colchester County.

Funeral service was held for the late F.J. SHERRY at All Souls' Church, Oxford on October 31.

News 40 Years Ago
Thursday, November 24, 1960

Winston REEVES, Malagash Station, was injured when the truck he was driving was in collision with the Short Line train near the Malagash Station on November 18.
The last trip of the Short Line express was on November 19.

Died aat Wallace on November 18, William Lawson ANGEVINE, 81.

News 50 Years Ago
Thursday, November 23, 1950

Chief Matron Rose L. KING, O.R.R.C. of Camp Hill Hospital (of River Philip) was elected president of the N.S. Registered Nurses' Union.

Died at Hartford on November 11, Mrs. Alex HARRISON, age 73.

Died at South Victoria on November 19, Mrs. Gilbert WEEKS, age 64.

News 60 Years Ago
Thursday, November 21, 1940

Miss Dorothy JOHNSON, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Lloyd Johnson, Oxford, graduated from Highland View Hospital, Amherst on November 8.

Mr. and Mrs. Layton BENTLEY have moved from Folly Lake to Westchester Station.

Earl FULLERTON was elected president of the Cumberland County Farmers' Association at their annual meeting in Oxford on November 14.

Died at Pugwash on November 11, Mrs. Anne May READ, age 78.

Died at Spinghill on November 15, Welsford JACKSON, Williamsdale, age 78.

News 70 Years Ago
Thursday, November 27, 1930

S.P. WOOD of Port Howe is in charge of the work widening the Amherst end of the new Springhill road, via Fenwick.

J. Archie MOORE of Shinimicas was elected president of Cumberland County Farmers' Association, at a meeting in Amherst on November 24. L.W. THOMPSON, Oxford, is vice-president and Norman TRUEMAN, secretary-treasurer.

Died at Oxford on November 22, Earle G. BENT, aged 84 years, who resided at River Philip until four years ago.

In Memoriam
COOKE, Isabelle, passed away December 3, 1983.
NIX, Churchill, passed away November 27, 1996.
CRAWFORD, In loving memory of Curtis, Pansy and Darren, who passed away November 16, 1985.
CARTER, Earleen (McGill), passed away November 22, 1996.

A Look Back ...

Brief items from the "Good Old Days" column of The Amherst Daily News, which were printed in the Oxford Journal of March 9, 1972.

March 9, 1912 - The Town Council of Oxford have employed W.W. THOMPSON as a policeman to look after law and order in that town. Mr. Thompson is paid the remunerative salary of sixteen dollars per month. Oxford as a community has almost reached the Utopian stage. The same council has also appointed Roland KING to look after the electric lights of the town at a salary of fifteen dollars per year.

April 8, 1912 - E.N. RHODES, M.P., is to be congratulated for having secured a vote of one hundred and ten thousand dollars to extend the Intercolonial Railway from Wallace Station to Wallace town and to dredge Wallace Harbor, a sufficient depth to allow the steamships of the Dominion Coal Company to enter that port freely.

April 8, 1912 - Louis RIPLEY of River Philip is interested in the establishmen of a new brick plant at Oxford. An excellent bed of clay has been located in that town and Mr. Ripley does not anticipate any trouble in raising the necessary capital to form the company to organize the plant.

May 20, 1922 - The Cumberland Plaster and Shipping Company is beginning operations on the Oliver KING property at Hansford. Men are at work grading up for a tramway from the quarry to a siding on the I.C.R. tramway to be about one mile in length. As there is very little earth to remove to get at the gypsum and the haul to the point of shipment is short, it no doubt can be handled at a good margin of profit. A new pier is expected to be built at Pugwash to accommodate shipments which will be made during eight months of the year. It is expected that 100,000 tons will be shipped yearly and that eventually a refinery will be erected on the property or at Oxford. John CARROL of Springhill is president of the company.

RIVER PHILIP Founded in 1772
"The following are highlights taken from Jean (Layton) McKay's presentation to the Springhill Heritage Group and submitted to the paper by Ida McCormick."

River Philip was first settled about 1772, when about 1000 Yorkshire settlers immigrated to Nova Scotia. Wm. BLACK and Wm. DONKIN encouraged their friends to apply for crown grants being given by George III of England. Grantees also came from Chignecto, NS and Westmorland County, NB.
The school house was built about 1816, also the Court House, as the sittings of the Supreme Court of the County were held there from 1816 to 1830, when, because of more frequent cases coming from Amherst, court was moved to Amherst.

River Philip was a central location in the county. Court was held every Saturday and was presided over by four magistrates. The first church was a Methodist meeting house, built in 1827. A Baptist Church was built in 1901, and was torn down in the 1970's. At the turn of the century there were many changes. There were two post offices, two schools, a telephone line introduced into the community about 1894. There were also several places where the public could find lodging: HEWSON's Hotel, BLACK's Inn, PUGNOSE Inn. At one time James HEWSON operated a salt mine, at a place called Saltsprings using oxen, later horses, to haul it to River Philip, where it was refined in his salt house.

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